Johannesburg – The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Monday accused three cabinet ministers of taking aim at the labour federation in what it termed a “troubling pattern”.
Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and Finance Minister Pravin Ghordan targeted Cosatu publicly, said secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali.
He accused Zwane of lying about Cosatu affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and has since refused to meet with the union leaders.
“They [NUM] requested a meeting with him so that they can talk face to face. The disappointment and anger the union expresses is that he is refusing to meet them… this is a stakeholder calling on a minister to meet and discuss issues, and he declines. How is he going to serve their stakeholders because NUM is the main player in the mining industry,” said Ntshalintshali.
He said the trade union federation was not in a position to state what Zwane allegedly lied about at an event in the Free State, and was willing to give him another chance to meet with NUM, failing which, Cosatu would make public the minister’s remarks.
Cosatu further accused Motshekga of joining opposition parties against the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) on the so-called jobs for cash scandal that has hit the basic education sector.
“Minister Motshekga has joined opposition parties and colluded with them to engage on a misinformation against Sadtu. Cosatu views these as an attack on the federation itself and will not allow itself to be victimised,” said Ntshalintshali.
The country’s biggest teachers union was fingered in the damning report released on Friday, which showed revealed the union’s level of control over the sector, and said there was grounds for criminal charges of corruption for determining who gets hired or not at schools in six of South Africa’s nine provinces.
The Democratic Alliance requested that Sadtu be hauled before the Parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education.
Regarding Gordhan, Cosatu accused him of “reviewing and misrepresenting” the policies of the ANC.
“He has continuously used public servants as a scapegoat for the country’s economic woes and his austerity measures are hitting the working class.”
Ntshalintshali said the Treasury and the SA Reserve Bank were the “biggest obstacles” to government’s economic programme and both needed to be brought into line.
“The position taken by the Treasury with regard to public service vacancies, means that vacancies in hospitals at the level of administrative staff, potters and gardeners are going to be eliminated… we are ready to campaign in opposition to the Treasury’s austerity measures.”
African News Agency