The South African Youth Economic Council (Sayec) has lambasted Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi for weakening the trade union federation.
The council is calling for fresh blood to steer the ship forward.
According to the council, the gains of workers have been severely reversed since Losi took the helm at Cosatu. And the downward spiral does not seem headed for a halt anytime soon.
Cosatu, under Losi’s directionless stewardship, was not only weakened but the trade unions under its umbrella had also taken the knock from this, said the council.
Cosatu is now in cahoots with employers, not workers
“Under the current leadership of Cosatu president, Zingiswa Losi and the collective leadership of the 33 affiliated unions, we have seen a weakened Cosatu. A weakened Cosatu is detrimental to South Africa’s path toward inclusive growth,” said Sayec executive chairman, Bonga Makhanya.
“Under this leadership we have seen wages of workers in the public service stagnate. Whilst inflation continues to soar. We have seen the [unions’] leadership that does not seek to hold capital to account by demanding decent wages and decent incentives for workers.”
Sayec believes that Losi’s Cosatu is instead in cahoots with employers, especially in the private sector. This to continue exploiting vulnerable workers, most of whom are young people.
Makhanya said Losi’s performance has not been good in the public sector either. With salaries of public servants stagnant over the past couple of years.
Furthermore, Sayec fingered Cosatu for allowing austerity measures in fiscal policy. This has resulted in freezing of advertising new positions and jobs in government.
Said Makhanya: “The absence of defiance from Cosatu has legitimised labour market failures facing public sector employees.
Failed to champion workers’ struggles
“We believe that if South Africa had a stronger presence of unions, there would be more pushback in institutions such as NEDLAC, public service coordinating bargaining council and many more strategic platforms of engagement and negotiation in the market.”
Makhanya charged that Losi might have failed to champion workers struggles. However, many of the leaders still have time to improve the situation. To also influence government
policy and market developments to be pro-worker and pro-poor.
Losi has been in the news lately. This after TimesLIVE on Monday reported that she had taken the side of the DA against her own comrade in the alliance. The comrade is ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe.
Endorsed DA leader over ANC chairperson
Mantashe criticised Zille’s attempts to have DA ministers in the government of national unity (GNU) accounting to her. Losi said Mantashe was out of order, and Zille was right.
“It makes you worried if a national chair of the ANC can say that. But what is it that the ANC was getting into? What did they understand to be a [GNU] now that you would have a national chair who would publicly say that?” Losi was quoted as saying.
Zille has described Losi’s unexpected defense of her as the manifestation of “strange bedfellows”. This because of the prevailing political dynamics in SA, said Zille.
