The Congress of South African Trade Unions is angered by reports that some employers have issued memos threatening workers, who are planning to attend May Day celebrations on Sunday and honour the workers holiday on Monday.

The biggest culprits are the retail sector, the services industry, the banking sector, as evidenced by the Capitec memo and the reactionary farming sector. We warn these employers to refrain from threatening workers with dismissals if they join May Day celebrations. COSATU is urging all workers to expose their employers, who are threatening them because May Day is a public holiday and workers cannot be forced to work overtime if they do not want to.

The federation also wants to reiterate its call to members to not be defocused or distracted by side shows. COSATU is not and will not be part of any “workers summit”, where self selecting and unelected people want to talk about themselves. Workers are currently joining the unemployment line at an alarming rate with 55 thousand workers retrenched in the mining sector alone last year.

Because our unions are led by elected leaders, we know what workers want discussed in any summit. We have monopoly capital to defeat and the only summit workers want is a jobs summit to talk about the ongoing job losses. Workers want a summit to discuss the rising cost of living and that will ensure that they are able to put food on the table and feed and clothe their families.

While families are struggling with the rising electricity and petrol prices and the workers are losing jobs because of high interest rates, we cannot afford sectarian politicking. The egregious assault on workers’ rights and the 34 % unemployment rate means we do not have the luxury to be distracted and defocused.

All workers to the front!

Down with reactionary employers!

Forward with the radical second phase of our transition!

Issued by COSATU