IOL
*Stormy talks ahead for troubled COSATU*** *Craig Dodds, Political Bureau, IOL, 27 May 2013** *Cape Town - Labour federation COSATU holds what is likely to be a stormy three-day central executive committee meeting starting on Monday amid tensions that could have far-reaching consequences for the ANC alliance partner and its relationship with the ruling party.
While affiliate unions are said to have agreed on the need for unity, issues needing to be thrashed out are the fate of COSATU general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, the labour movement's position on the National Development Plan, and competition for members between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), accused by the former of fishing in its waters.
Also on the agenda will be COSATU's response to the imminent implementation of e-tolling.
At the same time, the NUM has been bleeding membership as rivals, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), makes deep inroads in the platinum sector, where it has displaced the NUM as the majority union at some mines.
Conflict in the mining sector comes as the wage negotiations season gets under way, amid fears of damage to the economy as the rand weakens.
The outcome of these debates will strongly influence the labour movement's support for the ANC in its election campaign next year.
The NUM and Numsa, also opposed over Vavi's future, held meetings at the weekend and staked out their positions on Sunday, with Numsa saying it would defend him.
Vavi has been under attack over his perceived antagonism to President Jacob Zuma and vocal criticism of the ANC government, and there have been allegations against him of nepotism and irregular handling of the sale of COSATU House.
Numsa and other affiliate unions aligned to Vavi have called for a special congress to deal with the divisions, but the NUM rejected this idea.
For its part, the NUM said it expected COSATU to be "more decisive" regarding "the continued mischief" of affiliates which ignored the principle of "one industry, one union" and continued to recruit members from NUM sectors.
The NUM admitted it had lost 37 887 members over the past year, or 11 percent of its total membership.
The meeting of its central committee had agreed the NUM was "under attack and that this attack is not only aimed at weakening the NUM, but destabilising the federation and indeed the ANC and the mass democratic revolution".
Referring to allegations that Amcu was using violence to recruit and intimidate its members, the NUM said it would "take issue with the state apparatus on safety and security and appeal for thorough investigations and arrests of those criminal elements that continue to terrorise, kill, brutalise, dismember and rape workers".
It was unequivocal in its support for the ANC in next year's elections, the union stressed.
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>*From: http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/stormy-talks-ahead-for-troubled-COSATU-1.1522190#.UaMqhtKnxRI <http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/stormy-talks-ahead-for-troubled-cosatu-1.1522190#.UaMqhtKnxRI>*
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