Transport strike is over

SHOOT: Engineering News and a few other agencies have reported more petrol stations running dry, especially in far flung places. The good thing about these strikes is it reminds us of our energy addiction. There is a two day lead time for tanker trucks, meaning if they stop operating, fuel stations will run out of product in 48 hours. If you think about that, and the size of population all around the world geared to a perceived everythday entitlement of easy motoring, it's kind've troubling how close we are to SYSTEM FAILURE. And we're getting closer each day as our energy endowments deplete, populations grow and cars get cheaper.

clipped from www.sowetan.co.za The SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) will sign an agreement which essentially ends the strike in the road freight sector. The union said it had reported back to all the provinces and striking workers. It had received “an overwhelming mandate” to sign the agreement. The union confirmed that it had received increases for road freight industry workers from grades 1 to 5. The across-the-board increase in the first year had been set at 11% and at 9.5% by March 1, 2010. The introduction of a danger allowance for the first time — at 0,5% on determined wages for drivers who transport hazardous chemicals — would be effective from March 1, 2010, Satawu said. The agreement included an across-the-board increase of 11 percent for all employees who were currently covered by the Road Freight Bargaining Council, the RFEA said.