Striking truck drivers on Monday threatened to ’close the roads’ if their demands to protect their jobs are not met soon.
MEMBERS of the All Truck Drivers Forum (ATDF) on Monday threatened to “close the roads” if their demands to protect their jobs are not met soon.
The drivers joined their counterparts in the rest of the country in a national strike, which they said will not end until their demands are met.
The drivers said this is their final attempt to save their jobs, which they have accused foreigners of trying to snatch.
According to the drivers, they are “constantly being lied to by the government” and the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula.
Scores of trucks were brought to a standstill at the Kimberley Diesel Depot, near Club 2000, over Sunday and Monday. By lunchtime on Monday, over 200 trucks were standing at the depot.
The ATDF members said they could not guarantee that any of the drivers who are still on the road will be protected and safe from violence.
“This is a national strike so we expect everyone to be at a standstill until our issues are resolved. If someone decides to cheat it is their problem because even the owners of the trucks know about the strike.”
Angry truck drivers at the depot also advised foreign nationals to leave the premises “before the situation turns ugly”.
The ATDF handed over a memorandum to a delegation that included Malebo Matidza, from the bargaining council, Peter Pietersen, from the office of the Sol Plaatje mayor, and Motlalepula Molefi, from the premier’s office.
They vowed to keep their trucks parked until they get positive feedback from the bargaining council.
Among their demands are a 15% salary increase, as opposed to the 5% that they are being offered by the bargaining council.
The drivers slammed the bargaining council for “undermining” them.
They questioned what “scarce skills” foreign drivers bring to the country that local drivers don’t have.
They also called on the bargaining council to reverse the decision to allow truck owners to install cameras inside the trucks. According to them, they are being “stalked” and their right to privacy is being violated.
“Mbalula failed us. He promised that he would talk to the owners of the truck years ago but there are no improvements. These cameras are just to frame us in order to give our jobs to foreigners.
“These foreigners do not even have regulations and take whatever the employer puts on the table. They come to the country with fake or expired permits, which they are allowed to drive with. We are not even allowed to drive for one day with expired permits in our own country,” said one of the drivers.
Another driver, Sinothemba Ntshoza, said that the new systems are favouring foreigners.
He claimed it was an attempt to discourage South Africans, who have every right to put food on their tables.
“How will our families be provided for if we are forever at the risk of our permits being suspended? These permits are our diplomas. That is why we pull all stops to keep them up to date. Those people (foreign nationals) don’t have licences, including PDPs.
“We don’t know what the card is called that they used to be hired with,” added Ntshoza. “There is no expiry date on it. All we know is that it is dated 2012, and does not have an expiry date.
“Our problem is that our PDP expires every two years and we pay money to go and renew it. Whether we work or not. But foreigners don’t even renew this thing of theirs. They are not even members of the bargaining council.”
A Zimbabwean driver at the depot set that he would “abide by the rules of the other drivers” as his safety is currently a priority.
He said he was travelling from Postmasburg to Port Elizabeth.
“At this stage, they have not been intimidating towards me. If they can tell me to leave the site now I will immediately go. I will just ask them to allow me to fetch my stuff from the truck,” said the driver.
He said his employer had not informed him of the strike action and he only learned of it upon entering Kimberley and being directed to the depot.
“I listened to them and came here because I understand what their concerns are.”
According to the driver, he has used his current permit for the past five years and has never renewed it.
The delegation from the mayor’s office, premier’s office and the bargaining council promised to get back to the drivers as soon as they can after engaging with national offices.
Video: Danie van der Lith
