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Friday, 5 May, 2000, 08:42 GMT 09:42 UK
May Day - celebration or lamentation for Africa's workers?
![]() May Day is traditionally recognised as a day of celebrations for workers. But do workers in Africa have much to celebrate?
But in Zambia the President of the Zambian Congress of Trade Uninions, Fackson Shamenda, said that May Day has become a day of lamentation rather than celebration. Shamenda said with slave wages, job insecurity, retrenchments, and non-payment of terminal benefits, Zambian workers have nothing to be proud of. Is he right? And if he is, whose fault is it? Governments, Trade Unions, workers themselves? Tell us what you think.
Your reaction
The answer to the above question is emphatically no! African workers have no cause for celebration on May Day but grief instead, over the despicable and barbaric exploitation of their labour and sweat by their employers/masters.
Most workers in Africa appear to be working on a slave farm - their financial future is unpredictable. And their governments do not see fit to raise the standard of living of these hard working people. Africa has a lot of manpower that needs to be developed and better equipped to face the ever-changing global economy. Technology is moving fast and our workers deserve to be part of this. I am glad workers are unionising and putting pressure to bear on their government to effect long needed changes.
Shinkurtkit, USA
The system of divide and rule that favours some workers and subjects millions to abject poverty makes it very difficult for workers to carry out any meaningful protest against capitalists and government officials who perpetuate the bad condition of the African workers. In any case, the way I see things, we are only a few steps away from an African version of French revolution. Tell the oppressors to begin now to make amends in concrete terms.
I heartily congratulate the workers who walked out during the May Day celebrations in Nairobi. Workers in the Kenyan government have nothing to celebrate with the stressful economic situations in the country which are all due to corruption and poor governance of national resources by a few greedy people who have forgotten that Kenya belongs to all Kenyans with no distinctions. Does the national cake belong to a few greedy rich? Where have our African values of sharing gone?
African workers have got every reason to celebrate. The fact that millions of them are still alive today, that is something worth celebrating. We must rejoice that the Lord our God has given us this day to celebrate and praise Him.
For this reason alone, we have every cause to say a big thank you to the Most High God who has continued to provide for us regardless of our everyday disrespect to His person.
African workers should indeed celebrate! At least they have a job. What about the millions of their country people who haven't? Small salaries are of course a cause to lament, but one has to ask himself where the money is coming from when most of the economies aren't working. There are our governments to blame, but it's not only them. There is more to it than just management!
Kassa, Canada
African governments should work towards creating enabling environments that will promote private sector participation and encourage foreign investments. This will create more jobs and also the much needed economic empowerment. A major threat to this is general insecurity, instability, lack of press freedom, and tribal politics that is dogged to finality often leading to crises and wars. Meanwhile congratulations to workers in Africa especially the courageous journalists working under such difficult conditions. I think other workers should borrow a leaf from these journalists whose selfless sacrifices to the African struggle cannot be equated to the meagre salaries they get. I am not a journalist, but they are my heroes. I wish there is a special day set out for journalists in Africa. Godwin Nwaogwugwu, Nigeria/USA
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