Two-way strike action threatened

Unions’ demands still to be met
ALAN PEAT THE FREIGHT industry could be facing two-way strike action from road hauliers as well as the four main transport unions that oppose Transnet’s restructuring programme. The question is whether the road freight industry will be able to offer an alternative transport mode as an answer to strike-bound cargo owners’ contingency plans – or whether, about the same time, the truck drivers will come out on strike as they did last year (a strike that turned violent before it was solved). Wage negotiations in the road sector between the Road Freight Employers’ Association and the union team are currently at an impasse – with an on-going issue remaining on the table for resolution before wages can be discussed. Coinciding with the FTW date of printing (January 24) is an employer/union meeting to try to resolve the matter. “If the issues are not resolved this time,” said Magrietia Brown, the Road Freight Association (RFA) labour relations manager, “after no solution was reached in the second dispute in December, the only other route is conciliation. “But the parties on both sides are very willing to talk.” Meanwhile, the four main transport unions – the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu), the United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu), the SA Railway and Harbour Workers’ Union (Sarwhu) and the United Association of SA (Uasa) said last week that they were considering a strike in protest against the Transnet restructuring process. The unions, according to Satawu policy research officer, Jane Barrett, “are disappointed that Transnet management has made no efforts to resolve the dispute since the conciliator appointed to mediate the dispute issued a certificate of non resolution in late November last year.” That effectively gives the unions the legal right to give 48-hours notice of strike action. The union accuses Transnet of keeping some significant restructuring issues – such as the transfer of 9 000 Metrorail workers out of Transnet – out of the forums set up to deal with restructuring. “It is also putting sales agreements in place ahead of the mutual securing of jobs and employment conditions. It is deliberately trying to fragment the process of restructuring so that the unions are not coherently involved in determining the bigger picture.” The parastatal’s strategy involves the shedding of non-core assets to allow the new Transnet to focus on three main areas: railways, ports and pipelines. This involves either sale of the business units, or their transfer to the department of transport (DoT) – and is designed, say Transnet management, to allow the remaining business to become profitable. But over 30 000 Satawu members are involved in these various moves, said Barrett, and agreement on their new employment conditions and future job security has not been reached in the Transnet restructuring committee (TRC) – a main function of which is negotiating these agreements, according to union thinking. According to a proposal the unions submitted to Transnet last year, they are opposed to the sale of road freight division Freightdynamics; a 35% stake in a company that repairs and maintains railway, VAE Perway; fleet and rail equipment management company Viamax; the housing division of Transnet; and bus services division Autopax. Barrett added to that privatisation of the Transnet pension fund administration and the Blue Train and objected to the transfers of SAA, Metrorail and Shosholoza Meyl out of Transnet, although they would remain government-owned. What would happen to workers after this had not been discussed at the TRC, she said. Whether the unions will call for a strike – and effectively paralyse SA’s transport network - is currently being decided in meetings with members around the country.