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Gautrain offers free rides for people traveling to board flights.
- Gautrain workers affiliated with Numsa will embark on an indefinite strike over low wages on Monday.
- The operating company Bombela The company says no work or pay will be applied to striking workers.
- The Gautrain company says it will implement a contingency plan to ensure it can provide train service to passengers.
Gautrain workers affiliated with the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) will embark on an indefinite strike on Monday as they are unhappy with the rail operator’s offer of a pay increase.
According to Numsa, its members would be on strike in Gautrain on Monday, October 5, and would hold pickets to highlight their demands as part of the strike.
“Starting Monday, October 5, our members will go on strike indefinitely until Bombela Operating Company (BOC) significantly involves us in our demands,” Numsa national spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said in a statement.
Hlubi-Majola said the BOC refused to negotiate salaries with them and was simply imposing a 4% increase on its members, without committing or negotiating with them.
“We are demanding [an] an eight percent increase to protect the lowest paid worker who earns approximately R8,500 per month, “he added.
According to a statement from BOC, the Gautrain operator, the strikers faced a scenario without work or pay, according to the provisions of the Labor Relations Law.
“The company has offered a 4.1% increase in salaries and all benefits,” the statement read.
“This offer was rejected by Numsa, whose latest demand equates to an increase of approximately 26%.”
Remember that due to the strike action starting on Monday, October 5, trains will be available every 30 minutes. The peak in the morning is between 05:30 and 09:00 and the peak in the afternoon is between 15:00 and 19:00. To view the train schedule, visit https://t.co/x89qZAhhR3
– Gautrain (@TheGautrain) October 4, 2020
Hlubi-Majola condemned the BOC’s alleged attempts to intimidate its members into retracting the strike and its demands.
“They have been sending letters to employees, trying to encourage them to resign from Numsa in an effort to block the strike,” he said.
The company said it would implement a contingency plan to ensure it could still deliver train service to its passengers during this unfortunate strike.
“Additional security measures have been implemented in the Gautrain system and the safety of our passengers will not be compromised,” he said.
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