Satawu, the United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu), the
United Association of SA (Uasa) and the SA Railways and Harbour
Workers Union (SARHWU) plan to embark on a national strike on March
6.
Transnet workers in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North
West will strike from Monday until Wednesday.
The unions started taking regional strike action in January over
the proposed restructuring.
They accused Transnet of "steamrolling" negotiations and of
being concerned only with its balance sheet — wanting to dispose
of companies like Metrorail as quickly as possible while ignoring
the human impact.
The unions demanded that Pradeep Maharaj who was leading
Transnet's negotiations step down as he was not effective.
"He has
failed completely to manage the process effectively. He
has shown a glaring inability to comprehend the nature and
significance of the task he is asked to perform," said Mamba.
However, Dludlu said Maharaj would not step down.
"We cannot allow a situation where the trade unions pick and
choose the tone of engagement, the desired outcome and the very
individuals who are responsible for running the company.
"We urge the unions to focus their energy on our common goal of
a more efficient Transnet rather than continually shifting the goal
posts," said Dludlu.
Those affected by the dispute include workers at Metrorail,
Spoornet, SAA, SA Port Operations, the National Ports Authority,
Petronet, Transwerk, Autopax, Freightdynamics, and a number of
smaller business units.
Transnet has a total workforce of about 85 000.
Meanwhile, Metrorail in Gauteng will not be providing alternative transport
to commuters affected by the
Transnet strike on Monday as had been
planned.
Thousands of people are expected to be affected by the
disruption of services, especially in Soweto and Vereeniging.
No trains would be running between the West Rand and
Johannesburg, according to reports.
Sapa
