TERRY HUTSON SOUTH AFRICA’s transport system, including the ports and rail services, once again faced massive disruption this week with the start of a three-day strike in KwaZulu Natal on Monday (January 30) and one day of stoppage in the Free State, followed by action rolling to the other regions. The four Transnet trade unions – Satawu, Utatu, Sarhwu and Uasa – which represent up to 85 000 workers, blame Transnet for not responding with proposals that might find a way out of the impasse. According to the unions the dispute centres around the process of negotiation over Transnet’s restructuring plans to sell off the group’s smaller companies and has nothing to do with the number of jobs at stake. “What is at stake is the employment conditions of the affected workers and their future job security,” say the four unions. “Management is moving ahead with the exits and transfers before the negotiation process has finalised issues such as collective bargaining rights, pension rights, travel concessions and so on.” But Transnet’s response is that the subsidiaries are excluded from the dispute and subsequent action because they are not part of the Transnet Bargaining Council. Public Enterprises minister Alec Erwin added his voice at the weekend saying that the restructuring was about reorganising Transnet and not about reducing staff numbers. The strike, which clearly aims at getting off to a dramatic start with the strategic Durban container terminal, is scheduled to move to the Eastern Cape on February 13 and Saldanha on the February 14 with Gauteng and the rest of the country going out on February 20. After that, should there still be no resolution, a national strike for March 6 has been scheduled. A Transnet spokesman said it intended instituting contingency measures to ensure the least disruption to the ports, rail and road services. On Sunday it took out large adverts in newspapers apologising in advance for the disruptions and saying it had the support of government. A shipping major approached by FTW on Sunday said things would be better served if everyone simply went back to the negotiating table.
