- Putco employees have accepted a 6% wage offer that will be paid from 1 October.
- Company spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said the salary increases will not be backdated from 2020, as initially demanded by employees.
- The 105 employees dismissed last week will be allowed to lodge an appeal against their dismissal.
Putco employees have accepted a 6% wage offer after a series of meetings between the company and labour unions.
Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) facilitated the three-day meetings.
The meetings come after employees at Dobsonville and Roseville depots embarked on a strike over salary increases and outstanding bonus payments from 2020.
Putco had applied for an exemption with the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBAC), saying it could not afford the payouts due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, Xulu said Putco had withdrawn this application, and employees would receive the wage increase from 1 October without the 2020 backpay.
"The company will implement a 6% wage increase on 1 October 2022 for all employees who were in service of Putco on 1 April 2020 and are still in service after this agreement. The wage increase will not be backdated," said Xulu.
He said the increase would not apply to employees who received the 6% wage agreement last year.
Xulu added that the dismissal of 105 drivers and technical employees affected by Putco last week still stands. However, they can, through their unions, appeal their dismissals, by no later than Friday.
The group, part of 1 000 employees who participated in an illegal strike, were fired for misconduct, intimidation, and blockading entry and exit points at Putco depots, preventing employees from entering and leaving the premises.
Sixty-seven of them are driver conductors, and 38 are technical staff.
Xulu said all five unions agreed that none of their members would participate in an unprotected strike and that disputes would be resolved through proper legal channels.