With most South African GDP forecasts for 2013 being revised downwards, it is clear that economic growth is declining and is below the level required to mitigate the high unemployment rate. The middle to lower consumer economy is being further burdened by sharply rising costs of energy and services, over indebtedness, and tightening credit extension by unsecured lenders. These factors provide an unfortunate backdrop to aggressive demands by organised labour, which in the absence of a more reasoned approach will perpetuate the economic challenges. Disposable income levels are fragile