Cosatu must get back to basics

Cosatu this week announced its new leadership after its 13th national conference. It seems there is no fundamental structural change and changes in their personnel, which is very worrying.

It is worrying because the people who are leading this federation are the very same leaders who are responsible for the demise of this organisation.

They were responsible for the expulsion of its biggest affiliate, Numsa, and its former general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, who now leads a rival union, Saftu.

It appears this congress is about one person only because this is the only person who is not coming back to lead the organisation.

This congress has dismally failed to deal with genuine issues facing the organisation. If this is not dealt with, it will cause even more harm to this federation.

One of the affiliates, Samwu, was not allowed to form part of the congress because of, among others, failure to pay their subscription fees.

The leaders have failed to resolved this problem and if they don’t wake up, they are going to lose another affiliate to their rival federation, Saftu.

Cosatu must use this opportunity to go back to basics.

The unity of the workers is more important than individuals. That is why they must condemn bigger unions who undermine the views of the smaller unions because they have numbers. Tom Mhlanga, Braamfontein