Cosatu backs bill to end outsourcing of essential government services

LABOUR federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), has thrown its weight behind the private members’ bill aimed at ending outsourcing of core government services.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

The Insourcing Bill, introduced in the National Assembly last month by EFF’s Omphile Maotwe, will compel all organs of state to employ workers to provide the regularly required services, once passed.

Cosatu’s parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks said the labour federation supported the long overdue bill and undertook to mobilise its full support to ensure its expedited passage by Parliament and assenting into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“This progressive bill speaks to Cosatu’s demand to insource key functions performed by various state organs. It responds to longstanding resolutions of the ANC and the Tripartite Alliance,’ Parks said.

He said the call to insource has been a cry from thousands of workers whose labour rights have been undermined and conditions of service deteriorated as they have been outsourced across the state over many years.