The seven unions (FAWU, SACCAWU, PAWUSA, SASAWU, CWU, DENOSA and SAFPU) plus NUMSA convened a joint meeting of shop stewards and members, attended by  2 200 participants, at the City Hall on Sunday (16th November 2014) having started at 10h30 and scheduled to end at 14h30 to report on the crises ravaging COSATU.
The mass meeting was addressed by the General Secretaries of FAWU and CWU, respectively Katishi Masemola and Aubrey Tshabalala, before a key-note address by the President of NUMSA, Andrew Chirwa.
Katishi Masemola indicated that there cannot be a united COSATU without NUMSA and there cannot be unity without others and that a united COSATU is a first prize and the only prize hoping that the basis for such a united federation will be the implementation of the 2012 COSATU National Congress Resolutions.
Katishi reflected that challenges in the federation, with NUMSA expelled, means the working class will be the loser and those gaining will be Capital as it intensifies ‘class terror’ (super-exploitation, be it through youth wage subsidy and labour broking or other ways) and the State as it aggressively pursues neoliberal policy trajectory, with National Development Plan (NDP) as its apex, all against the workers, the poor and entire working class.
Aubrey Tshabalala indicated that the rationale discussions and robust debates have been replaced by ‘Lets Vote’ and voting is now happening on every issue, including on the adoption of agenda and approval of credentials among others. This, he said, let to NUMSA expelled without substantive debates on the content of a 59-page submission delivered over three hours.
Aubrey further insisted that the struggle of the 8 unions plus NUMSA is about reclaiming COSATU back to its rightful owners, which are workers and not the 33 individual leaders, many without a mandate to expel NUMSA.
The NUMSA President explained the NUMSA Resolutions and took the meeting through the rationale behind their resolutions of their Special Congress in December 2013 and on the five charges that it was charged for as a result of the court outcome forcing this clarity.
Chirwa took the meeting through the five charges and why these are frivolous and how the defective procedure has led to a botched process in that no guilty verdict was arrived at and the sanction was based on preconceived ‘surgical removal’ sentiments held by some affiliates before the Special COSATU CEC in which this comprehensive submission was made.
NUMSA President explained that the implementation of the Freedom Charter is their uncompromising clarion call and the basis for their Resolutions. A Freedom Charter that must move South Africa from the dire situation facing the working class to a truly better life to workers and the poor than an enrichment of the few, no matter how black they may be.
He explained that the National Development Plan (NDP) does not represent this vision of the Freedom Charter but it is neoliberal program that will trap the working class in treble-crises of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Participants were allowed to ask questions/clarifications and to make comments and the overwhelming majority was in full support for the immediate re-admission of NUMSA into the federation and encouraged the seven affiliates to keep fighting for such a noble cause.
The underlying key theme in virtually all the questions asked by workers was whether we stay in COSATU or we form another federation. The answers from leaders and from other participants, which ultimately became decisions, were that we will fight for our COSATU that has NUMSA and return that COSATU to its rightful owners, the workers, with Special National Congress as a platform to achieve those goals.
The press statement was issued at 14h00 when workers were still engaged in discussions and debates on the state of their federation.
For more details please contact the SACCAWU and FAWU Free State/Northern Cape Regional Secretaries, respectively Jerry Mmoneri on 082 336 9298 and Mayoyo Mngomezulu on 082 440 4039
Issued by
KATISHI MASEMOLA
FAWU General Secretary
Obo the Seven Unions