The Bombela Concession Company (Bombela) has assured passengers that Gautrain services will remain uninterrupted amid the ongoing strike by the National of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) that began on Monday.
The strike affects the staff of the Bombela Operating Company (BOC), which is one of the subcontractors appointed by Bombela to operate the rail component of the Gautrain system, according to Kesagee Nayager, spokesperson for Gautrain Bombela Concession Company.
Nayager noted that train services have been operating according to their normal schedule and that Gautrain bus operations have not been affected by the strike as they are subcontracted to other entities.
“The strike affects the staff of the Bombela Operating Company, which is one of the subcontractors appointed by the Bombela Concession Company to operate the rail component of the Gautrain system. The maintenance and the Gautrain bus operations are subcontracted to other entities which are not affected by the strike at BOC,” said Nayager.
Moreover, BOC staff who are operating the rail service during the strike are fully compliant with safety regulations.
“The BOC is responsible to maintain compliance of rail operations with all safety standards and regulations. BOC has confirmed to us that all their staff that are currently operating the rail service during the strike are fully compliant with safety regulations. The Bombela Concession Company will continue to issue regular updates to Gautrain passengers and will keep them updated of Gautrain services,” said Nayager.
Numsa members have embarked on a strike over wage increases, and the union has served BOC management a 48-hour notice to heed their demands.
The strike is indefinite until their demands are met, said Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola.
According to Hlubi-Majola, as the majority union with sole negotiating power, talks between BOC management and Numsa had started on April 17, but collapsed on June 11 as management refused to meet their demands, leading to the strike.
Hlubi-Majola said the trade union had demanded a 13% wage increase, but has amended it to 9%.
The trade union further demanded medical aid provision of 60%, with 40% coming from workers, alongside a monthly housing allowance of R2 000.
Additionally, the trade union claimed that employees are treated unfairly by their employer, as they work extra hours but are not paid for overtime. They are therefore demanding overtime remuneration and a 13th cheque.
“The BOC was initially a five-day operation and then it changed to a six-day operation without compensating workers for the extra work. Workers have not been paid for these additional hours, and we are demanding they must be compensated, going forward, they must be paid the overtime rate for the sixth day.
“The BOC does not treat workers equally. The bosses at BOC reward themselves and office workers with R22 000 each as a bonus, but blue-collar workers are denied a guaranteed bonus. They have an incentive bonus which requires that the applicant must be paid first in order to be paid. This is unfair and we demand equal treatment for all workers,” said Hlubi-Majola.
The Star