Not taking it too far in history, one can go back to an era where royalty ruled the world and decided on everyone’s future and education level. But then as expected, revolutions took over. The most popular being the French and the Russian revolutions where ordinary people took over. In Russia it was the peasants and the factory worker who were in the midst of things, giving birth to the symbol of the hammer and sickle. Even though it’s associats mostly with communism, the hammer represented the industrial workers while the sickle represents the peasantry. The worker’s voice was powerful throughout history. But today, we see mass retrenchments, be it factories closing, SOEs collapsing and the list goes on. Where did it go wrong?

Guest: Zwelinzima Vavi - The South African Federation of Trade Unions

Guest: Gideon Du Plessis – General Secretary of Trade Union Solidarity

Guest: Riefdah Ajam - General Secretary for the Federation of Unions of South Africa

Guest: Michael Shingage – Cosatu’s Deputy President