The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) misled the United National Transport Union (UNTU) by not adhering to an undertaking by its attorneys to clarify the position of the National Transport Movement (NTM) within the railway operator.
PRASA’s attorneys requested UNTU to withdraw its urgent application in the Labour Court in Johannesburg to declare that the company violated the constitution of the PRASA Bargaining Forum. UNTU agreed to remove the application of the urgent court roll on condition that PRASA sent out a communication to its staff and all trade unions to state that NTM has no organisational rights and is not a recognized trade union in the company.
UNTU approached the Labour Court after PRASA entered into an agreement with NTM at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) giving them limited rights. According to the agreement NTM gets stop order facilities and access to the workplace.
UNTU’s stance remains that affording these limited rights to NTM is premature and violates the constitution of the Prasa Bargaining Forum. The constitution stipulates that a trade union must have a 25% plus 1 representation to qualify for these rights.
According to Pieter Greyling, Deputy General Secretary of UNTU, it has been a month since UNTU removed the application from the urgent court roll, but PRASA has yet to send out the communication.
The representatives of PRASA could not explain why the company did not adhere when the matter was raised in the PRASA Bargaining Forum today. The company refused to discuss their empty promises saying that the matter was sub judice.
Brian Davids, executive council member of UNTU and full time union representative, says UNTU members will take to the streets if PRASA continue to undermine the constitutional rights of recognized trade unions within the company in favour of minorities.
For enquiries please phone Mr. Davids on 082 043 5879.
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.
