Cosatu’s planned protest against Metrorail today is postponed.
The union is demanding that Metrorail reimburse workers for unused train tickets and money spent on alternative transport due to train delays.
Cosatu Western Cape Secretary General Tony Ehrenreich says they were forced to postpone because the strike was not considered protected by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).
Ehrenreich says Cosatu followed all due procedures to ensure workers’ jobs were protected during the two-hour picket.
He says: “Cosatu has filled a section 77 notice linked to the bad state of public transport in the W Cape in June 2015.”
“We have followed the required procedures that give us the right to go on a protected action against the respondents including Metrorail and City of Cape Town and provincial government.”
The union accused NEDLAC of needlessly delaying the process of approving the protest and declaring it a protected strike.
The protest against Metrorail will now take place on July 12.