Lack of jobs, income inequality remain a sore point in SA as world celebrates Workers’ Day
Lack of jobs, income inequality remain a sore point in SA as world celebrates Workers’ Day
Image: Reuters
South Africa’s unemployment rate is at an all time high, with 7.2 million South Africans without jobs.
Today workers around the world are observing Workers’ Day, known as Labour Day in most countries and referred to as May Day in South Africa.
This day is observed to celebrate the achievements of the workers and to spread awareness about the exploitation that the workers face.
Workers’ Rights
Workers’ Day
- The day was born out of the struggle for workers’ rights and social justice in the 1800s.
- The fight for a shorter workday was the main focus.
- On 7 October 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the United States and Canada decided that eight hours should constitute a legal day’s labour as of 01 May 1886.
- The day has been celebrated as a holiday in many countries since 1891.
- In South Africa, the day has been officially recognised and observed since the 1994 democratic elections.
History
Source: SA History Online
Organised labour has planned various activities to observe the day.
The country’s biggest labour federation, Cosatu, will hold a virtual programme and stream the event to its members on digital platforms.
ANC President, Cyril Ramaphosa, and SACP General Secretary, Blade Nzimande, will deliver messages of solidarity to the both parties’ alliance partner.
This year marks the second Workers Day commemoration since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year’s May Day came at the height of the total economic shutdown. The aim was to limit the spread of the pandemic and it led to massive job losses.
Lockdown restrictions have since been relaxed, and that has largely allowed for a resumption of economic activity. But the International Labour Organisation (IOL) says, unfortunately, job creation is yet to recover in a significant way.
According to Statistics SA, 7.2 million South Africans are without jobs. This means 32.5% of the country’s citizens are unemployed.
Income inequality, which was already a big problem before the pandemic, is reported to have also become worse. And for Cosatu, the drastic cut of the CCMA budget by over R100 million remains a sore point.
The cut was in line with the government’s controversial austerity measures, aimed at reducing public debt which currently stands at 80% of GDP. However, Cosatu and other stakeholders worry that the budget cuts risk jeorpadising the CCMA’s statutory mandate of enforcing the constitutional rights of especially vulnerable workers in the country.
No big May Day rallies are planned for this year.
Department of Trade and Industry unveils worker ownership schemes:
