Transnet labour unions will proceed with ”unprecedented” strike action on Monday which could see more than 50 000 workers staying away.
South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union secretary general Randall Howard said the union hopes to delay the date of Metrorail workers’ transfer to Transnet, which has been set by management for April 1.
”Management is riding roughshod over the unions, hoping to push it [the deadline] through without negotiations,” he said.
He said unions were only informed of the date of transfer during mediations on March 4.
The mediation process fell apart at the weekend when Transnet management announced that they had signed a sale agreement with the South African Rail Commuter Corporation, effective from April 1.
”There will be no mediation unless unilateral decision-making is stopped. Workers being transferred have no guarantees of their working conditions, contrary to the statements management has made to the public,” he said
Howard accused Transnet of ”blatantly lying” when saying all aspects of the pension-fund transferral have been settled, and that worst-case scenarios could see workers losing their benefits.
The strike will see marches taking place in cities across the country. The Congress of South African Trade Unions and Federation of Unions of South Africa will support the national strike.
”The inconvenience which commuters will suffer is always regrettable, but must be understood in the context of improving the quality of the Metrorail service with regard to investment, reliability, access and affordability,” said Howard.
Unions met Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin on Thursday, and will meet again on Monday after the strike in the hope of resolving the deadlock.
A second wave of strikes is not out of the question, Howard told journalists at a press conference in Johannesburg.
He said the unions have no problem with moving Metrorail and Shosholoza out of Transnet, only with the fact that management refused to consult on the details.
The unions are not aware of the value attached to the sale agreement or what the conditions of service would be.
Regarding job losses, United Transport and Allied Trade Union general secretary Chris de Vos said 600 people have already been retrenched within Spoornet, and 61 people at the group head office have received letters of retrenchment.
”At the end of the day there will be job losses, no matter what,” he said.
Howard said that despite claims by Transnet that the previous strike on January 30 had only a slight impact, power is not always about numbers.
”They present us as dogs that can’t bite,” he said, adding that the unions represent between 70% and 80% of the workforce.
De Vos said that trains operate under unsafe conditions just to keep the wheels rolling and the percentage they present to the public is based on a revised schedule and not an actual schedule.
Train driver Anton van Wyk said that from his perspective the strikes have a huge impact.
”Especially if you see people stranded at the stations,” he said.
He also emphasised the danger in running trains without the normal staff, as people in the control offices also go on strike and are often replaced by people who have been on pension for many years, or unskilled technicians.
Regarding Monday’s strike, he said: ”This time people are committed. It will be full blown.”
A Metrorail spokesperson said a limited train service will be running on Monday and buses will be available only to commuters with monthly tickets.
Thandi Mlangeni said it is too early to tell how many trains will be running as it depends on the number of drivers who come to work.
”What concerns us is that people inside the train station will want to get on trains that are already full. This time we are really going to see commuters struggling,” she said.
Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu could not be reached for comment. — Sapa