Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - The National Union of Mineworkers, one of South Africa's largest trade unions on Sunday slated the government's new growth plan as a rehash of past policy.
Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel released a New Growth Path economic strategy for SA last week.
The Num NEC described the strategy as "largely, a recycled Growth, Employment and Redistribution strategy (GEAR)".
The NEC opposed the "notions of wage caps and wage moderation which loom large in the new growth document".
"We feel that this will widen the gap between the rich and the poor and that income distribution will be a pipedream," Baleni said.
The Num, speaking after its national executive committee meeting, also called on government, particularly the Economic Development Ministry, to "engage more and be flexible so as to avoid the jobless economic growth of the past".
It also said that the ANC, SA Communist Party and Cosatu should avoid public spats and work to safeguard the tripartite alliance.
"(Parties) must not wash each other's dirty linen in public at the alliance summit in January," Num general secretary Frans Baleni said in statement.
"Num is fully behind the ANC's 2011 local government election campaign and would lead the way in ensuring that the masses of South Africans vote for the ANC," Baleni said.
The Num NEC also hoped the South African mining industry learned from the New Zealand mine explosion earlier this month, where 29 miners were killed.
"We hope that the mining industry in South Africa has learnt what happens when methane gas is allowed to accumulate with insufficient ventilation in place," Baleni said.
Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel released a New Growth Path economic strategy for SA last week.
The Num NEC described the strategy as "largely, a recycled Growth, Employment and Redistribution strategy (GEAR)".
The NEC opposed the "notions of wage caps and wage moderation which loom large in the new growth document".
"We feel that this will widen the gap between the rich and the poor and that income distribution will be a pipedream," Baleni said.
The Num, speaking after its national executive committee meeting, also called on government, particularly the Economic Development Ministry, to "engage more and be flexible so as to avoid the jobless economic growth of the past".
It also said that the ANC, SA Communist Party and Cosatu should avoid public spats and work to safeguard the tripartite alliance.
"(Parties) must not wash each other's dirty linen in public at the alliance summit in January," Num general secretary Frans Baleni said in statement.
"Num is fully behind the ANC's 2011 local government election campaign and would lead the way in ensuring that the masses of South Africans vote for the ANC," Baleni said.
The Num NEC also hoped the South African mining industry learned from the New Zealand mine explosion earlier this month, where 29 miners were killed.
"We hope that the mining industry in South Africa has learnt what happens when methane gas is allowed to accumulate with insufficient ventilation in place," Baleni said.
