Durban — The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in KwaZulu-Natal has urged people to join its protest against the high cost of living brought on by skyrocketing fuel prices.
Cosatu will meet at Curries Fountain in Durban on Friday and march with a motorcade to deliver a memorandum to the premier Sihle Zikalala, at his offices in the CBD.
Provincial secretary Edwin Mkhize said workers were badly affected by the high cost of living which was influenced by the constant increases in the fuel price, and the federation felt it necessary to stage a protest to force the government to cut the fuel levy.
Mkhize said it was bad that while employers refused to increase wages, the government was allowing such high petrol increases. He said the it was supposed to come up with ways to mitigate the petrol increase. He said the government must make further cuts in its own fuel levy.
“We are taking our fight against the rising cost of living straight to the government’s door. People must remember that it was the government that first announced a cut in the wage bill of public servants a few years back, and now the private sector has followed in implementing wage cuts.
“We have seen Clover cutting workers’ wages instead of increasing salaries, so workers are fed up now and are demanding government intervention,” he said.
Mkhize said the national shutdown planned last week was not endorsed by the federation or any of its structures, which is why workers did not take part in it. He urged workers to support Friday’s protest which he said was supported by other sectors.
He said all towns in the province would hold their own march to the local government offices where they would hand over their memorandums.
The protest was also being supported by the taxi industry in the province.
South African national taxi council provincial spokesperson Sifiso Shangase said his organisation supported the campaign but its taxis would run as normal because it was not a stayaway. He said taxi owners could take part in their private vehicles if they wished to, because what Cosatu was marching for was affecting everyone.
“We fully support the campaign against fuel hikes as our industry has been badly affected by it, but we will not be physically supporting the march because our taxis would be ferrying workers to their respective places. Taxi owners around the city can take part in the motorcade with their private cars should they wish to do so,” he said.
The South African National Civic Youth Congress in the province also threw its weight behind the march. The civic leader in the province, Thulani Gamede, said his organisation had been informed that the Central Energy Fund planned to increase fuel by R2 next month.
Daily News