COSATU and SAFTU set to lead annual Workers Day commemoration in parts of the country

JOHANNESBURG - Trade union federations COSATU and SAFTU are set to lead the annual Workers Day commemoration in parts of the country on Thursday.

The public holiday holds profound significance in South Africa in its fight for fair employment standards, including better working conditions and fair wages.

But this year’s instalment again comes at a time when socioeconomic challenges shadow progress made in the labour sector.

COSATU leader Zingiswa Losi is set to deliver the union federation’s annual address in Mpumalanga, joined by African National Congress (ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa and SACP leader Solly Mapaila in what’s also known globally as May Day.

In 1986, COSATU called a two-day general strike where more than 1.5 million workers stayed away in a defining moment that brought the apartheid economy to a standstill.

The resistance grew in the years to come, with the calls for labour reforms becoming too hard to ignore.

But decades later, South African workers are still faced with challenges such as job insecurity, inadequate wages and unsafe working environments.

Lobby group Free SA says there’s little cause for celebration when the unemployment rate sits at a staggering 31.9%, one of the highest in the world.

READ: Workers' Day: Unemployment will continue to worsen under ANC rule, says DA's Steenhuisen

Labour unions and some political parties are expected to spend today at a number of rallies with commitments to address what remains undone.