Madisha to launch new union federation

Former Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Willie Madisha intends launching a new workers federation in Gauteng before the end of the month, South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported on Monday.

The new organisation would differ from the Cosatu by focusing on workers’ issues and not on politics, he told workers in Secunda, Mpumalanga on Sunday.

“Their problem is, the present trade unions, particularly those that are organised under Cosatu, instead of them looking into the problems of the workers ... become political parties because they are concentrating on political issues instead of dealing with the workers’ problems, and they are further spending lots and lots of money on runnings of a particular political party instead of using those workers’ resources to handle those particular problems,” Madisha told the broadcaster.

Earlier this month, Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven dismissed it as a “bogus” idea.

“Yes, they have the right [to form a union federation] but it’s a bogus idea, they are talking about forming a grouping without any trade unions ...

it’s not a genuine attempt.”—Sapa