BL Premium reports that the United National Transport Union (Untu) lashed out at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA’s (Prasa’s) bargaining style and what it termed “delaying tactics” after the state-owned rail operator tabled a 3% wage offer to unions.

Prasa’s wage offer comes after Untu and Satawu declared a dispute in March, after Prasa’s management allegedly refused to formally table a wage offer. This spurred the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to give Prasa 30 days to table a “just and fair” wage offer to its workforce, a deadline the unions said Prasa missed on 10 May. Untu spokesperson Atenkosi Plaatjie reported: “After nine months of stalling, Prasa tabled a mere 3% increase on the total guaranteed package, with zero movement on any of the allowances. To make matters worse, Prasa’s opening position included a refusal to commit to a nonretrenchment clause, leaving job security in serious jeopardy.”

The unions’ consolidated wage demands include a 15% across-the-board wage increase, a R3,000 housing subsidy, a standby allowance of R50 an hour, a night shift allowance of R10 an hour, a moratorium on retrenchments and a medical aid subsidy with the employer contributing 70%.

Plaatjie said the union made it clear to the CCMA commissioner that “we reject management’s disgraceful salary increase offer in the strongest possible terms. SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) said the 3% offer was an insult to workers and it was “not even going to consult our members on this matter.” The facilitated 2025/26 salary negotiations are set to continue on 25 June.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page