Johannesburg - Cedric Gina, the president of metalworkers union Numsa, says threats by the union to dump the tripartite alliance and the ANC in next year’s elections have forced him to resign.
He said the union’s problems started when its general secretary, Irvin Jim, betrayed the union’s resolution for him to serve in the ANC’s national executive committee by declining his nomination without its consent.
Gina quit unceremoniously on Monday after months of clashes with Numsa leaders.
He added he was also being sidelined and suppressed.
Gina told The Star on Monday night that while he had been toying with the idea of stepping down in the past few weeks, weekend media reports of Numsa’s plan to form a civic movement, a labour federation to compete with Cosatu or even a workers’ political party were the final straw.
“Yes, I have resigned. I have written a letter of resignation to the structures of Numsa. I was feeling that I am being suffocated as the president of Numsa,” Gina said on Monday night, citing Numsa’s decision to give Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi a platform to address workers despite his being suspended.
After the Cosatu central executive committee suspended Vavi in August for having sex with a junior colleague at work, it barred him from addressing workers or speaking on the federation’s behalf pending the finalisation of his case.
“In the last few weeks, there were things that were being done in a manner I didn’t agree with. I expressed the view that it was inappropriate for comrade Vavi to address marches. There was no Numsa meeting that took the decision that Vavi should address the marches. I just felt there were too many bosses of Numsa,” he added.
Gina accused Jim of having betrayed Numsa members.
“Towards Mangaung, that’s where things started to be very difficult. Numsa’s leadership had resolved that comrade Jim must be the candidate of the ANC NEC (national executive committee) and he declined without consulting the union,” he said.