JOHANNESBURG - COSATU is calling for government to bring back fuel levy relief as soaring prices put households under even more pressure.
Petrol has jumped by over R1 a litre while diesel is up by more than R3.
The federation’s Zanele Sabela said previous fuel levy relief helped protect both workers and the economy.
"For COSATU, what had happened earlier this year with the fuel price relief, where governments suspended a portion of the fuel levy was actually the way to go, because it not only protected the working class and the poor, but it also protected the economy.
“And so, this is what we're calling for once again, as we see prices continuing to increase. And so that is what we have seen, because we all know that once the price of fuel goes up, it tends to have a trickle-down effect and actually impacts on all other prices.
“This is what we're calling for. We're calling for that relief to come through again, because people are just not coping. I mean, people who earn the lowest, they spend up to 40% of their salaries on transport to go and to come back from work. And so obviously, when you look at that, that is not sustainable. "