The United National Transport Union (UNTU) and FEDUSA, due to their frustration and concerns, has requested an audience with the Portfolio Committee on Transport to meet with them regarding the collapse of the systems, operational functionality in the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa and the lack of leadership from the Transport Minister Dipuo Peters. This in turn is having a socio- economic impact on Employees of PRASA and the community at large.

UNTU and FEDUSA considers approaching the Portfolio committee as labour’s last resort within the Government structures to get urgent intervention to protect a crucial national asset: passenger rail transport. Eddie de Klerk, Deputy General Secretary of UNTU, says the Union decided to approach the Portfolio Committee on Transport through FEDUSA after the office of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa declined a similar request due to his busy schedule.

The office of the Deputy President has referred UNTU back to Peters, however UNTU has no interest in meeting with the Minister now or in future. They have lost all faith in the Minister’s ability to lead Prasa out of its dysfunctional state.

The leadership of UNTU had met with Peters and her special advisor twice in the past few months. During both meetings, the Minister and her special advisor made undertakings and confirmed the seriousness of the task at hand. But as soon as UNTU left her building, it was back to business as usual in her office and her promises remained empty. That is why UNTU has repeatedly called on President Jacob Zuma to fire the Minister. The President has not responded.

UNTU would therefore like to plead with the Portfolio Committee to put a vote of no confidence in the Minister, who offers her employees a 3% salary increase from 1 April 2017, but says in an affidavit there was nothing wrong with axed Prasa boss Collins Letsoalo's 350% salary hike.
De Klerk says Prasa will never fulfil the ideals of the National Development Plan (NDP) if an urgent task team is not convened to seek solutions to the passenger railway operator’s operational problems.

 

Issued by UNTU