ANC loyalty weakens Cosatu
COSATU must consider pulling out of the ANC alliance to save its waning relevance among workers.
Perhaps the call is more urgent than before given the ugly scene of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s rejection by workers at the May Day celebration in Rustenburg on Sunday.
The workers were blunt in their message to Ramaphosa: We are tired of the government’s empty promises. The workers’ anger brings two pertinent questions to the fore: Is the Cosatu alliance with the ANC still relevant? Does it benefit workers?
There is no doubt if a referendum can be held on these questions the answers would be an emphatic big NO. Gone are those days when Cosatu would lead a strike that brought the country to a standstill and threatened to collapse the economy.
When did you last hear Cosatu demanding a two-digit increment in the public service? The federation has become a toothless dog embroiled in ANC factional battles. Instead of focusing on issues affecting workers, it appeared to be more concerned about which faction was going to win at the ANC conference.
By absorbing union members through parliamentary seats and Cabinet positions, the ANC strategically reduced the union’s relevance. Workers were of the opinion that those members who were elected to Parliament and to the Cabinet would better fight for their interests but this proved to be more detrimental since the members were forced to implement and defend ANC pro-capitalist decisions to safeguard their positions.
One can also ask questions such as what are the workers benefiting from Labour and Employment Minister Thulasi Nxesi as a former SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) leader? What did they benefit from Membathisi Mdladlana who held the same portfolio after serving as Sadtu president?
The government recently angered workers, especially those in the public service, when it reneged on the wage agreement it signed for three years. Many believed Cosatu was supposed to respond by pulling out of the alliance. The union is now weak on all fronts because even in the private sector it has lost its influence.
By staying in the alliance the once powerful union renders itself irrelevant year in and year out. What happened in Rustenburg on Sunday should serve as a wake-up call to union bosses; they should either choose workers over the ANC alliance or face revolt.