The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) applauds the tabling of the Insourcing Bill at Parliament.  This long overdue Bill requires state organs to insource security, cleaning, maintenance, IT, auditing amongst other routine functions and, where this is not possible, to seek authorisation for such an exemption. 

This progressive Bill speaks to COSATU’s demands to insource key functions performed by various state organs.  It responds to long-standing resolutions of COSATU and our Alliance partners, the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party.

The call to insource has been a cry for thousands of workers who have seen their labour rights undermined and conditions of service deteriorate as they have been outsourced across the state over many years. 

Outsourcing has been a key ingredient for state capture and corruption across the state with incestuous collaboration by corrupt elements in the public and private sectors.  It has not only weakened state capacity to deliver the public and municipal services that the working class and the economy depend upon, it has bled the state of scarce resources needed to fund hospitals, schools, policing and other frontline services.

If we are to win the war against the cancer of state capture and corruption, then such functions must be insourced.  We cannot continue to be shocked, condemn or hide from Sunday headlines of countless politicians and their families receiving a grotesquely inflated tender whilst failing to deliver the goods, and yet we fail to act on this shameful hollowing out of the state. 

COSATU commends the sponsor of the Bill, the Honourable Ms. Omphile Maotwe, for her leadership in bringing it to Parliament.  Although this Bill has been tabled by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), it speaks to the demands of COSATU, workers and our Alliance Partners; and thus enjoys the full support of the Federation.  Whilst COSATU’s support for its Alliance partners is unshakeable, we welcome any Members of Parliament, irrespective of the colour of their T-shirts, who table progressive Bills speaking to the hopes and aspirations of the working class.

The Bill will not only improve the working conditions of such workers, it will further spur the dismantling of state capture networks across the state, as well as save a badly overstretched fiscus billions of Rands better spent delivering frontline public services. 

This Bill provides a fair and common-sense path to end this fragmentation of the state.  COSATU welcomes this timely Bill and will mobilise its full support to ensure its speedy passage by Parliament and assenting into law by the President, Cyril Ramaphosa.  We urge government, the ANC and all other parties in Parliament to not only support but expedite this game changing Bill, including the holding of public hearings on it.  Parliament can count on the unwavering support of COSATU in processing and adopting this critical Bill.

Issued by COSATU.

Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)

Mobile: 082 785 0687

Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za