Congress of South African Trade (Cosatu) says it is ready to paint the streets red and yellow in a nationwide strike against unemployment, retrenchments, rising cost of living, economic growth, and workers’s rights.
The strike, labelled the "Global Day for Decent Work," is scheduled to start on Monday and run the entire day, with marches and picketing taking place all around the country.
The union said the national strike aims to highlight the economic crisis mirrored by income inequality and poverty.
South Africans have faced several difficulties in recent years, including poor economic growth, joblessness among the population, gender discrimination in workplaces as well as a lack of access to basic services.
The government has promised to tackle these issues.
The trade union pleaded with workers to come out in their numbers and join the National Day of Action against the high rate of unemployment.
The union stressed that the cost of living, high Eskom tariffs, and corruption were among the issues driving many South Africans into poverty.
According to Cosatu, it had notified the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) of its intention to embark on a nationwide strike.
Cosatu said over 11.3 million people in South Africa needed jobs, yet workers were retrenched day in and day out through the narrow application of Section 189.
It maintained that the strike was crucial because it will address the bread and butter shortages for the workers.
The union's provincial leadership across the country will be leading workers and other stakeholders to identified destinations.
Workers and citizens have started arriving in provinces to participate in the strike.
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