It doesn’t matter what race you are, whether an employer or employee, or if you belong to a union or not. Cosatu is calling on you to march across the Joburg CBD to protest against e-tolling and labour broking.
For those who are worried that they will be fired for marching, Cosatu has promised it has legally set it up so that every worker in the country who takes part in the mass action will be protected.
The labour federation went all-out on Monday, calling on the public to take to the streets in support of its national protest, which it hopes will bring the country to a standstill.
Gauteng provincial secretary Dumisani Dakile said about 100 000 people are expected to march through the Joburg CBD on Wednesday.
This will be one of 32 marches planned across the country.
Dakile said marchers were to gather at Beyers Naudé Square from 8.30am. By 10am, they plan to head towards Braamfontein, where they will hand over a memorandum regarding labour brokering at the Department of Labour.
A memorandum on e-tolling will be handed over to Transport MEC Ismail Vadi at the premier’s office.
Gauteng motorists are expected to pay toll fees from April 30.
Other memorandums will be given to the Chamber of Mines and the Department of Finance.
Dakile said they were calling on teachers and pupils to take part in the march, as well as essential workers – skeleton staff would be on hand to keep hospitals and other emergency sectors running.
For teachers, a no-work-no-pay principle will apply, according to the Gauteng Department of Education.
The ANC Youth League has come out in support of Cosatu and has called for everyone to protest.
And depending on the effect of on Wednesday’s mass action, a week of mass action is on the cards for next month.
More than 10 000 marshals will guide the marchers, while in Joburg, metro police, traffic police and SAPS officers will be on hand to control the expected crowds.
The protest comes a month before numerous transport cost increases kick in, which could see inflation skyrocketing.
Dakile said they were aware of the rise in transport costs, and this was why they had planned the mass action now.
“People who think they don’t really care about the issues we are talking about must wake up because, by the end of April, a lot of them are suddenly going to find themselves in debt.
The only ones who won’t be too affected are the rich, but let’s see them increase wages for workers next year,” Dakile said.
The Automobile Association’s Gary Ronald said petrol would go up 28c from midnight on Tuesday night.
Next month, the National Treasury’s fuel levy hike will come into effect, and fuel is set to rise by another 28c.
Sanral’s annual increase on national tolls will also come into effect, and Ronald said although it hadn’t been announced yet, there was usually an annual increase on vehicle licence fees around this time of year.
Electricity will also see its third year of increases, ending this year.
“What this means is that April will be bad news for consumers,” said Ronald. “If you add the e-tolling to the fuel price, you will pay at least 25 percent more on your direct transport costs. It’s going to be quite a burden on motorists.”
The union Uasa said the fuel price increase would be too much for many workers to bear.
“The extra burden on workers and the effect on the economy is nothing to look forward to. It will have a ripple effect, including a negative effect on inflation and further increases in food prices,” spokesman André Venter said.
Independent economist Mike Schussler said that by the end of next month “we will all be shell shocked”.
He said the average motorist uses 140 litres of petrol a month, so by on Wednesday they will pay R253 more for it than this time last year. By the end of next month, he estimates, another R40 can be added to that, on top of the capped R550 for e-tolling.
“I think a lot of people are either going to avoid going on the toll roads or they simply won’t pay the tolls. But food prices will definitely increase,” Schussler said.
He said farmers would be paying more to transport produce. Fertiliser was aligned to the fuel price and would go up.
“It means input costs for farmers will go up and farmers will have no choice but to increase prices.”
Schussler said the economy was mainly consumer based and already there were signs that consumers were slowing down. By the middle of the year, the country would see a lot less consumer buying power. - The Star