Government's comments awaited, writes Leonard Neill
ALMOST 6 000km of Spoornet's lines used for freight purposes can be outsourced to small private operators while a further 4000km appears to be non-viable.
This is stated in the Halcrow Report following investigations made by the UK-based consultants into the running of the Transnet parastatal. Halcrow was contracted by Spoornet earlier this year to provide it with a guideline in this respect.
Spoornet will have to reduce its workforce with the elimination of 15 000 jobs and cut back on almost half of its national network to ensure its long-term future, says the report, which has been presented to the South African government and has already received hostile retorts from organised labour.
Spoornet chief executive Zandile Jakavula had previously made it clear that there would be job losses in the restructuring process, and that there were vast stretches of rail which were unprofitable and would be considered for outsourcing to private operators.
In a joint statement issued by the labour unions with membership in Spoornet, retrenchment plans must be put on hold 'while mechanisms for improving efficiency are explored and implemented.'
The statement says: 'The report itself is not going to make constructive engagement easy, and government must keep an open mind on the matter.'
But Fani Zulu, spokesman for the public enterprises ministry, has stressed that the report must be viewed at present strictly as a recommendation by an independent consultant.
A consultation process is being initiated within the ambit of the national framework agreement, with the objective of enabling government to arrive at a final decision on the recommendation, he says.
A Spoornet spokesman told FTW this week that his organisation was awaiting government's comments on the issue.
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