Political Analyst, Professor Sipho Seepe says Sunday’s developments during the Worker’s Day Celebrations, at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, North West have been long coming.
Angry workers expressed their frustrations to African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa, just minutes before his scheduled time to address the May Day Rally.
He’s had to leave the proceedings, as workers refused to give him an opportunity to address them.
Professor Seepe says this talks to deeper challenges that workers, across the country, continue to face with no hope for assistance from their trade unions.
He says some are beginning to realise that there are more promises than delivery.
“This has been long coming. The sense that the workers are being betrayed and are always given promises and are always frustrated, has been always something that somehow the various unions have been raising. And they have actually found that the president has been more good on promises and less on delivery. And they have also seen the ANC veering towards addressing concerns of the big capital.”
Workers’ Day panel discussion with Nina Benjamin, Terry Bell and Prof. Sipho Seepe
Cosatu’s warning
Cosatu has emphasised the need for government and relevant stakeholders to acknowledge the plight of workers. It follows disruptions at the federation’s May Day Commemorations in the North West.
They say government has failed to honour the 2018 public service wage agreement.
Cosatu President Zingiswa Losi, says, “It is a very unfortunate situation, the fact that the proceedings could not continue and the alliance partners were not able to speak. In terms of workers voicing their frustrations, for me, it was the correct platform for them to do that. It was during their day, where we were taking stock and part of that is we must acknowledge that there are challenges in the sectors of the economy, such as mining, where negotiations are taking place and workers have been on strike for the past 51 days.”
Worker’s Day | May Day celebrations descended into chaos: Cosatu President Zingiswa Losi
