COSATU's response to the Democratic Alliance's march
The Congress of South African Trade Unions congratulates and thanks its members who rallied in their hundreds to COSATU House in response to the Democratic Alliance's planned march to the workers' citadel.
In the event the DA did not even reach their destination and beat an ignominious retreat when confronted by the massed ranks of the workers.
Regrettably there was some confusion amongst the demonstrators as to precisely where the DA's memorandum would be handed over to those who had been nominated to receive it. This led to a confrontation in the streets of Braamfontein, during which there were a few incidents of stone-throwing by individuals, which led to a number of injuries by people on both sides of the confrontation. We wish them all a full recovery.
COSATU, as it always does, condemns these acts of violence unreservedly, but stresses that the vast majority of its members conducted themselves with exemplary discipline and restraint, despite the provocative nature of the demands being made by the DA. We recognise the DA's right to demonstrate, but insist that COSATU members have an equal right to counter-demonstrate.
As the federation explains in its counter-memorandum (see below), workers are totally opposed to all the policies of the DA, which reflect the class interests of its backers in big business. These include its support for labour brokers, privatisation and export-processing zones.
It wants weaker labour laws to make it easier to fire workers and its support for a two-tier labour market which will enable employers to use the youth wage subsidy to cut their labour costs by receiving a subsidy from the tax-payers for employing young workers, while they are free to retrench an equal or greater number of other workers.
COSATU is doing everything possible to promote policies which will create employment. It has signed four important accords - on basic education, skills development, the green economy and local procurement - all of which relate to job creation. We are striving vigorously to reach the targets set in these accords to create jobs and improve the lives of workers and the poor.
The federation is constantly pressing for faster progress in the implementation of the government's bold plans contained in the Industrial Policy Action Plan, the News Growth Path and the Infrastructure Development Plan, which, if fully implemented, will lead to the creation of thousands of real, sustainable jobs.
The DA policies on the other hand will create no new jobs, worsen the quality of existing jobs even further and lead to the impoverishment and enslavement of workers and economic meltdown for South Africa.
That is why workers are so hostile towards Helen Zille's party and want to express their justified anger, most especially when there are confronted on the street outside their federation's Head Office.
Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, May 15 2012
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