COSATU+threatens+strikes+over+jobs,+Amy+Musgrave,+Business+Day

Business Day, Johannesburg, 29 June 2006
=Cosatu threatens strikes over jobs=


 * Amy Musgrave, Political Correspondent**

THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has threatened to hold strikes for two or three days a week in protest against the slow growth of formal employment.

Cosatu’s move comes barely two months after it organised a general strike on May 18 in support of the Jobs and Poverty Campaign. The campaign was condemned by, among others, Business Unity SA on grounds that the economy required all stakeholders to avert any action that might affect the objectives of creating jobs.

On Tuesday, Statistics SA said a mere 9000 jobs were created in the formal nonfarming sectors in the first quarter, despite robust economic growth.

Cosatu pointed out that the quarterly employment statistics also said formal employment rose about 300000 in the year to March this year.

This is about half as fast as required to meet the target of halving unemployment by 2014.

Cosatu said the growth spurt of the past few years had done far too little to benefit the majority.

Commenting on the jobs statistics, Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said yesterday that economic growth continued to enrich a minority, without “denting unemployment or creating decent work on the scale needed to address the massive national crisis of joblessness and poverty”.

Cosatu’s central executive committee has asked its members to debate the new call for strikes “for as long as it takes to get a response to our demands”.

The federation is to hold its national congress on September 18 to 21, where the matter will dominate the agenda.


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/national.aspx?ID=BD4A223788**

269 words