International Workers' Day: what are we celebrating?

AS WE COMMEMORATE International Workers' Day, we must ask ourselves: are we truly content with the plight of workers in South Africa? Do our labour laws genuinely protect their rights, or do they merely pay lip service to fairness while preserving systemic inequities?

- SIVA NAIDOO

Three decades into democracy, the lived reality for many workers remains one of hardship. Despite progressive labour policies, inflation, rising interest rates, and stagnant wages continue to erode their quality of life. Basic necessities healthcare, education, housing remain out of reach for millions, while their voices are drowned out in policy spaces dominated by corporate and political elites.

The glaring wage gap between executives and workers underscores this injustice. While top salaries soar into the millions, ordinary workers struggle to keep pace with inflation. This imbalance exposes a fundamental failure in our economic system - one that preaches equality in theory but entrenches inequality in practice.

Even institutions like the CCMA, designed to enforce fairness, are strained by under-resourcing and overwhelming caseloads.

The illusion of empowerment

Policies like Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), initially conceived to redress apartheid injustices, now demand critical reassessment. Instead of fostering inclusive growth, they have often perpetuated new forms of marginalisation, benefiting a select few while leaving the majority behind. True transformation requires policies that uplift all workers not just a politically connected elite.