Cosatu launches national shutdown against cost of living in SA
It’s business as usual as Cosatu and Saftu’s national shutdown kicks off to a slow start with Durban residents making their way through the Durban Central Business District (CBD), attending work, and staying out of the protest which includes roughly 1 000 Cosatu affiliates.
BY 13:00 on Wednesday, the planned national shutdown, involving the Congress of South Africa Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African Federation Trade Union (Saftu), was a peaceful march through Durban’s CBD. Cosatu announced its plans to join the national shutdown scheduled to begin today on Wednesday, August 24 after Saftu said it would be embarking on a national shutdown and marching under the tagline, ‘mobilise or starve’, bringing the focus on the rising costs of living and issues affecting South Africa’s working class. Both federations said, however, that workers’ organisations, unions, and non-governmental organisations were free to join in the shutdown. There have been two major setbacks in the progression of the protest – one that the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) declined to take part in the national shutdown, making it possible for South Africans to go to work.
“Santaco has never lobbied any organisation for a national shutdown and has not even planned any shutdowns. We still, however, hold the strongest view that there’s an urgent intervention needed from government and this despite looming taxi fare increases,” Santaco said on its Twitter page.
ALSO READ: COSATU to embark on a national strike over increasing wages
Secondly, the Department of Labour has also released a statement warning workers that essential workers will not receive immunity and are prohibited from participating in the strike. “The DPSA cautions that while protest actions are protected by the Labour Relations Act, those employees who fall within the essential services are prohibited from participating in these protests during working hours. The department has provided government departments with guidelines to apply the principle of ‘no work, no pay’, to manage those public servants who intend on participating in the strike action and to put in necessary contingency plans to deal with service-delivery disruptions.”
According to their statement, the Department of Labour says that the principle of ‘no work, no pay’ will apply to absence for a full day as well as part of a working day. In addition, leave will be strictly managed, and no leave will be granted unless under extreme and compelling situations.
Meanwhile, it appears to be a regular day in some parts of Durban, regardless of the planned national shutdown against the high cost of living.
“It is a normal day in Durban Central, and residents are going about their day as usual, and there are no other illegal gatherings that we have come across,” said Captain Muzi Maphumulo of the Durban Central South African Police Services.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Burnt China Mall shell stripped
Maphumulo says that police have been on standby and have been monitoring the situation since this morning. “Around a thousand Cosatu affiliates started marching this morning, starting at Kind Dinuzulu Park. At the current moment, with the time being 11:45, they are currently heading down Dr Pixley Kasame Street, formerly known as West Street, and are heading to City Hall.”
“The Cosatu affiliates are complaining about the rise of inflation, the rising petrol costs, the cost of living in South Africa, and the general state of the South African economy, however, there have been no incidents thus far and we will continue to monitor the protest,” said Maphumulo.
The police captain said that he was informed by Cosatu affiliates that a memorandum with their requests will be handed over to the MEC for the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs, Siboniso Duma later today.
