The Road Freight Association (RFA) said attacks against the trucking industry must stop.
The association was commenting today after a nationwide strike was announced by the All Truck Drivers Forum (ATDF).
It was reported that on Sunday, parts of the N3 in Gauteng was blocked by trucks.
RFA CEO Gavin Kelly said the road freight and logistics industry was being held to ransom and attacked by parties who are unhappy with conditions or matters within the sector.
“The RFA has repeatedly called on the SAPS to protect the lives and health of our drivers, to protect the vehicles and cargoes of our members and to ensure that, whilst there is the right to highlight and discuss issues, that the blatant disregard of anyone else's right to safety, security, employment and the opportunity to operate a business for the betterment of all cannot be tolerated.”
Kelly said those employers that are not registered with the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry must be dealt with.
“Those officials who are open to bribery and corruption, who refuse to perform their duties in terms of the mandates given to the various Departments, must be censured or disciplined. We cannot continue to absorb these attacks: the compliant operators are being continually attacked and pushed out of the sector. South Africa is losing any sense of safety and efficiency in terms of moving goods through the country to the ports.”
Speaking to The Mercury on Sunday, ATDF secretary Sifiso Nyathi, said the organisation was preparing to go to the Bargaining Council today.
“As you know, with any strike action there are people who decide to go to work. We will not be disheartened by sell-outs but will focus on our objective.”
Part of the demands they will take to the bargaining council include:
- A 15% wage increase.
- Removal of foreign truck drivers.
- South African registered trucks to be driven by South African drivers.
Nyathi insisted that they would not back down on their demands.
“For a long time we have been saying that we do not want foreign truck drivers because there are plenty of South African drivers who can do the job. What is happening is that foreign truck drivers offer cheap labour and that should not be allowed,” he said.
Positive Freight Solutions (PFS), an organisation of truck owners, dismissed suggestions that the industry was not complying with the regulations, adding that ADTF demands were unreasonable.
“There has been increased tax, Sasria premiums, tyre prices, fuel prices, etc; 15% salary increase is not sustainable,” said PFS in a statement.
It added that there was an agreement in place that there would be no foreign truck drivers by the end of the year.
It said that it has, on numerous occasions, approached the ADTF, in an effort to bring stability.
“PFS has tasked the ADTF to vet drivers and send their CVs so that experienced, qualified drivers can be employed by their members. The ADTF have ignored this opportunity and yet continue to terrorise this industry.”
The organisation said that the industry experienced a loss of R13 million the last time the ADTF protested.
“The harsh reality is that these losses do not impact the truck owner or the ADTF, the direct impact is experienced by the South African citizen going to the shop to purchase consumable goods,” PFS said.
THE MERCURY