The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says there is a need for national dialogue on the formalising of the taxi industry.
This follows more than a week of turmoil during a crippling taxi strike in the Western Cape.
The labour federation’s spokesperson, Matthew Parks, says operators in the industry should enjoy the same level of state support as those operating in other modes of transport.
He says operators in the taxi industry must also comply with traffic regulations.
Parks says, ” We have to say, what do we do to have support for the taxi industry because it is the backbone of public transport, it operates in every working class community and receives no subsidies from the state unlike buses, or trains or even aeroplanes who receive subsidies and yet transports far less people than the taxi sector, so that’s the one issue.”
“But of course then we need a formalised industry in exchange, the industry must abide by all the tax laws, pay their taxes must abide by the traffic laws like any other commuter and also the taxi workers themselves, the drivers, their labour rights must be respected.”
VIDEO: Cosatu calls for the formalisation of taxi industry:
Interdict
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) in the Western Cape says it will file a court interdict on Monday to stop the City of Cape town from impounding its members taxis.
The association has accused the city of impounding several minibus taxis over the weekend, despite last week’s agreement not to do so.
The strike left five people dead and many taxi commuters stranded.
Santaco Western Cape General Secretary, Ryno Saaiers says they can’t rule out the possibility of another taxi strike.
Saaiers says, “So the city has already broke the agreement with us. First and foremost we don’t want to strike but if we don’t have a choice it will get to that point we hope not, that the interdict will run its course, because the city is not playing the game. They say one thing in the news and in the negotiating table its complete different thing. We hope we don’t need to go to the streets again because everybody is losing, but if we don’t have a choice that is what must happen.”
