/ 20 August 2009

No end in sight to Metrorail strike

A train driver strike went into its fourth day on Thursday with no end in sight to a wage deadlock.

A train driver strike went into its fourth day on Thursday with no end in sight to a deadlock between the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and the United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu).

Prasa spokesperson Tiro Holele maintained that Metrorail trains were running at an 80% capacity, while Utatu assistant general secretary Tshidi Plaatjies said no trains were running in Khayelitsha on the Cape Flats.

One person died and four were injured in Khayelitsha on Wednesday when they fell from packed passenger trains.

Metrorail also reported that cable theft had affected services on the Cape Flats on Thursday.

“People stole our cables in the Western Cape which, of course, messed us up,” said Holele.

“But three suspects have been arrested,” he said, a statement that could not immediately be confirmed by the police.

Holele said the problem would hopefully be fixed in time for the afternoon rush on Thursday.

Also, he said that some striking workers had started returning to work.

But Plaatjies denied this, adding that the strike would continue next week if there was no reaction from the employer.

“The strike is still going on and I think it could go on next week. Members are prepared to go on until the employer meets their demands.”

Prasa has said it was not open to any new negotiations and that its wage offer had already been implemented and signed by the majority union, the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union, which is not taking part in the strike.

Utatu’s main gripe with the wage offer is a new limitation on overtime that it said could end up costing its more than 2 500 members — who are mainly train drivers and administrative staff — between R4 000 and R6 000 a month. — Sapa