May 2012.pdf - SABPP

LEARNING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE
DEPARTMENT
anyone would like to still order soks they are more tn welcome to contact Siya. These books are also
available on email at a minimal cost. The day ended with a cheese and wine to encourage s
Workers’ rights are still
important today
South Africa is built upon many principles, but one of
the most important things to remember is that it was,
in fact, built. Worker’s day has been celebrated in our
country since 01 May 1994. We owe a lot to the hard
work of those who came before us, and—from making
the most of our benefits to making sure we’re getting
the remuneration that we should—it’s time for us to
think toward the future.
SABPP, FETC Training Provider- HRM students in the
process of simulating a wage negotiation
We all remember all the stories from our history class
in high school: Industrial Revolution, sweat shops,
child labour, unsafe work environments, no benefits,
no rights for workers… We owe these incredible
advances to the efforts of the labour movement; we
owe it to ourselves never to become complacent in
terms of demanding our rights and knowing our
worth. But mostly importantly, in order to sustain and
grow from all that has been acquired, we need to
work hard; work in excellence and be ethical in all that
we do.
It is also a reminder of the many challenges that still confront us, workers, and the poor in South Africa - and
which remain obstacles to sustainable human development among all developing nations.
The South African working class has been at the forefront of the struggle for a democratic, non-racial, nonsexist,
prosperous and united nation. It has understood and consistently maintained that workplace struggles
cannot be separated from broader social struggles; that economic justice and equality cannot be achieved
without national liberation. It has argued that these struggles cannot be separated from the struggle for gender
equality and, specifically, women's emancipation.
Worker’s day is an important holiday all over the world, for people from Communists to Pagans and everyone in
between. Depending on the context, Worker’s day has a different significance for different individuals, but it is
generally a day of celebration. The significance of the holiday has also changed over the centuries, but HR – as a
catalyst for management and development of people – has a mandate of assisting workers in fully
understanding and fully celebrating this day.
Happy Worker’s Day!
Sindiswa Maseko-Khumalo from TATA Africa and an SABPP Ethics Committee Member
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