New chief sets service priority for truckers’ union

Training high on the agenda Joe Letswalo … ‘When it comes to membership it’s not a case of one size fits all.’ JOY ORLEK The WINDS of change are blowing at the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight Industry. Recently appointed national secretary Joe Letswalo is keen to extend the operations of the Council beyond the traditional functions of Bargaining Councils. He believes they should facilitate collective agreement negotiations, enforce the concluded agreements in the industry, and resolve subsequent disputes. With some 77 000 employees and 3200 employers in the industry, his immediate focus is to attract new members. “This will ensure that employers receive the benefit of operating in a regulated environment and employees are exposed to social benefits such as access to benefit funds. Effective and enhanced service delivery, retention of jobs, job creation, training and special dispensations are areas which will be prioritised,” he told FTW. Letswalo says that a number of initiatives around HIV/Aids have already been implemented using donor money, and these will continue. “Several wellness clinics have been set up, the most recent in Zeerust, all established under the auspices of the Bargaining Council. HIV/AIDS is like a wave that is still building and it is going to hit our industry extremely hard,” he told FTW. “When it comes to membership it’s not a case of one size fits all. We need to come up with a strategy for small and medium enterprises (SMMEs), as one example, so that there is some variation in the requirements for membership related to the company size. And there must be tangible benefits for employee members as well,” he said. “Training is high on the agenda. We need to facilitate training and will look at offering training packages starting with ABET and progressing all the way up to learnerships in association with the Transport Education and Training Authority. This will ultimately enable the industry to prosper, and that is our underlying mandate.” Apart from these strategic objectives, Council has already implemented changes in the administration of the funds which are paid to the organisation by employers such as leave bonuses, sick pay, provident fund and the like. Previously outsourced, this is now being processed in-house. “At the moment we’re looking at procedures with a view to modernisation so that we can deliver a better service to the industry. Moreover, we would like to participate and be able to influence policy decision-makers within the road freight industry,” he told FTW.