Volume 11, No.1 - Feb-May 2002

Cosatu newsC

Exco Report
The labour job creation trust
Cosatu Spokeperson

 

The COSATU Executive Committee (Exco) met on 27-28 February 2002 and passed resolutions on a broad range of organisational, political, socio-economic and international issues.

Tripartite alliance
The Exco received a report on two bilateral meetings with the ANC on 12 January and 9-10 February. These followed a period of tensions between the Alliance partners.

The bilaterals contributed greatly to re-establishing trust between the ANC and COSATU and strengthening the ties between them.
The second meeting is discussion on the theory of the transition and the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) exposed the myth that there were fundamental differences that cannot be bridged.

There were however many areas of policy that required further discussion and these continued at the 10-a-side Alliance meeting on 9-10 March and the Alliance summit on 3-7 April.
The meeting agreed that to avoid the re-emergence of tensions, we needed to ensure that frank and open political debate was sustained. The new environment would allow deeper and more rigorous debate without anyone feeling targeted for attack.

The Exco reaffirmed that the Alliance is the only vehicle capable of driving social transformation but that to achieve this it must be fully functioning, with clear structures and processes and agreed socio-economic policies which will take forward our shared vision of the NDR and a thoroughgoing, radical transformation of society.

Engagement with government and business
Exco agreed that, parallel to these Alliance processes, COSATU and its affiliates should continue engaging with government, in forums such as Nedlac, the Presidential Working Group (PWG) on Labour, the Millennium Labour Council (MLC), and various proposed summits, including the important bilaterals on restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the proposed audit of the democratic state.

In all these processes of engagement Exco agreed that COSATU would remain committed to the central objectives of thoroughgoing transformation, the eradication of poverty, addressing unemployment and extreme inequality.
The government must begin meaningful engagement in all forums where this is not currently happening,
including Nedlac's Public Finance and Monetary Policy Chambers. We also need to clarify the role of the PWG in supporting these engagement processes.

Economic summit
Exco discussed the government's announcement that it is to hold a Growth Summit, which appears to arise in part out of COSATU's long-standing demand for an economic CODESA. Government first agreed to the summit in response to COSATU ís presentation at a PWG meeting in December 2001.

Exco was still unclear, however, what government would bring to the table. A major problem is that the economics ministers seem unwilling to accept any explicit admission that their policies have been problematic.
They are especially resistant to changes in the fiscal policy, export orientation and privatisation. It was agreed that if we are to create the climate for building a new national consensus, no areas of economic policy should be non-negotiable.

Any broad agreement or proposed social accord needs to be measured against agreed objectives, in particular whether it addresses the crisis of poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
The working class must not be expected to bear the burden of any proposed accord, or to make all the
compromises.

Opposition parties
Exco noted the attempts by the UDM, PAC, DA and AZAPO to bend over backwards to try to win COSATU to their side and opportunistically appropriate COSATU demands and policies. This reflected both their political bankruptcy and failure to appeal to the majority and the strength of COSATU's political muscle.
Exco agreed that their opportunism should not distract attention from the validity and legitimacy of COSATU's proposals on issues such as the Basic Income Grant, HIV/Aids, economic alternatives etc., which reflect the views and concerns of our broad constituency.

Campaigns and mobilisation
It was agreed that the Alliance and COSATU's broad allies in civil society need to look at a joint programme of mass mobilisation, including the Letsema programme, the People's Summit, the campaign to transform the financial sector, privatisation and the defence of the public sector.

General strike against privatisation
It was agreed that while the proposed strike action against privatisation would not take place in the first quarter of 2002 as planned, workers would remain mobilised for strike action later this year, if progress is not made on this issue. Suspension of the strike was to give an opportunity for serious engagement to proceed, and agreement to be reached.
Exco agreed to evaluate whether sufficient progress has been made to enable us to call the strike off. There needs to be a reciprocal commitment from government to suspend any unilateral action over privatisation, which would damage the possibilities of making meaningful progress.

Letsema campaign
Exco resolved to give full support to the ANC's year of the volunteer and urged its members to participate in each monthís specific campaign. The Letsema campaign will contribute immensely to putting our people at the centre of the transformation process and help to defeat the rampant culture of individualism and careerism.
Exco decided to link its own campaigns through the Letsema campaign, notably the campaign to defend the centrality of the state in the economy and broader transformation. During the youth development month, COSATU will highlight the problem of youth unemployment and its proposal for youth brigades to address this problem.

International
Exco agreed that the Alliance should agree on a joint approach to unfolding events in Zimbabwe, particularly during the post-elections period, given the threat to democracy. Further, the alliance must develop a common perspective on NEPAD before the African Union Summit in July.

Organisational questions
Exco received reports from all affiliates about the steps they are taking in the organisational review process agreed to by last year's Central Committee. This is an important process to strengthen internal organisation, which must, above all, strengthen worker control and service. We need to develop concrete campaigns to give members confidence that we are strengthening our organisations and can protect and support them.

Report of COSATU Central Executive Committee,
April 2002
The first Central Executive Committee (CEC) of 2002 met from 23-25 April to discuss a set of organisational, political, socio-economic and international questions. It took place in the backdrop of an Alliance Summit that had laid the basis to unify the Alliance and to discuss the issues that have divided us for some time. It also took place in the context of a worsening jobs crisis, with the latest Labour Force Survey showing a frightening increase in the unemployment rate. At the same time, inflation has accelerated, mostly because of the increase in food prices with a devastating impact on workers and the poor in general.

The CEC agreed that the current approach of raising interest rates does not address this problem, but will aggravate unemployment and falling investment.

The rise in food prices means that the cost of living for workers is rising faster than the CPI, and we expect wage increases to reflect this. The CEC resolved to pursue even more vigorously COSATU's proposals at Nedlac for measures to moderate food inflation. It called on the Reserve Bank to refrain from interest rate increases, which do not address the real causes of rising prices.

The Alliance Summit
The CEC assessed the Alliance Summit held from 4-7 April. (See the report on pages 12 - 16 ). It was agreed that it had created a climate for constructive and comradely debate between the Alliance partners.

World Summit on Sustainable Development
The CEC agreed that the labour movement must play a leading role in the Civil Society Summit, which is meeting alongside the official World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
COSATU is actively and constructively participating in the Civil Society Forum and will assist the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in the planned interventions in the Summit.

COSATU will focus on building the world social movement around the transformation of global financial and trade relations including core labour standards, qualitative improvement in employment, basic social services and social protection, and ensuring that the cost of environmental measures are not pushed onto the poor.
The CEC committed the federation and its alliance partners to take a leading role in the summitís activities, to express the people's need for sustainable development. We aim to raise issues of importance to workers and the poor countries of the world in a disciplined and constructive manner, through both discussions and demonstrations.

HIV/AIDS
The CEC noted government's pronouncements on HIV/AIDS which have given us renewed hope that our society will unite across all sectors to combat the HIV/AIDS scourge. Mark Heywood, general secretary of the TAC, addressed the CEC on the science and debates around HIV/AIDS, including anti retroviral drugs and mother-to-child transmission.
The CEC agreed to redouble its effort and commitment to combat HIV/AIDS both in the workplace and in broader society and to that end, resolved to:

Higher Education
The CEC considered a report on proposals by the National Working Group on reorganisation of Higher Education. COSATU supports the need to change the higher education landscape and the transformation of higher education in general. This should result in an integrated and non-racial higher education system. Some of the key concerns however are the need to protect jobs and to ensure that students from working class communities have access to the higher education system. During an initial meeting with the Department of Education it was agreed to:

The New partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and African Union
Trade and Industry Minister, Alec Erwin, NEPAD Secretariat member, Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, Government Communications Director, Joel Netshitenze and Wits University economist, Professor Patrick Bond, addressed the CEC on NEPAD and the African Union.

After a very thorough discussion the CEC agreed that COSATU should embrace the broad principle of the need for Africans to undertake an initiative to ensure better governance, end conflicts and embark on sustainable development.

The continent needs to put an end to wars, coups, military dictatorships, and permanent indebtedness. Ways must be found for Africans to develop the continent's resources for the benefit of the African people and to strengthen the role of civil society. The CEC believed that the transformation of Africa could only happen if it is driven by its people. There was a strong feeling that the NEPAD plan has been developed only through discussions between governments and business organisations, leaving the people far behind. The CEC decided to engage with government, in collaboration with our trade union colleagues in the rest of Africa, to bring about changes to the NEPAD to address the needs of Africa's workers and poor. To begin this process COSATU would be asking for NEPAD to be put on the agenda of the Presidential Working Group and looking into the possibility of holding an all-Africa trade union conference. The CEC raised concerns about the economic proposals in the NEPAD, in particular the need to ensure that macro-economic governance does not stray too far towards stabilisation, at the cost of growth and employment creation.

It noted the emphasis on privatisation in the section on infrastructure which ignores the reality that privatised services will not serve the poor on our continent.
The CEC decided that we should open a broader discussion on NEPAD within the structures of the movement. The Exco meeting at the end of May was given a mandate to pronounce COSATU stance on the contents of NEPAD.

South Korea
The CEC endorsed a campaign by the Southern Initiative on Globalisation and Trade Union Rights against the vicious repression of the South Korean trade unions led by the KCTU, which has been fighting against the privatisation of electricity production. The President of the KCTU has been in jail now for close to seven months. COSATU would support the planned general strike called by the KCTU and all affiliates would organise solidarity actions.

Palestine
The Palestinian Ambassador to South Africa addressed the CEC on the unfolding situation in Palestine. (See report on Page 44). The CEC reaffirmed COSATU's support for the struggle of the Palestinian people and held a lunchtime demonstration to highlight their plight.

Zimbabwe
The CEC considered a report on the Presidential elections in Zimbabwe and resolved to support the initiative by the South African and Nigerian governments to build unity of all stakeholders behind the need to tackle Zimbabwe's socio- economic challenges. Further the CEC resolved to all on the Zimbabwean government to stop victimising the trade unions in Zimbabwe.

NUM 20th Anniversary
The CEC saluted the NUM on its 20th anniversary and wished it many more years in the struggle to raise the standard of living of workers in the mining and construction industry.


Finally the CEC congratulated Santos Football Club for winning the PSL.


Zwelinzima Vavi, COSATU General Secretary and Editor-in-Chief of The Shopsteward, has been appointed to a 21-person World Commission on the Social Dimensions of Globalisation.
His appointment is yet another tribute to the relentless struggles waged by the South African workers in general, and COSATU in particular, against the apartheid system and for justice for all in the current transitional period.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched this top-level Commission, comprising presidents, politicians, academics, social experts and a Nobel economics laureate. Two Heads of State - President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania and Finnish President Tarja Halonen - will serve as co-chairs, acting in their personal capacity, the first time that an independent Commission has been co-chaired by two sitting heads of state.

The Commission will, for the first time, address the social dimension of globalisation. In its effort to formulate concrete actions to guide and shape the process of globalisation, it will also:

"Its ultimate goal is to use the process of globalisation as a resource to reduce poverty and unemployment and foster growth and sustainable development," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. "The Commission is an unprecedented effort to promote international dialogue on ideas to make globalisation more inclusive, at a time when the debate is dominated more by polemics and preconceptions than by facts."

"For COSATU," said Zwelinzima Vavi, "the World Commission provides an opportunity for a serious input into the global debate about fighting growing poverty and inequality. Hundreds of millions of workers have felt the pain, but not seen the gain, of globalisation.
"We must tackle at global level the need for new economic and social policies, able to secure decent work for the billion citizens of the earth who survive on less than $1 a day."


 

At the Presidential Job Summit in 1998, COSATU, FEDUSA and NACTU called on their members to make a financial contribution by sacrificing a day's wage to create jobs. So far about R88 million has been collected. The Job Creation Trust, after developing procedures that will ensure that not a single cent of worker's hard earned wages is misused, have now got the ball rolling.

Projects approved are:

Free State:
Centre for uplifting Rural Communities,
Boitelo National Aids Council,
Nthabiseng Joint Agricultural Project,
Bongo Meat and Vegetables,
Tsohang Garden Project,
creating in total 241 jobs.

Mpumalanga:
Tswakanang Farming Project,
creating 40 jobs, while other projects are being finalised.

Eastern Cape:
Dongwe Community Development Forum,
Christian Harvest Youth Outreach,
Rural Support Services Network,
Ikwezi Lokusa Tourism Village,
Tyatyora Agriculture expansion and irrigation
creating in total 483 jobs.

Northern Province:
Millennium Crèche and ABET,
Matavhela Early Learning Centre,
Baleni Tourism Association,
Lehlabile sewing Project,
Zava Civics Organisation,
Tswelepele Women's Projects
creating in total 120 permanent jobs.

KwaZulu Natal:
Lethukukhanya Women's Organisation,
Sikhethokuhle Crèche,
creating 40 permanent jobs.

Northern Cape:
Green point Community Facility,
Kimberly Business Centre trust,
creating 160 permanent jobs
More than 1000 temporary jobs will be created during the first phase of these projects.

The trustees took a decision that in order to facilitate delivery, priority should be given to provinces that have the highest poverty incidence, and hence projects from Gauteng and Western Cape have not been considered as yet. Trustees are currently considering for approval 20 projects of which the majority are from the North West and KZN.

Assessment of the Alliance Summit

By Oupa Bodibe, COSATU Secretariat Coordinator

The Alliance Summit on 4-7 April 2002, representing leaders of COSATU, ANC, SACP and SANCO, was in many respects historic from COSATU's point view.

It was the first Alliance summit since 1998 and took place against the backdrop of unprecedented tensions within the Alliance, which peaked during the COSATU anti-privatisation campaign.

The Summit was preceded by bilaterals between the ANC and the SACP and between the ANC and COSATU. These helped pave the way for constructive engagement at the summit and created an environment for frank and robust debate.
Equally important, the bilaterals served to recommit the partners to the Alliance and to develop a shared perspective on the tasks and challenges facing the democratic movement in the current phase of the national democratic revolution.

The bilaterals were followed by an Alliance 10-a-side meeting which finalised preparations for the summit.
COSATU prepared well. A successful political school discussed the political challenges confronting the Federation and subsequently, the Central Committee also discussed these political challenges and called upon the Alliance to convene a summit as soon as possible.

COSATU regarded the summit as important and historic, firstly, because suspicion and lack of trust had crept into the ranks of the Alliance due to irregular interaction. This led to the questioning of each others' bona fides.
Secondly, since the introduction of GEAR in 1996, the Alliance had substantial differences over the appropriate economic strategies to place South Africa on an employment generating growth path. The anti-privatisation campaign was the culmination of these differences.

Thirdly, the future of the Alliance itself hung in the balance and divergent conceptual approaches were beginning to emerge.
The Summit represented therefore an important occasion to resolve these differences and to rebuild the Alliance on the basis of a common programme for transformation.

While COSATU correctly had high expectations from the summit, not all of them were met. We placed our faith in the Summit to resolve most of the long standing disputes about economic strategy and the nature of the Alliance.
The Declaration (See pages 9-12) reflects the recommitment to the Alliance by all partners and a commitment to an intense process to conclude debates on economic strategy in preparation to the Growth and Development Summit (GDS). Although the summit did not completely resolve the differences within the Alliance it paved the way for a process of debate to continue.

The agreement that the Alliance should emerge with a common strategy for economic transformation prior to the GDS is an important movement forward. Once the Alliance has developed a common approach to economic transformation, it is also agreed that the Alliance will engage the mass democratic movement.
COSATU had called for a people's summit and this agreement is a fulfilment of that call.

For the first time since 1996 the Alliance will now openly discuss economic questions and agree on a common strategy. The GDS itself opens the window to forge a new consensus to address South Africa's pressing problems of unemployment, poverty and inequality.

Further, the commitment to regular meetings and consultation will provide an opening to ensure that the Alliance drives transformation. How this should be expressed in practice remains a hotly debated matter within the Alliance, as demonstrated at the summit.

The summit did not however address the issues that led to conflict within the Alliance - the dispute around privatisation has not been resolved. Further, the summit has not agreed on ways to tackle the job loss bloodbath. So it is important that agreement is reached within the Alliance on how these issues should be tackled before the GDS.
Agreement to engage further on these questions does not presuppose that we will succeed in all respects. The Federation

is thus confronted with the challenge to fully prepare for debate on economic transformation, to address unemployment, poverty and inequality. This includes, firstly, building all-round capacity to engage with the complex questions of economic transformation.

Secondly, we need to take our members along with us reporting back and seeking mandates when the actual discussions begin.

Thirdly, nothing will be gained without workers struggles, which are largely responsible for where we find ourselves today. These should be harnessed in the new terrain of engagement to ensure a worker-friendly outcome.
The CEC has recently approved a plan of action to realise the Declaration. This entails an Alliance-led process to discuss economic policy, including establishment of task teams to achieve that aim.

The Alliance Summit of the ANC, SACP, COSATU and SANCO, led by the leadership of the four organisations met in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni
Municipality from 4-7 April 2002. The delegations were made up of members of both the national and provincial/regional leadership of all the organisations.

The objective of the Summit was to assess the current national and global situation, the progress we are making in building a better life for all South Africans and the challenges we face in leading and accelerating the process of social transformation.
This Summit has followed a period in which there were serious tensions within our Alliance through the latter half of 2001.

We have been addressing these problems in a series of constructive bilateral and tripartite meetings, and this Summit is, in part, the product of these engagements. It is noteworthy that the Summit was not at all dominated by these tensions.
The Summit has been characterised by a spirit of open engagement and debate, and by our sense of responsibility to our mass constituency which deeply cherishes the unity of our historic alliance. We have re-affirmed and consolidated our understanding of the profound strategic unity of our Alliance in this Summit.

The National Democratic Revolution

All components of the Alliance agree that the primary task of the current period is the implementation of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). This common objective forms the foundation of the strategic relationship among our organisations. It is a perspective that has been forged in struggle over more than seven decades.

The character of this NDR is articulated in key policy documents such as the Freedom Charter and the Strategy and Tactics Document of the ANC, the strategic objective of which is the creation of a united, non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and democratic society.

The primary task of this epoch is the creation of a national democratic society. All the classes and strata which share this objective, as well as the schools of thought found in the democratic movement, see this as their current strategic objective. There is one NDR, at the core of which is the liberation of black people in general and Africans in particular.

Among these classes and strata, the working class is the leading social motive force.
Informed by this perspective, the Alliance needs regularly to assess progress in the implementation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), and devise ways in which we can accelerate the programmes aimed at eradicating poverty, speeding up economic growth and job-creation and introducing equity in all areas of life.

Domestic Balance of Forces

The Summit agreed that we were meeting in a period in which immense opportunities had opened up for us to accelerate the implementation of our programmes.

The ANC-led Alliance has consolidated critical elements of democracy and it enjoys mass support among the majority of South Africans. There is appreciation among the overwhelming majority - poor and rich, black and white, women and men, young and old, urban and rural, and persons of all religious persuasions - that further decisive steps need to be taken to improve the conditions of life of all the people, especially the poor. This is in the interest of South African society as a whole.

This period is characterised, too, by a creative examination across most sectors of society of the challenge to pool the country's resources, both public and private, in the effort to grow our economy at a faster pace and further improve the material conditions of the country's citizens. The possibility of decisive movement forward is also reflected in the fact that South Africans are increasingly joining hands to affirm our democratic constitutional order and to find ways in which they can make a contribution to national reconstruction and development.

However, these national objectives are hampered by the legacy of concentration of wealth in a few hands and, in some instances, the negative impact of the global financial system on the domestic economy. A combination of these and other factors, including problems of resources and capacity within the state, affect the pace at which we are able to eradicate the conditions of poverty, inequality, acquisition of skills, unemployment, crime, communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS and other social ills.

Critically, we undertake the project of social change in a situation in which the dominant platforms of social discourse, including the media, either do not share or do not fully understand the objectives of the NDR.
Combined with weaknesses in the organisational structures of the Alliance and mass democratic formations, and the tension that gripped the Alliance in the recent period, all these factors can undermine our joint efforts to restructure South African society.

International Balance of Forces

The Summit noted that positive developments had taken place in the global arena in the last few years, allowing for greater assertion of the agenda of developing countries and the poor worldwide. This is however counter-balanced by many unfavourable factors, which we need to continue to engage in the interest of social progress.

The system of global capitalism, including patterns of investment and trade, is deepening the gap between the rich and poor both within and among nations of the world; and there are intermittent financial crises whose negative effect is felt most keenly within developing countries.

While the tendency among the rich nations, in addressing these serious global problems, is to tinker with the margins of the system, there is a growing global movement of developing countries, the working people and progressive elements in all parts of the globe whose voice is starting to make an impact.

We are also encouraged by the new confidence and determination across Africa to mobilise for the reconstruction and development of the continent, improve capacity to carry out such programmes, resolve conflicts, and introduce democratic systems of governance. While there may be difficulties in this trajectory, we are convinced that this historical movement is on the ascendancy.

We recognise our responsibility as the Alliance and the country to assist in strengthening the forces geared towards this objective. In this regard, it is our task responsibly to ensure that the influence and respect that our country enjoys is put to good use in promoting development in our own country, in Africa and among developing countries.
At the same time, we need to protect our nation and our state against strategies aimed at subverting our programme of social transformation, and undermining our independent approach to critical global issues.
Consolidating the Alliance

The Alliance Summit approached its discussion on the character and state of the Alliance fully aware of the critical responsibility we have to lead the process of transformation in our country and contribute to the strengthening of efforts to build a humane world order. Unity, a sense of common purpose, the depth of understanding of our historical mission, activism, loyalty to the people - especially the poor - and commitment to international solidarity and joint action are some of the critical attributes that have placed the Alliance at the head of the forces of change in our country.

We are duty-bound by the realities of our history, the yearning of our people for a better life and the confidence that they have placed in the ANC and other components of the Alliance to ensure that these qualities continue to characterise the relationship among ourselves and our interaction with the motive forces of change, and with society at large.
In elaborating our detailed programmes of action and in managing tensions that may arise among us from time to time, the Alliance partners proceed from the premise that ours is a strategic political Alliance founded on a common national democratic programme. All organisations that are part of the Alliance accept the ANC as the leader of the Alliance.

Managing intra-Alliance relations

Our organisations, though profoundly inter-dependent, are separate organisational formations with their own identities, policy-making mechanisms and internal organisational arrangements. In this regard, each component respects the independence of its allies.

The summit discussed a range of challenges emerging out of managing intra-alliance relations. In general it was agreed that none of these challenges, including the question of multiple mandates and overlapping membership, pose insuperable
problems to the effective management and consolidation of the Alliance. It is a source of strength for the Alliance that many members of one partner are also members of other components.

Having examined the causes and the impact of recent intense public discord among some components of the Alliance, the Summit concluded that this was an unfortunate development which we should not allow to recur. We do acknowledge that it would be artificial to expect that tensions would not exist among and even within components of the Alliance.
The challenge is how we manage them within our constitutional structures, and use them as a catalyst for the growth and maturity of our organisations.

There are, of course, some areas of economic policy in which debate will continue within and among components of the Alliance. These nonetheless should not detract from the substantive areas of agreement on accelerating growth and development. Where there are areas of difference, we are committed to resolving them through ongoing constructive debate and engagement within the context of our Alliance.

Policy development and implementation

It is agreed that the strategic mandate to all our organisations in the current phase derives from our commitment to the NDR as enshrined in the Freedom Charter and the Strategy and Tactics documents of the ANC. Further, the ANC governs on the basis of a broad mandate broadly elaborated in the RDP and Election Manifesto.

The policies and programmes of the Alliance are aimed to give expression to these objectives. It is critical that the process of policy development and implementation is informed on an on-going basis by this collective endeavour. It is agreed that more consistent discussion in the Alliance and tighter co-ordination is important to give effect to our common programme of social transformation. The Summit has directed the leadership of the Alliance to develop effective mechanisms to achieve these objectives. Guidelines will be developed to align these policy processes in a way which enriches, and does not impede, the decision-making processes of government.
Having reflected on all these matters, the Summit has elaborated the following Programme of Action for the coming period.

Programme of action - Accelerating Growth and Development

The core principles of our programme of action

This Alliance Summit has agreed on a comprehensive programme of action (PoA) for accelerating growth and development. The core principles of this PoA are:


A core feature of our programme of action is also addressing other marginalised sectors, such as the youth and the disabled.

Towards a Growth and Development Summit

Over the coming months the Alliance will play an active role in ensuring the eventual success of the Growth and Development Summit announced by the President. The Alliance is committed to leading the process to ensure positive outcomes.

The Alliance agrees that such a Summit should deal with a limited number of key issues, and should focus on concrete measures and specific contributions that each of the eventual participants (government, labour, business and other civil society organisations) will make to growth and development.

This will be located within the framework of a broadly agreed development strategy which integrates our approach to key areas of policy, and may need to be pursued through sectoral summits.
Among the key issues that we agree should be considered for the Growth and
Development Summit are:


In the coming period, the Alliance will take forward the discussions and emerging agreements we have reached on these and other key issues, with a view to presenting unifying perspectives into the Summit. We will also set up processes and task teams, and engage the widest range of MDM and other progressive formations.

This could culminate in a forum, convened by the Alliance, of broad MDM and progressive civil society formations, to create the broadest popular unity in advance of the Growth and Development Summit.
Our PoA for accelerating growth and development is not confined to preparations for, and the eventual convening by government and NEDLAC of, a Growth and Development Summit. Indeed, the success of this Summit itself depends on the ongoing mobilisation of government and popular forces around the following key areas:

Employment
The Summit agreed that addressing the serious problem of unemployment would have to be at the heart of the growth and development strategy. We will develop more comprehensive strategies for employment creation. These need to be supported by more detailed analysis of the patterns of employment, job losses, and opportunities for job creation.
We will integrate the ILO concept of "decent work" - into our programmes. We will also intensify short-term programmes of employment creation.

Economic Restructuring
In order to restructure the economy the Alliance will continue to elaborate the framework for collective economic action, including intensifying the efforts to reorient various sectors of our economy onto an employment-generating growth path, inter alia through the tripartite sector summits involving government business and labour.

Investment
The Alliance is committed to ensuring that the resources in the retirement industry, the life assurance industry and other forms of savings are more effectively mobilised for the provision of social and economic infrastructure, and labour-absorbing economic activities.
We will carry these perspectives through to the Growth and Development Summit, and into the Finance Sector Summit.
We will also actively use the presence of labour representatives on the boards of many of these funds to ensure the more effective strategic use of worker funds.

Skills and human resource development
The Alliance agrees that there is the need to intensify human resource development.
Specifically, in the area of skills development, we will ensure through government and through the trade union movement that there is increased participation and the much more effective mobilisation of the SETAs. SETAs represent a major potential asset in our PoA for accelerated growth and development.

Co-operatives
The Alliance will play an active role in helping to build a strong co-operative movement, as a means of promoting employment, redistribution and local and community empowerment.
Government needs to create a facilitative and supportive environment for the growth of co-operatives.

Spatial and local economic development
We will give high priority to the acceleration of the implementation of policy on urban, rural and local economic development strategies.
The implementation of this policy will be directly linked to the ongoing programmes of action of our Alliance local-level structures.

The struggle for a more equitable global economic and social order
Our PoA for accelerating growth and development within our own country is inextricably linked to the broader struggle for a more equitable global economic and social order.
This includes the struggle for:

The Alliance and government will pursue these and other goals in our engagements with the IMF, World Bank, WTO, ILO, the UN, in our inputs into the WSSD, and in the numerous international forums and contacts in which each of our different formations is involved.

In this regard the summit noted the critical importance of the NEPAD initiative, and agreed that briefings and discussions should be held within the Alliance on NEPAD and the African Union, in pursuit of African development.

The convening of the WSSD and the summit of the African Union (AU) in our own country presents, in particular, an important challenge and opportunity. The Alliance will engage actively to maximise the impact of our strategic vision on the WSSD and the AU Summit.

Linking our growth and development PoA to local level mobilisational campaigns
All of the areas above link directly, in one way or another, to the local concerns and aspirations of communities.
The Alliance will actively link our growth and development PoA to ongoing mobilisational campaigns. In particular, we will link and strengthen the ANC-led letsema campaign in this way.

There are also many other Alliance and MDM campaigns around jobs, poverty, transforming the financial sector, and HIV/AIDS. We will link and strengthen these campaigns within the broader context of the struggle for growth and development.

Strengthening the unity and organisational capacity of our Alliance structures
The success of all of the above depends critically on the unity and organisational capacity of our Alliance structures.
This Summit has re-affirmed key decisions to ensure greater regularity of Alliance leadership inter-action, at all levels. We have also committed ourselves to improving the co-ordination of Alliance policy development and implementation.

Conclusion
The Alliance Summit has placed the challenge of economic growth, development, job creation and poverty eradication at the centre of the challenges we face in the current period. Many other issues including the challenge of social delivery, capacity of the state, HIV/AIDS and the struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination were also reflected upon. A resolution on the Palestinian question was adopted.

On the issue of HIV/AIDS, in particular, the Alliance reiterates its commitment to a comprehensive programme for prevention, treatment and home-based care, and recommitted itself to the ABC campaign. Further engagement is required on the detailed aspects of the treatment component of this programme.

This Summit of the Alliance marks an important stage in the consolidation of the organised forces at the head of the NDR. We are at one that significant progress has been made since the last Alliance Summit, including the overwhelming victory of the ANC in both the national and local government elections and the growing role of South Africa in world affairs. However, as the Summit discussions and decisions have confirmed, many challenges remain.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be briefing our structures at all levels, about the discussions and outcomes of this Alliance Summit. Strengthened by our deliberations over these past five days, we will be mobilising all our forces and our broader constituency to ensure that there is a decisive acceleration of growth and development in our country.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions has been joined by comrade Vukani Mde as the new national spokesperson. Vukani, who has experience in journalism and publishing under his belt, joined the federation on Monday 20 May 2002.

He has a degree in History, Philosophy and Politics from Rhodes University and a Masters degree in SA Literature from the University of Port Elizabeth. Before joining the federation, he was the Editor of Kwela Books in Cape Town. He has been politically active in student governance, serving as Transformation Officer for the South African Student Congress (SASCO) at Rhodes University in 1996. Vukani brings with him extensive and valuable experience in publishing and media, and there is no doubt the COSATU communications department will be enhanced through his experience.