Taxi drivers threaten to strikeA looming strike is threatening the country’s taxi industry due to several pertinent issues that taxi drivers want to be addressed immediately.
On 20 September taxi drivers will embark on demonstrations, immediately followed by a national strike, if the relevant authorities are not forthcoming with feedback on issues raised by the taxi drivers.
The strike will start in Windhoek, from where it will then spread to the regions.
According to the Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) the current conditions of employment for taxi drivers are undesirable and tantamount to forced or slave labour and therefore they demand that their human dignity be restored.
The union said that taxi driving is not seen as a dignified job and as a result they are treated harshly and inhumanely.
The union said it wants taxi and bus drivers to be recognised and regarded as employees in order to start engaging employers in the industry on issues seriously affecting their employees.
These include the provision of social protection to all drivers as well as the introduction of a basic salary in the industry and an increase in their salary, which the union says will be a good start to attain a sustainable standard of living.
Furthermore the union said the behaviour of law-enforcement agents towards taxi drivers need to change, as their current attitude is undesirable and the protection of taxi drivers’ rights as workers in the industry must also be addressed.
The union also demanded that enough taxi ranks be established and, where necessary, pavements be lowered.
The union said if the government fails to address this concern the taxi drivers have decided to lower pavements themselves.
Another point of concern is foreigners driving taxis, which they claim contravenes several laws, and they threatened that if these foreigners are found operating during the strike they might find themselves regretting that decision.
The union also implored the police to issue the maximum fines to those operating without the relevant driving documents and to arrest foreigners immediately and deport them.
“They are acting against the laws of this country by taking up employment without proper authorisation and working in an industry prohibited by the laws of Namibia as these are reserved for Namibians only.”
The union implored the government to expedite the process on implementing new regulations for the public transport sector.
The union will hold another meeting with its members on Sunday to finalise arrangements for the strike.
ELLANIE SMIT