<\/p>\n
Durban \u2013 The Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) has said that Workers\u2019 Day needs to be more than a commemoration of past gains.<\/p>\n
The PSA\u2019s Reuben Maleka said Workers\u2019 Day 2023 came at a time when the South African labour movement was divided on the goals of promoting and protecting the rights and interests of all workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnions driven by political affiliations and personal gains have impacted labour\u2019s influence regarding negotiations on the terms of service, benefits, and wages of public servants,\u201d Maleka said.<\/p>\n
He said that this was already evident in 2018 when the PSA was the only union not to agree to the government\u2019s three-year wage deal for public servants which the government reneged on in 2020. This signified a blatant attack on collective bargaining.<\/p>\n
Maleka said that from this, it was clear that Workers\u2019 Day needed to be more than a commemoration of the rights gained by workers since the 1880s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorkers currently have to contend with depressing working and living conditions and various forms of injustice, and experience high levels of physical, mental, and emotional strain that could lead to self-alienation, disaffection, despondency, and even hopelessness,\u201d Maleka said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorkers are demotivated by poor remuneration, increasing demands on their labour and the fact that they do not determine the value of their labour. These factors impact their physical and mental well-being, forcing them to find ways of rising above these stressors to be productive in the workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maleka said the poor, inconsistent application of labour laws and workplace policies often exacerbated conditions in the workplace.<\/p>\n
He said the PSA continued to address and eradicate factors that impacted public-sector employees\u2019 well-being. In addition, the PSA assisted future workers through initiatives such as the #SchoolSafety project, aimed at creating a safe school environment conducive to teaching and learning, he said. During Workers\u2019 Month the PSA would donate rechargeable LED solar lights to thousands of disadvantaged Grade 11 and 12 pupils across the country to help to continue with school work during load shedding.<\/p>\n
Maleka said the PSA called on workers \u201cto continue efforts in pursuit of improvements to their workplaces, including holding employers accountable for unsafe and unhygienic work environments\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWorkers\u2019 Day should also be a solid reminder to workers of their duty to protect the collective bargaining processes that impact their future as workers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071\u00a0485\u00a07995.<\/em><\/p>\n Daily News<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Durban \u2013 The Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) has said that Workers\u2019 Day needs to be more than a commemoration of past gains. The PSA\u2019s Reuben Maleka said Workers\u2019 Day 2023 came at a time when the South African labour movement was divided on the goals of promoting and protecting the rights and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[344,1360,8989,5318,238,2706],"class_list":["post-176795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-politics","tag-day","tag-divided","tag-labour","tag-movement","tag-time","tag-workers"],"yoast_head":"\n