The rising price of petrol has prompted the Public Servants Union (PSA), to call for the return of the system that allows workers to work from home due to fears that workers’ salaries will end up in fares.
The PSA said that currently workers use 40% of their wages to travel, and warned that the increase in petrol tomorrow, could cause workers to end up spending more than 50% of their wages on travel costs. PSA said fares are expected to increase in the coming weeks due to the increase in petrol.
“There are many people who take taxis. We know that the taxi drivers will be forced to increase the fare. Food will increase due to the increase in diesel. People will say that they are still surprised by the increase in the fare and food, and they will also face the increase in electricity. People will not be able to withstand the increase in petrol, food and electricity at the same time. We urge the government to reduce the tax on petrol and give the taxi drivers a temporary allowance. If the taxi drivers are not given an allowance, they will increase the fare.”
PSA urged government departments and companies to allow workers who cannot work from home to work from home as was the case during the Corona epidemic.
“Allowing people to work from home can reduce traffic congestion and make people save on petrol.”
Last week, the Ministry of Mines denied that it had proposed that workers be allowed to work from home. You were responding after one of the Department’s officials, Mr. Robert Maake, was quoted by the media as saying that working from home can reduce the burden on employees.
The spokesperson for the department, Ms. Lerato Ntsoko, said that Chief Maake was not making a proposal but was answering a question from someone who asked if it would help workers to be allowed to work from home?
“It is wrong for his answer to be taken as the opinion of the Department. He was not making a proposal and he was not issuing an order, but he was just responding to what was being discussed.”
Ms Ntsoko said discussions are ongoing to see how it can be done so that the increase in petrol is not too sensitive to the people.