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Cosatu disappointed with the Budget Speech

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Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says it is disappointed with the budget that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana presented on Wednesday. It says the budget is not bold enough to resolve the country’s economic challenges.

The labour federation also says an anticipated 1.8% Gross Domestic Product growth trajectory over the medium-term will not see any reduction in unemployment.

Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla says, ” We feel this was an extremely disappointing budget. Old promises were repeated and the budget continued on its austerity trajectory and was devoid of any new policy intervention to resolve the issue of economic stagnation. There is no plan to create jobs or fight corruption. There is no plan to stop the leakage of 10% of the budget being lost. Even the 800 billion infrastructure spending without a plan to stop the leakages it will be stolen. And SOE’s have no funding model.”

Meanwhile, South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general-secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi has called on government to ensure that it budgets for sufficient increases for workers’ wages and the employment of more teachers, nurses and police officials.

Vavi says government continues with budget cuts. Saftu marched to Parliament ahead of Godongwana’s Budget Speech.

Vavi says they’ve got nothing from the budget .

“We’re getting nothing out of this budget. We call, for example, that the government must reverse the budget cuts and increase the spending on critical areas of service delivery, we’re not getting that. The budget is an austerity budget. It’s budget cuts left, right and centre. We call for the introduction of a monthly universal basic income grant, we’re not getting that. We call for the overhaul of the economy so that it can be based solely on meeting the most basic needs of our people for jobs, redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor though a combination of interventions, we’re not getting that,” says Vavi.

Budget 2022 | Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivers the 2022 budget speech:

 

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