Workers’ Day Rally: 40 Years of Struggle

By SOLLY PHETOE

On 1 May, COSATU will host rallies across all nine provinces, with workers gathering in their thousands to celebrate Workers’ Day. Yet this annual show of unity and pride was hard won.

From Apartheid Defiance to Democratic Gains

In South Africa, May Day only became an official public holiday in 1995, following the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. Crucially, the apartheid government was compelled to recognise the significance of the day after COSATU—then just five months old—organised one of the largest stayaways in the country’s history to mark the centenary of May Day in 1986.

More than 1.5 million workers heeded COSATU’s call, attending rallies in major cities despite bans imposed by the regime. Confronted with this mass defiance, the government declared the first Friday of May a public holiday, and by 1987, formally recognised 1 May as a paid public holiday. Since then, Workers’ Day has remained a highlight of the labour movement’s calendar.

Victories on the Shop Floor and Beyond

Launched at the height of the anti-apartheid struggle on 1 December 1985, COSATU quickly became a powerful force for liberation. It mobilised millions through national stayaways, strikes and community campaigns, including the rent boycotts of the 1980s. In 1990, through its Workers’ Charter, the federation ensured that workers’ demands were included in the negotiations shaping South Africa’s democratic Constitution.

In the democratic era, COSATU has played a central role in advancing progressive labour laws. These include the rights to unionise, participate in collective bargaining, strike, to work under safe conditions, as well as protections such as paid maternity and parental leave. The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) provides a safety net for workers who lose their jobs, while the Compensation Fund supports those injured, taken ill, or killed at work.

A victory for workers came in 2019 with the implementation of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act, following years of campaigning by COSATU. The NMW lifted more than six million vulnerable workers—across farming, domestic work, retail, hospitality and construction—out of poverty.

Importantly, COSATU’s work extends beyond the shop floor. The federation has championed broader social justice issues, from gender equality and the fight against gender-based violence to access to HIV and AIDS treatment.

New Reforms, Old Challenges

During the COVID-19 pandemic, COSATU worked with government and business at Nedlac to implement comprehensive health, safety, and economic relief packages, and saved the lives and livelihoods of millions. The federation was instrumental in securing the release of R65 billion from the UIF to support 5.7 million workers, and over 8 million unemployed individuals through the Social Relief of Distress grant. COSATU continues to advocate for the grant to be extended, increased, and converted into a permanent Basic Income Grant.

COSATU championed the introduction of the Two-Pot retirement system, which came into effect on 1 September 2024. The reform aims to ensure workers do not retire in poverty while allowing access to savings for emergencies once a year. By the end of February this year, more than R79 billion had been released to workers, offering relief from suffocating debt.

A fighting spirit has always defined COSATU. It underpins the federation’s many victories, even as challenges persist. For example, while COSATU lobbied strongly for the National Health Insurance Act to be signed into law, it has been inundated with legal challenges.

The rollout of the Two-Pot system, on the other hand, has exposed concerning non-compliance by some employers who deduct pension contributions but fail to pay them over to relevant funds. However, since January, labour inspectors have been empowered to enforce compliance of these critical third-party obligations.

Revelations by the Special Investigating Unit of businesses that fraudulently claimed COVID-19 TERS funds, depriving rightful beneficiaries, are worrying. At the same time, enforcement of the National Minimum Wage needs special focus.

Workers’ Day as a Call to Action

Now marking 40 years of existence, COSATU remains steadfast in its resolve to confront these challenges and advance the socio-economic conditions of workers. This commitment is particularly urgent as the cost of living continues to rise, unemployment remains alarmingly high at 41.1%, and economic growth projections have been revised downward.

Workers’ Day is not only a moment to celebrate past victories—it is a call to action. The struggle continues.