Cosatu slams government for economy, job situation

COSATU believes the government is not doing enough to boost the economy and create jobs and has cited this as a reason for the ANC performing poorly during the August 3 elections.

Even though the state has adopted a nine-point plan and has held a number of high-level meetings with the country’s chief executives, the economy continues to limp along, with growth expected to be below 1 percent this year. More than half a million jobs have already been lost this year.

After a meeting of its central executive committee this week, the federation’s general secretary Bheki Nthshalintshali said the government’s “pedestrian response” to the economic crisis was not working. “The CEC wants to remind government and big business that behind the job statistics are families and communities whose lives are being ravaged by these massive retrenchments.”

A jobs summit is expected to be held this year, which Ntshalintshali said is expected to address the ongoing investment strike by big business and policies that had resulted in economic stagnation and job losses.

He said there would be a Nedlac summit next month, where other countries had been asked to do a critique on South Africa’s socio-economic policies.

The federation plans on marking World Day for Decent Work on October 7 with mass action campaigns that will focus on the banning of labour brokers, the scrapping of e-tolls, including toll gates, the implementation of a national minimum wage and the National Health Insurance, and the scrapping of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act.

Cosatu deputy general secretary Solly Phetoe said the federation was looking at how to amend laws so workers could not be easily fired. – Amy Musgrave