Francesca Villette
Cosatu announced yesterday that 250 000 of its members in the province would take part in a national strike.
Provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said the march is, among others, to put pressure on the government to stop retrenchments; for the immediate implementation of an efficient reliable public transport system; and for the scrapping of e-tolls.
The national strike will take place on Wednesday. The trade union federation has about 2 million members.
“The entire economy of the Western Cape, both in the city and in the rural areas, will be brought to a standstill because all of our members are ready to take part in the action. The action is important to Cosatu for a number of reasons, but mostly for demands that have been put forward. The main demand is the number of jobs that have been threatened by business.
“We are also concerned about the inability of the economy to create jobs, and 35 percent of our people are without employment. We are striking so we can ensure government policies are aligned to create more employment.”
City spokesperson Priya Reddy said Cosatu had applied for a gathering permit for 10 000 participants to march to Parliament and the safety of residents and protesters would be considered before a decision is made on whether to grant the permit.
“Whether permission is granted or not, the primary agent who deals with public order policing is the police. However, the City’s safety and security directorate will provide assistance in terms of road closures and will work alongside the police during the event proceedings to help maintain and/or restore law and order,” Reddy said.
Communication Workers Union provincial chairperson Riedewaan Vermeulen said they have noticed a trend of workers being retrenched and its members would therefore take part in the strike too.
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