Cosatu: Job losses will continue in 2010

It will be a black Christmas for about five million South Africans this year after the devastating economic crisis, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said in Johannesburg on Thursday.

“And job losses will continue in 2010. We predict that even with improvement and growth of economy, it will be the same,” said Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi at a media conference.

“Workers lost jobs left, right and centre in frightening numbers this year ...

and South Africa today is officially the world leader in terms of inequality.”

He said the increasing levels of poverty had sparked service-delivery protests in one community after another.

“The blatant levels of inequality undoubtedly fuel these protests ... making communities even angrier is the continuing evidence of corruption, especially when the culprits are those who are supposed to be representing them as mayors, councillors or public servants,” said Vavi.

He said Batho Pele (People First) remained a distant dream for millions of poor people who depend on the state for life’s necessities.

“Despite the dedicated work of the majority of public servants, a minority of lazy, corrupt or rude staff can lead to the absolute opposite of service.”

The trade union federation wanted to invite government to a new campaign to “establish a new culture of service to the public” among all civil servants.—Sapa