Truckers strike

[ians]

How many other companies are being affected by the strike.

I have been advised not to go collect equipment from the wholesalers due to the strikers intimidating people and blocked roads.

So i must loose a days turnover and have to pay my staff to sit around in the workshop. Maybe i should tell them to go home and not pay them for the day, can i do it? Unpaid leave?

Got to love living in africa. So much to offer, pity about the people.

[IanF]

Our courier company could not collect yesterday. Had to phone our customer who collected as it was for a wedding on the weekend.

[Mike C]

All of the transporters we use are on strike or have been intimidated. One had a shot fired at him and another was pelted with stones. Drove to Pietermaritzburg in the car yesterday - although there were trucks on the road they were drastically reduced.

[Citizen X]

How many other companies are being affected by the strike.

I have been advised not to go collect equipment from the wholesalers due to the strikers intimidating people and blocked roads.

So i must loose a days turnover and have to pay my staff to sit around in the workshop. Maybe i should tell them to go home and not pay them for the day, can i do it? Unpaid leave?

Got to love living in africa. So much to offer, pity about the people.

Infringement of another man's rights!

[Citizen X]

I empathise with non striking workers. No work no pay, may be too much to bear for them. If your very own work colleagues can’t understand that you support them in spirit but need to work because you’ve got a family and wife and kids, then who will really understand.
It’s exceptionally dispiriting to go to work as a truck driver not knowing if you’ll come back from work alive!

[roryf]

Our one truck driver was hassled in Pinetown yesterday by a crowd.I have just put all deliveries on hold for now.

We need Maggie Thatcher to sort out the unions.......

[Nickolai Naydenov]

In SA they do what they want, unions are there to make money, many workers are uneducated and have no will to progress in any way and if you give them R5000 or R50 000 pm the same thing will happen again. Government has allowed all this by giving power to the unions. Illegal strike should mean losing your jon, there are many people that will be happy to work so give them a chance, it's supposed to be a free country or that's what they say, in practice doesn't work like that unfortunately. Government allows unions to put our economy on its knees which results in massive loss for everyone and then it also reflects on price increases and etc, take those unions out, fire those who don't want to work, contain the initial violence that will erupt and the country will be doing much better. All these unions do is collect exorbitant amounts of money who are used for the lavish lifestyle of few, unions don't create any structure or order, they have no leadership, they only cause havoc. I've had a client/company which was threatened by a union, so we can see what they are about. I'm so angry at the whole useless system

[ians]

A person driving a small van, not a truck was attacked and vehicle destroyed and beaten badly just before i arrived, i was told to leave as soon as possible becaus i also drive a van.

A question, if an angry mob attacked me, can i open fire on them if they are "unarmed" or if they corner me and i drive over some of them and seriously injure or kill them, will i be charged with murder or assault GBH?

[cyppok]

A person driving a small van, not a truck was attacked and vehicle destroyed and beaten badly just before i arrived, i was told to leave as soon as possible becaus i also drive a van.

A question, if an angry mob attacked me, can i open fire on them if they are "unarmed" or if they corner me and i drive over some of them and seriously injure or kill them, will i be charged with murder or assault GBH?

I think the answer is if there are no witnesses. So my guess is you have to get everyone. (partly joking)
FYI gold output for South Africa droped 39% btw just so you feel better.

"Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- South African gold mine strikes halted about 39 percent of output, including at AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. and Gold Fields Ltd., as unofficial walkouts spread in the country amid demands for above-inflation pay increases."

[Nickolai Naydenov]

A person driving a small van, not a truck was attacked and vehicle destroyed and beaten badly just before i arrived, i was told to leave as soon as possible becaus i also drive a van.

A question, if an angry mob attacked me, can i open fire on them if they are "unarmed" or if they corner me and i drive over some of them and seriously injure or kill them, will i be charged with murder or assault GBH?

Section 49 of the firearms controls act is what you need to look at. In general if your life is in danger then you can use lethal force, however in court they will ask you questions based on what would the reasonable man do, so as long as you have all the answers you are in a good space. Make sure that you don't shoot anyone in the back. The moment you use your weapon you will be charged with murder or attempted murder but doesn't nessesaraly mean that they will arrest you.

[adrianh]

There was a discussion on 702 / 567 yesterday about the strike. The one guy said that he thinks that one should have the right to pre-emptively defend yourself against somebody by the side of the road holding a half-brick. His reasoning was that there would be only one reason for somebody to be holding a half-brick.

The question is really; when does it become self defence; when he throws the brick at your car?, once the brick has hit your car?

Can you shoot a person who breaks into your house and has a knife, gun, halfbrick?
Can you shoot a person who stands next to highway brandishing a knife, gun, halfbrick?

[ians]

During my wasted years, serving in the sadf, we were told that you cannot shoot someone holding a petrol bomb if it was not burning, nor could you shoot that person once he had thrown a lit petrol bomb, only while lighting it. Joke of note, you have 10 soliders on a buffel on fire and a person laughing at us, knowing we cant shoot them. The guys did get into trouble for shooting animals on the border.

[adrianh]

Strange hey, a person holding a half brick next to the side of a road doesn't get arrested, but the guy holding his bare dick does...

[ians]

People starving to death, but billions are spend on arms and aids "research". Why not use the money to feed the starving kids and keep them alive.

[ians]

Truckers stike, petrol stations are running dry. Dont forget to fill up.