Date: 01/05/2005
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government
Title: Peters: May Day celebrations (01/05/2005)
Address by North West Premier Dipuo Peters at the May Day celebrations, Springbok
Chairperson
Leaders of our Trade Union Movement and other organisations
Workers
Comrades and Friends
Media Representatives
I am very pleased that we have gathered on this important day in the political calendar of the workers, as well as all the people of our country and the world.
This day follows another important one in the life of all South Africans - Freedom Day, which we celebrated on Wednesday.
We all know and appreciate the significance and the relationship between the two days.
This year the African National Congress (ANC) has decided to dedicate the May Day, the Workers Day, to the memory of the late comrade Ray Alexander, isithwalandwe. Cde Ray Alexander arrived in South Africa in 1929 from Latvia, and joined the Communist Party five days after her arrival.
She was involved with all aspects of the Communist Party’s work and became increasingly involved with trade union activities. She helped organise workers in almost industries, but was best known for her work in building the Food and Canning Workers Union (FCWU).
Founded in 1941, the FCWU spread through the fruit canning industry of the Boland and up the west coast among fishing communities. It recruited black and white workers, men and women, and earned the reputation of being both effective and militant. In the 1950s it played a leading role in the South African Congress of Trade Unions.
Throughout her life, Cde Ray was steadfastly devoted to the liberation of our people. She was a lifelong member of the Communist Party, a leading militant in the trade union movement, an active leader of both the ANC and the ANC women’s league.
Today we pay tribute to our fallen heroin Cde Ray Alexander and many other comrades who took part in the struggle against racism and oppression.
Cde Ray’s feminism, her communism and her commitment in the struggle against racial oppression were all tributaries to a great river of struggle for human emancipation.
We have gathered here to celebrate the contribution you made as the people of this country in bringing freedom and democracy. We have amongst us, men and women, the trade unionists who over the years have ensured that we use our collective power to bring about changes to improve the lives of the working people.
We salute the workers of our country for the struggle they waged to liberate our country from racial tyranny and oppression.
Today we also salute the workers of our country for the role they have played to defend our hard-won democracy and to protect the peace that we now enjoy.
Addressing a May Day rally two years ago at Newton, in Johannesburg, President Thabo Mbeki said, ‘we had an economy that was in decline and shrinking. The future it promised was one of increasing misery and impoverishment and despair for the majority of our people.
Through their labour, the workers of our country have made a decisive contribution to the turn around that has given us a growing economy and the increasing wealth that we need to improve the lives of all our people. This we must never forget.
Therefore, Comrades, we should appreciate the contribution our workers made and salute them as producers of wealth. They have given us the means to do what could be done to improve the lives of our people.
Our workers as producers of wealth have helped generate resources so that we can seriously begin the process of addressing the infrastructure backlog that defined many areas of our province.
We are now addressing the infrastructure needs by providing free houses, building clinics close to where our people live, building schools where there were none, laying down the pipes to deliver clean water to the people and building modern sanitation facilities to address the central matters of health and human dignity.
Today we can assist all our people to become owners of productive wealth, including the land, to assume positions as managers and contribute to our country’s development as professionals.
For these reasons and many more, we have gathered here to remind ourselves about these important developments we have achieved through our organized labour movements.
We observe May Day also to reaffirm our commitment that we will continue to do everything that can and should be done to protect and advance the interests of the worker. The Alliance between the ANC, the South African Communist Party (SACP), the Congress of South African Trade Unions and South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) is the organisational expression of everything that Cde Ray stood for. Our alliance is a living testimony to the realisation that our people made many years ago, that the struggle for freedom must be conducted on many fronts, simultaneously.
This year’s Alliance Summit in Ekurhuleni has certainly contributed towards strengthening our unity. All of us agreed that we must work together to deepen the national democratic revolution.
All of us agree that our alliance remain as the best instrument to take these struggles forward. The pursuit of this goal, which we will never abandon, means that we must make every effort to secure a better life for the working people of our country. We must measure the progress we are making to create a humane and caring society by the advances we achieve to improve the lives of the working people in both rural and urban areas.
It was also agreed that unity comes first and foremost through joint actions. The joint programme of action also includes a “know your neighbourhood campaign’. Let us commit ourselves in this campaign and reach out to our masses, listen to their problems and build a movement based on the solutions that the masses themselves propose.
The ANC has declared 2005 as the year of popular mobilisation to realise the vision of the Freedom Charter. As we struggle to deepen the gains of our revolution, the Freedom Charter remains as our guiding light on the part to a better society.
For workers the Freedom Charter has led the substantial gains. All the rights of workers that are now contained in our constitution were demanded in the Freedom Charter.
Comrades, we should fight for our workers to work in healthy and safe environments.
We are pleased that workplace fatalities have decreased but still maintain that more needs to be done to ensure that no life is compromised due to unsafe and unacceptable working conditions.
Many challenges still lie ahead. These include the related and important questions of unemployment and low skills levels.
We are encouraged by the announcement made by our Minister of Labour - Cde Membhathisi Mdladlana earlier this month that the enhancement of skills development will dominate government’s job creation and poverty alleviation agenda over the next five years.
We have also learnt that the department’s contribution to employment creation has ensured that enhancement of job retention, resulting in the saving of 14 000 jobs through the implementation of the National Productivity Institute Social Plan.
We have already launched our Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, which has come out of discussions and contributions from various stakeholders including the trade unions, on how to advance the socio-economic development of our province and make material difference in the lives of our people.
In conclusion comrades, Cosatu comes of age this year, reaching its 20th birthday. The ANC salutes the progressive trade unions and wishes Cosatu another twenty years of struggle to advance the rights of workers.
We must continue to nurture Cosatu and build it so that it can adapt to the new challenges we face.
Together we are moving forward steadily towards our common goal of a non-racial, non sexist and prosperous nation, pushing back the frontiers of poverty and expanding access to a better life for all.
We say Phambili nabasebenzi. We wish all the workers of our country a happy May Day.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
1 May 2005
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government
Title: Peters: May Day celebrations (01/05/2005)
Address by North West Premier Dipuo Peters at the May Day celebrations, Springbok
Chairperson
Leaders of our Trade Union Movement and other organisations
Workers
Comrades and Friends
Media Representatives
I am very pleased that we have gathered on this important day in the political calendar of the workers, as well as all the people of our country and the world.
This day follows another important one in the life of all South Africans - Freedom Day, which we celebrated on Wednesday.
We all know and appreciate the significance and the relationship between the two days.
This year the African National Congress (ANC) has decided to dedicate the May Day, the Workers Day, to the memory of the late comrade Ray Alexander, isithwalandwe. Cde Ray Alexander arrived in South Africa in 1929 from Latvia, and joined the Communist Party five days after her arrival.
She was involved with all aspects of the Communist Party’s work and became increasingly involved with trade union activities. She helped organise workers in almost industries, but was best known for her work in building the Food and Canning Workers Union (FCWU).
Founded in 1941, the FCWU spread through the fruit canning industry of the Boland and up the west coast among fishing communities. It recruited black and white workers, men and women, and earned the reputation of being both effective and militant. In the 1950s it played a leading role in the South African Congress of Trade Unions.
Throughout her life, Cde Ray was steadfastly devoted to the liberation of our people. She was a lifelong member of the Communist Party, a leading militant in the trade union movement, an active leader of both the ANC and the ANC women’s league.
Today we pay tribute to our fallen heroin Cde Ray Alexander and many other comrades who took part in the struggle against racism and oppression.
Cde Ray’s feminism, her communism and her commitment in the struggle against racial oppression were all tributaries to a great river of struggle for human emancipation.
We have gathered here to celebrate the contribution you made as the people of this country in bringing freedom and democracy. We have amongst us, men and women, the trade unionists who over the years have ensured that we use our collective power to bring about changes to improve the lives of the working people.
We salute the workers of our country for the struggle they waged to liberate our country from racial tyranny and oppression.
Today we also salute the workers of our country for the role they have played to defend our hard-won democracy and to protect the peace that we now enjoy.
Addressing a May Day rally two years ago at Newton, in Johannesburg, President Thabo Mbeki said, ‘we had an economy that was in decline and shrinking. The future it promised was one of increasing misery and impoverishment and despair for the majority of our people.
Through their labour, the workers of our country have made a decisive contribution to the turn around that has given us a growing economy and the increasing wealth that we need to improve the lives of all our people. This we must never forget.
Therefore, Comrades, we should appreciate the contribution our workers made and salute them as producers of wealth. They have given us the means to do what could be done to improve the lives of our people.
Our workers as producers of wealth have helped generate resources so that we can seriously begin the process of addressing the infrastructure backlog that defined many areas of our province.
We are now addressing the infrastructure needs by providing free houses, building clinics close to where our people live, building schools where there were none, laying down the pipes to deliver clean water to the people and building modern sanitation facilities to address the central matters of health and human dignity.
Today we can assist all our people to become owners of productive wealth, including the land, to assume positions as managers and contribute to our country’s development as professionals.
For these reasons and many more, we have gathered here to remind ourselves about these important developments we have achieved through our organized labour movements.
We observe May Day also to reaffirm our commitment that we will continue to do everything that can and should be done to protect and advance the interests of the worker. The Alliance between the ANC, the South African Communist Party (SACP), the Congress of South African Trade Unions and South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) is the organisational expression of everything that Cde Ray stood for. Our alliance is a living testimony to the realisation that our people made many years ago, that the struggle for freedom must be conducted on many fronts, simultaneously.
This year’s Alliance Summit in Ekurhuleni has certainly contributed towards strengthening our unity. All of us agreed that we must work together to deepen the national democratic revolution.
All of us agree that our alliance remain as the best instrument to take these struggles forward. The pursuit of this goal, which we will never abandon, means that we must make every effort to secure a better life for the working people of our country. We must measure the progress we are making to create a humane and caring society by the advances we achieve to improve the lives of the working people in both rural and urban areas.
It was also agreed that unity comes first and foremost through joint actions. The joint programme of action also includes a “know your neighbourhood campaign’. Let us commit ourselves in this campaign and reach out to our masses, listen to their problems and build a movement based on the solutions that the masses themselves propose.
The ANC has declared 2005 as the year of popular mobilisation to realise the vision of the Freedom Charter. As we struggle to deepen the gains of our revolution, the Freedom Charter remains as our guiding light on the part to a better society.
For workers the Freedom Charter has led the substantial gains. All the rights of workers that are now contained in our constitution were demanded in the Freedom Charter.
Comrades, we should fight for our workers to work in healthy and safe environments.
We are pleased that workplace fatalities have decreased but still maintain that more needs to be done to ensure that no life is compromised due to unsafe and unacceptable working conditions.
Many challenges still lie ahead. These include the related and important questions of unemployment and low skills levels.
We are encouraged by the announcement made by our Minister of Labour - Cde Membhathisi Mdladlana earlier this month that the enhancement of skills development will dominate government’s job creation and poverty alleviation agenda over the next five years.
We have also learnt that the department’s contribution to employment creation has ensured that enhancement of job retention, resulting in the saving of 14 000 jobs through the implementation of the National Productivity Institute Social Plan.
We have already launched our Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, which has come out of discussions and contributions from various stakeholders including the trade unions, on how to advance the socio-economic development of our province and make material difference in the lives of our people.
In conclusion comrades, Cosatu comes of age this year, reaching its 20th birthday. The ANC salutes the progressive trade unions and wishes Cosatu another twenty years of struggle to advance the rights of workers.
We must continue to nurture Cosatu and build it so that it can adapt to the new challenges we face.
Together we are moving forward steadily towards our common goal of a non-racial, non sexist and prosperous nation, pushing back the frontiers of poverty and expanding access to a better life for all.
We say Phambili nabasebenzi. We wish all the workers of our country a happy May Day.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
1 May 2005
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