The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) threatened that Monday’s Transnet workers’ strike could go on for another three days if the union did not get a ”decent” response from the parastatal.
Satawu president Ezrom Mabyama said: ”We would have no choice to ensure that the strike lasts for four days. We will make sure no one is left in the workplace. We will take all the trucks, planes, trains and buses to make sure that nobody is left at work.”
He said that although Transnet claimed no jobs would be lost in a planned restructuring of the parastatal, about 30 000 people will be thrown out on the streets.
Mabyama said it would not be correct to restructure Transnet without workers being consulted.
”We can not just hear that on April the 1st Metrorail will belong to the Department of Transport.”
During the mediation process at the weekend negotiations fell apart when Transnet management announced that they had signed a sale agreement with the SA Rail Commuter Corporation effective from April 1.
Thousands of striking union members were bussed in to Johannesburg on Monday to protest against Transnet’s restructuring.
”Phansi ngo Maria Ramos [down with Maria Ramos]. You are a gemors [useless],” angry trade unionists shouted.
They held placards reading ”Voertsek Ramos” calling on her to negotiate in a manner which they say should be fair to all workers.
The unions demanded ”an end to bad faith negotiations” that the Transnet restructuring committee and business units had imposed on workers.
They also called for the removal of the chief negotiator, Pradeep Maharaj, from the restructuring process. Unions also want all retirement benefits in all three Transnet pension funds to be guaranteed by the new employer, whether that employer is the state or a private owner.
Under Transnet’s restructuring plans, some companies belonging to it would be transferred to government and other units would be sold to the private sector.
Unions were worried that their members would lose pension benefits. They said they had not been informed of the service conditions contained in the sale agreement.
The Congress of SA Trade Unions’ secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said Cosatu was fully behind the strike.
”Maria Ramos must know how to manage her people. Now we are voting with our feet. Decisions cannot just be forced down our throat. That will not be tolerated.”
Vavi said he had received news that the strike had been successful throughout the country.
The SA Communist Party (SACP) also backed the action saying the demands of the workers were reasonable.
”They [Transnet] must stop this arrogance. They are behaving like politicians against workers rights. We will die where our workers die,” the SACP’s Ndzipho Kalipa said. – Sapa