The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) today issued a strike certificate, allowing members of the United National Transport Union (UNTU) working for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to embark on a strike, after the state-owned enterprise did not adhere to the terms of the wage agreement it signed with Organised Labour last year.
Senior Commissioner Moe Ally of the CCMA repeatedly tried to phone PRASA’s management after they were so arrogant to not even pitch at the CCMA conciliation scheduled well in advance for 10 January 2018 at 09:00.
UNTU referred the dispute against PRASA to the CCMA after the passenger rail service did not comply with the terms of the wage agreement it signed with Organised Labour on 17 May 2017.
According to the wage agreement the parties agreed to meet at the PRASA Bargaining Forum within 30 days after signing the agreement to draft and agree on the terms of reference and to finalise the outstanding issues within 90 days of the signing of the agreement:
The issues are:
• Medical Aid – Compulsory
• Night Shift
• Standby
• Book off
• Danger Allowance
Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, says PRASA simply ignored the outstanding issues and no work was done.
On 17 November 2017 UNTU informed PRASA in writing what the Union demands. Harris says PRASA ignored these demands.
“PRASA has shown Organised Labour time and again that it only knows how to bargain in bad faith. The Leadership of UNTU told Cromet Molepo, the newly appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of PRASA, during an urgent meeting on 21 December 2017 that if he was serious about turning PRASA around, he should start with firing his whole bargaining team.
“The actions of the bargaining team who represents PRASA in the PRASA Bargaining Forum caused a total breakdown in the trust relationship with Organised Labour to the detriment of the company and its most valuable asset: its employees. The bargaining team of PRASA does not know the meaning of collective bargaining and has no respect for the Constitution or various Labour Laws of our rainbow nation, regulating the rights of and the relationship between employers and Trade Unions and the matter in which collective bargaining should be conducted,” says Harris.
UNTU will now get a mandate from our members in PRASA on whether or not they want to embark on an indefinite protected strike. The mandate process will be finalised by 24 January 2018. UNTU will announce the Union’s intentions after the date.
Issued on behalf of UNTU by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer. For UNTU Press Statements phone 082 463 6806 or e-mail sonja@untu.co.za.
