The United National Transport Union (UNTU) will not take any blame that might occur to hundreds of thousands of passengers should its members decide to use its constitutional rights in terms of the Labour Relations Act and proceed with a legal strike at Bombela, the company that operates Gauteng’s viral Gautrain rail, after Monday.
According to Mr. Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, he finds it very strange that the management of Bombela indicates in resent press statements that they had been available and prepared to continue negotiations to try and resolve the deadlock in salary negotiations.
“The parties met at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in another dispute on 6 July. The management of Bombela had more than enough time to make proposals to UNTU for a meeting in an attempt to intervene, but did not.”
If the parties are unable to conciliate the deadlock at the CCMA on 11 July, UNTU will obtain a mandate from its members should they wish to go on a legal strike.
UNTU declared a dispute on behalf of its members due to the deadlock in the 2016/2017 salary negotiations.
According to Bombela’s policy employees were paid overtime rates when they worked six days in a week instead of five. The company arbitrarily stopped paying overtime rates in 2013. Since then the company has done its uttermost to frustrate UNTU attempts to challenge its actions.
Bombela is seeking to short-change its hard working and hyper efficient employees when they offered a 3% pay increase during the 2016/2017 salary negotiations. UNTU demanded an 15% pay increase due to the fact that employees are struggling to cope with the current financial crisis in the country after the recent worst drought in more than 100 years. The gap has narrowed to a 9% vs 7% divide when negotiations deadlocked causing UNTU to declare a dispute.
For further enquiries please phone Mr. Harris on (011) 728 0120 or 082 566 5516.
Issued on behalf of UNTU by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer. For UNTU Press Releases e-mail sonja@untu.co.za or phone 082 463 6806.
