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Portia Derby, Chief Executive Officer of Transnet, has lost the plot by blanketly granting voluntary severance packages (VSP) to all, of almost 2 919 Transnet employees who applied.

Steve Harris, General Secretary of the United National Transport Union (UNTU), says Derby admitted in a virtual meeting with Organised Labour that she granted VSP’s to the amount of R2,3 billion to all employees, including 794 managers who applied.

Amongst these employees are two hundred train drivers, crane and lifting operators and artisans who are considered scarce skills in Transnet. 

“42% of the employees leaving Transnet, have more than 26 years of service and 41% of them have between 10 and 26 years of service. Derby is of the view that if you want to leave, she does not want you in Transnet, irrespective of the knowledge and expertise she is losing in the process. 

“She is of the view that there are train drivers in training, and they can simply take over. 

“Her arrogance is going to bite the state-owned-enterprises which is continuously in the media for all the wrong reasons in recent months, the latest being Transnet’s inability to deliver to the demands of its clients for various reasons,” says Harris. 

Four of the individuals who applied for the VSP’s, is Chief Financial Officers. Derby said that she will appoint people in the vacancies where she needs them.

“The bottom line is that she abused the VSP process, misleading Organised Labour and the media by indicating that this was needed to avoid possible retrenchments. She will now only be saving 7,7% on the Transnet wage bill.”

According to Harris Derby will counteract the purpose of the VSP’s if she appoints employees from outside Transnet to fill the critical vacancies. 

Harris says that Derby continues to disrespect Organised Labour and has already broken down the trust relationship that existed.

Issued on behalf of UNTU by Sonja Carstens,