COSATU PRESS STATEMENT ON THE TOURISM CRISIS

COSATU calls for urgent action to address the crisis in Tourism, which is the biggest contributor to the Economy of the Western Cape. COSATU believes that an investigation should be put in place that will lead to regulation that protects the long term interest of the Industry. The cause of the crisis can be found in the overcharging of International tourist.

The exorbitant prices for wines and crayfish are contributing to visitors feeling ripped off. And so the important word of mouth that underlies a tourist destinations success is not assisting the SA Industry.

The exclusion of workers from the tourism board by the MEC for economics is a further indication of his desire to control this industry in the interest of the owners, and at the cost of the workers. As COSATU we will insist that the workers interest be directly represented by a Labour representative, before the funding to support the Industry is released.

We will further call for an independent body to examine the crisis, as the Industrial players have been colluding with Government at a local level. This collusion is demonstrated by the City Council giving the tourism Industry R40 million rand to spend on themselves.

This urgency for the tourism industry has seen the political leaders show there responsiveness to their friends in the Industry. When the Atlantis community asked Government to assist them in their efforts to turn around the economy of the Atlantis, the Provincial Government and City did not prioritise this even though many more jobs were affected.

COSATU calls on the National Ministry of Economic Development to place the economy under the administration of National Government, so the threat to the economy can be coherently attended to, as a matter of urgency

Statement issued by Western Cape Provincial Secretary, Tony Ehrenreich, July 22 2011

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