Cosatu promises to defend workers’ gains amid ongoing coalition talks

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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has assured workers of efforts to defend their gains amid ongoing coalition talks and efforts to form a new government of national unity. Politics and the reflections of the general elections dominated talks at the NUM’s three-day policy conference that wrapped up in Boksburg east of Johannesburg.

Cosatu will be meeting the ANC’s Central Executive Committee to make its input on the composition of the new government as part of the tripartite alliance. NUM is one of the labour unions affiliated with Cosatu. The tripartite alliance members including Cosatu, SACP and ANC met on Wednesday in Gauteng.

This as workers attending the NUM Policy Conference strengthened their call for policy certainty and the protection of the working class in a new government that will soon be formed. The NUM gathered over 500 union leaders from across the country on a national policy conference that sits every two years in between Congress.

The theme was around the marking of 41 years of unbroken revolutionary struggle for the workers. The union says it is worried about the current political climate as it may threaten gains made over 41 years.

But NUM’s mother body Cosatu has sought to allay fears. The federation has met with the ANC and says it will form part of those who will be drafting a declaration post the formation of a new government.

“Unfortunately, we did not achieve what we wanted to achieve in terms of the 50+1 percentage and the role of the federation in the current political situation we are facing is to continue to defend the interest of the workers. Whatever is going to be agreed at the level of parliament or the agreement tomorrow and this is what we said to the ANC, we will not allow a compromising position towards the right of the workers. What we appreciate is that now the Cosatu, SACP and Sanco, we are now going to be forming part of the negotiating team in terms of drafting the state of intent or declaration,” says Solly Phetoe from Cosatu.

Video: NUM Conference – Politics dominate final day

The union held various breakaway commissions on the last day of the conference with the focus to look at various issues affecting workers including the looming 2-pot retirement system, the implementation of National Health Insurance, job losses and the Just Energy Transition.

The union says its representatives are holding talks to defuse the current impasse at Sibanye Stillwater mine to reinstate dismissed workers. It also resolved to extend the term of office for office bearers from three years to five years. The union has also declared 2025 a recruitment year as it looks to increase its membership.

Cosatu is looking to reflect on the past elections and map a future for their workers looking at the new government at their upcoming CEC meeting on Tuesday. The NUM will take their resolution to Congress next year where their mapped policies will be adopted there.

Video:  NUM Conference – Conference under way in Boksburg