YCLSA SUPPORTS THE COSATU Socio-Economic Strike
Dloze Matooane
Young Communist League of South Africa
Press Statement, 06 October 2020
YCLSA SUPPORTS THE COSATU Socio-Economic Strike
The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] supports the COSATU National Day of Action and calls upon all progressive forces to join progressive Socio-Economic Strike by organized labour on the 7th of October 2020.
Covid-19 and the nationwide lockdown imposed by the South African government at the end of March 2020 has exposed a long-standing reality that socio-economic inequalities in our society are in fact socio-economic injustices emanating from the unjust reality of the capitalist system. According to the latest quarterly labour survey released by the national statistical service, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), young people account for almost half of those who lost their jobs, and the nationwide lockdown which restricted the movement of people has reduced the number of people that are considered to be economically active in the labour market. This reality coupled with the National Stress Index that has doubled to 40% reflect a socio-economic crisis which needs radical socio-economic transformation and not neoliberal austerity measures.
The neoliberal ambuscade sponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the South African government is a solution to expand and deepen the crisis – it is not a solution to address the socio-economic injustices which befell our country. The National Treasury has consistently copied wrong documents which are not relevant to the South Africa economic situation such as the proposed policy document by the National Treasury copied from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the budget speech which was effortlessly copied from the country report of the Article IV Board consultation report by the IMF. The Article IV Board country consultation report is a misdiagnosis of the South African reality, asserting the crisis to be a structural impediment to growth emanating from high expenditure despite weakening revenue performance and state-owned enterprise (SOE) bailouts.
Fallaciously, the agreement between South Africa and the IMF is formulated on the basis of maintaining medium term debt sustainability, through a growth friendly and expenditure based fiscal consolidation by reductions in the public wage bill and fiscal contingencies from SOEs, coupled with improved tax administration and compliance. This misdiagnosis is a direct attack on the working class and a holiday package for the monopolies that should rather take the responsibility for the economic crisis.
This agreement is the foundation of the attack on the working class by the National Treasury through deliberate intentions to erode collective bargaining agreements and defy existing labour laws such as the Occupational Health and Safety act. It is an amazing reality that money for illicit Covid-19 tender processes related to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) procurement was paid for and workers cannot be paid salaries that were agreed upon. The root of corruption in this country emerges from the failure to build internal state capacity through an effective and developmental public service and outsourcing government responsibilities to tenderpreneurs that are hellbent on looting state resources.
As the YCLSA, we will join the COSATU National Socio-Economic Strike to call for the abolition of the tender system to build internal state capacity by employing women and young people, for the South African Reserve Bank to invest in job creating and building the South African economy, to protect collective bargaining and labour laws, to reject the renewed relationship between the National Treasury and IMF, and to call on the government to implement a compulsory National Youth Service to reduce youth unemployment.
The YCLSA will fight side by side with organized labour for a radical National Youth Policy, the implementation of the National Health Insurance, and against the scourge of Gender Based Violence and femicide.
Issued by the Young Communist League of South Africa [ufasimba]
For Inquiries contact:
Dloze Matooane
National Spokesperson
066 570 3902
Whatsapp: 0826920127
Email: dmdma...@gmail.com
Dineo Mokoena
Media and Liaison
073 969 8532