The United National Transport Union (UNTU) this morning called on the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) and the Department of Transport (DOT) to urgently intervene at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) who forces operational staff of Metrorail to continue to work despite having no protection against COVID-19.
PRASA has to date not been able to issue all operational employees, of whom UNTU represents the majority, with any protection (hand sanitizer, facial masks, gloves).
Where operational employees have been issued, the stock where insufficient. The hand-sanitizer that where supplied to the operational staff in Braamfontein in Johannesburg expired as far back as in 2016, says John Pereira, Acting General Secretary of UNTU.
“PRASA keeps on insisting that they are trying to supply but are struggling due to a national shortage of protective gear, which UNTU acknowledge, but due to the nature of the job these employees are exposed to thousands of commuters daily. PRASA is also unable to supply any form of protection to the commuters.
“With every passing day the deadly COVID-19 virus is spreading. This morning the latest figures from the Department of Health and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) shows that 709 South Africans have been infected with 302 in Gauteng, 131 in the Western Cape and 80 in KwaZulu-Natal where Metrorail trains are operating,” says Pereira.
An estimated 7.7 million of the South African population is infected with HIV/Aids with only 62% of them receiving treatment. About 60% of the patients in South Africa with Tuberculosis (TB) are also HIV-positive. COVID-19 causes severe pneumonia which make the South African population very vulnerable.
“This morning the operational employees of PRASA in KwaZulu-Natal where forced to continue to operate Metrorail trains despite having received no protection to date. Where employees booked off on EAP for the severe stress they find themselves in, they were threatened that they won’t get paid and will be charged.
“An asthmatic train driver in Kuilsrivier in Cape Town yesterday pleaded with her supervisor to be excused from work because she feared infection as they had not been provided with any protection nor have the commuters they served. The response was that she had to adhere to her duties, or she will face possible dismissal.
“On 23 March 2020 trade hands of PRASA responded to a fault at Dalbridge in Durban. It was found that the cables behind 50717 where out because the cables and the vacuum pipes were covered in vomit. There were no masks, running water, hand sanitizer or gloves for employees to protect themselves,” says Pereira.
To date the Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula acknowledged UNTU’s call made on 24 March 2020 to suspend the services of Metrorail with immediate effect but has not yet reacted to it.
The Minister did say at a press conference that he will have no choice, but to suspend the services if the overcrowding of trains continues and commuters don’t practice social distancing, which is impossible to do due to the shortage of train sets, says Pereira.
“Yes, the 21 days of lockdown starts at midnight tomorrow 26 March 2020, but what about those who will be infected by COVID-19 today and tomorrow? Every minute we wait might be a minute to late,” Pereira says.
The RSR responded to say that the Regulator is in discussions with Prasa and DOT about the issues.
Issued on behalf of UNTU by Carstens, Deputy-General Secretary: Media, Liaison and Communication. For more information contact Sonja Carstens, Deputy-General of UNTU, on 082 463 6806 or e-mail sonja@untu.co.za.
