The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa) has issued a warning that its workers may go on strike if wage negotiations with Gautrain’s management fail to make headway.
In an interview with SABC, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, a spokesperson for the union, said that while the two parties had reached an agreement on an 8% wage increase, negotiations on other demands have stalled.
The worker’s union said it would be balloting its members around a meeting and possible strike, which is currently expected to take place on Wednesday, 28 June.
Negotiation breakdown
The driving force behind the potential strike action is the decision of Gautrain management to abolish staff cards, which have in place since 2013 and are used by workers to travel on the train service free of charge.
The rail company wants to eliminate this privilege as part of a cost-cutting strategy, according to Hlubi-Majola.
“The decision to abolish the staff cards is outrageous because our members cannot afford to pay to use the Gautrain because it is really expensive, hence the need for staff cards,” said Irvin Jim, the general secretary at Numsa.
“We condemn the decision to terminate the staff cards in the strongest terms. There is no rationale for refusing workers the right to use the trains for free, because the train is their tool of work. Without the dedication and sweat of our members, the Gautrain would not be able to operate.”
The union warned that it is heading towards a strike because of a lack of agreement between the two stakeholders.
Numsa is the largest union among Gautrain employees, and if workers were to go on strike, the company’s operational capacity would take a massive blow, writes BusinessTech.
According to News24, Kesagee Nayager, a representative for the Gautrain rail service, said that Numsa had agreed to have wage negotiation sittings on three separate occasions, but abandoned the talks following the second sitting.
A new meeting has since been scheduled for Friday, 23 June, and Nayager said that Numsa has, in principle, agreed to the set of conditional increases.
In addition to the basic salary increase, these offers include a key performance indicator (KPI) bonus of up to R9,000, a housing allowance of up to R1,100, a night work transport subsidy of R105, and a night shift allowance of R33.
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