Johannesburg - The steering committee for the new labour
federation says it will finally hold its founding congress in April, which will
be attended by 1 800 delegates.
The delegates are from 21 unions who have given their
leadership the nod to join the federation, and, according to the
committee, they will be representing 684 865 members.
Some of those unions were former Cosatu affiliates which
include the National Union of Metalworkers SA and the Food and Allied Workers
Union, but they will be joined by other small breakaway unions who who were
also part of Cosatu unions.
Zwelinzima Vavi, the steering committee convenor for the
federation, told the media on Wednesday that 17 other unions which still
had to get mandates from their members, but formed part of the process to form
the federation,will be invited as non-voting delegates.
Rival federations, Nactu and Fedusa will also be
invited to attend the congress.
“Workers who have suffered years of mass unemployment,
deepening poverty and widening inequality will be mobilising to liberate
themselves and show in practise that there are alternative ways to represent
their interests and free themselves from the shackles of the exploitation by a
capitalist elite,” said Vavi.
The congress, which will take place from April 21 to the
23 in Boksburg, will be hosted under the theme; “building worker unity
for working class power in every workplace and community.
“While only the congress itself can finally decide on the
issues to be discussed, in the meantime all unions are to immediately finalise
their consultations with members on the questions of leadership, the
constitution, logo, colours and the name of the federation so that we develop a
consensus,” said the committee.
Last year the committee for the federation had outlined
plans to be an alternative for workers who had lost hope in unions, especially
Cosatu.
Some of their plans included tackling issues affecting
the working class such as outsourcing, labour brokers and unemployment.
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