The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa) on Friday called for the transformation of the bus passenger transport sector, saying that workers were still being discriminated against by the system.

Transport unions and employers in the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBC) sat down for the first round of wage negotiations this week, with other talks set to resume in February and the last round to be held in March.

Workers in the passenger bus sector are demanding a 30% wage increase across the board and a basic salary of R15 000 a month.

They also demand a R1 500 housing allowance, R1 200 sleeping out allowance, and also want to be paid 1.5 time their normal rate when working overtime and double if forced to work on their day off.

Numsa, which has extended its scope to include transport, said workers in the bus passenger industry were in a high-risk environment as they often became targets for opportunistic criminals and were also forced to work long hours.

“These workers are at the coal face of social ills that are experienced by workers under capitalism. Their conditions are worsened by escalating levels of unemployment and poverty,” Numsa said in a statement.

The union said this round of negotiations would serve as a litmus test as to whether employers in the sector were willing to dump their “hostile attitudes” and develop a more inclusive workplace culture.

“Employers in this sector have been doing as they please and workers have been suffering under the terms of a wage deal which has entrenched their exploitation in the sector,” Numsa said.

“This sector requires drastic transformation. We demand that the industry establish an Industry Policy Forum to transform the SARPBC; review all agreements at the council; and ensure that the agreements signed are in the interest of employees who work hard to make profit for capital.”

Numsa said it wanted a speedy resolution to negotiations and called on employers to cooperate in engaging government to address critical policy issues.

“If not, Numsa is prepared to embark on a program of mass action to ensure that these demands are met, and that the lives of workers are improved.”