Numsa calls Workers’ Day a nonevent in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG – The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) says South Africans have no reason to celebrate Workers’ Day, adding that the country’s working class and poor have reached a breaking point.

Today’s commemoration of International Workers’ Day in South Africa comes against a backdrop of crippling unemployment, currently at a staggering 35%.

Numsa said that despite the sacrifices many made during the liberation movement, the black working class in SA continues to struggle.

The trade union has come under fire of late over its membership problems with some accusing it of robbing workers through exorbitant membership fees while doing nothing to fight for workers issues.