Govt, Cosatu consultation on GFIP extended

Pretoria - Consultation between government and Cosatu on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) has been extended.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on the GFIP met with the trade union federation in Pretoria on Friday, where it was agreed that more time was needed for both parties to consider the proposals on the table, the IMC said in a statement.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Cosatu President Sidumo Dlamini led the government and labour delegations respectively. Friday's meeting followed consultations between the two earlier in the year.

The meeting is expected to reconvene in a week's time.

Last month, the Constitutional Court set aside a Pretoria High Court ruling handed down in April that prevented the e-toll system from going ahead, pending a judicial review in November. 

This means SANRAL and the Department of Transport are legally entitled to begin rolling out the system.

In light of the Constitutional Court's ruling on the implementation of the GFIP, government has been meeting all the different stakeholders for a second and final round of talks.

Government intends using these meetings to respond to the issues that were raised by the stakeholders and to put on the table the way forward. - SAnews.gov.za