Racism against workers, in particular in the farms and small enterprises where there is not institutional support, is the same as it was during the apartheid era. The shift of the national policies to the centre right has not stopped. The rightwing is generally confident since most of its prescriptions have been embraced by the government. As result, the power of capital has increased, its arrogance has doubled, and now that they control much of the body of government they are demanding its soul. In this environment, the working class is facing hard challenges.
Collective bargaining is the lifeblood of the trade union movement.
Without it no trade union is worth its salt. We have to bargain collectively or perish as individuals under the yoke of capitalist exploitation. One of the remarkable features capitalism is that it concentrates a mass of people under one roof for exploitation by one capitalist, or maybe a handful. However, this mass should be turned into a conscious movement, which is aware of its position and role in society and the production process. Until we achieve this aim of harnessing the working class under a unified movement, we have no hope of improving our lives.