On 6/9/14, VC <[email protected]> wrote: > > > NEHAWU 3.png > > > > NEHAWU Media Statement, 8 June 2014 > > > > > > Special National Congress Statement > > > > > > NEHAWU held a very successful and united Special National Congress (SNC) on > the 06th of June 2014 at the Birchwood Hotel in Johannesburg under the > broad > strategic line of march of our 10th national congress and its programmatic > banner, "build strong workplace organization, class consciousness and > internationalism. Over 587 delegates representing 279 129 members attended > the special congress, to assess the 2014 national elections and also elect > new leaders to the vacant positions in our national office bearer > collective, left by our departed leaders to parliament. > > > > The departed leaders join legions of others that have been released by our > federation since 1994. As a union, we are proud of the fact that these > cadres that we rightfully claim as products of our own have earned the > confidence of the ANC and indeed of the broader masses of our people. This > growing corps of worker cadreship within the ANC underscores the progress > of > our swelling-the-ranks project, as outlined in the medium-term strategy of > our federation, the 2015 Plan. > > > > The Special National Congress received valuable addresses from our reliable > Alliance formations, including the welcoming address by the Gauteng > Premier, > David Makhura. The union appreciated and took note of the points made by > the > Deputy President of the ANC Cde Cyril Ramaphosa, General Secretary of SACP > Blade Nzimande and the President of COSATU, Sdumo Dlamini. > > > > The congress congratulated all NEHAWU members for a sterling role that they > played in the 2014 election campaign. We believe that the overwhelming > victory of the ANC has struck a devastating blow against the detractors and > enemies of our revolution, be they on the right in the anti-majoritarian > offensive or those who claim to be the genuine custodians of our > revolution. > In this vein, we join the SACP in calling for the resignation from our > democratic parliament the DA's racist bigot, Mike Waters. > > > > We are conscious of the fact that an electoral contest is but one site of > struggle for political power in which the working class can only > successfully exert its influence and build its hegemony if it is able to > successfully combine the struggles within and through the state with > stronger organizational power in communities, at the workplace and in other > key sites of power. > > > > Going forward the SNC declared that both our union and COSATU must begin to > grapple with the implications of the momentous transitional conference of > the ANC in 2017, and closely reflect on our capacity and approach to our > swelling-the-ranks project. > > > > Organisationally > > > > Our 10th congress has already given us a strategic line of march through > the > resolutions that it passed and our battle cry, "build strong workplace > organisation, class consciousness and internationalism"! The 2013 Central > Executive Committee has translated these injunctions into a concrete > programme of action up to the 11th congress in 2017, which would be the end > of the tenure of our reinforced national leadership collective. > > > > Whilst enormous strides have been made since our 10th congress, the Special > National Congress called on the national union to accelerate the > implementation of the 2014 programme of action, especially with regard to > the branch congresses as this is the foundational phase of the renewal of > our union, in the midst of a rapidly changing terrain of trade union work. > > > > We shall continue with the training of the newly elected shopstewards to > cover all our provinces, which must be combined with ideological and > political training to build class consciousness and proletarian > internationalism. We shall also expedite the review of our paralegal > strategy because our members are the life-blood of the union, and as such > we > undertake to continue with building our organisational machinery in order > to > provide better service to our members. > > > > As part of our 2014 programme of action, we undertake to convene the second > set of bargaining forums to finalise demands in the public service > negotiation by the end of July and to table to the employer in August 2014. > This we shall do working with the COSATU JMC. Similarly, as NEHAWU we > reject > the proposed amendments to the public service pension laws, and in this > regard we shall work with the COSATU JMC in demanding consultation on the > matter. > > > > The Special National Congress concluded that the bulk of our resources will > be devoted to organising and servicing our members going forward. The > sustainable management and fruitful deployment of our resources must > particularly be directed at escalating our recruitment campaign, which we > pledge to intensify especially amongst the nurses, for whom NEHAWU must > become their only home. At the same time, we commit ourselves to fight > business unionism within our union and within COSATU. > > > > COSATU > > > > The Special National Congress expressed concern about the ongoing internal > challenges facing COSATU, including within several of its affiliates. > Whilst > we welcome the intervention of the ANC, we know that ultimately the > restoration of unity and cohesion squarely falls upon the shoulders of > COSATU and all its affiliates. As such, we shall steadfastly continue to > proclaim and practice our commitment to the principle that the unity and > cohesion of the federation is sacrosanct. > > > > Nonetheless, we are under no illusions as to the difficulties facing > COSATU, > hence we maintain that all options remain on the table, in line with the > mandates of the 10th congress and 2013 Central Executive Committee. As part > of preparations for COSATU's 12th congress in 2015, we believe that there > is > a need for the federation to undertake a comprehensive study focused on > developing a deeper understanding of the present realities facing workers > and the changes that are taking place in the labour force, 20 years after > the demise of Apartheid. From this and the ongoing practical engagement > with > our members, must emerge a concrete medium-term strategy that must help > COSATU and all its affiliates to dynamically adapt to the ongoing changes > that are taking place in our economy and the workforce. > > > > Socio-economically > > > > NEHAWU is convinced that our country stands on a threshold of a radical > phase in its democratic transition, yet we are under no illusions as we > know > that fundamental transformation in our society requires maximum unity of > the > ANC-led Alliance, ongoing mass mobilization of the working class and > resolute leadership inside and outside of government. We are concerned > about > the state of the economy, which continues to leave millions of our people > unemployed and in grinding poverty. We support the call by the SACP for a > Mining Indaba, which amongst others must focus on the working and living > conditions of the mine workers and the key recommendations of the ANC's > SIMS > report. > > > > More importantly, we call on the state to take decisive measures against > those who continue to kill workers in communities around the platinum belt. > We call on the fifth democratic government of the ANC to faithfully and > resolutely implement all the seven pillars of the manifesto over the next > five years, which has been endorsed by the overwhelming majority of our > people. On our part as a union, we have a duty to pursue our strategic > vocation of building a powerful, independent, class-oriented and militant > public sector union which has a central role to play in the process of > building a developmental state as part of the drive to forge a radical > phase > of the democratic transition. > > > > The Special National Congress briefly reflected on the developments > globally > as well as on our continent. We express concern about the ongoing > aggression > of western imperialism against Russia on the Ukraine crisis and China on > the > disputes in the South China Sea. In the international trade union movement, > we undertake to conduct a deeper analysis of the outcomes of the recently > held 3rd congress of ITUC, with a view to develop an informed perspective > on > our current affiliation both through COSATU and the Public Service > International. We remain committed to our long-term goal of building a > strong presence of WFTU on our continent and this must be enhanced by the > affiliation of COSATU without further delay, in line with the mandate of > its > 11th congress. > > > > We are concerned about the destabilization of Africa by the increasing > presence of western military forces, in particular in West Africa, where > there is also a rise of terrorist banditry. In this regard, we pledge our > solidarity with the people of Nigeria and join them in their call for the > immediate release of the hijacked girls unharmed. > > > > Conclusion > > > > Our union emerges from the Special National Congress more united and > determined to go back to the implementation of our programme of action, in > particularly its organizational pillar. Our message to the ANC-led > Alliance, > to the Mass Democratic Movement, as well as our allies, both at home and > abroad is that we have no option but to close ranks. As we pursue our lofty > strategic objectives of the second phase of our democratic transition, we > say as never before, that we need to move arm-in-arm, shoulder-to-shoulder, > with all our allies, friends and supporters. > > > > The National leadership collective of NEHAWU is as follows: > > > > - President, Mzwandile Michael Makwayiba > > > > - First Deputy President, Michael Shingange > > > > - Second Deputy President, Nyameka Macangca > > > > - National Treasurer, Kgomotsho Makuphola > > > > - General Secretary, Bereng Soke > > > > - Deputy General Secretary, Zola Saphetha > > > > > > MaMbeki > > > > NEHAWU is extremely saddened to hear of the passing away of former ANC > veteran and struggle stalwart Mama Epainette Nomaka Mbeki (MaMbeki) We send > our deepest and heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and comrades > and we call on all South Africans, workers and especially young people to > honour this devoted community worker by continuing with her work and > adopting a culture of service. > > > > MaMbeki was a fearless champion of the poor and dedicated her life to > fighting for justice and spent her later years as a dedicated community > worker who personified grace, dignity and integrity. We owe it to heroines > like MaMbeki to continue to fight for the full economic emancipation of the > poor majority. > > > > > > Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat Office > > > > For further information, please contact: > > Bereng Soke, NEHAWU General Secretary, 082 455 2713 > > Sizwe Pamla, NEHAWU Media Liaison Officer, 011 833 2902, 082 558 5962 or > email [email protected] > > > > Visit NEHAWU website: www.nehawu.org.za > > > > > > > > > > -- > -- > You are subscribed. This footer can help you. > Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to > this message. > You can visit the group WEB SITE at > http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery > options, pages, files and membership. > To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . > You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to > put anything in the message part. 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