Johannesburg - While Cosatu has issued a statement which is scathing of President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), its public sector unions are singing a different tune, applauding the way he dealt with the pertinent issues facing the nation.
While the federation and its affiliates condemned the behaviour of the EFF and DA, who were kicked out and walked out, respectively, during Zuma’s speech, their analysis differed significantly.
This suggests that Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi had furthered reasserted himself in Cosatu following his reinstatement last year. It also indicates that there is not much consensus between the various sectors in Cosatu, which is struggling to unify itself following the expulsion of metalworkers’ union Numsa last year.
Cosatu said in a statement reissued on Monday that the address fell far below the expectations of workers who were calling for radical economic transformation based on resolutions adopted at the federation’s national congress.
These included decisive state intervention in strategic sectors of the economy, a radical overhaul of macro-economic policy, that the National Development Plan be restructured to allow for a radical economic shift, and the introduction of comprehensive social security and land reforms.
“The country is still confronted with the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequalities. Yet the president did not even mention the words ‘poverty’ and ‘inequality’ anywhere in his speech,” Cosatu said.
“This is extraordinary, given that just nine days earlier, Stats SA reported that more than half the population of South Africa live in poverty. Surely it’s concerning that the president of the world’s most unequal country made no reference to that or to the dire poverty in which 53.8 percent of South Africans are living.
“More worrisome is that the one measure which can do more than anything else to reduce poverty and narrow inequality - the national minimum wage - received only a passing mention.”
It said it had also expected good news on the long-awaited report on comprehensive social security, which was crucial to alleviate poverty. But it was also not mentioned in the speech.
Cosatu took issue with Zuma’s assertion that it was looking rosier on the jobs front after more employment was created in the last quarter. Jobs increased by 203 000.
But Stats SA did warn this increase was driven by holiday jobs in December and that economic growth was not occurring at levels needed for mass job creation.
“There are no grounds for the complacency the president was exuding,” the federation said.
In their reaction, public servant unions Popcru and Sadtu welcomed Zuma’s address, but noted that more work was needed in certain areas.
“We are pleased with the employment statistics, although we believe a lot still needs to done. In the ANC’s manifesto, the party announced 6 million work opportunities,” said Sadtu and Popcru.
The Star