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South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) welcomes the appointment of Dr Blade Nzimande as Minister of Transport and Pravin Gordhan as Minister of Public Enterprises.

SATAWU anticipates no problems working with the General Secretary of alliance partner, SA Communist Party and the former Minister of Finance. However, we would not be fair if we did not to warn Minister Gordhan that if he attempts to make good on his plans to privatise South African Airways, he will have a fight on his hands.

For Minister Nzimande, we have a few issues we would like him to look into.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, for example, is operating with an acting Group CEO and half a board. The sooner the minister makes permanent appointments, the sooner the work to put the agency on the recovery path will begin.

Other state-owned entities that need attention include the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) and e-Toll. Last August, SATAWU on behalf of its members at RTIA and e-Toll marched to the ministry of transport to deliver a memorandum of grievances.

RTIA is the agency charged with implementing the provisions of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act. It employs just over 100 people.

In the memorandum, workers lamented the various instances of maladministration including salary disparities between people doing the same work; the lack of salary progression despite RTIA subscribing to governments’ pay progression policy; and the employment of new staff members without following due process. As it is, RTIA is in the process of employing contract staff even though the agency is in the midst of a restructuring exercise.

Workers accuse the board of failing to hold the executive accountable, leading the seven-member executive to act with impunity. Last year the executive increased its salaries by between 40% and 45% while the rest of the staff received a cost of living adjustment.

We call on Minister Nzimande to probe whether the output produced by RTIA justifies the money spent on it.

Management at e-Toll, on the other hand, is insisting on fighting SATAWU’s right to organise workers at the parastatal. After suffering a bruising loss at the Commission of Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) last year for refusing its workers to join a union, e-Toll is now taking the matter to the Labour Court. The case is due to be heard in May. We call on the minister to stem the waste of public funds and instruct the agency to drop the unwinnable case.

It has been six months since SATAWU delivered the memorandum of grievances and yet we have not received any feedback despite clearly stipulating a 14-day deadline. An official of the department was spotted at RTIA with one of the managers but he never even bothered to speak to union representatives or workers.

SATAWU calls on the new minister to give this matter the attention it deserves if we are to build a cordial relationship.

Issued by South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union