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COSATU NOBs meeting the ANC Amy Musgrave, The Star, Johannesburg, 25 November 2014 The next few weeks in COSATU are going to be especially difficult as the federation holds informal talks with its affiliates to prevent it from completely imploding. COSATU's national office-bearers are also expected to meet the ANC on Tuesday as part of a political process announced last week to unify COSATU, which is currently rent down the middle over various issues. The process will not be easy as unions have different views on what needs to happen to unify the federation. Seven of COSATU's 18 affiliates have even temporarily withdrawn their participation in the federation's executive structure. COSATU is hoping that a decision by its president, Sidumo Dlamini, to finally give the go-ahead for a special national congress, which has the power to elect new leaders, will lure back the seven unions. Along with NUMSA, they called for the special congress more than a year ago as they believe it is the only way to heal COSATU. According to insiders, an option could be to ask NUMSA to suspend a resolution adopted last year to extend its scope and, in return, it would be allowed back into COSATU. But NUMSA agreeing to this is improbable as it believes extending its scope is not in contradiction with COSATU's founding principles, as alleged by more than half of the federation's affiliates. The union, which was accused of "poaching" members from sister affiliates, is now organising along value chains, arguing technological changes, changes in production and restructuring of sectors have necessitated new organisational strategies. An ANC task team set up months ago to help unify COSATU agrees that the way unions organise may need to be adjusted due to changing economic conditions, but if changes are to be made, they should be done at a national congress. Last week, a National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) leader told Independent Media that it if NUMSA were to return, it would not be satisfied with it only suspending its scope. It would want the metalworkers to agree to "hand over" members it had organised in mines, which was traditionally the NUM's territory, as well as those it had been accused of poaching from the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union, including at the Nqura container terminal outside Port Elizabeth. NUMSA's expulsion is one of many issues dogging COSATU. The political process will also focus on what kind of action, if any, should be taken against COSATU general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, who is facing nine charges including maladministration and bringing the federation into disrepute. A leader from one of the seven unions, who did not want to be named, said Vavi had pleaded with them last week to lift their boycott against the COSATU central executive committee, but they had told him they needed more time to decide how to move forward. They will announce their decision later this week. Group Labour Editor From: http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/COSATU-set-for-fight-to-stop-disintegrati on-1.1785805#.VHRIAouUeD8 -- -- 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. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
