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- Putco dismissed 105 workers who were involved in a strike over wages and bonus payments.
- Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said they were dismissed for misconduct and intimidation of employees who were not part of the strike.
- Tirisano Transport and Service Workers Union secretary Stephen Motingoa told News24 that Putco did not inform employee representatives of its reasons for the dismissals.
Putco has dismissed 105 employees who were part of a group who protested last week against the non-payment of bonuses and wage increases.
They were demanding back pay of 6% salary increases and bonuses from 2020.
Spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said the workers were dismissed 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.
The dismissal follows a disciplinary process and the reviewing of the representations of 1 000 employees about why Putco should not dismiss them for taking part in the strike.
Employees had until Wednesday afternoon to submit their representations.
Putco did not lay criminal charges against the group.
Xulu said Putco obtained a Labour Court order interdicting employees from disrupting services, which are expected to resume on Monday.
He added that commuters whose tickets expired from 1 September, the first day of the strike, will be reimbursed.
Tirisano Transport and Service Workers Union secretary Stephen Motingoa told News24 the dismissal of the group was unfortunate.
"That is an unfortunate situation and hurried action by Putco because we don't know how they arrived at that determination. This seems to have been selective action by Putco, which, in our view, is incorrect," he said.
He added that although the union had not established how many of the 105 were its members, they would contest their dismissal if they were part of the cohort.
"There are four unions involved at Putco, but if there are any of our members, we will challenge their dismissal because, for us, the dismissals constitute selective action without any reasons and evidence Putco has against the group," he said.
Motingoa said Putco did not communicate its reasons for dismissing the group. He said their last interaction was when the unions made submissions on behalf of the employees last week.
