Cosatu threatens on info bill
2011-05-31 20:07
Cape Town - Trade union federation Cosatu on Tuesday threatened to refer the protection of information bill to the Constitutional Court if the measure was passed by Parliament without major amendments.
"This bill is a significant setback for the protection of openness, transparency and accountability guaranteed by our Constitution," it said in a statement.
Apart from the fundamental substantive concerns Cosatu had with the proposed legislation, "no compelling reasons have been provided to explain why this bill is being rushed through Parliament".
Cosatu had therefore written to the ANC to request a meeting to discuss the measure.
"However, if the bill is passed without major amendments to protect whistle-blowers and South Africans’ right to access information of public interest, the federation will refer the bill to the Constitutional Court for a ruling on its constitutionality," it said.
- SAPA
