South Africa News

Workers union demands safety guarantee for train drivers

Train services in KwaZulu-Natal are expected to resume on Monday but the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union says its members at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa will only return to work once their safety is guaranteed.

This follows the attack on rail agency staff members and infrastructure in the province last week.

The incident in Umlazi resulted in the suspension of train services in the area.

Commuters were reportedly angered by train delays.

Workers union

Prasa said the delays are caused by among others, decaying infrastructure and cable theft but the commuters association said it’s not responsible for the attack on workers and the damage to property.

“If you compare the time of the incident and then the time of transporting workers in the workplace it’s far different that’s raising the question because there’s a gap in between that the workers have already left for the working places,” Zwabesho Shange from the Commuters Association.

The KZN government has since intervened in a bid to resolve the matter.

With train services set to resume on Monday, workers representatives said that will only happen once there is a proper safety plan in place.

All stakeholders have called on the police to make sure that those responsible for last week’s violence are brought to book.

Source: IOL