TRANSNET National Port Authority’s (TNPA’s) running battles with its labour unions is going down to the wire as the State utility prepares to relocate manganese operations from Port of Elizabeth to the Port of Ngcura by December.
The United National Transport Union (Untu) said yesterday that TNPA was negotiating in bad faith and was likely putting the livelihood of workers at the Port of Elizabeth terminal at risk as it was not explained if the workers would also follow their jobs. Untu’s head of Media and Communications, Atenkosi Plaatjies, said yesterday:
“It is a sad day for Transnet employees in the Port of Elizabeth area who face uncertainties on whether they will still have jobs by the end of this year following Transnet National Ports Authority’s media announcement on the relocation of the manganese terminal from the Port of Elizabeth to the Port of Ngqura by Christmas this year."
TNPA last year announced that it had appointed the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) as the implementing agent for the migration of the manganese terminal and the liquid bulk terminal to the Port of Ngqura, as well as their construction and operationalisation.
It said the CDC’s role would include a review of the design and scope of work to ensure modern, state-of-the-art terminals that were designed to operate in accordance with world-class environmental standards and ensure their susainability, in response to market needs.
The CDC worked closely with the government and State-owned companies to enhance the State’s capacity in the implementation of complex and mega-infrastructure programmes, said Transnet.
Currently, it manages portfolios for itself and various public sector clients, with a portfolio of infrastructure projects valued at approximately R5.3 billion.
At a business forum stakeholders meeting last week, the TNPA announced that the plans were well afoot for the relocation to be executed in December.
Plaatjies accused the TNPA of continuing to negotiate in bad faith with recognised labour and without any real intention of reaching an agreement on decisions that threaten the livelihood of employees.
"This continuing cycle of consultation and negotiating in bad faith is chipping away at the integrity and effectiveness of the Collective Bargaining process as envisaged in the Labour Relations Act, yet, when the employees become disheartened and angry at the employer for making such decisions without involving them, then the unions must come and save the employer from their own ignorance," Plaatjies said.
Earlier this year, the TNPA announced concluding the process to allocate 2 million tons per annum of export manganese capacity to emerging miners through the Manganese Export Capacity Allocation (MECA) III process.
BUSINESS REPORT