Sechaba ka’Nkosi on Cosatu’s September Commission report
A long-awaited report on strategy for the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) threatens setting up a new left- wing opposition movement – if the African National Congress does not return to its socialist roots.
The document, leaked to the Mail & Guardian, warns that if the ANC continues on its current “right-wing” drive to attract foreign investors, the labour movement could be crushed.
It also says that, even if the ANC can be persuaded to return to the left, Cosatu must insist that seats on the party’s national executive committee be set aside for its officials, to ensure a “working- class” bias.
The findings of the September Commission – appointed by Co-satu’s central executive committee last year to define the role of the trade union movement – put its known unhappiness into a plan of action.
Disagreement over economic strategy has been at the root of the tensions between the ANC and its alliance partners, Cosatu and the South African Communist Party.
The recommendations are also likely to prove worrying for the ANC, because they detail exactly how a new socialist movement could be formed – by mobilising the grassroots elements which built the ANC.
The commission calls for a summit between the alliance partners to develop a programme to address the needs of the poor. Only if the summit agrees on a “transformation accord” will Cosatu sign an electoral pact with the ANC for the 1999 elections.
The September Commission is headed by Cosatu’s second deputy president, Connie September. Among its commissioners are the Deputy Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs, Susan Shabangu, and ANC MP Phillip Dexter. Its report is scheduled for release within days, to allow time for discussion among Cosatu members before the sixth national congress from September 16 to 19.
As Cosatu’s highest decision-making body, the congress can adopt the report’s recommendations, and forward its positions to the ANC congress in December.
The September Commission spells out why it is pushing the ANC to shift its reform programmes to the left: it labels the government’s economic policies in its Growth Employment and Redistribution (Gear) strategy as a “right-wing” programme.
Cosatu says Gear fails to address poverty and inequality, and instead meets the demands of financial markets for conservative macro-economic targets at the expense of social development.
The report explores possible scenarios which could face labour as a result of this perceived shift. It believes a clampdown on the labour movement could be waged by the government in an effort to attract investors.
It concludes that, given these possibilities, Cosatu should begin meetings bodies representing women, youth, churches and non-governmental organisations to discuss a new alliance to campaign against poverty and inequality.
The report says, while there are questions about the need to remain in the tripartite alliance, it is still of strategic importance for Cosatu. However, if the ANC is unable to provide concrete proposals for a socialist programme, it will not support the party in the 1999 elections.
“If there is no common programme, the electoral pact should focus on issues that are most important for Cosatu and appeal to the broader public. If Cosatu cannot reach agreement with the ANC on an electoral pact, it may signify that the alliance is disintegrating.” If Cosatu stays in the alliance, the report suggests its leadership hold an annual assessment of its achievements and decide wheth-er it remains relevant to its members.
The commission also advises that Cosatu reject the suggested social accord on wages, prices and investments between the government, business and labour.
The co-ordinator of the commission, Carl von Holdt, says there will be no public statements on the report until its launch. “In the final analysis, the commission will be used to develop a long-term programme for debates and strategies within Cosatu.”