Press Statement dated 28 January 2019
The United National Transport Union (UNTU) is in the process to launch a Nedlac 77 process through its affiliated federation, the Federation of Trade Union of South Africa (FEDUSA) which will allow protect action to be used to force the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Transport, to find solutions for the ongoing attacks on UNTU members.
This comes after yet another week of a spree of violent attacks on trains crews, metro guards and protection services nationwide.
“We are at the end of the road. This will be the second Section 77 application launched by UNTU through FEDUSA at Nedlac. In the previous application, at meeting was held by the Nedlac Standing Committee with the parties to try and bring them together to find solutions. Prasa one again made empty promises and never responded to Nedlac,” says Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU.
The Section 77 process refers to Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act which speaks to protest action to promote or defend socio-economic interests of workers. The intention of this section is primarily to bring disputing parties together to engage on a matter in order to find resolution, and at the same time to try and prevent any protest action which is burdensome to both worker and employers and negatively affects the economy.
In the latest spree of incidents François Gouws, a train driver of Metrorail, a division of Prasa, was shot at when passing the end of the platform at Umbogintwini Station. He was running empty coaches to Durban as his train was faulty.
“Luckily it was miss but I could hear the bullet hitting the side of the train. A little bit more than a year ago I was also lucky to escape when I was stabbed at Berea station which resulted in being off for 3 months and 2 operations,” Gouws told Harris.
A few days later a security officer of a private security company contracted by Prasa, Insingizi Security Service, was assaulted by a commuter on the same route in KwaZulu-Natal.
Harris says he was disgusted to learn that a train was petrol bombed and looted at Orient Hills near Krugersdorp‚ west of Johannesburg in Gauteng on Sunday 27 January 2019.
Hours later a Prasa security vehicle was shot at, at the Nyanga Substation on the notorious Central Line in Cape Town in the Western Cape. The bullet went through the windscreen.
“We can only thank God that no injuries were reported. Our members and South Africa’s railway infrastructure, which provides the cheapest form of transport to the poorest of the poor, are under siege, but Government simply does not care. This would never have been allowed had just even one of these incidents happen at an international airport which is only accessible to the rich,” says Harris.
One the Section 77 application have been submitted to Nedlac, UNTU and FEDUSA will announce its protest action.
Issued by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer, United National Transport Union (UNTU)