Scholar transport operators, EC government reach agreement

THE Eastern Cape government and representatives of scholar transport operators in the province have reached an agreement following a dispute instituted by the operators.

Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle Picture: DispatchLive

In a statement by the provincial government today, it was indicated that Premier Phumulo Masualle and the MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Honourable Weziwe Tikana had met with the operators in a follow up to a dispute resolution meeting on May 22.

Earlier, scholar transport operators had downed tools citing the issue of a lack of a standardised date of monthly payments to operators by the Department of Transport as well as the demand of an increase in the fee rate per kilometre paid to operators by government as main grievances.

“In the interest of safeguarding critical access to quality education by the hundreds of thousands of learners who are dependent on the scholar transport system, which is funded by government, to get to the classroom, Premier Masualle committed to a speedy resolution of the matters of dispute so as to avoid as far as possible disruptions to teaching and learning in the province as a result of the Scholar Transport Operators’ strike.”

In today’s meeting, the Eastern Cape government indicated, it was agreed that government would give a 6% increase to operators linked to the CPIX effective from July 1.

Masualle had also called for strengthened participation of the taxi industry in resolving matters that involve them as well as make input on scholar transport operation while had Tikana assured the meeting that officials in the Department of Transport would effectively deal with all individual cases raised within 30 days.

 

 

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