ANA reports that Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said on Wednesday that critical staff would not participate in Friday’s planned strike action by Metrorail workers.  

At a media briefing, Mbalula indicated that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) had put in place contingencies to ensure disruptions to the Metrorail service were at a minimum after the United National Transport Union (Untu) was granted permission to go on strike on Friday.  “There are no train drivers who are involved in the strike, that we need to be clear about … critical staff will not be taking part in the strike,” the minister asserted.  “I don’t have the numbers of how many workers are going on strike but we are ready in terms of the workplace situation, through Prasa, to address any anomaly that would actually arise out of the strike should it actually degenerate into something else, violent or whatever, so the law enforcement agencies and our security complement is ready for it,” the minister stated.  Untu is demanding, among other things, that measures be introduced to protect staff, who have come under attack, and a plan be put in place to ensure an end to the breakdown in services which has led to delays and people being laid off as a result of constantly being late for work.

• Read the original of the above report at The Citizen

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