The Department of Employment and Labour said that it was aware of a taxi strike that was in Gqeberha.
It said tha a meeting initiated by the Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro with Stakeholders, taxi drivers and owners was held on the 27 May 2021 to listen to the concerns raised about payment disputes in the taxi industry related to the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s (UIF) Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Covid-19 TERS).
“The meeting resolved that the Eastern Cape Tertiary Transport Cooperative (ECTTC) should provide the Department of Employment and Labour with names of Taxi Associations, reference numbers, addresses and contact details and all taxi drivers should provide their Identity numbers by Monday, 31 May 2021,” it said.
“This process will allow the Departments’ Unemployment Insurance Fund to check statuses of contributions and payments of benefits. The Department will on the 09 June 2021 provide a detailed report to taxi associations as per the investigation.
“Taxi drivers are also recognised as workers in the country and as such are protected and have rights as enshrined in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act no 75 of 1997.”
The Department said that in terms of the Unemployment Insurance Act, all workers who work for more than 24 hours a month are required by law to register with the Fund.
“The Fund acts as a safety net when workers lose their jobs as it has been doing during the global economic crises and Covid-19 pandemic. The Fund therefore requests patience as the investigation on this matter is underway.”