Cosatu has slammed the ANC-led government over its failure to efficiently implement the economic recovery and reconstruction plan (ERRP) which was devised to mitigate the massive economic damage imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This week the federation held its central executive committee meeting in which its various union affiliates discussed their respective collective bargaining challenges, the country’s economic woes as well as current political developments.
Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration was not meeting expectations in using the ERRP to salvage the country’s ailing economy which had seen a rise in joblessness.
“The federation is worried about the slow pace that government and business are moving to implement their commitments under the economic recovery and reconstruction plan. We have a 40% unemployment rate, private sector companies are closing, and state-owned enterprises are imploding. Decisive action is needed to arrest this situation,” Ntshalintshali said.
The ERRP was adopted late last year by the government and secured the approval stamp of both organised labour and business, with its main focus being the mobilisation of investment, infrastructure rollout and job creation.
Cosatu has also been a vocal critic of the government’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout plan as it accused it of incompetence and of being overtaken by poor countries around the world in terms of timeously procuring vaccines and inoculating the population to reach the 67% herd immunity.
Ntshalintshali said while Cosatu welcomed the commencement of the phase 2 vaccination process in which those above 60 years are targeted, this was no excuse for not meeting the target of vaccinating the required 40m people by the end of the year.
“Government’s excuses are unacceptable and unjustifiable. We expect the government to ensure that all public and private vaccination sites are fully operational and have sufficient supplies. They need to be accessible, especially in rural areas, and should be open seven days a week,” he said.
He said trade unions would however equally fight employers who forced or threatened their employees with dismissals if they preferred to forego inoculation.
“The federation will not allow any employer to dismiss any worker who chooses to exercise their constitutional right to freedom of choice and opts out of the vaccination process. While we support the vaccine rollout plan, healthcare consent is a pillar of medical ethics and medical treatment,” he said.
The federation also expressed concern about its battle to recover from the bleeding of membership it had suffered over the years as several unions left it, including metalworkers union Numsa, to form the rival Saftu.
“Although Cosatu has recruited more than hundred thousand members last year, we have been unable to reach the two-million membership mark. The unstable economic situation offers both challenges and opportunities for the labour movement and we need to adapt to survive,” Ntshalintshali said.
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