The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) members will be picketing today, Friday, 30 July 2021 at the head offices of Autopax in Johannesburg over Autopax failure to pay workers’ salaries for the month of July.
NUMSA National Spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majolasays this is not the first time that workers at Autopax have had their salaries delayed, and the covid-19 pandemic is also not to blame.
“It is simple incompetence by management at Autopax which results in delays in salary payments,” said Hlubi-Majola.
Workers have allegedly been raising very sharply over many years, their frustrations with Autopax management who have demonstrated consistent incompetence in the running of this entity.
Hlubi-Majola said their members who are bus drivers confirmed that money is being collected from passengers every day, and the busses are full.
“But Autopax is still unable to pay salaries because the entity is being mismanaged,”
The Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula once addressed workers and he promised to intervene and to appoint a better management team to run Autopax.
“We are also disturbed by the attitude of the GCEO of PRASA Zolani Matthews. He said he does not know when workers will be paid salaries, and he claims to be waiting for the intervention of the department of Transport.”
She said workers have also been angered by the fact that bus negotiations were concluded in April, but they have not received their increase since then until now.
“It is truly shameful that workers at Autopax must be forced into picketing in order to get paid when they have fulfilled their contractual duty by showing up for work every day and delivering quality service,” she added.
