The All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa, which has embarked on a national stayaway, has distanced itself from the truck blockades that have reportedly taken place along routes, including the N3 and N12, since Sunday morning.
ATDFASA general secretary, Sifiso Nyathi, told Freight News that truck drivers had embarked on a stayaway but that the union had not issued any instruction to drivers to disrupt traffic.
He said ATDFASA would hand over a memorandum of grievances to the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry (NBCRFLI) on Monday, and said the stayaway would then end at midday.
This was despite a Pretoria High Court interdict awarded to the NBCRFLI against the ATDFASA in July 2020, which ordered them not to get involved in “organising, encouraging and inciting any other person to participate in protest action or ‘national shutdown’ against the employment of foreign nationals in the road freight and logistics industry on 7 July 2020 or at any other time thereafter”.
Unconfirmed reports on Twitter shared by @Yusuf Abramjee indicated that parts of roads, including the N3 near Spruitview/Vosloorus, the R31, and the N12 in the direction Emalahleni as well as parts of the N3, had been blocked in both directions on Sunday.
Additional reports on social media indicated that there had been “reports of ATDF activity in various areas” on Monday, including Umtata, Kimberley, Durban Central, Verulam and Alrode.
SA Trucker (@rsa_trucker) posted an update on Monday stating “2 trucks from Star Wheels are blocking the road at Cnr Bosmorth and Potgieter Road in Alrode. We can't locate the drivers.”
Reacting to the slew of reports and photographs on Twitter of trucks blocking roads across national routes, Nyathi said there had been isolated incidents, although ATDFASA had not called for truck blockades.
@rsa_trucker had also reported disturbances in Ermelo, Duvha, Witbank, N2 Piet Retief, BP Alrode, Maydon wharf and Umbilo Road on Sunday.
Reacting to the social media reports, Nyathi distanced the organisation from the road blockades, saying the organisation had not instructed drivers to disrupt traffic.
“I am not agreeing with what they are saying that there are no blockages in all these places. We started our stayaway from yesterday. We parked the trucks in the yards in depots and at truck stops, although around 20% of trucks were moving,” Nyathi said.
“There was a blockage, although we had trucks here and there, like Kimberley. We never instructed people to block the road but they parked in truck stops,” he said.
"Employers like to be a hero and do not want to be defeated so they always do the opposite, but we appreciate those employers who co-operate with us, especially RFA (Road Freight Association) members because they are the ones complying,” he said.
Nyathi said the ATDFASA would submit a memorandum of eight grievances to the bargaining council.
Among the grievances were demands that:
- Truck driving in the freight industry must be reserved only for South Africans
- Zimbabwean permits’ grace period must be abolished
- No foreigner must be allowed to register with the NBCRFLI
- No work permits must be issued for non-skilled jobs
- A 15% wage increment under the campaign Living Wage 2022, A year of Compliance and Action
- Drivecam (inside cameras must be removed)
- No forced vaccinations
- No company should operate in SA without being a member of the NBCRFLI
