Prasa contractors protest for better salaries
“We are not seeking millions, but a decent wage. We are aware that we are contractors but the money is too small for us.”
Unhappy Prasa contractors protested at the Centurion station to demand a pay increase.
Contractor Refilwe Mothwe said that they were expected to work long hours but were not paid for these hours. She claimed that their work conditions were difficult with little to show for it on payday.
“We work really hard for our families, but that’s not reflected at the end of the month,” she said.
“We are not seeking millions, but a decent wage. We are aware that we are contractors but the money is too small for us.”
Another contractor, Prince Molelle, said his salary – which took care of his wife and two children as well as his mother and sister – was not satisfactory.
“I have a huge family that I must look after. I am not just taking care of my wife and kids, my mother and sister also depend on me. On the other hand, I must make sure I have transport money, this is too much,” Molelle said.
He said that he felt like he was working for nothing, even though he was grateful he had a job unlike many of his peers who can’t even put food on the table.
Prasa spokesperson Tony Games told Rekord that he was aware of the contractors’ complaints and the matter had since been resolved “so things were back to normal again”.
“The matter has since been resolved,” Games said, adding that the contractors were back at work replacing power cables over railway tracks and rehabilitating substations.
The relationship between contractors and the rail agency has not been smooth sailing since the transport minister decided to scrap out-sourcing.
Last month cleaners and security guards previously outsourced to Prasa protested at Park station, in Johannesburg.
Last year, contractors demanding insourcing at Prasa lost their jobs when the rail operator cut ties with them.
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