In question is a claim form submitted in February this year to the state railway company by the Union of Maritime, Port, Railway and Related Workers, signed by its secretary general, Bernardo Miranda, asking for improved working conditions for CFL workers.
CFL spokesman Augusto Osório, speaking to Lusa, said that, in the company's view, the document, as stipulated by law, fails to be accompanied by "a minute of the aforementioned workers' assembly and with a list of subscribers to the alleged claim book".
"And these subscribers had to be workers of the Luanda Railway, being simply signed by Mr. Bernardo Miranda. In our understanding, this is not what the law stipulates", he underlined.
Augusto Osório added that the union was asked to issue the document "to use what is the law", reinforcing the need for a list of CFL workers' subscribers", which should also "be endorsed even by the company's own union committee, representing the workers, not the provincial union".
"We request that the form be what the law establishes as a primary condition for triggering all other steps. When the legal requirements are met, naturally, the Luanda Railway is available to hear the workers' committee or the union committee of the company and to negotiate with that one, in the sense of finding the necessary understandings for the solution of the problems that are raised", he stressed.
The official stressed that the solution to the problems will have to be found in a set of efforts between the company and the workers.
"Unfortunately, the Secretary-General does not know the reality of the company. We have often invited him to visit the company, to obtain all information from the board of directors about the company's functioning and current reality we still had a positive response", he pointed out.
Augusto Osório said that the invitation remains standing, "so that it has the lucidity and sufficient magnitude" to go with the CFL to dialogue with the right people.
According to the CFL spokesman, "there is a large set of untruths" in the statements he made to Lusa, last week, about the situation of workers, "which denote that he does not know the reality of the company".
Bernardo Miranda stated that CFL workers live in very delicate situations, with the claim sheet having 16 points and, as a first requirement, insurance against work accidents and occupational diseases, "which is a legal insurance, which the company did not make available of the workers".
The union leader also said that workers who suffer work accidents do not have assistance and "by their own means they go to the services of the Josina Machel or Américo Boavida hospital for treatment".
"We can prove with documents that we have this insurance for workers, it is a reality in the company", said Osório.
Another example given by Augusto Osório concerns workers affected by the accident at Zenza do Itombe, in 2001, as a result of the war, who according to the union "live in extreme poverty", but to which the CFL official counters that "these workers receive monthly salary even while at home".
Regarding the reported absence of payment of subsidies, namely travel, he assured that the same is paid, which can be proved by documentary evidence.
The CFL spokesperson admits that, occasionally, there are situations in which train drivers, due to extreme emergencies, move without this subsidy, as well as those who are taxed by law and, therefore, paid only at the end of the month.
In 2019, workers on the Luanda Railways carried out a strike lasting more than a month, during which they protested a salary increase and improved working conditions.
In that service stoppage, CFL recorded losses estimated at 32 million kwanzas.
