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Past Issues

March 2005

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Thousands of South Africans who watched the trucker's strike from the comfort of their lounge suites probably now carry around the perception that truck drivers are a bunch of uncouth, rabble-rousing louts. That perception is understandable given that the front page newspaper and television coverage highlighted dramatic scenes of cops opening fire on the strikers, drawing blood from the 'rioters' as the rubber bullets nailed them. Sure that happened - but it didn't tell the full story. When I saw these images, I was confused. Truck drivers are not like that. They are not rabble rousers. Sure there will always be those few whose actions taint the good name and image of the majority. We have such renegades in the 'boss' arena as well in the form of operators who grossly overload for ill-gained profit. Given the uncharacteristically 'violent' image of drivers that was being depicted, I had to take a closer look, if only to settle in my mind that the actions of the drivers being portrayed to the rest of the country were not representative of the majority. 

In setting out for central Johannesburg the morning after the salvo of rubber bullets had been fired, I knew there would probably be isolated cases of anger - flare ups of tempers which would result in violent action or vandalism. That's the nature of a massed crowd and it's not exclusive to South Africa. One merely has to think of the UK 'soccer thugs' who seem to go on the rampage every time England looses a match in Europe. Pity any car, truck or shop window that gets in their way. It is also a well known fact that the temperature of a crowd raises the temperature of the individuals who make up that crowd. And that is why 'leadership' is so important. I'll get back to this one...

I arrived in central Johannesburg at 9.45am to spend the day with the strikers so as to get a feel of things. My plan was to roam among the guys and hopefully not to have to duck any rubber bullets. It was action from the time I emerged from the underground parking lot. The march was on and I moved to the middle of the street to be descended on by a wall of stick wielding marchers. I crouched low to get photographs and since I don't have one of those long telescopic-type lenses, the close-up view through the lens was pretty 'hairy'. They were close.  

Keeping pace with the marchers on each side of the road were cops armed with shotguns and wearing bullet proof vests. The route was to wind through central Johannesburg, across Queen Elizabeth Bridge, into Braamfontein where it would end outside the offices of the National Bargaining Council.

Apart from taking photographs, I used the time to talk to individuals and most importantly, to observe and feel the mood. Was the mood angry waiting for any opportunity to explode and run riot? Were these men using the march as a guise to cause havoc in the streets of Johannesburg? To both of these I can say no! Definitely not!

Intermingling back and forward with the crowd showed that the front rankers were younger and fitter - thus the livelier displays of exuberance. I was later told that a lot of the younger guys were general workers, not drivers. That also threw things into perspective for some of those younger guys did not seem to match the profile of long haul drivers.

On this point, it was interesting to note how the age profile changed as you moved towards the middle and back of the crowd. The midriffs got a bit wider, the shoes a bit shinier, the clothes a bit neater and the hair a bit greyer. In fact, some of those silver haired gentlemen could easily have been mistaken for our dear 'Madiba'. I guesstimated the average age profile of the drivers to be 40-and-above. They were pretty much like I know truck drivers to be. I must also add here that at no time during the day did I ever feel threatened or in danger. It was not at all like the image projected on TV.

I did, however, see how easily the flames of anger of such a crowd can be ignited. It takes one spark and in this case, the spark that does it is a working truck with a working driver behind the wheel. "We are striking for better pay. Why is he not with us?" is the feeling. And that is what sparked the previous day's mayhem. A truck came past the strikers and instead of hurling jeers and insults, they hurled rocks and bricks. The police, rightfully doing their duty to protect those not in the strike, ran to the defense of the non-striking trucker and that's when things got 'hairy' with rubber bullets being fired at those attacking the truck and driver.

I saw the potential of this throughout the day. Whenever a truck was spotted, the crowd jeered and shouted insults at the driver. That was from afar. The driver of a tipper truck who innocently turned into one of the main roads in Braamfontein was not so lucky. He got too close and the younger members of the crowd assaulted him and smashed the truck's windscreen with bricks. Once again the cops rightfully came to the rescue of the driver and the strikers moved on.

I spoke to that driver - a man of at least 50 - after the strikers had moved on. He was sitting dazed and alone in his cab. "Why did you drive here? It is dangerous?" I asked. "I did not know of this strike. I know nothing about this," he answered, rubbing his ribs in pain. I told him to reverse and get out of there - fast. He did - fast! 

This where I want to come to the point of leadership and representation. Throughout the strike, reports of intimidation and vandalism were received from many areas around the country - mainly from Gauteng. Such actions are totally unacceptable. Every individual has the right to strike but so too does every individual have the right to work. Intimidation is not representation. It is mere thuggery and the only thing intimidation serves to do is to leave doubt in the minds of observers as to the validity of representation. 

Zimbabwe is a case in point. Without commenting on the most recent election where it seems rigging of votes rather than intimidation was the tactic used by Zanu-PF this time round, the previous election was characterized by wide-spread intimidation of voters by Zanu-PF. 'Join us or we whip you' is hardly a rallying call for willing support and leaders should realize that whatever outcome emerges from the use of such methods is looked on with suspicion. Such methods reflect adversely against leaders who are seen to sanction - or turn a blind eye to - the intimidation methods. Support should not be out of fear. It should be out of willing co-operation.

On this point, union leaders should have taken strong stances - even disciplinary action - against those marauding 'renegades' who intimidated others to join the strike. I say this not only because such methods are wrong but also because there were many truck drivers who did not have any duty or reason for joining the strike. Take the bread industry as an example. Those drivers are represented by a different union to the ones involved in the strike. So why were some bakery trucks stoned as the drivers went about their business of delivering bread to the nation? It was not their issue.

As for those drivers who did not want to join the strike, they should not have been forced by intimidation to do so. One company told us that its drivers were hit with sticks and sjamboks. Exaggeration? Not so! It's all captured on film by closed circuit TV.

And here are some comments from companies to back what I am saying. These were solicited by FleetWatch from various companies whose names I am not going to mention here. Most of the drivers I spoke asked not to be identified for fear of losing their jobs. Likewise, some of the companies did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals. Here are some comments from companies:

• "It has had no effect on us as our drivers are all owner-operators. However one vehicle has been vandalized and a driver was beaten."

• "Some drivers are on strike but this has not affected our productivity as we have enough contract drivers to make up for those on strike. The drivers spoke to management before the strike saying they did not wish to strike but were forced to - probably by intimidation."

• "The strike affected the company to a small degree in that drivers were intimidated, some verbally and some with weapons. Some of the drivers were pulled into the strike against their wills."

• "Some drivers have been intimidated. Not seriously, just asked why they were working and not joining the strike. No harm done."

• "We've lost 100% productivity. All our trucks are standing in the yard. The drivers were forced to join the strike. They were called on cell phones, hit with sticks and sjamboks. All this was captured on film by closed circuit TV. The same group went from yard to yard doing the same to everyone's drivers."

• "My guys are at work but are only driving 50% of the time. They're not exactly striking but are scared to go out in their trucks. I do feel though that there's sympathy from drivers for the strike. Productivity is terrible. We're running at 30%."

Own codes
Without delving too deep into some mysterious theory of hidden agendas, were these 'gangs' of marauding 'campaigners' really members of the driving fraternity? Long-haul drivers are a close-knit fraternity. They have their own codes and culture out on the roads and I'm almost certain that if one of those men who went around whipping others were to stop at night at a truck stop and be recognized, he would get his due justice. It's just too risky to go out there, whip up a storm and then mix with those same drivers as if nothing has happened. It doesn't make sense.

To endorse this point, just take a look at the pictures of the drivers who took part in the march. Do they look like young thugs who would go around whipping others into supporting their cause? Admittedly there were some who I viewed with suspicion - but very few. One guy in particular looked like a definite trouble maker but not a definite truck driver.

Dressed in a grey overall with an AK47 sketched on the back, he looked 'goofed' and full of trouble as he pointed to me - one of about three white faces in a sea of Black faces - and swiped his finger across his throat to indicate that mine was going to be slit. Twit! I asked a gentleman close-by if he thought he was a driver. "No, not him," came the answer. So maybe there are those who are soliciting for support in dubious and violent ways. If that is the case, it is a reflection on the leadership and the unions can hang their heads in shame. But, there's nothing definite. Who are they though?

Remember the kiddie’s ditty: "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." This delightful driver (above) needs a few more than two. Contrast these photographs of groups waiting around, talking or dancing with the one on page 20 depicting a menacing mass. When you separate the individuals from the crowd, you see a different picture. The picture most South Africans will remember of the strike is one of cops firing rubber bullets at ‘rioting’ drivers. Yes there were incidents where this happened but they were isolated and destruction was certainly not the order of the day. Heck - do these guys look like hooligans?

Now back to the drivers - and the image of them as thugs. The many, many drivers I spoke to and mingled with during the march to and from Braamfontein, as well as during the long hours of the afternoon spent hanging around the old Library Gardens while waiting for the representatives to report back to them, dispelled for me the image of rabble-rousing louts. Sure they looked like a dangerous 'mass' when marching in unison. Any protesting crowd does. But when you get down to the level of the individual, you get to see a different picture and hear a different story.

The story I heard from the drivers I spoke to was one which expressed not only dissatisfaction with their wages but even more so with their working conditions. The common gripe on wages is that they all feel the minimum is too low and that in order to make decent money, they have to work overtime. This, in turn, forces them into driving long hours with awful consequences.

Apart from the very real danger of driver fatigue leading to fatal accidents, it takes them away from their families for long periods at a time. And when they do return home, they are too exhausted to spend quality time with their wives and kids before having to head off on the road again.

"There are many divorces among truck drivers," is what one driver told me. "We don't see our families for a long time and the wife has to run the home and look after the children by herself. Then when the husband does come home, he is so tired and brings such little money that the wife says it is not worth waiting for her husband." He himself was divorced.

Another said: "I want to give a better life to my wife and children but I cannot get a loan on a house or a car with the basic salary I earn. It is too low and when I tell the bank that it is more with overtime, they say overtime pay does not count because it is not the same every month. Many of us drive big, expensive trucks and make good money for our bosses but when we go home, we go back to a tin shack in a squatter camp. It is not right."

Others spoke of hardships on the road - night allowances ranging from R35 per night up to one lucky guy who gets R90 per night. These allowances are meant to cover not only food but also the security of the truck - pretty difficult considering that a half-chicken-and-chips totals close to R35.00 out on the road. "If anything goes missing or is stolen from my truck, I have to pay. I cannot stop robbers when they are stealing a spare tyre. They will kill me. But I then have to pay for it. It is wrong," was one gripe.

Others told different - but similar - stories. Stories of the dark side of trucking; of trips that can be dangerous and life threatening due to the risk of hijacking and murder; little and interrupted sleep from having to park on the side of the road due to a shortage of formal parking facilities; poor diet and weeks away from home. Heck - and some of these guys have been working for companies for 20 and more years.

The point I want to make is that while the negotiating parties from the unions and the RFEA would have us all believe that victory was achieved via the results of their negotiations, they are miles off the mark. The drivers feel they were sold out and the gripes that need addressing are still there. The reality is that no union and no RFEA can address these. They need to be addressed face-to-face between management and drivers. (See Editor's Comment).

The strike is over but the bad news is that still nothing has changed. And I don't mean since the end of the strike. What I mean is nothing has changed in years. Do you remember the blockade of the Moor River toll plaza many years ago? The 'official' line given by the 'official' organisations representing transport at the time was that this was a wage issue. Nonsense! They, in fact, had nothing to do with it for when I dug beneath the surface, I came across a guy by the name of Richard Madibe, head of an unknown union called the Turning Wheel. He had organised that blockade and the whole thing was more about a call by drivers to be recognised, respected and treated with dignity as valuable contributors to our society.

Please listen closely: If anyone has the wisdom to shove aside the wage issue and see what is boiling underneath the surface of the brew of discontent, they will see the same calls going out. If anyone thinks that the wages negotiated are going to end the troubles, then think again. My prediction is that there's more to come because the real issues are not being addressed. Below the surface lies a smoldering mess of dangerous and difficult working conditions that need to be addressed.

As for operators, they too have a story to tell that goes deeper than the surface - and although space prohibits going into that side in this edition, FleetWatch will tell it. We're hanging in on these issues this year for, as I told one newspaper interviewer, the strike should act as a catalyst to begin rethinking the way this industry operates. No-one in this country appreciates truck drivers or truck operators - and I'm getting 'gatvol' with that. It's time for change.

In the meantime, I hope this article has served to give a different view of the truck drivers than the one that was seen during the strike. They are not all louts. They are family men and women whose needs and wants are the same as yours and mine. They are, in the main, good guys who went out to ask for a better living wage and better working conditions. Does that make them thugs? I think not. What do you think? Let me know.