The Tshwane Affected Investment Operation (TAIO), which is in charge of Pretoria’s Bus Rapid Transit stations, has refused to pay for the primary healthcare benefits that were agreed upon in the most recent round of salary negotiations for bus workers.
The TAIO management is allegedly asking workers to provide explanations for their primary healthcare coverage payments, according to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa).
“This is outrageous. Workers do not need to justify to employers why they must receive the benefit,” said Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, the spokesperson for Numsa.
“The main collective agreement of the bus passenger sector is binding on all employers, and therefore, they have a duty to pay.”
Hlubi-Majola said TAIO is not the only company in the bus passenger sector that is refusing to comply.
Battle over routes
She added that because of rogue taxi drivers who have been attacking and killing them, driving a bus can be a very dangerous job for some employees.
“This is because of the battle over routes, and unfortunately, the government has failed to act to stop the violence.
“When workers are wounded, they have to go to public healthcare facilities because the greedy bosses refuse to pay for their medical costs.
“There are many companies that are coercing workers into rejecting the primary healthcare coverage. Numsa condemns the employers in the bus passenger sector for refusing to comply,” she said.
The wage agreement stipulates that employers must pay Affinity Reef, the employees’ primary health insurance provider.
Both the employer and the employee are required to contribute R221 each month.
Hlubi-Majola stated that since the agreement has been gazetted and extended since June of this year, all bus companies that are members of the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBAC) are required to implement it in order for their employees to receive healthcare benefits.
“Their refusal to pay means that workers have no medical aid cover,” she said.
As a union, we have been fighting against this because workers in the bus sector do not earn enough for privately owned medical aid.”
No complaints received
SARPBAC agent Nazeem Davids told Sunday World that Tshwane has not complained to them about these issues.
“We have never received a complaint in that regard, but the agreement says the employees have an option to either join or not, so once they have the presentation, the employers are compelled to give them the option,” said Davids.
“If the employee does not want to join the medical aid scheme, then the agreement gives them that provision because there is an option for when they agree or not.
“In most of these cases, employees do not want to join the medical aid because they go to the clinics and do not pay anything there.
“They do not want to pay; they want their money in their pockets.”
Davids would follow up with the employer, he said.
