A shutdown just a platform for Vavi and his minority trade union to gain some relevance – expert

The SA Federation of Trade Unions’ (Saftu ) national shutdown scheduled for tomorrow is irresponsible, reckless and likely to disrupt the already battered economy.

This is according to economist Prof Bonke Dumisa who was critical of the shutdown and its organisers, particularly Saftu’s general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.

“This Saftu thing is just a platform for Vavi and his minority trade union to gain some relevance. It is plain irresponsible and reckless on his part and their part.

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“He does not care about this economy. This is our economy and people cannot play games with it and say they are trying to irritate the ANC ruling party by destroying it,” said Dumisa.

He said it was fortunate the shutdown would not affect the economy in any significant way because he does not think people have any time for Saftu.

He said people have seen such sideshows, where they are encouraged not to go to work while the union people are getting paid.

“It is not taking the country anywhere. I don’t think there are many people who are going to seriously join this shutdown .”

He said the shutdown does not make sense. “We cannot create jobs because the economic situation is not great.

Even though we had a very small increase in our economic growth rate in the first quarter, purely because it was against a weaker quarter before, we expect the negative economic rate for the second quarter.”

Dumisa added that the second quarter was significantly affected by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal which shut the Toyota Prospecton Plant which accounts for greater parts of the economic growth in terms of manufacturing.

“Retail sales have been contracting for June because people cannot afford to buy because of the high inflation rate and a very high unemployment rate.

When against all those things, then you say you are going to have an economic shutdown. It is a self-defeating thing; you are going to bring down the productivity levels in the country that are already very down.”

Vavi said the shutdown should be seen as the beginning of mobilising of the working class, not as an isolated incident aimed at just maximum publicity for anybody.

He said the shutdown was not aimed at being a one-day strike but a continued strike to force the government to accept the economic programmes they have pursued for 28 years have only reproduced unemployment and inequality.

“We are going to move more and do the same in sustaining the same programmes of action for a long period as it is necessary to force the government to change,” he said.

Although Vavi anticipated the shutdown would send a strong message to the government, he admitted the outcomes may not be immediate.

“We cannot think Wednesday will stop the government. This is class -based action, the cost of living is not a matt er for black workers anymore, and it is for everybody. The middle class cannot cope,” he said.

“You don’t want a government that is going to start changing when there’s nothing to change anymore,” he said.

– lungam@citizen.co.za