Durban - The Services Employees Industrial Union (SEIU) would not rule out a further strike to press for increased wages for casual workers at Durban harbour, the union said yesterday.
Although about 1 600 members of the National Dock Labour Scheme returned to work late on Tuesday after embarking on an illegal strike this week, the union said it was “considering all options”.
This included a notice by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration making an allowance for a legal strike, provided 48 hours’ notice was given, said David Hemson, the president of the SEIU.
“We do not want to see the harbour not operating properly, but they are not coming back on our demands,” he said.
Workers are demanding pension benefits and an increase in wages from R8,85 an hour to R16 an hour. Portnet and the Stevedores’ Association in Durban, which represents port users, have offered a 3 percent rise.
Hemson said most workers received only three shifts a week which, at the current wage, translated into a monthly income of just over R800.
Portnet said it would catch up on time lost during the strike within two to three days.
“We lost two shift operations, totalling 16 hours, and this affected 2 000 containers,” said Ronnie Holtshausen, the marketing manager of Portnet. “But no money has been lost because we can catch up very quickly.”
However, the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry this week reported “severe delays” in the loading and offloading of cargo. Jeya Wilson, the chief executive, said: “The chamber is extremely disturbed by this delay in clearing goods, which will have a serious economic impact on the port and the country, and will affect supplies to the retail trade at this crucial time of year.”
