The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) will stage a national strike against the rising cost of living, fuel costs and load-shedding next week. 

The strike is set to take place on August 24. 

The announcement comes a week after the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) indicated it would also embark on a national shutdown against the rising cost of living and other issues affecting the working class on the same day. 

“The national strike is in response to the ongoing load-shedding, fuel price hikes and escalating food prices. This socioeconomic strike also represents a pushback and a response by the workers to the ongoing class warfare directed at them by both public and private sector employers,” said Cosatu.

'The country's working class is being sidelined and disregarded'

Saftu spokesperson Trevor Shaku told eNCA the country's working class is being sidelined and disregarded, hence the call for a national shutdown.

Shaku said the union was mobilising for a general stayaway from workplaces.

He said venues and times would be announced in the coming days. 

“At the current moment the mobilisation is for a general stayaway from workplaces and other activities of economic life and, in that regard, we would be guided by the extended steering committee of the working class summit as to whether we'll identify a particular place where we should convene or not. 

“We will update the public and the working-class people at large as far as those developments are concerned,” he said. 

Fuel price reduction on the cards for next month

According to the latest Central Energy Fund data, September may see a reduction of R2.63/l  in the retail price of 95 octane unleaded petrol, a R2.48 reduction for 93 octane unleaded and a drop of up to R2.37 in the wholesale price of diesel.

This follows a price cut of R1.32/l for both grades of petrol at the beginning of August, while the wholesale price of high sulphur diesel (0.05%) decreased by 88c and low sulphur diesel (0.005%) by 91c. Illuminating paraffin dropped by R1.44/l .

The decreases took place despite the reimposition of the full R1.50/l fuel levy at the beginning of August, after government introduced a two-month R1.50 reduction in the petrol and diesel levy in April and May, which was adjusted to 75c/l in June and July.

It will put petrol below June's levels but more than what you would have paid in May.

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