Looming strike from trucking industry

A national shutdown of the trucking industry is imminent as the South African National Cargo Transport Drivers Association (SANCATDRA) continues to push for clarity on the employment of foreign drivers. The association marched to the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry (NBCRFLI) on 15 December 2020 to hand over a memorandum demanding that the bargaining council should be neutral and impartial, clause 35 should be scrapped from the main collective agreement, labour brokers should be abolished in the road freight industry and court-designated agents must be investigated and apprehended. They also stated in the memorandum that the employment of foreigners is transferring poverty in the industry The association’s president Daniel Mofokeng stated that the union expected a response from the council within 21 days. However, to date there has been no response. “We are currently following the legal route in pursuing the council to respond to us. After we have obtained permits and authorisation from law enforcement agencies, then we will give out an announcement on when the shutdown will be,” Mofokeng explained.

According to NBCRFLI, the bargaining council’s first board meeting for 2021 is scheduled to take place in February. “There is still an issue of employment of foreigners. We are very much dissatisfied with what is happening in the country, with the burning of trucks and driver attacks. There is a lot of corruption, with no companies actually complying with the council. Drivers are frustrated, waiting, not being paid accordingly… There is total noncompliance in the industry but people are meant to monitor compliance. There are laws to follow.” stated Mofokeng.

“With unemployment such as South Africa’s, we still believe someone is not doing their job properly; someone is benefiting. Ministers want to come up with quotas. If they allow say 20% of foreigners, it means another 20% of South Africans are not working. We’ve got all the resources, we need to deal with these issues, but we are turning a blind eye to the issue of foreigners,” he closed off. SANCATDRA and the All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa’s (ATDF-ASA’s) national shutdown, which Mofokeng assured would be legal, is scheduled to start on Monday, 25 January 2021.