MEDIA STATEMENT
SATAWU TO EMBARK ON PROTECTED STRIKE ACTION AT THE PORTS REGULATOR OF SOUTH AFRICA
28 July 2026
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) wishes to inform stakeholders, the maritime industry, and the South African public that its members employed by the Ports Regulator of South Africa (PRSA) are on the verge of embarking on protected industrial action following a deadlock in salary and Conditions of Employment (CoE) negotiations.
Salary negotiations commenced on 11 February 2026. Despite more than five months of engagement through the parties’ Collective Bargaining Forum (CBF), no agreement could be reached. The dispute was subsequently referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), where conciliation took place on 17 July 2026. The conciliation process failed to resolve the dispute, leaving employees with no alternative but to proceed with protected industrial action.
Following the unsuccessful conciliation process, the CCMA convened the parties to facilitate discussions on the conclusion of picketing rules that will govern the intended protected strike action. As no agreement was reached during conciliation, the facilitated process on picketing rules, including an inspection in loco, was scheduled to take place thereafter.
The dispute arises from the employer’s rejection of employee demands relating to salary adjustments and other conditions of employment. While the PRSA Board approved a 6% salary increase for management and 7% for bargaining unit employees, it rejected proposals relating to equitable salary adjustments, the reinstatement of a bonus, and the introduction of a housing allowance.
Throughout the negotiations, PRSA cited affordability constraints as the primary reason for rejecting these proposals. Employees contend that this position is difficult to reconcile with the Board’s decision to approve salary increases for management despite remuneration guidance issued by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA).
SATAWU further notes that the Regulator’s allocation from the Department of Transport increased from R46.5 million in the 2025/26 financial year to R58.1 million, raising further questions regarding the affordability argument advanced by the employer during the negotiations.
One of the employer’s reasons for rejecting the reinstatement of a performance bonus was the absence of an approved bonus framework. SATAWU submits that following the organisational restructuring undertaken in 2023, the employer failed to develop the required framework and, where necessary, seek approval from the Executive Authority for its implementation.
The Union further notes that although salary negotiations commenced on 11 February 2026, the employer provided no undertaking during negotiations to initiate or conclude the development of such a framework. SATAWU believes that relying on the absence of a bonus framework, while taking no meaningful steps to establish one since the 2023 restructuring, has unfairly prejudiced employees and materially contributed to the breakdown in negotiations.
SATAWU also draws attention to remuneration trends reflected in the Ports Regulator of South Africa Annual Reports for the period 2020/21 to 2024/25. According to the publicly available reports:
- Approximately 58% of the Regulator’s expenditure over the past five years was allocated to employee compensation.
- The organisation maintained an average workforce of 26 employees, consisting of 9 managers and 17 non-management employees.
- Managers, representing 36% of the workforce, received approximately 68% of total salary expenditure (R16.5 million), while non-management employees, representing 64% of employees, received approximately 32% (R7.7 million).
- Managers earned an average annual salary of approximately R1.76 million, compared to approximately R454,000 for non-management employees, reflecting an average remuneration gap of approximately 288%.
SATAWU believes these figures raise important questions regarding internal pay equity and the equitable distribution of public resources within the Ports Regulator of South Africa.
The Union remains committed to the statutory mandate of the Ports Regulator of South Africa and regrets any inconvenience that protected industrial action may cause to stakeholders and the broader maritime sector. However, after more than five months of negotiations and an unsuccessful conciliation process, SATAWU believes that all reasonable avenues to resolve the dispute amicably have been exhausted.
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union remains available and willing to engage in good-faith negotiations aimed at reaching a fair, sustainable, and equitable settlement.
Issued by:
South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU)
Amanda Tshemese
Head of Communications
📞 062 945 7217
📧 Amanda@satawu.org.za
Ntuthuzelo Mhlubulwana
President
Jack Mazibuko
General Secretary
