Cape Town - As workers across the world marked International Workers’ Day on Monday, workers felt the pressures of rising living costs and job losses, with unions lambasting the ruling party for “29 wasted years”, adding that the only ones who were free were the rich.
Mother of two, Anthea Olifant, 32, from Manenberg has worked in the butchery industry for more than seven years.
“It’s tough financially. A person can barely cope, money goes from the hand to the mouth plus rising transport costs.
“That’s all you are working for. Salaries only increase by little every year and if someone leaves you have to take the pressure.
“But what can you do, you have children and a family to feed.”
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said the gains made for workers were not enough to transform society permanently, or, “make up for the suffering caused by apartheid”.
“If we want genuine freedom for the masses, we have to drive an agenda for the benefit of the working class. That includes, amongst others, the nationalisation of land and minerals for the benefit of the majority,” said Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim.
“The state of the South African economy and the socio-economic conditions of the working class continue to be in shambles due to two key challenges we have had to contend with every day. One, is the deep global structural crisis of capitalism which began in 2008.
"The other, is the deep negative effects of the neo-liberal policies that have imposed structural adjustment programmes with the Reserve Banks, and the South African Reserve Bank dictating austerity measures. In our case, the pursuit of inflation targeting a band between 3% and 6% which has been consistently accompanied by high interest rates, is worsening conditions.”
The union said the state had a duty to put together a stimulus package that had to invest in infrastructure to create jobs.
Placing emphasis on the rights of workers regarding occupational health, safety and wellness, the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) said: “Albeit the Occupational Health and Safety Act guarantees workers many protections, we have realised that many employers continue to exploit workers, putting their lives and health at risk as many are incapable of speaking up in fear of compromising their job security.
“We have found it even more alarming that despite the recorded and well-researched data on the rise of mental health illnesses in the country and globally, employers still turn a blind eye to this crisis.
“Many have resorted to paying lip service to this crisis instead of addressing the root cause, which mostly emanates from the very toxic workspaces employees are subjected to.”
Cosatu gathered in Bethlehem where its president Zingiswa Losi said: “Our economy remains fragile. Unemployment has decreased but is still too high at 42%.
“Load shedding, cable theft, the vandalism of railways, the deterioration of basic services, rising inflation, corruption and criminality, continue to cripple the economy and threaten the ability of workers to improve their lives and take care of their families.
“Every five years workers have responded to Cosatu’s call and come out in their numbers to return the ANC to office not because they are sentimental but because they expect state power to be used to advance the interests of the working class.
“Workers are angry at the deterioration of public services due to state capture and corruption.”
Cape Times