Rea Vaya Strike: Operations Resume As Bus Drivers Receive Unpaid Wages

Rea Vaya bus services resumed operation on Tuesday after several passengers were stranded on Monday in various Johannesburg stations, following a strike called by the drivers due to their unpaid salaries.

Thousands of commuters rely on Rea Vaya bus service for daily transportation, Sowetan Live reported. However, 240 buses were reportedly blocked from leaving the depots as drivers from Piotrans and Litsamaiso--the companies contracted to Rea Vaya--refused to operate until their February salaries were paid.

Kenny Kunene--the roads and transport member of the mayoral committee--had advised passengers on Monday to find alternate forms of transport, before holding a meeting with the Rea Vaya, Piotrans and Litsamaiso representatives.

"As it stands, there are no Rea Vaya buses on the road. We ask passengers to use Metro Bus and other modes of transport," Kunene said, IOL reported. "I know that the routes are different. We ask that they please bear with us."

Kunene said the drivers were "within their rights to strike. There were issues with the tax certificate for Piotrans, but that was fixed. The payments were supposed to be made last week, but they were not, and there was a fire at the metro center on Friday that affected the IT systems. There was no communication with the drivers and their shop stewards as to what happened."

"I was able to persuade the City to make these payments timeously," he continued. "I have an agreement with the drivers that as soon as the money gets into the Piotrans account, they will then go back to work. It is Piotrans that is supposed to pay them their salaries."

Kunene also took to Twitter to post about the issue being resolved.

''Rea Vaya services did not operate on March 6, 2023, due to a work stoppage by drivers after delayed payment to Piotrans due to contractual issues which have now been resolved. Kunene met management and union representatives this morning [Monday] to resolve the impasse and pledged to have all driver payment process to be finalized [on Tuesday]," Rea Vaya spokesperson Corrine Lekhoane said.

This is not the first time when Rea Vaya bus drivers went on strike. Previously in May 2021, the drivers went on strike over a wage dispute. At that time, the strike lasted for several days, and it affected thousands of passengers, who use this bus service on a daily basis.

During the strike in 2021, there were reports of buses being damaged and stoned. However, the issue was eventually resolved with the help of negotiations between the drivers and the bus company.

In fact, the official Facebook page of the bus operator also shared a photo of the bus at that time, revealing how badly it was damaged during the protest.