The labour market and the apparent elevation of the narrow sectional interests of Cosatu are hurting the unemployed. Last week Statssa released the Labour Force Survey for the third quarter. Unemployment had risen to 24.5 percent (from 23.6 in the second quarter) and, even more disturbing, the total number of employed fell 484,000 to 12.885Continue reading “Unemployment – there are policy choices to be made”
Category Archives: labour market
Those aren’t Polokwane chickens!
I was dreading yesterday’s mini-budget. Firstly the objective conditions were against us. It was clear that the Great Recession was going to squeeze revenue – and therefore the space available for the new Minister of Finance to operate in. As it turns out, lower revenue and higher than expected expenditure has pushed the estimated deficitContinue reading “Those aren’t Polokwane chickens!”
Signs of light as new old guard curbs Polokwane ideological excess
It is a small sign, but hopeful and interesting. In the last week: Billy Masetlha has drawn on deep ANC traditions to argue that the role Cosatu and the SACP are playing threatens the ANC’s ability to lead all classes and groups in South Africa. He has restated a clear premise of traditional ANC thinking:Continue reading “Signs of light as new old guard curbs Polokwane ideological excess”
It is impossible to avoid: Cosatu is the enemy of the unemployed
Let’s be clear here. Cosatu might oppose unemployment, but that is an abstraction and Cosatu’s opposition is largely symbolic and ineffectual. It is the interests and strivings of the unemployed themselves that Cosatu actively works to counter. It’s obvious really. Cosatu is a federation of trade unions. A trade union is the representative of employed people, asContinue reading “It is impossible to avoid: Cosatu is the enemy of the unemployed”
The striking times in which we live
A couple of things about the current wave of strikes. Firstly, a strike entails costs for all parties involved in the collective bargaining process. We tend to think of the costs to the company and the customers of the company. But equally significant costs are born by the union and its members. Generally they don’tContinue reading “The striking times in which we live”
Nic Borain 