Unity is possible... but the ball is in Numsa’s court, says Cosatu president
COSATU president S’dumo Dlamini believes that unity in the federation is not a pipe dream if he and general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi remain at the helm of Cosatu.
Dlamini is facing calls for his resignation from eight of the federation’s 18 remaining affiliates after the expulsion of metalworkers union Numsa. Instead, in an interview with Independent Media this week, he scoffed at his detractors, maintaining he was not the reason for, nor had he exacerbated the divisions in the country’s largest union federation.
“I have found it quite strange. I’m not trying to defend myself or Vavi, but would (they) want to reduce the organisational challenges to two individuals? It would then mean everybody was either a spectator, a follower or they can’t think, which would be very wrong for the federation.
“I think it is not a solution, more so with myself in particular, I know I have done nothing wrong and if people feel that my style of leadership is not what they want, there is always a proper platform to deal with it, like a national congress,” Dlamini said.
Ironically, Dlamini and the Cosatu central executive until recently resisted convening a special national congress. The congress, which would have the power to elect new leaders, has been called for, for over a year which has further hardened attitudes to him among Numsa’s and Vavi’s supporters.
The Vavi-aligned unions accuse Dlamini and the other national office bearers of “acting on behalf of their faction to the detriment of the federation”, although this is the same accusation that those who support Dlamini have made about Vavi. This will no doubt make attempts at a peace deal in the federation even more difficult.
Leaders from Cosatu were meant to meet the ANC earlier this week to draw up a framework for a political process they hoped would result in a unity deal. But that meeting was postponed to today.
It is hoped that the process will have buy-in from all of Cosatu’s affiliates, but the calls for Dlamini’s resignation and demands for Numsa’s immediate reinstatement before talks start, show more than ever it will not be easy going.
In the interview Dlamini took a hopeful stance: “I’m actually quite happy… it does seem that everybody… who has said they are suspending their participation is either not issuing statements or issuing statements that show they are beginning to cascade towards these processes despite the demands that people have put forward,” he said.
But this was before a press conference of Numsa and its allies at which they took a decidedly hard line approach to Dlamini and their demand for Numsa’s reinstatement.
The eight unions confirmed that they would continue their boycott of Cosatu’s top structures until their demands were met, and would even refuse to participate in the special congress they have been demanding unless Numsa is brought back into Cosatu.
The decision by Numsa and its eight allies to leave nothing to chance and go to court instead of waiting for the outcome of the political process will harden opponents’ attitudes. Already the National Union of Mineworkers has said to Independent Media it would only consider Numsa’s return if the latter agreed to suspend extending its scope, and “hands over” members it has allegedly “poached” from the NUM and the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union.
Dlamini seemed to agree with this stance, and shifted the larger part of the burden to Numsa to show they were willing to work towards unity.
“We have said that the ball is in Numsa’s court. They have the responsibility to demonstrate their ability to show they are genuine about unity in Cosatu. The responsibility lies with them more than any other union.”