THE Democratic Alliance says Cosatu's inflexibility on the youth wage subsidy will harm the chances of unemployed young people from entering the job market.
DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said yesterday she had requested a meeting with Cosatu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi to discuss the high level of youth unemployment and the need for innovative solutions to address the challenge.
"Cosatu's decision to decline a meeting to discuss youth unemployment and the continued delay in the implementation of the youth subsidy points to a growing contradiction in the labour federation.
"On one hand they oppose corruption ande-tolling, which hurts the poor the hardest, but on the other hand (they) continue to oppose a policy which will create an estimated 423,000 jobs for young unemployed South Africans,"Mazibuko said.
Cosatu argued that it saw no benefit in discussing these issues with the DA, "with whom we have fundamental ideological differences on many issues, such as their support for privatisation of public services and labour brokering".
"The basis for these differences are rooted in the fact that while Cosatu represents the working class and the poor, the DA speaks for big business, the wealthy and the privileged.
"We will never agree with the DA's policy on the youth wage subsidy, which is a completely bogus attempt to solve the problem of youth unemployment," Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said.
Cosatu has rejected the youth wage subsidy on the basis that employers would retrench older workers with the sole objective of accessing a subsidy that the government would make available to companies that employ young people.
The wage subsidy is being discussed at the National Economic Development and Labour Council, (Nedlac) where national Treasury has submitted the plan, but Cosatu has raisedconcerns.
DA slams Cosatu stand on youth wage subsidy
THE Democratic Alliance says Cosatu's inflexibility on the youth wage subsidy will harm the chances of unemployed young people from entering the job market.
DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said yesterday she had requested a meeting with Cosatu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi to discuss the high level of youth unemployment and the need for innovative solutions to address the challenge.
"Cosatu's decision to decline a meeting to discuss youth unemployment and the continued delay in the implementation of the youth subsidy points to a growing contradiction in the labour federation.
"On one hand they oppose corruption ande-tolling, which hurts the poor the hardest, but on the other hand (they) continue to oppose a policy which will create an estimated 423,000 jobs for young unemployed South Africans,"Mazibuko said.
Cosatu argued that it saw no benefit in discussing these issues with the DA, "with whom we have fundamental ideological differences on many issues, such as their support for privatisation of public services and labour brokering".
"The basis for these differences are rooted in the fact that while Cosatu represents the working class and the poor, the DA speaks for big business, the wealthy and the privileged.
"We will never agree with the DA's policy on the youth wage subsidy, which is a completely bogus attempt to solve the problem of youth unemployment," Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said.
Cosatu has rejected the youth wage subsidy on the basis that employers would retrench older workers with the sole objective of accessing a subsidy that the government would make available to companies that employ young people.
The wage subsidy is being discussed at the National Economic Development and Labour Council, (Nedlac) where national Treasury has submitted the plan, but Cosatu has raisedconcerns.
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