President Thabo Mbeki denied on Thursday that any stakeholder, including the trade union movement, had been sidelined in the preparations leading up to the Growth and Development Summit (GDS).
Replying to questions in the National Assembly, he said the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) was the central organising unit for the summit, and union leaders had attended all of the council’s preparatory meetings.
”There cannot be any question of marginalisation, unless they subtracted themselves from that preparatory process at Nedlac. So I am quite certain that there cannot be any substance to that [claims they were side-lined],” the president said.
The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) complained over the weekend that the union federation, as part of the tripartite alliance, had been ”completely isolated” in the run-up to Saturday’s summit.
This, it said, was in spite of a resolution of the alliance’s Ekurhuleni Summit of 2002 that the African National Congress, SA Communist Party and Cosatu would lead the preparations.
Mbeki said the summit was the start of a protracted process to develop a people’s contract.
In a prepared reply to a parliamentary question, he said it would allow government and social partners to agree on a shared vision for economic growth and social development.
”Further, the summit expresses a realisation that government on its own cannot create enough jobs, address the challenge of increasing investment or resolve the skills constraints on its own,” he said.
Representatives from government, business and labour are to meet in Johannesburg on Saturday for the summit, aimed at forging agreement on growth, investment and job creation.
The stakeholders have been negotiating on various agreements and action plans ahead of the meeting.
Mbeki said all parties attending had agreed on the approach to the summit.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said in a statement that with less than 48 hours to the start of the summit, every indication was that it would be a non-event, much like the Jobs Summit of 1998.
”Saturday’s summit looks to be yet another expensive non-event,” DA jobs spokesperson Mark Lowe said.
”A blanket of silence has descended over what should be a clear, concise plan of action to get South Africa back to work,” he said.
United Democratic Movement president Bantu Holomisa said the summit was merely an ”exercise in futility and a waste of taxpayer’s money”.
”The exclusion of other stakeholders, including other political parties, at the summit illustrates how the ruling party intends to use this gathering for despicable electioneering,” he said.
No political parties have been invited to the summit. ‒ Sapa