A dedicated task team aimed at finding alternatives to a retrenchment process at Prasa affecting more than 600 workers has to deliver a progress report to transport minister Barbara Creecy in 10 days’ time.The United National Transport Union (Untu), the largest union at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), provisionally withdrew its application to halt the retrenchment process at the rail operator from the labour court roll, to give the task team — comprising Prasa and labour representatives — a chance. “The task team is continuing with its work, and a report on the progress made will be sent to the transport minister on June 19,” Untu spokesperson Atenkosi Plaatjie said on Tuesday. “We should have an update then.” Untu’s electing to withdraw the court application last week followed the rail operator informing the union that the retrenchment process had been extended to June 30 to allow for continued engagement between management and organised labour. “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.” Plaatjie has 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 consultation process”. Labour met Prasa group CEO Hishaam Emeran recently to find a solution to the looming job cuts. Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 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, 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