IOL reports that the trade union federations in the Western Cape have called off Tuesday’s march to Parliament due to the ongoing and violent protest action by minibus taxi operators in Cape Town.

On Monday morning, three buses were torched, allegedly by members embarking on the taxi strike, which is expected to continue on Tuesday. In a joint statement on Monday afternoon, trade union federations Cosatu, Fedusa and Saftu in the Western Cape said they were postponing the march due to the ongoing action of the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) in the Western Cape. Last week, union federations gave notice of a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday. The unions and the government are in a deadlock over workers’ demands for a 10% salary increase, while the state has stuck to its guns with a final 3% unilateral offer. The three federations said in a statement that their leaders met on Monday to consider their options and decided to postpone a planned march in Cape Town. "The leadership of Cosatu, Fedusa, and Saftu met this morning to reflect on the violent status of the Santaco action in the province and the safety of our members and workers. After the provincial engagement with Santaco we came to the conclusion that the safety of our members will not be guaranteed should we proceed with the action," the statement indicated. The statement called on Santaco, the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town to "find an amicable solution to the impasse". The federations also called on employers “to refrain from taking any action against workers if they can't go to work in fear of their safety.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sihle Mlambo at IOL
• Read too, Public sector wage strike postponed in Western Cape due to taxi chaos, at Fin24

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