 'Cosatu could split over Zuma's leadership bid' Cosatu leaders are warning that differences over President Jacob Zuma's bid for a second term could split the trade union federation "if they are not handled well". This is according to a document prepared for discussion at the four-day central committee meeting which starts tomorrow at Gallagher Estate in Midrand. The trade union federation points to a three-way split in Brazil's largest trade union movement in 2005 due to clashes over then-president Lula da Silva. According to the document: "It is a sobering lesson that these splits in the labour movement took place before the turnaround of Lula's second term, which came too late to preserve the unity of the federation." Proof that tensions between Cosatu leaders have reached boiling point came during a heated meeting with the SA Communist Party on Thursday when Irvin Jim - general secretary of the Cosatu-affiliated National Union of Metalworkers - accused members of his own delegation of "peddling" false information about Cosatu to the pro-Zuma SACP. Jim was referring to Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini; National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union leader Fikile Majola; and the National Union of Mineworkers' Frans Baleni. The trio are also SACP leaders. Jim had to be persuaded by the general secretary of Cosatu, Zwelinzima Vavi, to apologise before the meeting could continue. The divisions concern among others, the endorsement of bids by Zuma and former unionist Gwede Mantashe to be re-elected as ANC president and secretary-general respectively, at the ruling party's national conference in December next year. A Cosatu leader said: "We have to balance the two schools of thought. Do we disown our own victories or do we fix (problems) and continue with the current leadership?" Although Cosatu was at the forefront of Zuma's and Mantashe's successful bids in 2007, the two leaders have since fallen out with Vavi. Jim, Vavi and a number of Cosatu affiliates are critical of Zuma's running of the ANC and the government. They say that if the federation does back Zuma's leadership bid, that support should come with conditions. But Zuma supporters within Cosatu are opposed, believing that the terms of the agreement would be used by the president's detractors as an excuse to turn on him. The decision will be taken by the over 800 labour delegates attending Cosatu's central committee meeting. Dlamini is expected to set the tone for the event when he gives the opening speech tomorrow morning. While Dlamini's speech is expected to be conciliatory, Vavi's secretariat report, which has been circulated to the media, will be harsh. The report criticises Cosatu's over-reliance on Zuma to push for a working-class agenda in government. It says this puts "too much responsibility" on one individual "who is himself subject to all types of contradictory pull". "An important question then is how to deal with the failure of the current ANC leadership to comprehensively take forward the Polokwane mandate or to exercise real political oversight over the democratic state," it states. One of the options mooted by those wanting to give conditional support to Zuma, is a pact committing the ANC and the government to a clear political programme that involves alliance partners. They also want Zuma to act against ANC leaders suspected of graft at both national and provincial levels. While Zuma supporters in Cosatu say Mantashe - who is facing a campaign by the ANC Youth League to oust him - should be defended, some leaders are not convinced. They are unhappy with the harsh treatment Mantashe has meted out to the federation since his move to Luthuli House. Mantashe and Vavi, who both come from the mineworkers' union, have been close friends for years - but now they are barely on speaking terms. Mantashe is expected to lead the ANC delegation to the Cosatu gathering. The SACP's delegation will be led by its general secretary, Blade Nzimande, who has also fallen out with Vavi over Cosatu's demand that he choose between the communist party, and his job as cabinet minister. On Friday Vavi and Nzimande admitted that they didn't see eye to eye. But they said their organisations would work together to fight off "tenderpreneurs" and "right-wing demagogues" - a term they use for Julius Malema's youth league. From: http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/2011/06/26/cosatu-could-split-over-zuma-s-leadership-bid You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . |
