Fin24 reports that just days before the National Jobs Summit, Cosatu has cautioned that the event could turn into a talk shop and complained that the government and business have sent junior delegations to preparatory meetings.  

"Officials are weak and lazy, we were promised DGs (directors-general) would attend meetings … we’ve yet to see this.  We are dealing with people who don’t have decision-making powers," the trade union federation’s parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks said.  He believes that the National Jobs Summit, which will be on Thursday and Friday in Midrand and which is being coordinated by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), could be a "damp squib".  It has been being touted by President Cyril Ramaphosa as an avenue to address the rising jobless rate.  Parks added that Cosatu did not have a choice and would “have to keep pushing” in the hope that Ramaphosa’s presence at the summit would “cajole” officials, but he warned that “government seems to lack creativity and will” to create jobs.  According to the government, the summit will focus on “collaborative and high-impact interventions to drive job creation, job retention and economic growth”.  The Presidency referred a request for comment to Nedlac, which did not respond to the questions.

• Read this report by Tehillah Niselow in full at Fin24

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