Cosatu leads workers’ march in Cape

Published Oct 7, 2015

Share

 

Cape Town - Hundreds of workers gathered in Cape Town on Wednesday ahead of a march that formed part of the international campaign, World Day for Decent Work.

Protesting different sources of worker and working class frustration, members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) readied themselves ahead of their march to Parliament.

Asked why they were marching, twin sisters Natasha Cleophas and Vanessa Miggel said they were sick of arriving late for work because of public transport.

“The buses and trains are late everyday and then we lose our jobs,” said Cleophas.

Both sisters, who worked in the textile and clothing industries, said another frustration of theirs was decreased pay when returning from maternity leave.

“You leave getting paid 100 percent of your salary, and then you return getting paid 80%,” said Miggel.

An industry peer, Nuraan Cassiem, said government needed to adjust municipal rates according to income bracket.

“Our industry is the lowest paid [sic] yet we are expected to pay the same as higher earners,” said Cassiem.

She added that bosses chose to ignore the workers’ plight.

“When we’re late because of having to take two trains and two taxis, the boss says it’s not his job to get us to work on time,” she said.

“So, what else can we do but march?”.

ANA

Related Topics: