Terry Hutson
LAST WEEK'S wildcat strike at the port of Durban took many port operations by surprise, although there had been clear indications of discontent over wages and lack of job security.
Workers returned to work on Wednesday (29 November) after the National Dock Labour Scheme (NDLS) brought about an urgent court interdict based on the unprocedural nature and unruly behavior, effectively forcing the casual workers, mainly from the stevedoring sector, to return. Although the order was complied with, underlying threats of further action remained if the demands were not met.
NDLS is made up of companies which employ casual labour at the harbours. The largest employer is Portnet.
The casual workers are demanding an increase from the present R8,85 an hour to R16 per hour for general workers. They also want a three day work guarantee and for elderly workers to be pensioned off.
According to Dave Hemson, president of the Service Employers Industrial Union (SEIU), workers downed tools after hearing of a 3% offer at 06:00 on Monday (27 November). The result, he said, was the biggest work stoppage in the Port of Durban for 20 years.
As to the cargo backlog, a spokesman told FTW on Monday, December 4, we are not completely cleared and have a couple of ships that are still suffering from delays.
That 36-hours we lost last week didn't help us any - but we expect to be back up-to-speed by tonight.
l Although SEIU declared a dispute in October, Port Pool Users' response was that the present pool structure was unacceptable and they would only discuss these issues once there was agreement to restructure the pool. The union subsequently rejected a proposal put forward by the employers.
On 17 November the CCMA issued a certificate stating that the dispute remained unresolved and SEIU advised that they intended to call a strike, although no date was given. Last week's strike, called by the workers, was unprotected by the union, with SEIU advising the employers that they had lost control of the situation. They did however advise that their official strike would commence on Wednesday (29 November). In the event this did not occur, with workers returning to work on that day.
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