The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) continues to ignore the Contravention Directive, issued by the Railway Safety Regular (RSR) on Tuesday 9 January 2018, by allowing trains to be manually operated all across the country.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the RSR, Herman Bruwer, confirmed to Steve Harris, General Secretary of the United National Transport Union (UNTU), that RSR inspectors that have been deployed across the country are monitoring the situation closely while issuing PRASA with non-compliance orders as the trains go.
This comes after more than 200 commuters were injured when two trains collided at the Geldenhuys Station in Germiston on Thursday, after they were manually authorised to do so. The RSR investigated the collision and found that a human error that occurred during the manual authorisation was the cause of the error.
When asked by Harris why the RSR is not locking the railway lines, Bruwer replied that it was impossible.
The RSR and PRASA are currently locked in a meeting with the Department of Transport and delegates from the Minister of Transport’s Office on the highest level. According to Bruwer PRASA will present a comprehensive plan, on how the passenger rail service will be able to implement manual authorisation safely, as it was unable to do so in the past seven months.
After this presentation the RSR “might consider” withdrawing its Contravention Directive issued nationally.
Harris finds it mind boggling how any of the parties involved can allow trains to run when the RSR Contravention Directive reads:
“PRASA is hereby prohibited with immediate effect and on a National basis to refrain from manual train authorisations until such time that normal train services are restored or that PRASA Rail can provide the RSR with a comprehensive and convincing action plan for all affected areas in all the Provinces where Metrorail trains operate.
6. The Prohibition Directive is effective immediately and applicable on a National basis upon receipt hereof and will only be revoked when PRASA provides proof to the RSR’s satisfaction: a. normal train services have been restored, and/or b. manual train authorisations can be performed safely during degraded conditions. “
When Harris posed this question to Bruwer during their telephone discussion, Bruwer replied that it was of “no use to have this discussion now”. He did however extend a hand to UNTU saying that he would like to meet with the Leadership of the Union to clear the air and have quarterly meetings with UNTU to ensure that the safety of PRASA employees remains paramount.
The parties agreed that the first meeting will take place on 16 January after hours to get clarity on each other’s positions after this week’s events.
“In the meantime, PRASA is presenting a plan without checking with either of its Organised Labour partners in the PRASA Bargaining Forum whether or not their members will agree to work in the new suggested manner as it is also the lives of each and every train crew member that is at risk.
“While PRASA is deliberately Contravening the terms of section 36 of the National Railway Safety Regulator Act 16 of 2002 as amended (“the RSR Act”), for operating under conditions which are a threat or might be a threat to safe railway operations with the knowledge of all stakeholders, it is also threatening UNTU members who refuse to join them in Contravening the Act with disciplinary action,” says Harris. He brought this to the attention of the RSR, but the RSR did not have any advice to offer UNTU as to the rights of its members in a “catch 22” like this.
Harris asked PRASA’s Acting Chief Group Executive Officer, Cromet Molepo, why UNTU was not invited to the current meeting. Molepo could not come up with a reason as he promised the Union’s Leadership that it will in future be included in these meetings on 21 December 2017.
Molepo did arrange to meet with UNTU about the safety of our members on 17 January 2017. UNTU demanded this meeting on Tuesday after an armed security guard was shot dead at the Chris Hani Station while he was escorting a metro guard. Ever since, PRASA services on the Central Line has not been running as no UNTU members are prepared to put their lives at risk.
For more information phone Harris on 082 566 5516.
