Vavi+lashes+out+at+newspapers,+News24



=Vavi lashes out at newspapers=

News24, 28/06/2005 19:42 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Congress of SA Trade Unions secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi has accused certain newspapers of being "part of a faction of the African National Congress".

Vavi was speaking at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg on Tuesday, after a lecture in honour of slain SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani.

"They (the newspapers) are the first to tell us who met with whom and who will be fired - and they are not wrong because they are informed all the time."

Vavi named the Sunday Times, Business Day, Mail and Guardian and City Press.

"Where is the working class media?" he asked.

In his address, Vavi said that were Hani still alive, he would have been part of Monday's strike protest "supporting the demands of workers for jobs and in condemnation of casualisation, poverty wages and huge inequalities that remain firmly in place".

"He would be astonished by the levels of unemployment," said Vavi.

"He too would have joined the calls that the next decade be declared the workers' decade in economic terms."
 * Job creation**

In August, Cosatu's central committee would seek to refine its demands on industrial policy.

"Our basic demand has long been that business and government focus all their efforts on employment creation."

Vavi called for a greater focus on meeting basic needs in the economy, rather than looking exclusively at exports; shifting exports gradually towards more labour-intensive sectors such as food processing, plastics and services; and ensuring a competitive exchange rate and appropriate tariff regime.

"At the same time we must provide more resources and services for poor communities, so as to open the door to new kinds of economic activities," said Vavi.


 * From: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Politics/0,,2-7-12_1728697,00.html**