COSATU unions have called on the ANC to take control of the economy and dump its much-vaunted industrialist project.
This is according to union leaders who stood up at a plenary session at the Cosatu special national congress which ended yesterday.
A Southern Africa Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union leader said his union rejected the 100 industrialists that government wanted to create, saying it would enrich only a few people, much like black economic empowerment.
He called for support for the federation’s campaign for a progressive tax system that would see the rich being taxed more.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) stated that the majority of the people in the country were not benefiting from the economy.
“Our government has to claim the natural resources of the country which were stolen from the people by the settlers.
“We have platinum, gold, diamonds but the proceeds are taken to Europe and nothing is left for the people.
“If government can claim the economy, it will be able to introduce things like free education as well as creating jobs,” said an NUM leader. He said if the issues of poverty and inequality were not addressed there would be an army of people who would revolt against government.
He called on government to establish a state-owned construction company and do away with tenders. “Tenders are not building the economy and are not good for the country.”
He was clear that government should copy Zimbabwe and Botswana and own 51% of key sectors like mining. “Government should own shares in major companies and they must get those shares for free.”
The Communication Workers’ Union raised the concern that Cosatu was not as militant as before at a time when workers were being retrenched. He said Telkom had been retrenching and “we come here and forget our main goal which is to fight and protect the workers’ jobs”.
He called on Cosatu to have a programme on how to fight the issues raised by their members that included scrapping the Gauteng e-tolls system, labour brokers and retrenchments.
Scrap industrialist plan, Cosatu urges
This is according to union leaders who stood up at a plenary session at the Cosatu special national congress which ended yesterday.
A Southern Africa Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union leader said his union rejected the 100 industrialists that government wanted to create, saying it would enrich only a few people, much like black economic empowerment.
He called for support for the federation’s campaign for a progressive tax system that would see the rich being taxed more.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) stated that the majority of the people in the country were not benefiting from the economy.
“Our government has to claim the natural resources of the country which were stolen from the people by the settlers.
“We have platinum, gold, diamonds but the proceeds are taken to Europe and nothing is left for the people.
“If government can claim the economy, it will be able to introduce things like free education as well as creating jobs,” said an NUM leader. He said if the issues of poverty and inequality were not addressed there would be an army of people who would revolt against government.
He called on government to establish a state-owned construction company and do away with tenders. “Tenders are not building the economy and are not good for the country.”
He was clear that government should copy Zimbabwe and Botswana and own 51% of key sectors like mining. “Government should own shares in major companies and they must get those shares for free.”
The Communication Workers’ Union raised the concern that Cosatu was not as militant as before at a time when workers were being retrenched. He said Telkom had been retrenching and “we come here and forget our main goal which is to fight and protect the workers’ jobs”.
He called on Cosatu to have a programme on how to fight the issues raised by their members that included scrapping the Gauteng e-tolls system, labour brokers and retrenchments.
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