The relationship between the Passenger Rail Agency South Africa (PRASA) and the United National Transport Union (UNTU) has deteriorated so badly that it has almost broken down completely because the railway operator continues to undermine the Union and its labour partner SATAWU.

Yesterday PRASA send out another misleading notice to all its staff regarding the organisational rights of Unions at PRASA, specifically the rights the employer granted wrongly to the National Transport Movement (NTM). In this letter PRASA states it as a fact, to its employees that there is an obligation on the railway operator to grant NTM recognition. This misleading notice was send out by PRASA knowing that it is contradicting the Constitution of the PRASA Bargaining Forum where the employer is supposed to take hands with UNTU and SATAWU in improving the working conditions and salaries of its employees.

Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, says trade unions in South Africa as in the rest of Africa have always played a positive role in advancing and defending democracy in Africa.

“Over the past year allegations of irregular tender contracts, corruption and fraud has crippled PRASA’s capacity to deliver the expected services to commuters and puts the safety of its staff in danger. PRASA recorded R13.9-billion in irregular expenditure during the 2015/16 financial year. Bearing this in mind one would have expected PRASA to take its Labour partners hands. This is not the case,” says Harris.

PRASA are currently in isolation continuing with the verification process of NTM’s so called membership without any input from UNTU or SATAWU or NTM for that matter.

UNTU states it categorically that PRASA’s actions are unfair. UNTU was sighted by the CCMA in the dispute process and the Union are adamant that we must be part of the verification process until the finalisation thereof.

PRASA admits in its notice that NTM has none of the rights accorded to UNTU and SATAWU as it does not meet the 25% plus one threshold in the PRASA Bargaining Forum.
Any breach of the above stipulated clause must be reported to UNTU Head Office with the particulars of the specific Manager who authorized such a meeting at the workplace.
UNTU urge its members to closely monitoring such actions.

Issued by UNTU