Cosatu should take real action and support DA’s job-creation plan
Following Cosatu’s march in support of decent work and job creation today, the DA calls on Cosatu to make good on their “commitment” to championing job creation and decent work by supporting the DA's 5-Point Jobs Plan for Economic Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity.
Cosatu cannot march for one thing but then vote for another. They must now put their money where their mouth is and fully and publically support the DA’s labour reform measures which will foster job creation and improve the lives of South Africans. Anything less will mean that Cosatu has no objection to the current situation.
Labour policy must balance the protection of workers’ rights with the need to build greater flexibility into our labour market to make it easier for businesses to create jobs. If this balance is not achieved, labour policy is protecting the employed at the expense of the unemployed. What is required is a stable labour environment that supports increased productivity and boosts investor confidence. That is what the DA’s plan entails.
South Africa’s unemployment crisis – currently standing at 35% - is due largely to our country’s rigid and unworkable labour market. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2015/16, in the category of “Cooperation in labour-employer relations,” South Africa has been stone last for three years running – ranked 144 out of 144 countries assessed. We find ourselves trailing the likes of Venezuela, Mauritania, Chad, Guinea and Myanmar in this regard.