Cosatu has come to the defence of its president, Zingiswa Losi, against attacks from the SA Youth Economic Council (Sayec).
The trade union federation said the Sayec leaders were sticking their noses to matters that are above their heads.
Leadership must return to class
Spokesperson for Cosatu, Matthew Parks, said Sayec executive chairman Bonga Makhanya and his colleagues will do well by going back to school to learn a thing or two.
Parks was responding to missiles fired by Sayec in Losi’s direction on Wednesday. Makhanya was accusing the federation’s first female boss of failing workers’ struggles.
Sayec had claimed that Cosatu, under Losi’s stewardship, was a directionless amoeba at the expense of workers. It said workers were on the receiving end of the regression in agitation for pro-worker policies.
Parks said Makhanya and co do not know what they are talking about.
This is because, according to Cosatu, Losi was doing well, and serious strides had been made to uplift the lives of workers under her leadership.
“Perhaps Bonga Makhaya and his colleagues at Sayec should seriously consider going back to school. This is because our president is clearly out of their league,” Parks told Sunday World.
Workers have displayed overwhelming support
“It is interesting that the South African Youth Economic Council (Sayec) has chosen to accuse President Zingiswa Losi of weakening the Federation when this year’s May Day rallies across the country were overwhelmingly supported by workers who filled the stadia to capacity.
“The National Minimum Wage Act, which Cosatu championed from the start, came into effect in 2019 when she was at the helm of the federation. Since then, this crucial piece of legislation has seen millions of farmworkers, domestic workers, cleaners, construction workers, hospitality workers, and other vulnerable workers benefit. In March this year, the minimum wage rose by 8.5% to R27.58 per hour.”
Parks continued that it was under Losi that retirement fund reforms were achieved. This culminated in the signing into law of the Pension Funds Amendment Bill by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
As a result of the new law, workers can now access the retirement savings once a year. This is a reality Cosatu believes will provide workers with much-needed relief from suffocating debt. It will also ensure their retirement savings remain untouched and grow.
It was also Cosatu, under Losi, that had lobbied intensely for the National Insurance Fund (NHI). The NHI was signed into law by Ramaphosa in May before the elections.
“While Sayec talks, we will continue with the work of transforming society for the better under the capable stewardship of President Losi.
“Lastly, in June, Losi was elected governing body member of the International Labour Organisation at a conference in Switzerland.”
