Members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) working for the Gautrain went on strike at 06h00 this morning due to wage negotiation deadlocks.
According to Numsa, the Bombela Operating Company (BOC) which runs operations for the Gautrain has subjected its lower-ranking employees to unfair treatment regarding remuneration.
The company allegedly paid bonuses of R22,000 to white-collar employees across the board, while bonuses for blue-collar workers who run the locomotives and platforms are based on the performance of the trains.
Thus, if there’s a delay on the line for a reason that is out of the worker’s control, they won’t get a bonus, despite not being the one responsible for the delay, said the union.
Additionally, Numsa claims that Gautrain employees initially worked on a five-day schedule which was later revised to a six-day schedule without any adjustments to their salaries.
Wage talks between the entities began on 17 April with the final of three meetings taking place on 11 June 2024, however, the BOC reportedly said that some of Numsa’s demands are unreasonable and not possible to implement from a financial perspective, leading to the union to embark on strike action.
Numsa’s demands include:
- 13% salary increase for its members
- Housing allowance of R2,000 per employee per month
- Equal treatment for all Gautrain workers regarding bonuses
- Medical aid contribution of 60% by BOC with employees contributing additional 40%
- Instatement of full-time shop stewards who can represent workers in disciplinary inquiries, grievances, etc…
- Workers remunerated appropriately for new 6-day working schedule as they are still getting paid for a 5-day schedule
The strike will continue indefinitely until an agreement is reached between Numsa and the BOC.
Numsa represents 286 out of around 300 Gautrain employees, said the union, or approximately 95% of the company’s workforce.
Business as usual
The BOC reassured commuters that Gautrain operations will be unaffected by the Numsa strike as contingency plans are in place to guarantee everything remains business as usual.
One of these plans includes transporting riders via bus at stations where the strike hampers operations.
Backup staff have also been called up for Monday’s morning and evening shifts, Gautrain Management Agency CEO Tshepo Kgobe told Newzroom Afrika.
Kgobe said the issue regarding the extended work schedule was already finalised last year in labour court and subsequently handled by the BOC with the affected parties.
He also notes that bonuses for the entire Gautrain workforce are based on performance and that there are no such things as “guaranteed” bonuses.
“I find it quite strange that somebody could actually ask for a guaranteed bonus on a system that works on a performance basis,” said Kgobe.
“Even the contract with [BOC] is based on performance. If the performance is not there, we don’t pay.”
BOC remains open to negotiation with Numsa to broker a deal that satisfies both parties, said Kgobe.
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