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Tripartite Alliance: Cosatu accused of betraying workers
The alliance between Cosatu and the ANC has come under fresh scrutiny.
Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) take part in a march in Braamfontein, 6 July 2023, during a nation wide protest by various trade unions. COSATU called for protests in Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban to address the devastating effects of corruption, crime, unemployment and rising inflation in South Africa. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
DA leader John Steenhuisen has blamed the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and its alliance with the ANC for policies that did not enable mass employment opportunities.
Unholy alliance
It accused Cosatu of being silent when government jobs were allegedly reserved for ANC cadres, when BEE deals were being given to the politically connected, and when reports of jobs for sale emerged in some government departments.
Steenhuisen described the Tripartite Alliance as an “unholy alliance”.
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“Let me tell you today the Tripartite Alliance is an unholy alliance that continues to perpetrate policies on the people of South Africa that destroy jobs. It creates an insider economy,” he said.
Steenhuisen is not the only one who has been critical of Cosatu’s alliance with the ANC.
Unions at Cosatu’s last congress were critical of the federation’s continued support for the ANC, despite austerity measures and the assault on the struggle of workers.
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Steenhuisen said Cosatu had participated in killing the hopes of unemployed South Africans by supporting the policies of the ANC and neglecting the plight of the unemployed.
“Cosatu is not on the side of workers. If they were, they would be doing everything possible to ensure that there were more workers in South Africa. Instead, they are going out of their way to protect people that are employed and forget about the 11.7 million people that are unemployed,” he said.
The Citizen had reached out to Cosatu for comment on Steenhuisen’s claims. This article will be updated as soon as this is received.
DA critical of ANC policies
Steenhuisen said the country needed a system that would aid job seekers and promote employment at the same time. He said the DA would enable young people to be self-reliant instead of depending on a government grant.
He claimed the DA-led government in the Western Cape had enabled over 300 000 jobs to be created.
