COSATU CEC meeting statement
The Congress of South African Trade Unions held a special meeting of its Central Executive Committee on 10 January 2011, attended by its National Office Bearers and representatives of its affiliates and provincial structures.
The main item on the agenda was the government's New Growth Path (NGP) document.
The CEC reiterated that it welcomes the publication of the long-awaited New Growth Path. For more than 16 years COSATU has campaigned for the introduction of a New Growth Path, in recognition of the fact that our country is in an absolutely wrong and disastrous growth path that will continue to reproduce unemployment, poverty and inequalities.
After a long public contestation, the historic ANC 52nd National Conference held in Polokwane in December 2007 endorsed the call made by many in the ANC and Alliance for so long. The publication of the government proposals towards the end of last year should be seen as part of this protracted process. COSATU naturally regards the introduction of the government proposals as a decisive breakthrough and a victory for the national democratic revolution.
COSATU has now studied the document and has made a detailed critique of the government's New Growth Path, informed by its own proposals that were released in September 2010. Subject to further tweaking and reworking some of its proposals have a potential to unlock South Africa's potential.
COSATU's view though is that, overall, the New Growth Path proposed by government falls far short of the comprehensive and overarching development strategy capable of unleashing a plan that will fundamentally transform our economy and adequately address the triple challenges of extraordinary high levels of unemployment, poverty and deepening inequalities.
The document in its current form does not adequately take forward the ANC 52nd National Conference economic resolutions and will require to be overhauled if it is to succeed in uniting the Alliance behind the type of programme envisaged by all Alliance formations. Its weaknesses demonstrate that it was not a product of collective wisdom of Alliance processes.
COSATU has identified these weaknesses and developed detailed alternative proposals which it will raise with its Alliance partners at every opportunity that will present itself, including in the ANC NEC Lekgotla to which it has been invited and the crucial forthcoming Alliance Summit. Our approach is informed by the need to engage with both the document and all other role players to overcome the structural and analytical deficiencies of the proposed New Growth Path.
Statement issued by Congress of South African Trade Unions Central Executive Committee, January 11 2011
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