Deadlocked negotiations could lead to the shut-down of commuter rail operations, the trade unions representing 10,000 workers in the sector warned on Wednesday.United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu) and South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) members at Metrorail plan to down tools on Monday.
In a joint statement, they said Metrorail will be served with a strike notice on Friday.
"Although our original demand was 12.5 percent, we will accept the seven percent retrospective to April 1 and another two percent from September 1," said Utatu's general secretary Chris de Vos.
"However, Metrorail is clouding the agreement with other issues which we are not prepared to negotiate in these wage negotiations," he said.
De Vos said two million commuters could be left stranded should workers strike, as all commuter rail operations would be non-operational.
No-one but the "stubborn Metrorail management team of negotiators" should be blamed for the pending crisis, he said. Metrorail spokesman Sibusiso Ngomane could not be reached for comment.
