COSATU: No surprises in #Budget2017
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) says there were no surprises in finance minister Pravin Gordhan's budget speech that was tabled in Parliament yesterday.
"The minister generally continued to do the usual balancing act; and also stuck to the same mechanisms of incremental or piecemeal reform that have not worked," the union says in a statement.
COSATU adds that the emphasis on growth takes the country back to the assumption that economic growth will result in jobs.
"It is unlikely that there will be transformation of the economy or restructuring as set out in the RDP because high or lower growth would not result in transformation," COSATU says.
The union believes the budget is ambiguous about whether or not radical transformation is possible, and if so, how and when it will be accomplished.
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"The budget reflects government's lack of a coherent integrated and targeted job protection and creation plan that would ensure that all South Africans are employed. We need to create at least 100 000 jobs per month and increasingly the jobs being offered to South Africans, especially low skilled workers are temporary, low wage and through labour brokers," the union says.
COSATU has however acknowledged the work done by the Departments of Trade and Industry and Economic Development to protect and support key economic sectors like textiles, car manufacturing and agriculture.
"We are happy that thousands of jobs have been protected and created there. However, we remain deeply disappointed that government's job creation programmes seem to be left to these badly under resourced departments," the union says.