COSATU's response to union bashing comments attributed to NYDA Chairperson
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) deplores the anti-union comments attributed to Andile Lungisa, Chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), blaming unions for the crisis plaguing our basic education system (The Times, 23 January 2012).
Speaking in a language akin to that of rightwing and anti-working class organisations such as the DA, Lungisa argues that schools should be union-free spaces and that education should be declared an essential service.
COSATU views these right-wing comments as not only unfortunate but baseless. He ignores the many factors that undermine our basic education system, such as classroom sizes, infrastructure backlogs, curriculum development, teacher training, libraries and laboratories.
This ideological onslaught on teacher unions is premised on the false notion that organised teachers are selfishly concerned about themselves and could not care less about learners. This reasoning accords all the blame for our malfunctioning education system to teachers who are organised in unions.
The transformation of our education system not only requires dedication from our teachers and their adherence to the non-negotiables which include being in class and teaching on time, but also the involvement of broader society, including parents, school governing bodies, the business sector and government.