Sechaba ka’Nkosi
The central committee of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) believes the federation has been sidelined politically and has little say in major policy decisions taken by the African National Congress.
At a meeting in Johannesburg this week, Cosatu leaders carefully avoided a public showdown with the government and senior ANC officials, but highlighted areas of potential conflict that have to be resolved before the the elections and the two summits.
Despite slogans against government policies from the floor contradicting largely reconciliatory speeches, it was clear that Cosatu is looking to the alliance summit as a last avenue to seek major political concessions from the ANC and the government.
Cosatu’s key demands are changes in legislation such as the labour relations Act and action from the government on the concerns of its public sector unions about the looming retrenchment of 55 000 civil servants.
Cosatu is going to the job summit with a virtually non-negotiable demand for a moratorium on retrenchments. It wants agreement on this at the alliance summit, which precedes the job summit.
The federation believes all major policy decisions are taken by the Cabinet, where Cosatu has no influence. Delegates at the central committee meeting suggested the formation of a “political centre” in the alliance, where transformation programmes and agreements signed by all three parties can be monitored.
Said National Union of Mineworkers general secretary Gwede Mantashe: “The problem facing the alliance is that the ability to implement programmes has been taken from it and is now in the hands of the political executive. The alliance is no longer influential.”
During discussions on the government’s growth, employment and redistribution strategy (Gear), the federation called for a return to the Reconstruction and Development Programme. Cosatu warned that a missed opportunity at this time could have dire consequences for the rest of the country.
“The current situation in South Africa and the shifts in economic thinking which are taking place point to an opportunity for restructuring and implementing a much more progressive and developmental economic agenda,” a document presented to the meeting read.
Cosatu demanded that this issue be addressed soon as possible, and promised, in a trade- off, that the federation would give unconditional support to the ANC’s election drive next year. The federation undertook to provide the ANC with support staff and funding from Cosatu affiliates for the election campaign.
But if the changes were not effected, Cosatu vowed to “return to the streets” to ensure their demands are met.
General secretary Mbhazima Shilowa argued that although Cosatu still backed the ANC, this did not mean the federation should stop raising issues when they disagreed with the ruling party. He said Cosatu’s support for the ANC has to be conditional on the party meeting all its demands.
“Even in 1994,” said Shilowa, “there were areas in which Cosatu preferred a particular approach, which was not necessarily how the whole alliance wanted to pursue it. The same is true on certain issues by other alliance partners. This is not an alliance of convenience, but a strategic alliance to bring about political and economic transformation.”
The central committee is Cosatu’s highest decision-making body between congresses. It was mandated by the federation’s national congress last year to ratify and give flesh to some of the policies adopted there, particularly economic policies, the elections and the alliance.
The congress had raised concerns about the performance of the government over the past four years, but urged the federation to seek solutions within the alliance to ensure an all-out ANC victory next year.
Cosatu had accepted certain elements in Gear, such as privatisation, as inevitable, but argued for a more integrated approach that would ensure job security, training and employment equity as conditions.
Alliance leaders appear more than willing to shelve their differences and present a united face for an all-out battle to smash opposition parties in next year’s elections.
While all opposition parties came under attack at Cosatu’s meeting, it is clear that the federation is most concerned about the 14% of voters whom surveys suggest are undecided or support the United Democratic Movement.
Cosatu deputy president Connie September labelled the UDM “a worm emerging out of a decomposing body of apartheid”.
September said UDM co-leader Bantu Holomisa and other opposition parties had told the public that the ANC had failed the electorate while blocking the passing of progressive laws in Parliament.
“How ironic it is that the same people who advocate policies that will further entrench racial privilege go on TV and say that the ANC is failing the people who elected them. To Cosatu, its two million members and their families, these parties simply do not protect our interests.”
Deputy President Thabo Mbeki was given a standing ovation by Cosatu members after he addressed the meeting, despite the fact that he had deliberately avoided mentioning Gear throughout his speech. A few minutes earlier, Mbeki had joined in a song that expressed Cosatu’s rejection of Gear.
He told the delegates that the congress movement was more important than differences on policies, and argued that for transformation to take place effectively, this tradition had to be continued.
He warned against labelling people who do not agree with particular positions. Said Mbeki: “Sometimes when we are supposed to think and analyse, as the new and complex situation we all face demands, we resort to swear words. And all of us know that to swear at somebody is to look for a fight and not a discussion, even among those who might call one another comrade.”