Labour Minister, Mildred Oliphant has taken it upon herself to intervene in the national bus strike, which enters its third day on Friday.
Her spokesperson, Sithembile Tshwete, said the Minister requested a meeting with the disputing parties for today.
"The Minister has requested this meeting because it is a matter of public interest. We are prepared to be in meetings the whole day," he said.
Members of the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union as well as other union members embarked on a nation-wide strike on Wednesday after the CCMA issued a certificate of non-resoulution of the wage dispute.
Thousands of bus drivers went on strike ahead of the Easter long weekend.
This week the Transport Minister called on the Provinces to issue temporary permits to other operators, notably the taxi industry, to help ease the Easter transport crush.
On Thursday, the SA Federation of Trade Union, Saftu, pledged its support for the striking bus workers.
Saftu spokesperson, Zwelinzima Vavi, said the strikers were "justified" in their call for higher wages after rejecting the 7.5% offered by bus employers.
"Commuters are at more risk of accidents when drivers have not had a long enough break between shifts and are thus tired and stressed. Driver fatigue is a major contributor to the outrageous number of accidents and deaths on South Africa's roads. The long hours and inadequate break times which the workers have to suffer are dehumanizing, undermine their health and increase the risk of accidents and injuries to both themselves and their passengers," Vavi said.
"This is thus a strike on behalf of all workers, employed and unemployed, and all road-users. It is a fight for working class people to be respected and appreciated for the responsible and at times dangerous work they do to provide a vital service to their communities," he added.
According to reports Friday Translux and City-to-City have concluded wage agreements and will resume services this weekend.
