'Intimidation keeps willing workers at home'

Cargo Carriers, one of SA’s major trucking operations, has been hard hit by the strike. According to marketing director, Andre van Vuuren, the company has a high level of union membership, and, therefore, a large number of their people are involved in the action. “A certain percentage is willing to work,” he told FTW, “but, because of intense intimidation, this is a big problem.” Geographically, he added, this intimidation and violence are at their worst in Gauteng. “The coastal operations are less affected,” he said. Van Vuuren agreed with the other commentators that talked to FTW, (see article on page 1), saying that fuel and steel were high on the hit list, noting that Cargo’s fuel and steel operations were “severely affected”. The good news came from Kevin Barron, Cargo’s e-cargo trader and procurement manager. The company’s crossborder operations, he told FTW, were not too badly affected. As to the on-going talks between the freight transport employers’ association (FTEA) and the union, Van Vuuren expressed the fear that the unions’ resistance up to now might suggest that they wanted the strike to take full effect before they reached a settlement. “It’ll be interesting to see what happens this week,” he said.