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On the occasion of Worker's Day, COPE wishes all workers well over this holiday. Today celebrates the historical fight for the rights of workers, a struggle that continues into the 21st century. As the dynamic of various industries and workplaces adapt to the globalised capitalist business paradigm, the rights of workers must remain paramount in any relevant, political project.

COPE recognizes that the struggle for workers rights is a continuing struggle. Business practices that infringe on the human rights and dignity of workers, such as those of the Aurora mines operation (owned by the Zuma and Mandela families), belong in the past.

The voices of independent, transparent and accountable trade unions must be heard above the clamour of patronage, mismanagement, fraud and corruption.
COPE stands for the upholding of the rights of all workers as the cornerstone of the struggle for economic liberation. It is through the recognition of the fundamental rights of workers that any organization can entrench the gains of the struggle within its operations and ensure that its employees are protected, happy and treated with fairness and dignity. Even businesses have this interest, as an unhappy workforce can never be a productive one.

There is still work to be done, but COPE is committed to pushing back against the hypocrisy of the status quo - a government that talks left, walks right and tramples on the rights of workers in its path to control of state resources, including the most valuable resource - the human resources of the nation.