The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) has postponed its secondary strike planned for Friday — in sympathy with striking security guards — amid a number of applications opposing it, spokesperson Jackson Simon said on Thursday.
”We have postponed tomorrow’s [Friday’s] strike because we want to consider all the applications against us,” he said.
The Johannesburg Labour Court earlier granted an interim interdict against Satawu, barring the union from organising secondary strikes at Transnet and in the tollgate industry.
In terms of the order, Satawu leaders may not call on its members or ”encourage or incite” its members to engage in the secondary strike until August 1, the date on which the parties should return to the court to hear if the order will be made final.
The Road Freight Employers’ Association was still arguing its case inside the court.
On Wednesday, the Labour Court in Cape Town granted bus operators an interdict to prevent their employees joining the threatened sympathy strike.
Satawu-affiliated security guards went on strike on March 23 in a dispute over an 8% pay offer and an 11% request.
The union had hoped to extend the strike to its other sectors from Friday, with a one-day protest next week.
Meanwhile, Spoornet agreed to arrange for extra security to be deployed on train lines east of Johannesburg after goods-train drivers reported being threatened and robbed by looters, the United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu) said.
Utatu general secretary Louis Brockett said looters living in informal settlements are sabotaging goods trains as they pass slowly through speed-restricted areas. They hit the trains’ brake pipes with pangas, forcing the trains to stop, or tamper with signals.
When the drivers get out to make the necessary adjustments to get the trains moving again, they are threatened and robbed of their cellphones, watches or money. There have been minor injuries.
”We have told them: if you feel threatened in any way, you just don’t drive the train,” said Brockett.
He stressed that if the drivers choose not to perform their duties, it is not a strike. ”It is in terms of Section 85 of the Health and Safety Act where employers must ensure that their work environment was safe.”
Spoornet confirmed there have been incidents and said it will ensure that security personnel are deployed on the lines and on the trains.
Spokesperson Molatwane Likhete urged people living near the lines not to buy goods stolen from trains and to report stolen goods to the police.
”I want to discourage people from buying stolen goods, report it to the police … raise our economy as a country,” he said.
Metrorail, which has been hard hit by the strike as working security guards have been thrown off trains to their deaths, confirmed that sleepers were removed from its Alberton line and that services are suspended there. It is not known yet if this is linked to the strike.
”Police are still investigating,” said spokesperson Thokozani Zitha.
The South African Port Operations (SAPO), a division of Transnet, said contingency plans have been put in place to minimise the impact on operations if Friday’s strike goes ahead.
”In conjunction with the National Ports Authority, we have taken the necessary measures to ensure that security is not compromised at our terminals and at the ports, in accordance with our ISPS code to ensure the safety of cargo,” chief operating officer Graham Braby said.
”We have adjusted quayside and landside operations at the various terminals across the country including the Durban Container Terminal, which is the busiest terminal in the country.”
SAPO has informed international and local customers of its contingency plans to ensure a limited impact on operations.
Business Unity South Africa (Busa) and the South African Chamber of Business (Sacob) issued separate statements calling for both parties to resolve the dispute.
”The current situation in the security sector is not in the interests of the parties themselves or the country as a whole. It is essential that dialogue resumes as quickly as possible,” said Busa chief executive Jerry Vilakazi.
Sacob said it is concerned over the extremes to which labour interests are prepared to go in order to achieve their goals. ”Presumably, sympathy strikes of this nature are intended to demonstrate to the country the unstoppable strength of labour interests. In this instance that unstoppable strength will bring economic hardship to many.” — Sapa