Press Statement dated 29 July 2018
Members of the United National Transport Union (UNTU) working for the Bombela Operating Company (BOC), the operator of the Gautrain, will commence with their protected strike for an incentive bonus and a 10% wage increase at Midnight tonight (30 July 2018).
The Employees will gather 100 m from the Midrand Train Depot to exercise their Constitutional Right to withhold their labour until their Employer met their reasonable demand. During the cause of Monday, they will remain outside the Depot.
UNTU represents more than 90% of all Bombela employees.
The Media are invited to join the strikes at the Gautrain Midrand Train Depot.
Attempts between BOC and UNTU to resolve the dispute on Friday and Saturday were fruitless as the Employer refuses to disclose its financial statements leaving the Union to negotiate blind.
BOC claims it pays all the profits of the Gautrain to a French owned company, but refuses to disclose what their profits are, says Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU.
“The majority of BOC employees cannot afford housing as they don’t qualify for RDP-houses because they earn above the threshold, but the majority don’t qualify or cannot afford a bond to buy a property.
“The earliest shift of BOC starts at 03:00 in the morning, but the employees who have to work these shifts also cannot afford to rent rooms in the mostly upmarket areas next to the Gautrain. The Gautrain runs from Hatfield in Pretoria through Centurion, Midrand, Sandton and Rosebank to Park Station. It also has a route going to the OR Tambo Airport.”
According to Harris the latest shift stops working at 23:15 at night. For those employee’s public transport is non-existent that time of night. They can’t afford to pay specialized taxi services like Uber or Taxify.
“Some of these employees have no other alternative but to sleep on benches in Containers at the Midrand Gautrain Depot until the next morning when they have to walk 5 km to from the Depot to Allandale Road to get public transport to go home. Some of them don’t even go home as they will not have enough time to rest,” says Harris.
UNTU gave the Employer 48-hour notice earlier this week that our members will embark on a protected strike from Monday 30 July 2018 after the wage dispute could not be resolved at the Commission of Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
Bombela’s is offering UNTU members an 8.5% salary increase across the board but does not want to pay employees an incentive bonus.
UNTU is demanding the following based on the current global economic recession which has a devastating impact on the daily lives of all our members:
Basic Salary 10%
Housing Allowance R1600
Transport Allowance R800 or Staff card usage for Office workers
NWTS R64 per shift
Night Shift Allowance To be increase by 10%
Medical Aid Contribution 55 employer / 45 employee
Incentive Bonuses R20 000 for all employees.
Arnaud Legrand, Chief Executive Officer of Bombela, informed the Union on Thursday that all UNTU members will be locked out for the duration of the strike.
Issued on behalf of United National Transport Union (UNTU) by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer