The workers have made their point that government must do more and act with greater urgency to address the unemployment crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday, two days after he was booed at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in the North West.
On Sunday, a section of the crowd made up of mainly National Union of Mineworkers and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union members disrupted the proceedings and prevented Ramaphosa from delivering his speech during the Workers Day rally.
The disgruntled workers heckled the president and demanded that he intervene in the pay dispute with mining company Sibanye Stillwater. He was later escorted out of the Royal Bafokeng with a police inyala.
Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that the workers at the rally wanted to be heard and were calling on their union bosses and the government to understand the challenges they faced.
“In raising their voices, these workers were upholding a tradition of militance that has been part of the labour movement in this country for decades,” said the president, noting that the workers endured many hardships.
“We are firmly committed to take the necessary action to improve their lives and their working conditions. This is not something that government can do on its own. It needs both labour and business, and indeed the whole of society, to work with government to implement an agreed set of measures to grow and transform the economy.
“At the same time, we must establish more efficient mechanisms to enable workers to participate more fully in the formulation and implementation of policy and programmes.
The president added: “That is why we need to rebuild trust and confidence, and why we need to forge a social compact that not only has the support of workers but also delivers meaningful benefits to them.”
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