Cde`s, astounding work indeed! May all implementation processes begin and end in success!
On 5/20/10, Tuis Dumisani <[email protected]> wrote: > Cde's we must commend the YCL leadership for work well done and on > continuously engaging on issues affecting us as young people, we need this > type of leadership and up until so far they have proven themselves to be > worth it and hopefully the YL leadership can learn one or two things instead > of opposing each other and start to engage on more issues affecting young > people rather than focusing on an old nationalization agenda, it is now > boring. > > > > Dumisani Tuis- Court Manager > > Department of Justice & Constitutional Development- Victoria West Office > > Tel: +2753-6210007 > > Fax: 0865070204 > > Cell: +27736430439 > > > > "The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from > the support of a cause we believe to be just"- Abraham Lincoln > > ________________________________ > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Gugu Ndima > Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 3:13 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] YCLSA's NATIONAL JOBS FOR YOUTH SUMMIT-Address > by the National Secretary of the YCLSA , Cde.Buti Manamela > > > > > > YCLSA's NATIONAL JOBS FOR YOUTH SUMMIT > > Address by the National Secretary of the YCLSA, Cde. Buti Manamela > > Rescuing the Future of South Africa: A Framework for Youth Employment > > 20 MAY 2010 > > 1. Introduction > > 1.1 We have invited all of you here, from the Freedom Front + Youth and > Afri-Forum to the Azanian People's Front and the Pan African Youth Movement; > from the Democratic Alliance Youth to structures of the Young Communist > League; from the ANC Youth League to the Congress of the People Youth > Movement and the IFP Youth Brigade. Young communists have brought young > capitalists in the same room, civil society, youth NGO's, Council of > Churches and every young person to discuss the problem of unemployment. This > cuts across race and culture, religion and creed; and therefore is the one > platform to unite us as the youth to deal with youth unemployment. > > 1.2 We should forget about political bickering; political differences and > so forth and focus on the issue that cuts across the political, social, > economic and religious divide. We should invest our energy and radical > thoughts to deal with these problems. There is no set agenda, no draft > resolutions and no pre-empted proposals. Everything should come from you, > the delegates to this Summit. We should probe the Ministers who are invited > on what they are doing for youth employment creation. We should ask why > certain resolutions have not been implemented, before we hear of "pigs in > different lipsticks" (or new initiatives). > > 1.3 Oliver Tambo, the former President of the African National Congress > once said: > > "A nation, a people that does not cherish and value its children/youth does > not deserve its future!" > > 1.4 These words are as true today as they were when they were first > uttered. Comrade OR's prescient wisdom forces us to reflect on the state > of youth development after fifteen years of democratic rule. This is made > even more poignant by the fact that soon, in four years time, South Africa > will be marking the 20th Anniversary of the 1994 democratic breakthrough. > When that day arrives we will be confronted by the inescapable question - > what has been the value of democracy to young people? Has the promise of a > better life been fulfilled, deferred or are young people, at least in > working class communities still trapped in grinding poverty? > > 1.5 The search for a new growth and development path, rooted in the vision > of linking redistribution and development, as espoused in the Reconstruction > and Development Programme, is much more urgent as we move towards the 20th > Anniversary of the post-apartheid South Africa. Since the mid-90's the > economy recorded positive albeit slow output growth combined with the > restoration of profitability to South African capital. However this has > been an unstable, volatile and inequitable growth path. Inequality has > worsened and it seems South Africa now holds the dubious distinction of > being the most unequal nation in the world. Inequality manifests in a > number of ways including opportunities, livelihoods, human development and > in terms of skill and occupation. The sad truth is that Blacks, in > particular Africans, still occupy the bottom rung of our society in many > respects. African women bear the brunt of unemployment, poverty and > inequality. > > 1.6 Employment creation, in the formal non-agricultural sector has lagged > behind the staggering unemployment rate, whether measured by the official or > expanded rate. The quality of some of these jobs leaves much to be desired - > characteristically they are of a short duration with no meaningful benefits. > Poverty on the other hand may have stabilised at unacceptable levels. > Ultimately, the issue is no longer just a narrow focus on growth but on the > type of that growth. Capital perpetuated the myth that the goal of economic > policy must narrowly focus on growing the economy and somehow the benefits > would trickle-down. Experience of the past fifteen years has exposed the > shallowness of this approach by showing that growth does not automatically > benefit everyone. Worse, a narrow focus on growth has further marginalised > many people and some regions from the economic mainstream. > > 1.7 It is against this background the YCLSA felt compelled to convene this > important summit to contribute to the debate on a suitable development > strategy that will unleash the potential of our people. > > 2. The nature and scale of the problem > > 2.1 I want to focus on the human dimension of the unemployment and > employment challenge for young people. For that purpose, I would like to > narrate the experience of one unemployed comrade and three of employed young > people. Several inputs will give a detailed analysis of the scale and > nature of the problem. Often the debate seems to focus on statistics BUT we > must remember that we are talking about human beings. > > 2.2 First let me introduce you to Xoliswa, a 20 year old unemployed young > person living with her grandmother in Soshanguve, Tswane. Xoliswa like many > young people is a recent migrant from the rural Eastern Cape who came to > Gauteng to search for work. She is from one of the traditional areas that > used to send workers to the mines in Gauteng. However, retrenchments have > seen her father laid off work and has been forced to seek a living as a > small subsistence farmer. Her mother has not worked due to previous influx > control legislation of the apartheid era that sought to limit the movement > of African people, and confine African women in the reserves. > > 2.3 Due to government policy to open the doors of Learning, Xoliswa has > finished matric but decided to look for employment for two reasons. First, > she cannot afford the prohibitive fees charged by institutions of higher > learning and further education. To make matters worse, her matric results > do not qualify for entry in former whites-only universities. The second > reason she decided to join the labour market is to supplement her parents > and grandmother's income and to help raise her siblings. The only source of > income in her Soshanguve home is the granny's state old age pension. To > find employment she must overcome several hurdles: > > · She must find information about available jobs suitable for her > qualifications. Typically information is found in newspaper, radio and to a > limited extent through word of mouth. Alternatively she can stand in the > corners or at factory gates hoping for an offer of employment. Thus the > first hoop she must jump is to find relevant and timely information about > available jobs and this costs money. > > · Secondly, she needs the necessary papers like CV, certified copies > of qualifications and identification. Again typing and copying costs money. > If she is unfortunate to live far from an Internet café then she needs > travelling money. > > · Third, supposing she identifies several jobs in a daily newspaper. > She must now fax her application and that also cost money. > > · Suppose that she has been invited to an interview in Johannesburg > she now need money to travel and proper clothes - in this image conscious > society appearance matter. Now we are introduced to the micro-economics of > distribution of income in the household. The granny has a choice of giving > money to Xoliswa to go to the interview or spend it on the necessities. For > that matter, the interview is a risky enterprise as nothing is guaranteed. > This is the fourth hoop that Xoliswa must jump. > > 2.4 In a nutshell, this tale graphically explains the challenges faced by > unemployment young people in a similar position to Xoliswa. That is, the > cost of searching for employment confronting young people in this situation. > Paradoxically even if jobs were available she would find it hard to access > these jobs. The tale also highlights the costs of education be it FET or > higher education. It also highlights the role of social grants as a buffer > against poverty in many poor households. More fundamentally it underlines > the pivotal role of universal education provided by the state. > > 2.5 On a different note, let me introduce Prudence a product of an > exclusive private school that just joined the world of employment. The > workplace rudely reminds her of her status as a black female in the > workplace. Most senior positions that matter are controlled by white males. > The culture is alien as if there is a parallel universe existing in the same > workplace. For example some decisions seem to be taken in informal networks > of boys clubs, which however affect how the workplace is run. She also > discovers that there is some kind of jobs reservation for blacks, of course > not legislated. Sure blacks are accepted in some senior post - but only > just. The glass ceiling has floated upwards and it seems impregnable to a > recent recruit to the world of work. So despite having top notch > qualifications you are not assured of fair and equal treatment in the > workplace. > > 2.6 At the other end of the spectrum is Sipho, a streetwise township > 'mjita'. Sipho's family has lived in Umlazi for as long as he remembers. > Even though the family embarks on an annual pilgrimage to the "real home" in > Nongoma he is more comfortable with city life. Sipho works as a security > guard in one of the retail chains and earns R1, 800 per month. Somehow he > manages to survive with this meagre salary, but only just. He lives in a > shack or politely an informal house in his parent's household. He is > resigned to his fate as a security guard not even hoping to climb the > corporate ladder in his firm. To do this, he must divert some of the money > to studying in order to upgrade his skills. In any event he spends close to > 20 percent of his income on travelling to his workplace in Durban. The > skills development programme in his workplace has not advanced beyond ABET. > In this case, having a job does not mean it will pay a decent wage or open > up opportunities to upgrade your skills. > > 2.7 Finally, let me introduce you to Bohlale from Galishewe, who graduated > two years ago with a business science degree. He has been looking for a > suitable job for the past two years since graduating. At university he > constantly heard that business science is one of the rare skills in South > Africa and employers are not only willing to hire but to also pay top > dollar. After two years of searching he is beginning to wonder where are > these scarce-skills jobs, or is something wrong with him. This illustrates > that having qualifications, even rare ones, is not a guarantee to having a > job. > > 2.8 I hope that with these stories I have painted a picture on the > challenges confronting employed and unemployed young people. Lest I be > accused of focusing on the negative I must hasten to add that I take the > opportunities given to young people as given. The aim of this summit is > among others to maximise such positive opportunities for many young people. > Secondly, we do recognise that there are many ways in which young people can > generate legitimate income including setting up businesses. That of course > should be taken care of in broader Youth Development Strategy. However, the > focus of this summit is on job creation. > > 2.9 How do we account for this entrenched high level of unemployment in > South Africa? One approach is to analyse it from the supply-side of the > labour market. This approach does not peruse the fundamental causes of why > this economy is failing to absorb substantial numbers of job seekers; hence > a fixation with supply-side of the labour market. That is overemphasis on > the price of labour and workers and job-seekers skills. This somehow > explains why the economy is not creating large scale employment for low > skilled workers. It goes without saying that the solution is to drop the > price of labour and/or increase the skill of labour. No wonder business > always calls for flexibility - a code word for low wages and easy firing > rules. In this respect labour laws are seen as a hindrance to employment > creation. The proposed wage-subsidy by Treasury falls within this > framework. Of course, as I have demonstrated with some of the examples > above, the supply-side does matter BUT does not explain why South Africa is > struggling on employment creation - it is a partial explanation. > > 2.10 The hard question is why is this economy failing to create > jobs that will mop up the low skill unemployment problem That is, why is > labour demand falling behind economic growth? We should recall that demand > for labour is a function of demand for output. If aggregate demand is low > then demand for labour will correspondingly be low. South Africa has a thin > a domestic economy relying on less than 20 percent of the population. > Further, production has shifted toward more capital-intensive goods destined > for export markets or limited to the affluent. Not enough to boost demand > for labour! For that matter we import a lot of labour intensive goods from > foodstuffs to clothing. > > 2.11 Second is the structural shift in the economy towards finance > following the collapse of mining, agricultural and some labour intensive > manufacturing? Mechanisation in mining and agriculture has aggravated the > poor performance of these sectors in terms of employment. No sector has > emerged to create large scale employment opportunities to replace or equal > the jobs lost in these sectors. As such we need to unpack the STRUCTURAL > causes of the unemployment crisis. Otherwise we will fix the supply side > and find that at best there are inadequate job opportunities or worse it > result in the displacement of full-time workers by this new layer of cheap > labour. Sounds like robbing Peter to pay Dikeledi or blaming the victims. > > 3. Issues for Consideration > > 3.1 In this section I wish to highlight key issues for discussion by the > Commissions and the Summit. It is clear that an Employment Strategy is > required to accompany government economic policy. > > 3.2 Strategy to change the growth path and structure towards large scale > absorption of labour, especially low skilled labour. In this regard > manufacturing, including the entire agro-processing value chain is key. The > Summit should interrogate current economic policies from a job creation lens > including: > > a) Interrogating whether IPAP strategy if fully implemented would > support the objective of creating large scale decent employment. A related > question is whether it supports the growth of sectors with higher potential > to absorb the unemployed. South Africa is facing pressures for eco-friendly > energy production. To that end the role of renewable in creating > substantial employment should be interrogated. Finally macroeconomic policy > should be adjusted to the employment creation objective. The National Youth > Development Agency task should be to monitor the performance of government > at all levels regarding employment creation. > > b) The President has announced that Ministers will sign Performance > Contract with key deliverables. It is clear that employment creation cannot > be assigned to one Ministry. In that respect the Summit should insist on > employment creation being one of the Key Performance Area for every Ministry > and Department. > > c) Measures to improve job search and decrease the cost thereof are > also important as highlighted above. Government has several agencies that > can play a role in providing information regarding availability of jobs and > access to ICT. These include the Department of Labour, Communications and > the Universal Service Agency to cite a few. An audit is necessary to > evaluate the performance of these agencies in this respect and to work with > them to pilot these ideas. > > d) The Summit should also have a clear discussion on what we mean > around wages and working conditions. In this respect, it should develop our > own approach towards a Living Wage Campaign. It is also imperative to > engage the Ministry of Transport and other public transport agencies > regarding reducing transport cost of job seekers. > > e) A comprehensive human development strategy is essential to provide > the necessary skills for young job seekers and out of work youth. To that > end the Summit needs to interrogate the education system and the workplace > learning system in term of its performance of providing the necessary > skills. An evaluation of the SETA's, the National Skills Authority, the > Ministries of Basic and Higher Education as well education institutions from > primary to higher education if they are in order. > > f) We should ask ourselves why we do not have a South African car, > manufactured locally and having a multiplier effects towards jobs. Why do we > import fluorescent bulbs from China instead of manufacturing them locally? > Why do we import cellphone mobile gadgets instead of manufacturing them > locally? There are many more other innovative ways which will be in support > of real entrepreneurs rather than the tenderpreneurs. Government should > support business people who have real factories and generate employment, > rather than supporting BEE that does not yield jobs and not support > employment creation. > > 3.3 This is indeed a tall task for the YCLSA and requires an > implementation strategy plus an organisation machinery to drive this. > Perhaps all commissions should discuss how the youth can implement the > resolutions from this "Jobs for Youth Summit". > > 3.4 Some comrades may well ask what does this have to do with Socialism. > I will quickly remind comrades that our strategy is to build the foundation > for a socialist future in the current phase of the NDR. Sure, if these > measures are successful they will incorporate young people into a capitalist > economy and perhaps improve the profitability of the system. But the > working class cannot disengage from the task of improving the lives of the > exploited during the transition. It is also important that we experiment > during this phase with socialist methods of cooperation in the sphere of > production and reproduction. This will play a critical role in creating a > nuclear of socialist methods of cooperation within the capitalist system. > The developmental state thus become essential in transforming the racial > capitalism currently entrenched in South Africa. Large scale cooperatives > should be part of the strategy to change the structure of production in the > South African society. > > For more information > > Contact > > Gugu Ndima > > National Spokesperson > > 076 783 1516 > > > > -- > Gugu Ndima > +27 76 783 1516 > > > > > -- > Gugu Ndima > +27 76 783 1516 > > -- > You are subscribed. 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