The operations of a number of transport firms have been disrupted – and in some circumstances halted – by protests led by the SA Nationwide Cargo Transport Drivers Affiliation (Sancatdra).
The protests, that are allegedly associated to non-compliance with the Nationwide Bargaining Council for the Street Freight and Logistics Trade (NBCRFLI) settlement and the employment of overseas drivers, have aggravated the vital home market scarcity of some constructing and building supplies, significantly the availability of cement.
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Bogdan Kazmierczak, proprietor of Bogdans Transport, one of many largest transporters of bulk cement, stated in a letter to clients that it had “no possibility however to shut the corporate down and cease its operations with quick impact”.
Moneyweb requested Kazmierczak if his firm has closed down briefly or completely.
“I don’t know. I can’t get employees to return to work,” he stated.
Intimidation
Kazmierczak stated 209 members of his workforce weren’t ready to drive on October 9, 2020, leading to him firing all of them.
“Since October 12 they’ve been sitting at my gate and intimidating all people – my clients, myself, my household, my employees [who were not fired] who wish to come again to work. No one can get into the yard and no person can get out of the yard,” he stated.
Kazmierczak stated Bogdans has been unable to function since October 12, 2020.
He claimed the protesting drivers had burnt one truck inside the firm’s premises through the night on October 9, 2020 and the police had to make use of rubber bullets to disperse the strikers once they grew to become violent on October 13, 2020.
Kazmierczak added that Bogdans utilized for and was granted an pressing interdict by the Labour Courtroom in Johannesburg on October 14, 2020 to maneuver the protestors 1 000 metres from the corporate’s gate.
Administration takeover?
Kazmierczak claimed an evidence for the unlawful strike offered to a Bogdans director was that unregistered union Sancatdra, along with the Financial Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Black First Land First (BLF), wished to take over your complete administration of Bogdans and didn’t need any white folks to be employed in future by the corporate.
BLF nationwide secretary for logistics and organising Tshidiso Tsimong denied the political motion was a part of these protests.
Kazmierczak additional claimed that he had discussions with EFF chief Julius Malema, who wrote him a letter indicating that the protests had nothing to do with the EFF and the next day the “EFF disappeared from my gate”.
“As Bogdans Transport is a member of the business’s bargaining council and has had no earlier strikes or grievances raised by workers or any outdoors events, we are able to state that the present strike motion is an strategy by the EFF, Sancatdra union to deliver the development business inside South Africa to a standstill,” he stated.
Makes an attempt to acquire remark from the EFF about these claims had been unsuccessful.
‘Prison aspect’
The disruption to cement transporters’ operations is occurring in opposition to the backdrop of reviews that at the least 20 cargo vans have been set alight or petrol-bombed since Thursday, on routes main out and in of Gauteng. The Truckers Affiliation of South Africa (Tasa) has appealed to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to take motion to forestall extra vans from being torched.
Sancatdra President Daniel Mofokeng stated on Monday he didn’t know what transpired and can’t touch upon who was chargeable for burning these vans.
“However as Sancatdra we see them because the legal aspect and those that are behind this motion have to be arrested and be delivered to justice,” he stated.
Kazmierczak stated different transporters within the cement business have additionally been focused, together with Elf Transport, Summit Vervoer, LTD Transport and Hilton Transport.
There have been reviews that Elf Transport will likely be closing down due to steady harassment by Sancatdra.
Makes an attempt to acquire remark from Elf Transport director Andre Diedericks had been unsuccessful.
Mofokeng denied Sancatdra has focused any companies.
Sancatdra’s model
“We aren’t really focusing on anybody however we have now been ‘dealing’ with a few firms like Elf Transport, All Bulk, Bogdans and Hilton Transport.
“It’s not a matter of focusing on however is the matter of partaking with these [transporters], which aren’t prepared to [come] to the desk and interact,” he stated.
Mofokeng claimed Sancatdra wished to have interaction with Elf Transport and All Bulk as a result of these two firms wished to introduce labour brokers “to soak up all of the everlasting workers with lengthy service”.
“That was our large concern,” he stated.
Mofokeng claimed one of many firms has additionally changed all its South African drivers with overseas drivers.
Kazmierczak denied this, claiming “there will not be any firms in our discipline that make use of overseas drivers”.
Mofokeng stated Sancatdra is now partaking with Bogdans about its compliance with the trucking business’s bargaining council settlement in regard to the nationwide minimal wage, working hours, cost for working extra time, on Sundays and holidays and the situations of employment normally.
Blended variations
“However now it’s as if the employer may be very boastful to have interaction with the workers with the help of our organisation. On October 12, when all the workers went again to work, the gates had been locked. They had been really locked out by the employer [Bogdans],” he stated.
Kazmierczak has a distinct model of occasions, stressing that Sancatdra has not engaged with Bogdans for the previous two months.
Mofokeng denied Sancatdra wished to take over the administration of Bogdans.
“That’s pure lies. We can not as a commerce union make a requirement of such a nature as a result of we’re not an organisation for making revenue,” he stated.
Mofokeng stated a Labour Courtroom interdict was granted to Bogdans on October 14, 2020, when it comes to which the workers needed to stand 50 metres away from the corporate’s gate and should not disturb the operation “which all the workers abide by even till at present”.
Nevertheless, Mofokeng stated 12 workers had been arrested and brought to jail on Friday.
Kazmierczak confirmed 12 protestors had been arrested for various issues associated to disobeying the order of the courtroom.
“They didn’t wish to transfer from my gate. We’ve got an interdict that they have to be moved 1 000 metres from my gate. They didn’t wish to transfer so the police got here and arrested them,” he stated.
Mofokeng stated the arrested workers had been solely launched from jail on Monday morning.
“The workers had been arrested of their vehicles on the primary highway away from the employer’s institution. We perceive that any person is utilizing his monetary muscle to make use of the state organs, on this case the cops,” he stated.
