The Citizen reports that a two-week-long strike by the cleaning staff employed by a private company has turned Park Station, Johannesburg’s thriving transport and business hub, into a pigsty.
The tiled floors are blemished with dark stains, uncollected rubbish is strewn all over, the escalators are not working and the public toilets are dirty. According to a source, the striking workers are demanding that a company contracted by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) to provide cleaning services should employ them on a permanent basis. Calls to Prasa’s Nana Zenani and Sipho Sithole on Wednesday went unanswered, while SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) national spokesperson Papikie Mohale said the strike had not been sanctioned by the union. The iconic Park Station – the largest railway station in Africa – serves as a major transport hub in Johannesburg and plays a pivotal role in the integration of transport modes by connecting inner-city services.
- Read the full original of Brian Sokutu’s report on the strike at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page