Eight unions missing as Cosatu meets

COSATU went ahead with its planned central executive committee (CEC) meeting yesterday without the expelled National Union of Metalworkers of SA and the seven other unions that are fighting for the metalworkers to be reinstated.

The unions have vigorously campaigned for Numsa to return to the Cosatu fold, withdrawing all forms of participation in Cosatu until the metalworkers are back in the federation.

Numsa was expelled last year but is fighting its expulsion.

Yesterday, Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini dismissed the eight unions’ claims that Numsa’s continued expulsion would deepen divisions in Cosatu, saying the current leadership wanted to unify the federation.

“The meeting went ahead because those unions never said anything to Cosatu, but to the media. Only 14 people were absent. The meeting went very well. Those comrades should have joined the meeting,” he said.

In a joint statement, the eight unions said they would not participate in any Cosatu meetings until Numsa was reinstated.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, whom Numsa backed throughout his suspension from the federation last year, did not attend yesterday’s meeting. He tweeted that going ahead with the CEC was not in the best interests of unity.

The unions which have thrown their weight behind Numsa are the Food and Allied Workers Union, Communications Workers Union, Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, Public and Allied Workers Union of SA, SA Football Players’ Union, SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union and SA State and Allied Workers Union.