The Department of Employment and Labour is aware of the taxi strike that is in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. 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.
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.
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.
For more information, please contact:
Lungelo Mkamba: UIF Deputy Director Communications
Cell: 079 889 0719
Musa Zondi: Acting Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 067 426 4190
