SATAWU Press Release on RAF National Strike 12-07-07

 

*SATAWU Press Release on Road Accident Fund National Strike, commencing on
Monday 16th July 2007*

Road Accident Fund employees, who are members of the South African Transport
and Allied Workers Union, are gearing up for the national strike that is to
commence on Monday 16th July 2007. The strike is supported by the
overwhelming majority of members, i.e. 95% voted in favour of the strike
action. Our members are therefore to go on the streets in support of their
demands.

More than 1 500 members of SATAWU will to take the streets of all major
cities in South Africa, Johannesburg, Pretoria (Tshwane), Durban, Cape Town
and East London. Our members are demanding an 8% increase on their salaries,
housing subsidy and housing allowance.

Road Accident Fund is offering 6.3% with no increase on housing allowance
and refusing to introduce housing subsidy for its employees. The other
dimensions to this dispute include some disagreements on broad-banding and
the Fund's salary structures that is being used by management as a weapon to
convince our members that they will actually get more than an 8% increase in
2007/2008.

The Union contests the assumption by Road Accident Fund that the increase of
8% will result in a greater financial strain on the Fund, and strongly
believes that such an increment is achievable and will be consistently in
line will general increase given to the public sector. This kind of
settlement is important to our members in particular if compared to previous
settlements that varied from 6% - 8%, hence our belief that the Fund does
have the financial ability to meet this demand.

The Union members will serve a notice to the RAF on Thursday 12th July 2007,
which will result to the commencement of the strike on Monday, 16th July
2007. Members in Gauteng province on Monday will be marching to the offices
of National Department of Transport in Tshwane, where the Minister of
Transport will be expected to receive a Memorandum.

Members understand their responsibility, which is to serve road accident
victims, but cannot succumb to exploitative increases given by management.
Our members cannot compromise their rights to a better increment on salaries
and improvement on their conditions of service by merely accepting a slavery
increase and a refusal to improve their conditions of service. Hence a
decision that on 16th July 2007, Road Accident Fund operations will come to
a standstill.

The members have made it clear that they will not settle for anything less
than 8%, which is at least more than the 2006/2007 settlement. Intervention
therefore by the Minister would save the RAF from the misery and the worst
situation since their inception. Members on Monday will converge at the
Union offices in Pretoria, where they will be addressed by Union national
leadership before they proceed to National Transport Department offices.

*For any comments/clarity, contact General Secretary (082 564 6298) or
Deputy General Secretary (076 635 1493)*