Cosatu will be embarking on a nationwide strike today over rising retrenchments, high unemployment and the escalating cost of living.

WE NEED CHANGE

Cosatu Spokesperson, Matthew Parks, said the march is a way for employers to express themselves to the government and employees that they are not happy with their working conditions.

"There's no joy in both public and private sectors, workers are burdened with entrenched levels of poverty, inequality and a very slow economic growth rate."

He added that crime and corruption are also major factors as well as declining municipal services.

"The employees are saying to the government that they need to do more and act fast because for a sufficient amount of time we haven't seen any progress from companies and government to improve their lives and the working conditions of their workers. We can't continue folding our arms whilst we are dealing with a ticking time bomb," he said.

BENEFICIAL FOR THE RICH

Cosatu provincial secretary, Edwin Mkhize, said this march would be more focused on the economy of the country which continues to favour the rich people. Mkhize noted that companies were retrenching workers to cut costs in order to make more profits.

"We have a list of those companies," he said.

Mkhize said most workers needed to choose between buying electricity and food and salaries were going down instead of increasing as the cost of living was high.

Mkhize said this is the period where employees have to negotiate their salaries, therefore they want the government and municipalities to give the public servants decent salaries.

"We want the companies that have not been contributing to the pension funds of the workers to be held accountable. Some employees have told us that they had experienced delays when they wanted to withdraw their money from their pensions," he said.

Mkhize urged workers to come out in numbers to join the march.