COSATU has never detoured to fighting against capitalism and for workers! Mampane Norman, COSATU Communications Officer, 30 August 2012 It is enriching to have followed a piece penned by Sipho Hlongwane, titled ‘Has COSATU drifted away from its original mission?, appearing in Daily Maverick dated 29th of August 2012. And similar repetitive pieces appeared on Sowetan dated 30 August 2012 titled ‘COSATU sold out workers’ and ‘Unions not serving members’, written by Aubrey Ngwatle and Ezekiel Mosia respectively. These pieces are forever relevant as we are almost less than twenty days towards the 11th National Congress at Midrand. But irrelevant on suggesting that the global social justice movement-COSATU, has erred to addressed worker issues! Since its inception, and even when expressions of a ‘giant’ being born, COSATU has never at any given time veered from that ‘original mandate’. The 5th Central Committee convened in 2011 at Midrand asserted that ‘inception’ view, summarised through the theme, ‘Heightening COSATU engines towards a genuine alternative’ And the CC reiterated that a ‘Living wage, including support for unions fighting for improved wages and better conditions, a legislated minimum wage, raising the ‘social wage’ (i.e. access to housing, land, education and healthcare), condemning exorbitant pay for executives, and opposing any relaxation of labour laws’ COSATU has over 30 years never shied in its organizational reports to reassert that mandate;building of working class consciousness and ideological cohesion and also enhacing the organizational engines of COSATU and the working class, premised on leading a political transformation towards advancing a working class political agenda. This year’s main Congress theme will be ‘Strengthen COSATU for total emancipation’, with two subsidiary themes: ‘Celebrating working class contribution to the liberation struggle: celebrating the ANC centenary’ and ‘Deepening unity of the leading detachment of the working class and confronting the triple challenges’. It is pertubing that Hlongwane et al took a dim view of all these imperatives through suggesting that COSATU has drifted away from its ‘original mission’ and/or what he calls ‘loyalities’. The writers went to suggest with a optical illusion that ‘the Federation is not prepared to be blamed from moving away from the poor’.... .. that ‘COSATU Unions are facing deregistration as a result of non-compliance’ and further suggesting that Unions are ‘bogus’ and lastly that ‘Unions, including COSATU are competing in how to serve their members, which is a different agenda from the employer, and NUM has nothing to gain from loss of miners’, suggesting that Trade Unions are off-the-mark in organizing sectors within the economy. It is quite puzzling on that stance as COSATU has over the years led and championed mass mobilization campaigns against for example E-tolling, total rejection of labour broking, campaigning against xenophobia in all provinces and also fermented efforts for the launching of Corruption Watch. We have released numerous papers on the future of this country and the other document which comes to mind was the ‘Growth Path towards full employment’. And we said critically, ‘we must strengthen social dialogue to ensure broad consensus on key political, economic and social priorities’. COSATU overall acknowledged that ‘we need to mobilize our people around core initiatives and identify what all of us can contribute to achieve the national vision founded on the broad mandate we received at Polokwane, and as directed by the ruling party Manifesto-ANC. Hlongwane et al must appreciate that government will not alone address and achieve all these developmental issues alone. It requires the participation, effort and enthusiasm of all of us. However, it is some within society like Hlongwane et al, who loudly says ‘the Federation has lost sight of where its loyalties lie’. Are e-tolls not affecting the ‘poor’ as per your narrowest narration that ‘we’re moving from the poor?’. Does labour broking not affect the vulnerable workers within the labour markets? Perhaps, it is prudent to qualify what we consolidated at the previous CC on heightening COSATU engines by saying; · we need to instutionalize working class struggles in all governance structures, to reassert the hegemony of the working class by making government deliver for the poor and downdrotten, · we need to reinvigorate the Living Wage Campaign as another bed-rock of COSATU struggles during the 80’s and 90’s, to enhancing the decent work status of the working class, · we need to reassert the challenging of precarious and squalor conditions of living of all workers which is amongst one of the causes of the ‘marikana incident’. And such demands greater mobilization of workers under strong and progressive trade unions both in the public and private sector. COSATU equally comprehends the gains and some of the challenges workers in particular are experiencing in this epoch of our national democratic revolution. And to suggest that ‘COSATU weakness is its endless focus to politics, is a minimalist understanding of the broader picture of fighting for political transformation. Policies which affect the toiling class are fermented through political engagements before going to parliament. And we cannot fail of that regard. Whilst we agree that Trade Unions primary mandate is to fight, mobilize, organize and represent the interest of workers; it will be immature to negate to engage on the terrain of taking forward the national democratic revolution. Fighting for triple crisis crippling South Africa and the rest of the world, is a noble struggle worth to be proud of. Poverty, inequalities and unemployment has dehumanized our masses and COSATU going towards the Congress, is prepared to be equal to the task to tackle these challenges.
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