Gautrain employees down tools as they demand a ten percent salary increase and better incentives, while employer only offers 8.5 percent.
Gautrain commuters have had to make alternative transport arrangements, as there is minimal functionality at various stations, following a strike by employees Bombela Concession Company (BOC), which operates the Gautrain. The United National Transport Union (UNTU) announced on Sunday that it would go ahead with a strike over bonuses and a ten percent wage increase demand on Monday.
In a statement released on Sunday, 29 July 2018, UNTU, among other things, demanded a Basic Salary increase of ten percent, a housing allowance of R1,600, a transport allowance of R800 and incentive bonuses of R20,000 for all employees. According to UNTU, BOC offered union members an 8.5 percent salary increase across all the boards and would not agree to an incentive bonus.
According to UNTU, BOC is refusing to disclose its financial statements, which would shed light to the 8.5 percent proposed by the employer, instead of the ten percent demanded by the union.
“UNTU continues to demand a wage increase of ten percent. But we remain blind as the Employer to date have not given the union insight into the financial position of BOC.”
“BOC claims to be contractually bound to pay their profits to a French owned company, but refuses to disclose what their profits are,” says Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU.
While some employees, who cannot afford housing, don’t qualify for RDP houses because they earn above the threshold, most of the employees don’t qualify or cannot afford a bond to buy property.
Employees of BOC work argue that they irregular hours, with the Gautrain’s earliest shift starting at 03:00 and latest shift ending at 23:15. The employees working those shifts claim they cannot afford to rent rooms in the upmarket areas next to the Gautrain. The Gautrain runs from Hatfield in Pretoria through to Centurion, Midrand, Sandton, Rosebank and Park Station. It also has a route to OR Tambo Airport.
Harris highlighted that many of the BOC employees working the early and late-night shifts struggled with transportation as they cannot afford private services such as Uber and Taxify.
“Some of these employees have no other alternative but to sleep on benches in containers at the Midrand Gauteng Depot until the next morning when they have to walk 5kmfrom the Depot to the Allandale Road to get public transport to go home. Some of them don’t even go home as they will not have enough time to rest”, says Harris.
A limited number of trains will run during peak hours. At this stage, it is unclear how long the strike will last as parties are still in talks.
Abenathi Gqomo
a.gqomo@politicalanalysis.co.za
