Saftu demands reversal of CWP termination for 55+ workers

By Johnathan Paoli

The SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has expressed outrage at the government’s recent decision to end the Community Work Programme (CWP) contracts for workers 55 and older.

Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said that the proposed changes would further entrench poverty and unemployment in the country, by targeting some of the most vulnerable members of South Africa’s society.

“Saftu will not sit idly by while workers are discarded like convenience tools. The working class cannot continue to bear the brunt of government indifference and neoliberal policies,” Vavi said.

He said this decision was in line with the government’s broader neoliberal agenda, which prioritised austerity and fiscal consolidation targets over the well-being of workers and the majority Black working class.

He said in light of the country’s unemployment crisis, with12.2 million or 42% of the population being unemployed, this would be disastrous for a section of society