About 2000 Cosatu-affiliated workers in the Eastern Cape marched to the East London labour department office to demand decent jobs today.
The march part of the national strike called by the workers' federation to commemorate International Decent Work Day.
At the top of the workers' demands, they called for a total ban of labour brokers, filling of all funded vacancies at the provincial government and demanding the implementation of the national health insurance among others.
The sea of red of workers shut down Oxford Street around 1pm as they marched down to hand over their list of demands.
Tripartite alliance leaders which included SACP provincial secretary Xolile Nqatha and Cosatu provincial boss David Toyis, also used the march to call for free education.
Condemning the violence at tertiary institutions as students demand free education, Nqatha and Toyis both said while their demands were genuine, destroying property was not the answer.
To fund free education, government needs to nationalise some key economic sectors, Toyis said.
Predictably, Toyis also came down hard on capitalism and “neoliberal policies”, saying they were anti-workers.
“Enough is enough. Away with neoliberal policies away,” he chanted. “Capitalism only wants you when you're still strong. Capitalism exploits you from the point you're strong to the point you're weak and then say bye-bye.”
Cosatu workers march for decent jobs
About 2000 Cosatu-affiliated workers in the Eastern Cape marched to the East London labour department office to demand decent jobs today.
The march part of the national strike called by the workers' federation to commemorate International Decent Work Day.
At the top of the workers' demands, they called for a total ban of labour brokers, filling of all funded vacancies at the provincial government and demanding the implementation of the national health insurance among others.
The sea of red of workers shut down Oxford Street around 1pm as they marched down to hand over their list of demands.
Tripartite alliance leaders which included SACP provincial secretary Xolile Nqatha and Cosatu provincial boss David Toyis, also used the march to call for free education.
Condemning the violence at tertiary institutions as students demand free education, Nqatha and Toyis both said while their demands were genuine, destroying property was not the answer.
To fund free education, government needs to nationalise some key economic sectors, Toyis said.
Predictably, Toyis also came down hard on capitalism and “neoliberal policies”, saying they were anti-workers.
“Enough is enough. Away with neoliberal policies away,” he chanted. “Capitalism only wants you when you're still strong. Capitalism exploits you from the point you're strong to the point you're weak and then say bye-bye.”
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