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Department of Labour has embarked on mission to review wages and other conditions of employment in the troubled and volatile taxi industry.

This followed public hearings in Polokwane held on Monday attended by stakeholders from government, employers as well as workers.

Explaining the purpose of the hearings, Titus Mtsweni, Acting Director of Employment Standards said “we have decided on a series of public hearings to understand what the industry stakeholders think.

“This will be followed by escalating the feedback to Employment Conditions Commission (ECC). The body advices the Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant on wages and other conditions of employment in various sectors.”

Mtsweni said the drivers must also get R 250 boarding allowance or be given accommodation when they take long trips to avoid danger of being robbed.

The taxi industry employs just over 130 000 employees and had its first Sectoral Determination promulgated on April 28 2005. The industry accounts for transportation of 65 percent of commuters daily.

The current minimum wage for Drivers stands at R 2 449 while Queue Marshals take home R 1 959 per month.

One employer proposed that rather than holding only few meetings in their entire province, it would be ideal if the department was to hold meetings with individual associations.

The departmental team will make their next stop in Richards Bay and Durban next week focusing on the same sector.