For the second time in a row, the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) will not take part in Cosatu‘s planned national strike on Thursday.
The taxi council cited a number of reasons for not taking part in the strike, saying it will be business as usual for its members across the country. However, it said it will not intimidate the operators who want to be part of the strike.
“Our industry is on a self-correction mission in accordance with resolutions of the 2020 National Taxi Lekgotla which propels us to formalise, regulate, transform and foster economic empowerment of the taxi industry,” said Mmatshikhidi Phala, Santaco’s national spokesperson.
Phala said the council is aware of the socio-economic hardships cited by Cosatu, however, it cannot afford a day of no income at all.
“Our operators have to make as much income as possible due to the socio-economic hardships being endured in the status quo.”
Santaco also boycotted the national shutdown organised by the EFF in March, citing similar reasons.
On Monday, Cosatu said members of the trade union federation will take to the streets in major cities around the country to protest against high levels of unemployment and what it believes to be the government’s inability to speed up economic growth.
It said it wants the government to address the rising cost of living, reduce interest rates and root out corruption.
“This is also a signal to the government, the Reserve Bank, and the commercial banks that the working class can no longer afford to bear the burden of rising levels of inflation, electricity tariff hikes, and relentless and reckless increases in the repo rate,” it said.
It added that it demands all employers to pay workers a living wage if they are to survive and buy the goods that the economy produces, noting that it is not acceptable that 29 years into democracy, South Africa remains the world’s most unequal society.
“Workers are losing hope and patience. The levels of frustration, despair, anger, poverty, indebtedness, unemployment, crime, and corruption are a ticking time bomb that the government and businesses need to deal with fast,” said Cosatu in a statement.
The federation’s last day of action just under a year ago did not cause significant disruption to the economy, as it was poorly attended by the majority of workers.
Among others, Cosatu said it wants the government to:
• Raise the R350 social relief of distress grant to the food poverty line, which is R624;
• Increase the number of participants in the presidential employment stimulus programme, which employs mainly unemployed youth, to 2-million participants by February;
• To intervene and rebuild Transnet and Metro Rail; and
• To provide more resources to the SA Post Office to prevent its liquidation.
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