Aug-Sept 2014 K.indd

7

www.cosatu.org.za • AUG/SEPT 2014

put in wrong positions) e.g engineers being deployed in fi nance. At times I ask myself what will become of the future. You go to school just to sit at home and get frustrated, when you o get a job they mistreat you and tell you to leave if you are not happy, as there are many people out there who are looking for a job. In terms of research or reports done either by the labour department or anyone who is dealing with labour issues, how far are we as SA on transformation? In private companies, has anyone checked whether people are being paid accordingly to TRAIN DELAYS I am a daily commuter, commuting using the metro rail from Germiston to Hartebeespruit in Pretoria where I work. Over loaded trains and train delays have become a norm and most coammuters have seemingly accepted it as a standard of service we receive from the metro rail. Often trains just become stationary (in the middle of nowhere) for unreasonable periods at a time and some trains don’t even arrive at all resulting in safety risks due to the overcrowding in the carts. Today however, the train en route to Pretoria has been stuck here at kaalfontein station for more than 45minutes (from 06:55-07:40) and counting as I write this complaint. This means every commuter in this train will arrive to work more than 45 minutes late. The fact that we are workers and some are students predominantly indigent environments does not seem to matter at all to metro rail and Prasa. Many of us commuters are bread winners and depend on the services of metro rail to get to our places of employment. A train delay means we as workers arrive at work late resulting in disciplinary hearings at the least

standard, in right contracts, are there any spot checks done? I know of a company that has been in existence for a long time but has no union management and gets to do as it pleases. What is even more painful and shameful is that this company is situated right in Johannesburg near the Cosatu of fi ce. As a worker, if you dare talk you will surely be fi red or forced to resign because they will hunt you down. I’m still a youth and in HR, what is the point of studying and what is supposed to be practiced, when what is happening is the opposite of what unions must be fi ghting and dismissals at the worst. Furthermore, these delays and random stops are without explanation to the commuters whom are often caught in between aborting their trip and try fi nd the closest taxi’s or wait in hope that the stationary or delayed train may resume the trip sooner rather than later. It could only take a concerted level of disdain, carelessness, unprofessionalism and sheer incompetence, for management managing the services of a commuter rail to permanently fail to ensure the prompt arrival of their locomotives. It would further take a condescending and unethical (presumably quali fi ed) management to be kept in their heated of fi ces and employment in the midst of all this malfeasance, whilst the poorer working people have to consistently explain or defend late arrivals of which is not of their doing. Moreover, the fact that this commuter service is provided for by a government entity, is known to us commuters and if and when these untimely delays and random stops do occur (as they always do)-us commuters always murmur to each other that the disservice, is a failure on our elected government to take us as commuters as

for? Are we really free? Did our parents really die for us to still remain slaves in our own country? Right now, if you can check companies out there do as they please, hiring foreigners knowing its cheap labour while our own people are suffering. These are just some concerns I have been thinking about. Hope you will fi nd this in order. I hope that I will get some clarity from you and that I will not be victimized for sending this email.

Tumelo Mathews

beings. Why is it that the Gautrain does not have such consistent delays, random stops and overcrowding? Is it because the middle class commuters of the gautrain are regarded as beings whilst we poorer commuters commuting in the metrto rail are non-beings. The metro rail is providing a service of which we as commuters are paying for regardless of the pittance you may feel we pay for it. We demand that we are afforded a service that will ensure that we arrive to work on time. We demand that trains abide strictly to their route schedules. We demand that there are safety of fi cers employed in each cart to ensure there is no overcrowding and also communicate when there is pit stops and random delays. At the very least, may you respond to this complaint as I am writing it at the request of the many commuters I happen to be sharing a cart with.

Trust the above is in order and awaiting your speedy response.

Modise Koetle

Editor’s Note