COSATU salutes and congratulates workers for a successful National Strike
28 September 2017
The Congress of South African Trade Unions salutes and congratulates the thousands of workers, who withdrew their labour yesterday and participated in the COSATU led National Strike. The federation is more than happy with the overall turnout and participation by workers in yesterday’s National Strike. COSATU remains the only organisation that can organise thirteen marches in the middle of the working week all across the country. Yesterday’s proved once again that the federation is alive and well and ready to lead from the front in the fight against State Capture, Corruption and job losses.
We are grateful to our affiliates for mobilising workers and providing transport for them to attend the strike. As usual, the strike by the federation was characterized by discipline, passion and a cheerful atmosphere.
COSATU proved once again that it remains committed to worker control and democracy because when the workers demanded a strike against state capture and corruption the federation acceded to their demands. The federation keeps silencing its critics with actions and not with words. The national strike proved that this workers organisation remains a social force for change, transformation and the home of all workers.
Yesterday’s strike was just the beginning and we will continue to mobilise and push back against the criminal phenomenon of State Capture and the cancer of Corruption. The future of our economy, our kids and our democracy is at stake if we fail to dismantle the patronage network that is looting the state coffers. Our jobs and our retirement savings as workers are at stake if we do not fight back against the cancer of corruption that can be found both in the public and private sectors. We are going back o the drawing board to sharpen and intensify our tactics to fight against state capture and corruption because we know that the journey will be long and hard. Big business and government need to understand that workers are running out of patience and they demand real change now.