THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) condemned the City of Joburg (COJ) for failing to pay the bus operators at Rea Vaya.
This comes after Rea Vaya suspended some of their services on Monday, 30 October.
On Wednesday, 1 November, they announced that Phase 1A bus services are still suspended due to internal labour issues, while Phase 1B buses continued to operate.
Rea Vaya issued an apology for the inconvenience caused to its commuters.
"The bus operating company is addressing the matter. We will provide feedback on the situation during the course of the day," they said.
Numsa said failure to pay the bus operators means that workers at Rea Vaya have not been paid.
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Numsa further stated that it is unreasonable to expect workers to show up for work when they have not received their salaries, making it difficult for them to support their families, pay for petrol, and cover public transportation costs.
The union further warned the bosses that they better not threaten workers with disciplinary action because they are not responsible for the crisis.
“They are victims and not slaves. This is not a volunteer programme. This is paid employment. If the officials at COJ do not understand this basic principle. They have no business leading the city. They must step aside and let those who are capable of serving the public efficiently to do so,” Numsa said.
