The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) plans to embark on rolling mass action against rising food, electricity and transport costs, as well as interest rates, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported on Wednesday.
This comes after the Competition Commission announced the formation of a crack team to investigate price-fixing in the food industry.
Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said the labour federation will mobilise the public to show its ”anger in the streets”.
He said a series of marches, demonstrations and stay-aways will begin from next week.
”We have made a call for every organisation in South Africa to join us, so we can build the biggest coalition of organisations opposed to the current hikes, particularly in the food prices.
”This would put pressure on food manufacturers, retail companies and farmers, so that they stop profiting on the expense of the poor and ordinary South Africans.”
Cosatu said its protest action will be directed at Business Unity South Africa and its relative affiliates, farmers’ organisations, and government departments such as agriculture and land affairs, trade and industry, social development and the Treasury. — Sapa