Numsa under fire for Cosatu threat
Split of federation ‘will only benefit bosses’
RULING tripartite partners this weekend roundly condemned a key Zwelinzima Vavi ally, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), for threatening to walk out of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) ahead of the planned alliance economic summit this week.
Cosatu is in the midst of its deepest crisis since its formation, with leaders divided after the suspension of longstanding general secretary Mr Vavi.
Mr Vavi’s “oppositionist” stance towards the African National Congress (ANC)-led government has been the subject of criticism from alliance partners and has led to his alienation from Cosatu’s top leadership.
Without naming him, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant on Saturday criticised Mr Vavi and his allies who “threatened to divide Cosatu”, warning that they would not succeed.
Mr Vavi was suspended two weeks ago after admitting to having had an affair with a married Cosatu junior office worker. His supporters say the suspension was the latest in a series of attempts to silence, discredit and shut him out of politics for regularly criticising the government.
Mr Vavi and Numsa are preparing to legally challenge his suspension.
Addressing the 12th national congress of the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre on Saturday, Ms Oliphant said: “This is also a time of various movements not only within the alliance but within unions themselves who seem to have taken a position that the whole union movement can be sacrificed for the benefit of individuals.”
“Today we are confronted with a spectre of threats to break away and form new unions. Today we cannot speak to each other politely
and with respect. We use the media. Our diplomacy and negotiation is done through the megaphone and we shout for the whole world to see our nakedness and our disagreement.”
Numsa has warned of severe consequences should Mr Vavi be removed, including withholding its subscriptions from Cosatu. It would hold a special national congress in December in order to allow workers to decide on its course of action.
Ms Oliphant warned workers to guard the unity of the trade union federation and the tripartite alliance jealously. “We should also be always alive to the forces of darkness that threaten to tear our alliance and we should be resolute that this will not happen under our watch.
“The ANC still remains the only home for trade unions in this country. If anyone were to tell you otherwise, they would be lying.”
Yesterday, South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Blade Nzimande warned that some elements in Cosatu had “taken the bait” in a “capitalist offensive” designed to drive a wedge between the federation and the ANC-led government. While the SACP acknowledged the problems of corruption and “tenderpreneurship” within the ANC-led government, it believed the ruling should be supported “vigilantly and with constructive but robust criticism”.
Also without mentioning Mr Vavi by name, Mr Nzimande criticised those who constantly harped on about the ANC’s flaws publicly. “What the SACP rejects is a narrow anti-government oppositionism that elevates an endless stream of anti-ANC, anti- government invective above a serious and unifying class-based struggle against monopoly capital and its hangers-on,” he said.
In the face of “provocation” by Numsa, Mr Nzimande said that the SACP had steadfastly refused to become entangled in Cosatu’s internal fights. However, threats by the union to pull workers out of the trade union federation “changed the game”.
The SACP would resist any attempt to split the federation, particularly when the fight was centred on certain leaders and was on the basis of “strange agendas”, Mr Nzimande said. “We won’t allow it.
“Once you start talking about a walkout, that changes the game. We are going to intensify our engagement with as many Cosatu affiliates as we can, including Numsa. Only bosses benefit from tensions and walkouts.”
A meeting of Cosatu presidents takes place today to identify an independent party to conduct a disciplinary hearing into Mr Vavi’s conduct.
The ANC, SACP and Cosatu will hold a summit from Thursday at which the state of the alliance and its formations would be discussed, said SACP second deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila.