National spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said that this was what happened when there was a government that was hellbent on implementing a framework of policies that did not place employment creation as a priority.
A screengrab of Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla. Picture: YouTube.
CAPE TOWN – Cosatu said that the latest unemployment figures were depressing but at the same time, it was not surprised.
According to Statistics South Africa, 2.2 million jobs were cut between April and June this year across the country.
National spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said that this was what happened when there was a government that was hellbent on implementing a framework of policies that did not place employment creation as a priority.
He said that the rising unemployment rate was already at a catastrophic scale, even in the first quarter.
“These are depressing numbers but we are not shocked. When the Finance Minister set out the budget, we predicted that this was going to happen, that the economy was not going to be resuscitated but it was going to be suffocated. The job losses are the flag for the choices we’ve made as a country over the last couple of months.”
Pamla said that the situation called for a bold economic recovery plan that would have a specific focus on job creation through labor-intensive projects.
“Behind those numbers are people with livelihoods being destroyed. We need a sense of urgency, we need to plug the loopholes but we also need a hands-on government that is going to inject new money into the economy to work with all social partners to find ways of actually making sure that we all of the decisions of Nedlac are implemented.”
