Your editorial, "Hard facts at last", welcomes Cosatu's decision to set up expert panels to take forward the "pro-poor and pro-worker" policy decisions from Polokwane, as you correctly characterise them.

Your editorial, "Hard facts at last", welcomes Cosatu's decision to set up expert panels to take forward the "pro-poor and pro-worker" policy decisions from Polokwane, as you correctly characterise them.

But you then claim Cosatu has "failed to provide" any details for its policy proposals and challenge our experts to "add hard facts to the federation's often airy-fairy proposals".

We would be happy to test in Sowetan any policy proposals we have put forward. Much research and discussion went into developing them and we believe they are practical and affordable. You may disagree with our proposals, but then you need to debate them on their merits, not dismiss them as "airy-fairy".

Examples of our proposals:

l For an industrial strategy aimed at changing the structure of the economy, promoting manufacturing for the region and domestic market, beneficiation of our raw materials and promoting labour intensive production;

l A developmental fiscal and monetary policy, including introduction of a progressive taxation system, to reduce the burden on the poor, proposals to ensure proper investment in infrastructure and development of our people;

l Introduction of national health insurance, free health care and a universal basic income grant;

We look forward to debating these proposals, then let your readers judge the merits.

Neil Coleman, Cosatu Secretariat