UNTU, SATAWU threaten strike action at PRASA if wage dispute not resolved
Demands by the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) and the United National Transport Union (UNTU) have gone unanswered by the cash-strapped SOE.
- Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA)
- South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU)
A PRASA depot. Picture: @PRASA_Group/X
JOHANNESBURG - Unions representing workers at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) have threatened the rail operator with strike action amid a wage dispute for the 2025/26 financial year.
At least eight demands have been tabled by the two major unions at the SOE, including a 15% wage increase across the board.
The unions also want PRASA to subsidise 70% of their medical aid and shelve any possible retrenchments for the term of the agreement.
Demands by the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) and the United National Transport Union (UNTU) have gone unanswered by the cash-strapped SOE.
UNTU spokesperson Atenkosi Plaatjie: "This is not the first time PRASA management has displayed such arrogance towards labour. During previous negotiations, we were forced to take similar action before the PRASA board intervened to resolve the impasse."
If mediation at the CCMA fails, Plaatjie said industrial action was on the cards.
"What further aggravates labour is that these negotiations should have commenced in October 2024, yet management has continued to delay the commencement of the process with no regard for the financial hardships faced by employees."