Trade union responses to state enterprise restructuring and privatisation.

[摘要] With the advent of democracy, COSATU took a leading role inthe contestation of public policy. It soon saw itself caughtbetween the tension of cooperating with a democraticgovernment whilst attempting to resist policies not in line withits socialist vision. The purpose of this study was to criticallyappraise trade union responses to state asset restructuringand privatisation. COSATU in general accepted theprivatisation of non-essential enterprises and services,rejected the privatlsation of essential services like water andelectricity and called for the strategic nationalisation ofessential services like housing and health. They have shownan appreciation of government's arguments, but governmenthas not taken the concern of unions into consideration. Thefindings reveal quite a high level of pessimism and uncertaintyamongst unions with respect to the pragmatic position ofCOSATU and the equivocation on the part of government toallow space for the contestation of prlvatisation policy.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand