Fedusa concerned about rail safety

By Yamkela Xhaso
23 January

The Federation of Unions of South Africa says it is concerned about government not paying attention to the situation of unsafe rail crossing.

This is after the recent rail deaths both in KwaZulu Natal and in the Western Cape. Fedusa secretary General Dennis George said the situation is totally unacceptable.

Fedusa issued a strike notice yesterday.

George said this unacceptable because “it has psychological on our members, they way they have to deal with these deaths on a daily basis”

The union says the level passing has not been properly maintained is not properly taken care off. The reason why they the released a strike notice is because they believe this is a long term solution to this problem.

“One of the demands on the strike notice is that we must come together with the government to find a solution to this problem”

Meanwhile, Metrorail spokesperson Rianna Scott says that they will study the application of the strike as soon as they receive it.

Scott said they will do everything in their power to avoid the strike because it will impact negatively on the customers and “that is the last thing we want to do”

“We will take it very seriously, we really will put all our efforts into resolving the issue before it comes into industrial action” said Scott.

Scott says if an unlikely event happens they will have to activate their contingency plan like they do when they have industrial action “but our commitment is to rather avoid the strike than to go into contingency plan”

Fedusa says the parties they have sited the Department of Transport, Transnet, African Rail Communter Co-operation and Metrorail.

Geroge sais the main objective is to ensure that rail infastructure is improved, they can either build bridges over the railway lines or subways .