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The Congress of South African Trade Unions notes with immense concern the deliberations currently underway at the Inter-SETA summit being held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.

This Summit, convened under the theme "The Power of SETA Synergy for the Transformation of South African Workplace Learning" is being convened by SETA CEOs in order to "establish unequivocally the important position that the SETAs occupy in the emerging South African educational environment." Why then are key stakeholders being left out of this process?

Despite the rhetoric of stakeholder partnership involvement, this Summit has been entirely driven by the SETA bureaucracy, SETA CEOs in particular, without the participation and representation of organised labour in both the preparation of the Summit and in the actual programme delivery and presentations.

Under the most absurd circumstances, COSATU had to plea, cap in hand, for a platform at the Summit. In our representation we noted the following concerns:

• Our unflinching commitment to the skills revolution, noting in fact that we are the custodians of the current skills dispensation, but that the current skills development trajectory does not work in the best interest of our members and the working class in general. We further noted with concern the delinking of the engagement around skills development from that of employment equity.

• In the opening address to the Summit, the CEO of the MerSETA pointed to the SETAs being "under siege". This begs the question of whether the SETA bureaucracy is indeed committed to the shift to the Department of Higher Education and Training, the SETA reestablishment process, and to the broader skills development transformation agenda or whether in fact they are concerned about retaining the status quo, at the expense of workers and the poor! We will not support any suggestion that seeks to undermine the newly configured departmental mandate and agenda for education and training transformation as outlined in the ANC manifesto.

• The visible absence of the Departments of Labour and Higher Education and Training as well as the National Skills Authority (NSA). Delegates at the Summit were led to believe that these structures were not present because Ministers are not in the Country. We reject this deliberate misinformation with the utmost contempt!

• It is our view that the development of NSDS III should be informed by our Human Resource Development Strategy (HRDS). The HRDS MUST be based on the economic and development needs of our country. We further note that the language of "competitiveness", "productivity", "SETA branding" etc. goes against our vision of the kind of society we seek to build, one that takes account of the needs and aspirations of workers and the poor.

• If this Summit is an attempt of SETA CEOs to create a super SETA structure (as was proposed in the opening presentation) COSATU will oppose such a move. It is our view that skills development strategies must be stakeholder driven and led.

• We are gravely concerned by the fact that the Summit openly promoted and supported the continued use of labour brokers. This is a shameful and provocative attempt to undermine the resolution of the COSATU 10th Congress which called for the banning of labour brokers.

• Finally, we wish to clearly state that as COSATU we will continue to fight and campaign if necessary against any group (including employers) or forum that seeks to undermine worker participation in the implementation of the SDA in particular in the development of WSPs, SSPs and the skills revolution more broadly.