Cosatu in the Eastern Cape says all its affiliates are ready for the national strike called by the federaton on the 7th of March.
The trade union federation says reports received indicated massive support from workers for the strike.
Cosatu in the Eastern Cape issued a wide-ranging statement today following this week's meeting of its provincial executive committee.
Commenting on the State of the Province Address by premier Noxolo Kiviet, Cosatu said proposals for job creation will not impact sufficiently on the high rate of unemployment in the province which sits at 27.1 percent.
It also sasy that the transformation challenges, backlogs and financial management deficiencies in the departments of Education and Health have not been adequately addressed.
Cosatu EC's full statement follows below:
Decisions taken at COSATU Eastern Cape PEC, 18-19 February 2012
This press statement summarises decisions taken at the last bi-monthly COSATU Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting held from 18-19 February 2012.
On international issues, the PEC states the following:
The crisis in the European Union has variously been described as a mere "crisis of confidence", a financial crisis or a crisis of "political leadership" What it is, is a crisis of the system of capitalism itself and it is a crisis that will not be solved by reforms such as more regulation of the finance sector or heavier taxes for the rich. The question at the heart of this catastrophe is one of who runs the economy and of how wealth in society is controlled and distributed. The choice facing mankind is therefore simple: socialism or barbarism?
We sadly note that rather than have the capitalistic creators of this crisis face this question squarely, democratically elected governments that are unable to meet the demands of the markets are simply being replaced by unelected technocrats.
We also have noted that in the face of growing imperialist interference in Africa, South Africa has sadly failed to provide bold and independent leadership on issues such as Libya, Ivory Coast and Sudan.
*On national issues the PEC noted that:
SA has not been able to avoid the fallout from international economic and political events.
Despite past hopes that the Alliance would, using the Polokwane resolutions, be transformed into the centre of political gravity to drive a minimum programme guided by the Freedom Charter, forces of the left have not succeeded in sufficiently influencing government's policy direction. Instead, many are merely caught up in pursuit of factional agendas and the lobbying for tenders.
The gap between rich and poor continues to grow but workers are increasingly expected to shoulder the burden of the economic crisis through wage cuts, worsening conditions and changes to labour laws. Calls are increasingly heard in the Alliance for social compacts and a two-tier labour market.
The Zuma presidency represents no decisive shift away from neoliberal policies, while workers' confidence in the left forces continues to wane with the struggle for socialism seemingly indefinitely deferred. The question remains as to whether our organised formations will lead the struggle to transform an unworkable system or be dragged along by the masses and merely follow on behind?
*On the State of the Nation Address, COSATU noted key infrastructure development projects planned for the Eastern Cape.
These include: Logistic linkages with Northern Cape and KZN; Construction of a dam on the Umzimvubu River; The Mthatha revitalisation project; and A new manganese export facility at the Port of Ngqura.
Our concern however, is that these undertakings are insufficient in a Province with such enormous backlogs. The continued silence of National Government over Project Mthombo is also a worry.
*On the State of the Province Address, COSATU is concerned that the proposals for job creation will not impact sufficiently on the high rate of unemployment in the province which sits at 27.1% according to the narrow definition and over 40% according to the expanded definition.
Transformation challenges, backlogs and financial management deficiencies in the departments of Education and Health which between them receive over 70% of the provincial budget have not been adequately addressed.
In a province that is more than two thirds rural, very little was said regarding plans to address on the ongoing crisis in rural development.
No clear plans were forwarded about improving the capacity and efficiency of the state when it is manifestly in crisis;
While welcoming the announcement of a major infrastructure development programme, little is said about improving government's capacity to spend;
The urgent need to revitalise and renew the radically declining former border areas such as Dimbaza and Butterworth which face near 100% unemployment was not addressed.
Despite the Province having the highest number of police killings, nothing was said on the subject
*On the Special Economic Zones policy and bill, now under discussion, COSATU is critical of the fact that no real strategy other than the setting up of the SEZ agency to support the setting up of further SEZs is proposed. This proposal is further weakened by the fact that the incentives are not specified. The reality is that internationally, successful SEZ models have generally been based on a low-wage regime an approach that remains totally unacceptable to COSATU
*On the National Development Plan, COSATU is critical of an approach which sees new jobs being created mostly in small firms in the service sector.
Crucially, manufacturing is not prioritised and there is little reference to industrial policy (IPAP 2) or to the need for increased budget for its roll-out entrenches the Gauteng-Durban nexus fails to mention Ngqura Transhipment Hub or the PE-Gauteng freight corridor o suggests delaying Project Mthombo refinery for five years fails to mention the upgrade of East London Harbour and the R72.
*On the Provincial Jobs Strategy and Summit, COSATU is to hold a two-day workshop to prepare its own contribution and will use its Growth Path Towards Full Employment document to develop its position.
*On Corruption Watch Cosatu welcomes the civil society initiated Corruption Watch and calls upon its members and the community to come forward with information on corruption.
*On the Traditional Courts Bill, COSATU is concerned that government has first and foremost failed to engage in genuine consultation with those who will be most affected by this bill, in particular rural women.
The bill is anti-democratic in both content and process. Further it will create a separate legal regime under the jurisdiction of unaccountable traditional leaders: rural dwellers in former homeland rural areas will effectively become subjects yet again.
Close to 17 million South Africans living in the former homelands are about to be stripped of their constitutional rights by the TCB granted to them by the South African constitutional framework that commits to human rights, equality and consultation.
We therefore call on the NCOP, the National Assembly and government to create adequate opportunity for all rural people to be consulted on, and make their views heard on this Bill.
*On Education and Health, Cosatu, while hailing the agreement reached between Provincial Government and public sector unions, particularly on the reinstatement of temporary educator, is concerned that educators' contracts were terminated during 2011, a year declared as the "year of jobs" by the President.
Welcomes the convening of the Alliance People's Education Conference on 16 and 17 March 2012 to address challenges of education in the Province.
Cosatu will convene its own education conference on 3 and 4 March 2012 in preparation Supports the implementation of Section 100 (1) (b) in the Department of Education and calls for it to be fully implemented immediately. National Government should provide funds to ensure full implementation
*On distressed companies, COSATU believes that an appropriate, adequately-funded institutional mechanism should be put in place to deal with all company closures and job losses and ensure the involvement of the appropriate national departments
*On the 7 March general strike, the PEC received reports from all affiliates on the state of readiness and preparation. These indicated massive support from workers for the strike. It was felt that further work should be done to mobilise broader community support
*On the state of provinces in general, COSATU calls for their disestablishment on the basis that they have hindered adequate service delivery to people on the grounds that the have provided a fertile environment for corruption and mismanagement; that they are an unnecessary waste of valuable resources that can instead best be used at district and local government level.
*On the bucket toilet system. In his State of the Nation address former President Thabo Mbeki announced that the government had resolved to completely eradicate bucket toilets by 2007. Cosatu is appalled that five years later thousands in the Eastern Cape still use this system. In the Walmer Township in Port Elizabeth the bucket system is still very much a reality with municipal trucks arriving once a week to empty the buckets.
In conclusion, the extent of current global and national crises demands that:
COSATU continues to defend the Polokwane progressive political framework
*Engages with the ANC to ensure this
*Actively works to isolate the tenderpreneurs in our midst
*Acts to defend the leadership collective elected at Polokwane
*Refrains from prematurely engaging in succession debates and
*Continues to engage in struggle from the point of view of the working class as a whole.
