Bombela continues to abuse the courts, by raising technical legal points to delay the finalisation of each of the three court applications, the United National Transport Union (UNTU) filed at the Labour Court in Johannesburg against the operator of the Gautrain.
Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, says these delaying tactics by Bombela only contribute to a more hostile relationship between UNTU, the majority Union in Bombela, and the company.
“The Union believes that Bombela hopes the Union will eventually give up and withdraw our applications. The management of Bombela will be disappointed. Bombela is only increasing the legal fees of both parties instead of using that money to the benefit of its employees, our members,” says Harris.
In the court case on the 5/6 workday dispute, Bombela must now file its defence after it raised more technical points at a pre-trail meeting on 10 March 2017.
Operational staff at Bombela has a 40-hour working week, however since May 2013 they are only being paid overtime once they had worked more than 48 hours a week. UNTU
Believes Bombela’s Working Hours Policy permits operational staff to be paid overtime for work exceeding 40 hours per week.
This application includes all operational staff at Bombela.
Harris says the Union is awaiting the Labour Court to grant it a preferential trail date.
In the equal work, equal pay court case against Bombela, the company is once again opposing that UNTU make amendments to its statement of case. These objections will be argued before a Judge in the Labour Court to make a ruling on 12 May 2017.
In UNTU’s application on the gain sharing settlement agreement, Bombela is putting the facts in dispute by alleging that the company has complied. The matter has not yet been placed on the court role.
“With nineteen new Gautrain stations being planned, which will create work and boost the economy, it will only be wise for Bombela management to take UNTU’s hands and use our expertise to assist them instead of making an enemy of us,” says Harris.
For more information contact Steve Harris on 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.
