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Business Report writes that the United National Transport Union (Untu) has branded the embattled Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) trains as a disaster waiting to happen and has accused the government of ignoring red flags.
The union said on Monday that it was in the process of launching a court bid to force Prasa to adhere to safety standards. According to Untu general secretary Steve Harris, more than 50% of the signals used by train crews were out of order due to theft and vandalism. Manual train authorisations (MTAs) made trains more exposed to coalitions and derailments as human error might occur, Harris noted. Untu has called on its members, who constitute more than half of Prasa’s workforce, to inform the union of each safety incident, irrespective of the seriousness, to allow it to compose a comprehensive timeline to bolster its case. The union further hit out at Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande, accusing him of forcing the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) to issue the rail agency with a temporary safety permit earlier this month. Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenani said the company was committed to complying with safety standards and would not wilfully risk the lives of its employees and commuters. A Department of Transport spokesperson said the statement by Untu was reckless and unfounded.
- Read more of this report by Kabelo Khumalo at SA Labour News
- Read Untu’s press statement at SA Labour News
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page