The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) is concerned about the ongoing impasse between labour unions and Transnet, which has damaging effects on the economy.
The association’s chief executive Dr Juanita Maree said that “As we have learned during the pandemic, it is absolutely essential for supply chains to be maintained at all times.”
SAAFF research shows that logistics delays to the supply chain cost our economy between R100-million and R1-billion per day. However, when calculating the total economic cost, the final consequence of the devastating impact is far higher than that.
On Saturday, Maree called for an immediate resolution to wage disputes affecting the country’s supply chains. Transnet said on Thursday “some employees across its operations are embarking on illegal strike action following non-resolution in the ongoing wage negotiations”.
International trade remains an essential driver of economic growth and development – and importantly, job creation. Facilitating trade must take place on shared infrastructure via shared responsibilities from all parties.
Any failure to facilitate trade has dire consequences for each South African! Against the backdrop of low growth, high unemployment, and rising living costs, we are doing an injustice to ordinary South Africans by leaving this catastrophic situation unattended. Collectively, SAAFF calls on Government and Labour to reach a swift resolution to the current impasse, as the time is ripe for decisive leadership on behalf of all constituencies.
