Truckers reach wage agreement

ALAN PEAT
THE WAGE talks in the road freight sector – that have stuttered along since November last year – have finally come to a peaceful conclusion.
The four unions – Satawu, Tawu, Motor Transport Workers Union and Professional Transport Workers Union – and the Road Freight Employers' Association (RFEA) have agreed on a 9% increment plus an 8% increase on allowances. The settlement has averted what could have been a devastating national drivers’ strike, with Satawu the lead union in the strike threat – and with 60 000 workers in the road transport industry poised at any time to switch off engines after a mandatory 48-hour notice period.