The nationwide Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) road show targeting the taxi industry will be hitting parts of the Free State province next week.
Department of Labour officials will, between Monday and Friday (25 to 29 October) be interacting with taxi operators and drivers in various taxi ranks in different towns to encourage the sector to register with the UIF.
The purpose of the road shows is to enable role players in this industry to access the Funds’ services easily and to increase UIF registrations of workers in the sector. Taxi workers 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.
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 UIF. The Fund acts as a safety net when workers lose their jobs.
As the UIF is one of the government’s flagship social relief programmes, UIF-registered workers who have lost their jobs constitute the majority of the Fund’s clients and therefore fall directly under the category of the society’s vulnerable section and taxi drivers are not excluded. They therefore need to be encouraged at the highest level to make use of their rightful relief interventions.
Apart from unemployment benefits, the Fund also pays maternity, illness, adoption and death benefits as a financial protection for workers in times of need.
The Labour Department urges all workers and employers of this sector to participate in these gatherings.
The Media is invited to attend.
Venues and dates of the road show are as follows:
| Place | Venue | Date | Time |
| Bethlehem | Bethlehem Taxi Rank | 25 Oct 2010 | 9h00 |
| Ficksburg | Ficksburg Taxi Rank | 26 Oct 2010 | 9h00 |
| Bloemfontein | Taxi Rank next to Bophelo House, Maitland street | 27 Oct 2010 | 9h00 |
| Welkom | Power Road Taxi Rank | 28 Oct 2010 | 9h00 |
| Kroonstad | Kroonstad Taxi Rank | 29 Oct 2010 | 9h00 |
Contact:
Wisane Mavasa
Tel: 051 505 6284
Cell: 082 806 1351
