Worker control at the heart of Cosatu feuds
Erosion of key founding principle has contributed to deep malaise, writes Natasha Marrian
THE reasons for the crisis faced by the Congress of South African Trade Unions are varied and complex. It runs far deeper than malevolent intent by elements in the alliance trying to turn the country’s largest federation into a “labour desk” — as suggested by its embattled general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi. His suspension after an affair with a junior colleague has paralysed the federation, splitting it into factions.
The erosion of key founding Cosatu principles have contributed to the malaise, coupled with outside influence — both political and economic — to get rid of problematic elements within the federation’s ranks.
Competition for an everdecreasing pool of members among unions within Cosatu is increasing dramatically and, critically, the erosion of the key principle of worker control is growing.
The worker control issue goes to the heart of the tussle between Mr Vavi and other Cosatu leaders, who feel federation president Sdumo Dlamini has been sidelined. This point was raised by African National Congress (ANC) secretarygeneral Gwede Mantashe at a political school hosted by police union Popcru earlier this month.
The dominance of general secretaries — considered to be staff members — over presidents, who are regarded as workers on secondment, applies not only to Cosatu but also to its affiliated unions.
Weakened worker control was evident at Cosatu’s central committee meeting in 2011, when key decisions were diverted from the congress to its leadership structure, the central executive committee. After its national congress last year, again the federation snatched decisionmaking power from its congress delegates, leaving the critical decision of whether to support President Jacob Zuma for a second term to its top brass.
The concept of worker control is a founding Cosatu principle, which the September Commission in 1996 sought to deepen when it recommended that worker leaders too serve in their posts in the federation on a full-time basis.
The commission was part of Cosatu’s attempt to remain relevant back then.
The federation established a commission to look into the future of trade unions, headed by then federation deputy president Connie September. It recommended that the president lead Cosatu’s team of national office bearers.
The erosion of this principle has affected not only the federation, but individual unions as well — where the general secretary takes over the role of the president, who is seen as the “worker leader”.
Mr Dlamini says the issue has been raised by the ANC and the SA Communist Party (SACP). He says when he himself raises it, people often interpret it as him simply pleading his own case.
“It has been coming up for a while now, because by the very nature of their operational work, general secretaries become the accounting officers on the day-today running of the organisation.”
General secretaries are meant to work with the collective and “report to worker leadership”.
“Over a period of time, since Cosatu entered the democratic phase, this principle has been steadily eroded,” he says. Nowhere is this more evident than the role filled by Mr Vavi and that by Mr Dlamini, who remains employed by the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal.
Mr Dlamini, who points out that he is not talking about Mr Vavi, says over a period of time in the ANC, the SACP and in Cosatu, individuals have come to “epitomise” the organisations. “There is a danger to turn an organisation to be an individual or elevate an individual to be above the organisation … it is a mistake,” he says.
But Cosatu affiliate the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) says this assessment is “bureaucratic and incorrect”.
Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim refers to comments made by Mr Mantashe earlier this month.
He expresses a similar view to Mr Dlamini’s, saying the cost of the loss of worker control was the emergence of “personality cults”, where individuals are “worshipped”. But Mr Jim says this argument “smacks of opportunism”.
“All of a sudden, general secretaries are the villains,” he says. The notion that worker control resides with presidents is false, he argues.
“Just because presidents are paid by their employers does not mean they are the worker leaders.” A true worker leader derives their mandate from workers through “the maximum expression of democracy by ordinary members within a union”.
“A worker leader does not make deals on behalf of workers (and for themselves) without consultation,” he says. Mr Jim describes those calling for presidents to take back their role as “divisive”.
Cosatu’s internal facilitation is aimed at “renewing the organisation”, says Mr Dlamini. Its findings are set to be explosive given the deep and complex divisions the federation now faces.