COSATU will report premier's misuse of public funds to Public Protector
13th December 2011
The Western Cape Premier has rushed through the closure of the Provincial Development Council (PDC), by signing the closure of the PDC into law with no regard for the legal obligations on Government.
The PDC is where discussions between the social partners are meant to be held, in pursuit of this partnership that the President Zuma has called us to, but the Premier has historically been hostile to engaging workers and the Civil Society, who have often pointed out the weaknesses in her policies.
The Premier then signs into law the closure of the PDC in spite of the opposition from Labour, Business and Civil Society, as well as the encouragement of the President Zuma. This was done with contempt of the interest and legal obligations to the workers.
The Premier was taken to court by the workers of the PDC, who challenged her unfair treatment of them. The Premier then realised that she has a big legal problem as a result of her unlawful conduct. The Premier then in addition to the severance package compelled by law, paid the workers 3 months wages each.
This money was essentially to buy off the workers so the matter was not heard in court, where the Premier would have been exposed for acting illegally. This is a classic example of abuse of power and misuse of public funds to cover up the Premier's incompetence. COSATU will ask the Public Protector to investigate this matter and hold the Premier accountable for the misuse of Public Funds.
This once again displays the content that the Premier's Office has for workers and the responsibility to build an inclusive participatory democracy
Statement issued by COSATU Western Cape Provincial Secretary, Tony Ehrenreich, December 13 2011
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