| Rail Strike unfair to poor - MEC (4/5) |
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May 03 2010 17:36 Print this article | Email article Cape Town - Unions planning next week's rail strike were effectively putting a gun to the head of the poor, Western Cape transport MEC Robin Carlisle said on Monday. He said he planned an urgent meeting with bus companies and other public transport providers to ensure a reliable alternative for more than half a million rail commuters who would be stranded by the strike. His move followed a decision by the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union and the United Transport and Allied Trade Unions to embark on a joint strike against the Passenger Rail Agency of SA and Transnet from May 10. He said in a statement he understood that the unions were exercising their right to strike. However, it was unfair for commuters to have to bear the brunt of wage disputes or any other labour deadlock. "The unions are effectively putting a gun to the head of the commuter struggling to put food on the table," he said. "It is irresponsible for unions to embark on strikes without taking into due consideration the impact of their protest on the lives of commuters." - Sapa
Please see UTATU"s media statement in response to the following "outburst
Mr Robin Carlisle is out of order in accusing Transnet’s workers of holding commuters to
ransom, without making any effort to establish the merits of the case. As a provincial minister of transport and an allegedly responsible politician, he should have known better than to make such a statement without checking his facts. Had he bothered to seek Utatu’s view on the issue before making his statement he would have discovered that as far back as January of this year Utatu drew to the attention of the Minister of Public Enterprises the looming crisis at Transnet and appealed for her to intervene in the
interests of Transnet’s workers, commuters, customers and the South African economy. The Minister did not even bother to acknowledge Utatu’s letter. Had Mr Carlisle been doing his job properly as an opposition politician, he would have been aware of that glaring act of neglect and would have known where to direct his criticisms. He would have also known that Utatu has worked hard to avoid having to resort to industrial action . . . that this union is seriously concerned about the inconvenience that its strike action will cause the commuting public . . . that Utatu has apologised in advance to them for any trouble it will be causing, simultaneously pointing out that - before it is too late - on behalf of all South Africans, Transet’s workers have to make their stand against exploitation and ‘official
greed, corruption, inefficiency and inaction.’ Instead, an apparently unthinking Mr Carlisle has placed himself and his political party on the side of those exercising the aforementioned malpractices. For more information:- Chris de Vos General Secretary UTATU Cell: 082 882 5920 |
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