Alan Peat THE TALKS between the transport unions and government - examining port restructuring under the National Framework Agreement (NFA) - are somewhat “in limbo” at the moment, according to Jane Barrett, policy officer for the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu). Effectively, the three port unions prefer the continuation of state ownership. Therefore, the issue of SA Port Operations (Sapo) - where the first steps to privatisation are to be taken under the “concessioning” procedure - has been dealt with by the ports restructuring committee comprising the three unions and the government departments of public enterprises (the lead department), transport and trade and industry. “But we’re between things at the moment,” Barrett told FTW. The last meeting with the ministers was on September 22, and “there was some movement there,” she said. “But we need another meeting before we can give any report in detail,” Barrett added.
