'Intimidation keeps willing workers at home'

Cargo Carriers, one of SA’s
major trucking operations,
has been hard hit by the
strike.
According to marketing
director, Andre van
Vuuren, the company
has a high level of
union membership, and,
therefore, a large number
of their people are involved
in the action.
“A certain percentage is
willing to work,” he told
FTW, “but, because of
intense intimidation, this is
a big problem.”
Geographically, he
added, this intimidation
and violence are at their
worst in Gauteng. “The
coastal operations are less
affected,” he said.
Van Vuuren agreed with
the other commentators
that talked to FTW, (see
article on page 1), saying
that fuel and steel were
high on the hit list, noting
that Cargo’s fuel and steel
operations were “severely
affected”.
The good news came
from Kevin Barron,
Cargo’s e-cargo trader
and procurement manager.
The company’s crossborder
operations, he told
FTW, were not too badly
affected.
As to the on-going
talks between the freight
transport employers’
association (FTEA) and
the union, Van Vuuren
expressed the fear that the
unions’ resistance up to
now might suggest that
they wanted the strike to
take full effect before they
reached a settlement. “It’ll
be interesting to see what
happens this week,” he
said.