Rail union calls for armed guards to be employed on commuter trains

Imogen Vollenhoven
29 December 2012

UTATU SARWHU, the rail union of which Mr JP du Plessis- the train driver stabbed to death on Christmas Day - was a member, has called for armed guards to be employed on urban commuter trains.

General Secretary, Steve Harris said rail workers and more particularly train drivers cannot be asked to put their lives on the line each day when they report for work.

 They have to be protected. Harris adds that this is not a panic call on their part.

 Sad experience has shown that the lives of commuter train drivers and their support personnel are under constant threat from gangsters and even from commuters when there are rail delays.

The union will formally demand armed protection on selected trains when it meets with Metrorail’s group chief executive, Lucky Montana, on the 3rd of January to discuss the murder of Mr du Plessis and safety issues going forward.

Thee union compliments Metrorail and its senior executives for their sensitive handling of Mr du Plessis’s murder thus far.

Fedusa, the labour federation to which UTATU SARWHU belongs, has added its considerable weight to its affiliate’s calls for armed guards to be employed to protect rail workers.