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The United National Transport Union (Untu), Prasa’s largest union, has provisionally withdrawn from the labour court roll its application to halt the retrenchment process at the rail operator.The union had recently approached the labour court on an urgent basis for an order interdicting the section 189 process affecting more than 600 workers. The matter was due to be heard on Friday.Prasa spokesperson Atenkosi Plaatjie said the provisional withdrawal followed the agency informing the union that the retrenchment process had been extended to June 30 to allow for continued engagement between management and organised labour.“Furthermore, Prasa has formally requested that Untu participate in a dedicated team tasked with exploring alternatives to retrenchment and engaging meaningfully on the way forward,” Plaatjie said. “As the majority recognised union within Prasa, Untu’s primary objective remains unchanged: to prevent these retrenchments and protect the jobs of our members. This objective remains at the core of the urgent interdict application that was lodged with the labour court. “Untu wishes to assure members that while the urgent interdict has been provisionally removed from the roll, the application can be reinstated should Prasa proceed with the retrenchment process or fail to engage in good faith.” The entity launched its general overhaul programme in 2022 at a cost of R7.5bn (of which R3.48bn had been spent by the end of March 2025)She said Untu remained disappointed by Prasa’s handling of the matter, as the “uncertainty, emotional distress, anxiety and overall harm experienced by hundreds of workers and their families could have been avoided had management engaged labour meaningfully and constructively during the CCMA [Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration] consultation process”. Labour met with Prasa group CEO Hishaam Emeran on Friday to find a solution to the looming job cuts. Business Day reported recently that labour had rejected moves by Prasa to have the affected employees sign documents issued in relation to the retrenchment process. Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda has been approached for comment, which will be added once received. Prasa, which has a network of more than 2,000km of track, has historically been plagued by ageing infrastructure, vandalism, unreliability and ineffectiveness, fraud, corruption and safety concerns. The entity launched its general overhaul programme in 2022 at a cost of R7.5bn (of which R3.48bn had been spent by the end of March 2025). The overhaul was established to refurbish and extend the service life of Prasa’s legacy rolling stock fleet — the older Metrorail coaches and mainline passenger services locomotives that serve millions of commuters in South Africa’s metropolitan regions.Business Day
