Trains back on track

2001-07-11 11:22

Johannesburg - Train services returned to normal in Durban by Wednesday morning and were expected to run at full capacity in the Cape Peninsula by afternoon as striking train drivers resumed work, Metrorail said.

The parastatal's spokesman Chris Kilowan said train services in Durban started improving since Tuesday afternoon after members of the United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu) started returning to work.

The strike, triggered by Metrorail's delay in implementing salary increases, saw thousands of commuters stranded since Friday last week. It quickly subsided in most parts of the country, but continued in Durban and the Cape Peninsula.

Kilowan said the strikers' decision to resume work had prompted Metrorail to lift the lockout policy it had imposed on them.

A meeting between the two parties - at Utatu's request - was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Johannesburg, he said.

While he would not speculate on the meeting's agenda, Kilowan had made it clear on Tuesday that Metrorail was unlikely to give in to the union's demands as that would mean breaking an agreement the parastatal has with other trade unions on the matter.

"That would mean reducing all other employees' salaries to satisfy Utatu's demand," he had said.

Utatu general-secretary Chris de Vos confirmed the union had called the strike off "at this stage" and had requested the meeting with Metrorail, "not to back down" on its demands but to try and reach consensus.

But De Vos warned the latest move did not mean the possibility of more strike actions "was totally out".

De Vos said Metrorail's delay in implementing the increase resulted in the parastatal losing "many times more" than what amounted to only R5 million per year the union was demanding.

Utatu members are mainly traditionally white train drivers who form nearly 80 percent of Metrorail drivers.

Kilowan said because most Metrorail customers carry monthly season tickets, it would only know at the end of the month the amount of money the strike had cost the parastatal.

- SAPA