16 December 2010
FRIVOLOUS FESTIVAL WHILE APPAREL JOBS ARE PURGED
The squandering of R69-million on the World Festival for Youth & Students could have created or sustained thousands of jobs within the clothing and textile sector. Alternatively, it could have provided much needed capital injection into existing and new apparel and textile operations.
Running from 13 to 21 December 2010, the 17th World Festival of Youth & Students hosted by South Africa, with the theme “Let’s Defeat Imperialism,” has come under severe criticism for exorbitant expenditure on several days of revelry and thin audiences at seminars to be led by guest speakers who have not yet arrived.
According to statements issued on the National Youth Development Agency’s website, the objective of this “festival,” is to “unite the youth of the world and mobilise them around the banner of promoting universal principals of peace, freedom and social transformation to create a world free of human rights abuses and creation of sustainable environments.”
Justifying the donation of R29-million from the Presidency towards hosting the event, President Zuma said: “Young people should be provided the space to contribute to the economic, social and cultural development in their countries.”
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema announced: “We are gathered here today as the world to mark a very important beginning of the fight against imperialism. We are going to engage in this struggle without offering apology to anyone, including Britain, the coloniser” (TimesLive, December 14, 2010).
Is Britain an economic coloniser of Africa? Surely China is the new economic coloniser of Africa? Thousands of jobs in South Africa’s clothing and textile sector have been lost due to cheap Chinese imports. More jobs are under threat from countries like Bangladesh, which is represented at the festival.
Should the youth not be advocating for more skills development opportunities within the clothing and textile sector? Should they not be encouraging the preservation and growth of these sectors in order to promote creation of sustainable environments through development of our own industry?
While some textile companies battle to get funding of just a few million Rand to maintain their operations and stimulate employment, our National Lottery and the President’s office have no qualms about spending millions on an event that will create not one sustainable job.
At the very least, one would hope that the SACP and ANC clothing merchandise for the festival, costing between R50 to R100 and “selling like hot cakes” (News24, December 14, 2010) was all made in South Africa and not by some imperialist nation.
While millions of taxpayers’ money is given to the youth to have a good time, the clothing and textile industry is in serious discussions with government, the Bargaining Council and the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) to find equitable solutions around wages.
Clothing industry representatives say that if the new wage proposal they have put on the table is accepted, some 100 000 jobs could be created. Simply put, the new wage structure for the sector is designed to ensure that a general worker in non-Metro localities can earn R220 a week, and in Metro areas, R300 a week. A qualified machinist working in a Metro-based factory will earn R450 a week.
Based on this wage structure, had the NYDA’s R69-million been allocated to the clothing sector, it could have sustained nearly 3 194 qualified machinist jobs or 6 534 non-Metro general workers’ jobs for a year.
The social and economic impact on these individuals, their immediate communities and on the national economy could have generated tangible returns worth millions more than the amount spent on a festival that is as transient, in growth terms, as the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Written by Renato Palmi
The ReDress Consultancy
3 comments:
Very well said, Renato.
I’m shocked to learn about the theme ‘ Let’s Defeat Imperialism’, what year are they living in? it is 2010 now not 1910.
As you said, the new colonizer is from Asia like China (and don’t ender estimate S. Korea, look at electronic and car brands like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia and etc.), yet they invading with products and finance instead of ships and guns. Even America had to admit that they cannot be hard to their biggest debtor – China who owns 680 billion US bonds.
Politicians are reflection of the people, people voted for their likes. But good leaders should have the vision and lead the people to the right direction. If a leader doesn’t lead and just blindly follow what the people say then we do not need a leader.
Unfortunately I don’t see leaderships in our government.
Not surprised anymore, years in the clothing industry have dulled one’s expectations. Unless you find your own solution, waiting can be a long journey. Response from andre kriel confirmed my worst nightmare. Union is a labour ‘protection racket’ fleecing employees for their ‘service’[ diss]. No negotiation on reasonable effort.
Had a meeting with bc on Tuesday- tried to address a reasonable effort. Was a complete waste of time! Not interested in how little employees produce, just pay full pay. Creating a perception that mediocrity is acceptable and will duly be rewarded. Probably part of decent work.
Productivity remains the domain of rightwing ideologies. When will these clowns realize that the master pulls both strings- left n right. Dividing the’ natives’ is the agenda. Needs servants to serve.
Country has been sold out to china, std bank deal, should not be surprised at what is going on!
Deadline approaching for Newcastle crew- what is going on? Will sanity prevail? Half our country is unemployed, talk about 5m jobs but actions create different results.
Youth awakening in Europe, when will the locals have the balls? Time to stand up for what is RIGHT…..
Do they need an excuse or a reason to stuff anything up, in fact I am sure that if you put the right imcompetent at the healm then in this country the impossible becomes even more so and the ludicrous becomes the norm.
Lets hope that the wage impasse has an amicable outcome, I am not holding my breath but I do have a slim bit of hope, only time and not much of it, will tell.
One needs to ask the DTI what in their wisdom - term loosely used - prompted them to "donate" money to this national embarresment - could the organisers not secure any sponsorship externally, did they try or, how mistaken i am, a free hand out is much better to productive work and organisation, I almost forgot about the hand out becuase there's nothing left for me or you.
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