The Road Freight Association has highlighted the latest threat circulating on social media which calls for another national shutdown and rejects aspects of the sector’s collective agreement between workers and employers.
RFA CEO Gavin Kelly said the notice sent by a group calling itself SA Truck Drivers was “yet another example of how the logistics chain is continuously threatened”. The notice carries the words “supported by” with the logo of All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied SA (ATDFASA).
ATDFASA representative Sifiso Nyathi said the organisation was aware of and supported the group that had issued the notice.
Kelly said the notice called for both a shutdown and compliance with the agreement, while rejecting some of its tenets.
“The notice calls for all truck companies to comply with the Collective Agreement - negotiated between representatives of unions and employers at the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry (NBCRFLI) - but then goes further in rejecting selected items from this agreement,” Kelly said.
He added that collective bargaining existed to ensure negotiated, structured and peaceful resolution to disagreements between employers and employees.
“Shutdowns create long-term, negative consequences to the logistics supply chain and the economy. Jobs are lost. Revenue – both to companies and to employees – is lost., tax revenue is lost. Business confidence is lost. International trade and investment is lost,” Kelly warned.
“Inevitably, opportunistic criminality and violence occur.”
He said unions and employers use structured processes to negotiate.
“We are all losers when shutdowns happen - as in the South African economy and its citizens. In addition, the compliant trucking companies (operators) are always caught up in these activities - again and again,” Kelly said.
Kelly called on drivers who were fuelling instigating protest activities to raise their concerns with the relevant authorities and help them by reporting non-compliant transport companies, so that action could be taken against them.
“The RFA agrees that the task team has taken longer than expected - but the right solutions need to be found and developed to treat the causes - not the symptoms. The RFA trusts that the relevant authorities, including the SAPS, will show the same resolve in dealing with any illegal activities creating a shutdown of supply chain routes, as was shown in the previous national shutdown,” Kelly said.
