Date: 01/05/2005
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: Molewa: Cosatu Workers Day celebrations
Address by North West Premier, Edna Molewa, at the Cosatu International Workers May Day celebrations, Ikageng Stadium, Potchefstroom
The Second Deputy President of Cosatu, Cde Violet Sibani
Members of the Provincial Executive Committee of Cosatu
Member of the ANC NEC, Cde Thandi Modise
Leaders of the ANC/Cosatu/SACP Tripartite Alliance present
Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Enver Surty
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Advocate Dirk du Toit
All Cadres of our Labour Movement, Cosatu
Comrades and Friends
Comrades and compatriots, I am deeply honoured to be with you on this historic occasion to celebrate, along with the workers of the world, the International Day of the Workers, 1 May.
On behalf the people of the North West and the provincial government, I salute the leadership of Cosatu and millions of our working people. I also bring messages of support and solidarity.
In South Africa, May Day has a particular significance for Cosatu. It reminds us of the journey we have travelled over the last twenty years in building working class unity, in fighting relentlessly for workplace democracy, and in consolidating the rights of millions of South Africa’s workers. On this important occasion, Cosatu can afford to walk tall because its name remains synonymous with the heroic struggles and the gains made by the workers of our country.
Today we can say with confidence and without any fear of contradiction, that indeed the workers of this country and Cosatu, in particular, have reason to celebrate. This is because the victory that we collectively scored in 1994, when this country tasted freedom and democracy for the first time, was equally a resounding victory for the many workers who had been the torchbearers of that freedom.
Addressing the Cosatu Conference in March this year, General Secretary, Comrade Zwelinzima Vavi said that organised labour has never been and would never be a passive spectator in the unfolding drama of our democracy. “Cosatu will continue to play a significant role in shaping the character of our democracy. An important element of organized labour’s contribution has been its militant and active mobilisation to deepen democracy and advance the rights of working people and the poor,” Comrade Vavi said.
Deepening democracy, improving the conditions of working people and eradicating poverty remain the principal objectives on which all our progressive formations, including the democratic government and its social partners, and the Tripartite Alliance partners converge.
As we celebrate the massive gains registered by organised labour since 1994, we must also celebrate the advances made by this government in improving the lives and conditions of all our people, in particular the working masses.
The right of every worker to association, assembly and collective bargaining is now an integral part of our democratic ethos. We will defend and consolidate these rights and all the other gains of our liberation.
The progress we are making in expanding access to a better life and in pushing back the frontiers of poverty are a concrete reflection of the advances we can score when we act as a collective to confront common challenges. We believe the singular most critical goal of public service is to help ease the burden of poverty on the shoulders of the poor. Government, as employer, must therefore do everything in its power to ensure that we empower public servants to discharge their responsibilities to the nation more effectively.
Friends and comrades, we note with satisfaction that the majority of members of Cosatu affiliates in the public service clearly understand their roles in the rebuilding of our country. Many of them often go beyond the call of duty to help bring a better life to their fellow citizens. Credit must go to Cosatu and its leadership for instilling this culture of service and commitment. It is therefore very important for all of us to continue to encourage, recognise and honour those public servants who serve our people with pride and dedication by often going beyond the call of duty.
We hope that other workers who have not yet understood their central role in the reconstruction and development of our nation will learn from the example of these patriotic servants of our people.
Comrades and friends, the need to ensure that we help develop the skills of our working people and to turn the tide against joblessness are some of the critical questions we must address as partners. The harsh reality today is that our country is facing a serious challenge of unacceptably high levels of unemployment at the same time as there are thousands of jobs that remain vacant because of skills shortage.
Indeed, ours is a paradoxical situation where joblessness continues to co-exist with a persistent scarcity of key technical skills that are required by the labour market. As long as we continue to have this situation, the gains we have collectively scored since 1994 will be dwarfed in comparison.
Among other things, government will continue to ensure that structures and institutions that already exist such as the sector education and training authorities, the National Skills Development Fund and our Basic Adult Education and Development Programmes are strengthened so that they are better able to address this challenge of skills development.
In the North West province in particular, we have dedicated ourselves to increasing a skills base that is able to contribute towards the development of sectors we have identified as critical to the growth of our economy.
We cannot afford as a province to have many of our youths on the margins of economic activity simply because of the challenge of skills shortage. Neither can we survive if many women of our province as well as people with disability remain outside the economic mainstream. The nature of the challenges we face demand that we confront them as a collective.
On the day on which we rightly celebrate all the revolutionary gains of our workers, we need not lose sight of the challenges that continue to stare us in the face reducing unemployment, fighting poverty, want, disease and underdevelopment.
As Cosatu celebrates this Workers Day in the context of its 20th anniversary and vows to take its 2015 Plan to new heights, this government and the people of the North West will join in their initiatives to consolidate the gains of freedom, to advance the rights of the working people, sharpen our democracy, improve the lives of the poor and make this, our country, a South Africa to which we all proudly belong.
We will always be reminded that the democracy and freedom that we enjoy and celebrate today was gained through the sweat and toil of millions of our workers. We will therefore never abandon the cause for which many of them sacrificed their lives. We will fight hand in hand until our country truly becomes a place that truly belongs to all people, especially the workers on whose shoulders reside the prospect for sustainable economic development.
So in this year of the Freedom Charter and twenty years since the launch of Cosatu, all progressive masses of our people are proclaiming, in one united voice for all to hear: “There shall be work and security!”
Long Live Cosatu, Long Live!
Viva May Day, Viva!
Amandla!
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier: North West Provincial Government
1 May 2005
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: Molewa: Cosatu Workers Day celebrations
Address by North West Premier, Edna Molewa, at the Cosatu International Workers May Day celebrations, Ikageng Stadium, Potchefstroom
The Second Deputy President of Cosatu, Cde Violet Sibani
Members of the Provincial Executive Committee of Cosatu
Member of the ANC NEC, Cde Thandi Modise
Leaders of the ANC/Cosatu/SACP Tripartite Alliance present
Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Enver Surty
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Advocate Dirk du Toit
All Cadres of our Labour Movement, Cosatu
Comrades and Friends
Comrades and compatriots, I am deeply honoured to be with you on this historic occasion to celebrate, along with the workers of the world, the International Day of the Workers, 1 May.
On behalf the people of the North West and the provincial government, I salute the leadership of Cosatu and millions of our working people. I also bring messages of support and solidarity.
In South Africa, May Day has a particular significance for Cosatu. It reminds us of the journey we have travelled over the last twenty years in building working class unity, in fighting relentlessly for workplace democracy, and in consolidating the rights of millions of South Africa’s workers. On this important occasion, Cosatu can afford to walk tall because its name remains synonymous with the heroic struggles and the gains made by the workers of our country.
Today we can say with confidence and without any fear of contradiction, that indeed the workers of this country and Cosatu, in particular, have reason to celebrate. This is because the victory that we collectively scored in 1994, when this country tasted freedom and democracy for the first time, was equally a resounding victory for the many workers who had been the torchbearers of that freedom.
Addressing the Cosatu Conference in March this year, General Secretary, Comrade Zwelinzima Vavi said that organised labour has never been and would never be a passive spectator in the unfolding drama of our democracy. “Cosatu will continue to play a significant role in shaping the character of our democracy. An important element of organized labour’s contribution has been its militant and active mobilisation to deepen democracy and advance the rights of working people and the poor,” Comrade Vavi said.
Deepening democracy, improving the conditions of working people and eradicating poverty remain the principal objectives on which all our progressive formations, including the democratic government and its social partners, and the Tripartite Alliance partners converge.
As we celebrate the massive gains registered by organised labour since 1994, we must also celebrate the advances made by this government in improving the lives and conditions of all our people, in particular the working masses.
The right of every worker to association, assembly and collective bargaining is now an integral part of our democratic ethos. We will defend and consolidate these rights and all the other gains of our liberation.
The progress we are making in expanding access to a better life and in pushing back the frontiers of poverty are a concrete reflection of the advances we can score when we act as a collective to confront common challenges. We believe the singular most critical goal of public service is to help ease the burden of poverty on the shoulders of the poor. Government, as employer, must therefore do everything in its power to ensure that we empower public servants to discharge their responsibilities to the nation more effectively.
Friends and comrades, we note with satisfaction that the majority of members of Cosatu affiliates in the public service clearly understand their roles in the rebuilding of our country. Many of them often go beyond the call of duty to help bring a better life to their fellow citizens. Credit must go to Cosatu and its leadership for instilling this culture of service and commitment. It is therefore very important for all of us to continue to encourage, recognise and honour those public servants who serve our people with pride and dedication by often going beyond the call of duty.
We hope that other workers who have not yet understood their central role in the reconstruction and development of our nation will learn from the example of these patriotic servants of our people.
Comrades and friends, the need to ensure that we help develop the skills of our working people and to turn the tide against joblessness are some of the critical questions we must address as partners. The harsh reality today is that our country is facing a serious challenge of unacceptably high levels of unemployment at the same time as there are thousands of jobs that remain vacant because of skills shortage.
Indeed, ours is a paradoxical situation where joblessness continues to co-exist with a persistent scarcity of key technical skills that are required by the labour market. As long as we continue to have this situation, the gains we have collectively scored since 1994 will be dwarfed in comparison.
Among other things, government will continue to ensure that structures and institutions that already exist such as the sector education and training authorities, the National Skills Development Fund and our Basic Adult Education and Development Programmes are strengthened so that they are better able to address this challenge of skills development.
In the North West province in particular, we have dedicated ourselves to increasing a skills base that is able to contribute towards the development of sectors we have identified as critical to the growth of our economy.
We cannot afford as a province to have many of our youths on the margins of economic activity simply because of the challenge of skills shortage. Neither can we survive if many women of our province as well as people with disability remain outside the economic mainstream. The nature of the challenges we face demand that we confront them as a collective.
On the day on which we rightly celebrate all the revolutionary gains of our workers, we need not lose sight of the challenges that continue to stare us in the face reducing unemployment, fighting poverty, want, disease and underdevelopment.
As Cosatu celebrates this Workers Day in the context of its 20th anniversary and vows to take its 2015 Plan to new heights, this government and the people of the North West will join in their initiatives to consolidate the gains of freedom, to advance the rights of the working people, sharpen our democracy, improve the lives of the poor and make this, our country, a South Africa to which we all proudly belong.
We will always be reminded that the democracy and freedom that we enjoy and celebrate today was gained through the sweat and toil of millions of our workers. We will therefore never abandon the cause for which many of them sacrificed their lives. We will fight hand in hand until our country truly becomes a place that truly belongs to all people, especially the workers on whose shoulders reside the prospect for sustainable economic development.
So in this year of the Freedom Charter and twenty years since the launch of Cosatu, all progressive masses of our people are proclaiming, in one united voice for all to hear: “There shall be work and security!”
Long Live Cosatu, Long Live!
Viva May Day, Viva!
Amandla!
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier: North West Provincial Government
1 May 2005
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