It is rather rich for Cosatu to now be shouting from the treetops that 9.3-million people need jobs. Me and some of my colleagues in the labour portfolio in parliament spent much of 2018 warning the ANC and Cosatu that we should be expecting a “jobs bloodbath” during 2019. We outlined very carefully that the harsh labour regulatory regime, coupled with enormous corruption, will create an environment whereby employees will be retrenched in their thousands. We then went on to outline that the advent of the national minimum wage would take that environment one step further to create the perfect storm. Even Treasury warned that the minimum wage could lead to the loss of 750,000 jobs. I specifically stated on numerous occasions to Cosatu during parliamentary hearings that they must not complain thereafter as the implementation of the national minimum wage and the consequent retrenchments would not be “unintended consequences”. We in the DA specifically outlined that there should be a min...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.