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"Thousands of union members, led by the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), marched through the streets of Johannesburg on Friday to mark May Day, demanding government intervention against rising unemployment and what they termed a coordinated 'attack' on labor rights. Footage shows protesters chanting and dancing under heavy security, holding banners that call for unity between the employed and the unemployed. Newton Masuku, the National Spokesman for SAFTU, stated that the mobilisation was designed to bridge the gap between different sectors of the working class. "We've organised our May Day under the theme: 'Unite the employed and the unemployed, fight the jobs bloodbath, fight austerity, and fight illicit trading'. So, this is a call that we are making to the government - that it must intervene against this unemployment," Masuku said. Despite submitting formal memorandums, Masuku noted the rally aimed more at internal mobilisation than expecting immediate policy changes. "The petitioning of the government is merely a formality; but in actual fact, it provides us with an opportunity to speak to our membership and therefore to disseminate our ideas on how we think the economy should be sorted out," SAFTU spokesman added. He further noted that the events are intended to 'conscientise' members against the 'misery of the system'. Protesters also expressed concerns over the dismantling of labor laws - originally crafted to protect workers - through recent amendments. "We decided to celebrate May Day since last year when we were fighting against the amendments of the labor laws, which is a direct attack on workers," one protester said during the march. "While our unions are getting weak, capital is mobilising and getting stronger <...> and we are not united to attack them back,” he added. May Day is a public holiday in South Africa, marked by traditional union rallies for worker rights. Facing world-leading unemployment, SAFTU and other labor groups are under pressure to show a united front against global economic threats to job security."
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