Trade union Numsa has for the second year in a row warned of a national bus strike over stalled wage negotiations on the eve of the Easter weekend.

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has threatened a strike in the bus sector ahead of the Easter weekend if employers do not put what they describe as a "meaningful" wage offer on the table.

The union said it was negotiating with employers who are represented by the South African Bus Employers Association (Sabea) and the Commuter Bus Employers Organisation (Cobea).

Wage negotiations have been going on since January, through the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council, and Numsa declared a dispute in February. The union said employers are "stubbornly refusing to give workers a meaningful increase".

"The issue which has triggered the [threatened] strike is that the employer refuses to negotiate health insurance benefits. Workers in the sector do not have any kind of medical aid or medical insurance at all," said Numsa general secretary, Irvin Jim.

Jim said they had obtained a certificate to strike and that if employers did not return to the negotiating table, they would have no choice but to resort to a full-blown strike - which could affect the upcoming Easter weekend.

The only official proposal on the table is that of the mediator, broken down as follows:

Two-year agreement from...