The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa in KwaZulu-Natal (KzN) working closely with other like-minded and class orientated Cosatu affiliates, will swamp the streets of Durban, Friday 01 May 2015, as part of May Day celebrations.
The planned march is a break from the paralysed Cosatu’s traditions of holding mass rallies, sponsored by the neoliberal capitalist and fading ANC government in order for the butchers of the working class in power today to be given unlimited platforms to poison the minds of the workers and the poor.
The “Red” march in Durban will be symbolic, given the fact that radical and militant trade union movement in South Africa owes its revolutionary origins to the heroic 1972 Durban strike; and revolutionary formation of Cosatu in Curries Fountain Stadium, 30 years ago.  The march will also connect South Africa’s workers struggles, with other workers of the world, who will be engaged in similar actions in their respective countries, against capitalist barbarity and its neoliberalism.
The march action will be used to submit socio-economic demands of workers, as resolved by the watershed last Cosatu National Congress in 2012. We will be targeting government and big business, since both are responsible for the socio-economic crisis killing the workers and the poor. Among the key demands will be to stop load shedding; ban labour brokering; stop corruption; stop casualisation and mass retrenchments; nationalisation of SASOL; nationalisation of South African Reserve Bank and other related revolutionary demands.
Shopsteward Councils and General Meetings will be held in each and every corner of the province of KwaZulu-Natal to mobilize workers for the planned march and protest action. Even workers belonging to other federations and independent unions will be mobilised.
The time has long arrived for workers to unite beyond the logos or t-shirts colours of their unions, and collective fight against injustices in workplace; poor service delivery in our communities and neoliberal embedded policies that are eroding revolutionary gains achieved by workers over many years of struggle.
Massive mobilization is currently underway in various Locals to garner support and massive attendance of workers during the march.
Numsa and other unions leaders will address Shopstewards Councils and General Meetings.
An application to march has been submitted to the eThekwini Municipality and we are awaiting for their response.
Contact:
Mbuso Ngubane
Numsa Secretary/Convenor of Affiliates
Mobile: 079 502 3242
Email: mbuson@numsa.org.za
Website: www.numsa.org.za