The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says the national minimum wage is an achievement worth celebrating, as it will lift many out of poverty. Gauteng Provincial secretary Dumisani Dakile says the delay in parliamentary processes which has led to a postponement of the enactment date, is impacting negatively on workers.
Cosatu says it will use Workers day (1 May) to address issues around the national minimum wage and radical economic transformation.
Dakile says from the 1st of May, Cosatu will begin to engage on fighting for a living wage. His comments come as the labour federation puts in the final touches to their planned 14 rallies, which will be held across the country with the main event in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape.
Cosatu says it expects the long weekend and the ongoing bus drivers strike to affect the turnout at their rallies. It’s called on the Ministers of Transport and Labour to intervene to resolve the bus drivers’ strike, saying the working conditions in the sector are unacceptable.
The trade union federation’s main event in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape is expected to be addressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The rally will be held at the Isaac Wolfson Stadium which can accommodate 20 000 people.
WATCH: SA workers unhappy as May Day approaches
Cosatu hosts this event in a different province every year. However, according to Cosatu President Sdumo Dlamini, it is a coincidence that the Bay was scheduled for this year, as they have many challenges to address in this municipality.
“It is very critical that we are coming here to the Eastern Cap,e in particular the Nelson Mandela Bay, where we are conscious of the challenges of the community. There the level of development is so low that the industries that used to be there, they have been run down. Particularly with the coming in of the DA there in that municipality. So we have targeted it to say we need change there,” says Dlamini.
The federation stressed that the 2018 May Day is the first building block towards the 2019 general elections
Cosatu has called on its members to unite and join forces. Dlamini says they expect this year’s rally to attract bigger crowds than last year.
Meanwhile, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) and The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) are expected to conduct their own march tomorrow at Lillian Ngoyi Hall, in Port Elizabeth.
READ: Vavi urges peaceful Saftu march
Cosatu has urged its members to steer clear of other rallies.
Provincial General Secretary Xolani Malamlela says they will try ensure that there are no clashes between the groups. “We have just again said that we are prepared to take change our route. Negotiate with the police so that we don’t go past where they will be, because it might be seen as though we are provoking them. Even though we applied for the route first… so in order to be a peaceful federation we are negotiating to take another route from KwaZakhele police station to the stadium.”
Cosatu in Mpumalanga says it will commemorate Workers’ Day tomorrow by reflecting on the hardships of farmworkers. The labour federation will hold the provincial event in Ermelo.
Cosatu Provincial secretary, Thabo Mokoena, says for a long time farmers have been oppressing those who live on their land in Ermelo.
“We have noted that as the province of Mpumalanga, in this province we have high level illegal evictions against farm dwellers. Many of the farm dwellers are evicted illegal, we noted and we have observed with disappointment the manner in which farm dwellers are abused by their land lords. Issues of denial of visitations and burial for farm dwellers. farm dwellers are denied the rights to bury their loved ones”
Can you afford to pay for food and household expenses on the new minimum wage?
The National Minimum Wage Act, 2017 is set to be implemented in May 2018. However, according to the Department of Labour, the process could be delayed by one or two months.
SABC Digital News and OpenUp (formerly Code for South Africa) has partnered to develop a Minimum Wage App that will give answers to the question: “Can South Africans survive on R3 500?”
Where does the information come from?
OpenUp has used the following data sources:
- Stats SA: “Poverty Trends in South Africa” report
- Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action (PACSA) “Food Price Barometer“
- Stats SA: Statistical release P0100, “Income and Expenditure of Households 2010/2011”. Embargoed until November 2012
How is it calculated?
The meals are calculated after household expenses are covered. So, in order to get three meals a day, one may have to reduce their allocation to household expenses.
