Numsa considers downing tools as wage talks with Gautrain deadlock

As Gautrain celebrates its 15^th anniversary on Tuesday, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) says it will be balloting its members to determine whether it will be going ahead with a strike at the Gauteng rapid rail network.

This comes after wage increase negotiations with Bombela Operating Company – which manages the Gautrain – reached a deadlock.

Numsa rejects 4.2% increase offer

Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said in a statement that the union was granted a certificate to strike, which means it can give Gautrain 48 hour notice to down tools. 

“Our members rejected the employer’s offer of [a] 4.2% wage increase [for] Gautrain workers because this is not a meaningful increase,” Hlubi-Majola said.

“We are demanding [a] 7% increase across the board. While management clings to the Consumer Price Index as a benchmark, workers are living in a country where the cost of survival has skyrocketed far beyond the consumer price index (CPI),” she added.

Question of affordability

According to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group, the average food basket now costs an estimated R5 443.

Citing this information released by the non-profit organisation in June, Hlubi-Majola said Gautrain’s offer is paltry.

She said the lowest-paid Gautrain worker, a cleaner, earns approximately R9 000 and can’t be expected to absorb the increases with a 4.2% increase.

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Workers ‘deserve a living wage’

This is not just a wage dispute, Hlubi-Majola said; it’s a question of dignity and fairness.

“The demands we are making are reasonable given that the cost of living is extremely high. This is why we say CPI increases are not enough – workers at Gautrain deserve a living wage,” she said.

“Gautrain’s world-class performance with over 7.9 million passengers annually and a 95% punctuality rate is only made possible by the very workers now being told to ‘tighten their belts’ while executives remain insulated in air-conditioned offices.

“The same executives are rewarded with generous packages, when it is ordinary workers whose labour is exploited in order to generate Gautrain’s world-class performance.”

Hlubi-Majola said Numsa’s demand for a 7% increase is a modest, reasonable adjustment that reflects the real cost of living in South Africa today.

Rather than a luxury, it’s a lifeline, she said.

Numsa calls for meaningful offer

“We call on the Bombela Operating Company and the Gautrain Management Agency to put a meaningful offer on the table. Workers are not asking for miracles; they are asking for economic justice. We all have a responsibility to end wage inequality, and that includes the bosses at Gautrain.”

Gautrain, which was launched in 2010, has completed over 200 million passenger trips and employs approximately 1 200 people.

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