Brisk Fast Trading truck drivers who embarked on a strike demanding better working conditions and later severance packages are reportedly starving as the protest action has now gone on for over 8 months without them receiving a cent.
The Chinese-owned company based in Johannesburg sued the truck drivers who parked their trucks in Zambia in November last year.
About 250 trucks have been parked at numerous places around SADC countries including in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and DRC.
The drivers downed tools in November 2021 in protest against inhuman working conditions, ill treatment and poor renumeration.
Read also: Foreign Drivers At Brisk Fast Down Tools Demand Severence Packages
Speaking to SA Trucker, one driver who preferred to have his name withheld had this to say,
“We stopped all trucks in November of 2021, after which the matter was brought before court. The owners have repeatedly bribed the court officials and up to now its still a stalemate. We have now reached 8 months without pay and we are now forced to scavenge and forage food. We are failing to meet our financial obligations and as a result our children have been unable to go to school because of unpaid fees. It’s also difficult to abandon the trucks because they are loaded. It’s the only leverage we have so far, to force the company to pay our dues.”
“We appeal to all cross-border drivers who are going to DRC Congo to assist and support us with food should they pass us along the route,” said the desperate truck driver.
Brisk Fast Transport is a Chinese-owned and Johannesburg-based logistics company owned by Kelvin Yung, a Chinese national. It also trades under the banner of Premier X border.
Chinese employers in Africa have been implicated in human rights abuse allegations by their employees across Africa with little to no consequence.
“China’s investments in Africa should be reviewed, as they are skewed in favor of the Chinese. They also tend to take some shortcuts which leave workers at risk,” wrote Zimbabwe Professional Drivers sympathising with the striking truck drivers.
The matter was taken to court for arbitration and up until now, no resolution has materialized.
For close to eight months the drivers have received neither any salary nor any monetary compensation. Their families are on the brink of starvation. The drivers themselves are also starving and need assistance. Their situation is dire.
Read also: Brisk Fast Limited Takes Drivers To Court Over Impounded Trucks
Brisk Fast truck drivers’ situation is against a backdrop of similar industrial action by drivers waged against notable cross-border transport companies including Strauss logistics, Biltrans and J&J international, all Zimbabwean companies
The Zimbabwe government has been quite and unresponsive regarding these matters, a view most people interpret as the government sympathizing with their Chinese Cahoots .
