Johannesburg - The SA Municipal Workers Union has gone back on its previous call for a special national congress to resolve the divisions which have split trade union federation, Cosatu.
At a press briefing after the federation’s tense central executive committee meeting this week, which general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and five affiliates boycotted, Samwu said there was no longer a need for a special congress.
“(We) are convinced that these issues can be addressed properly from within Cosatu’s ordinary national congress,” general secretary Walter Theledi said.
Last year nine unions, including Samwu, joined forces in a court bid to force Cosatu’s leaders to hold a special national congress.
The court bid was put on ice last year to allow for an ANC task team to mediate a peace deal in the beleaguered federation but after the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) was expelled in November, the unions took up the case again.
Over the past fortnight, Samwu has on several occasions sought to distance itself from affiliates who call themselves the “Group of Eight”, who are leading calls for Numsa’s immediate reinstatement.
Samwu spokesman Papikie Mohale previously said the union would not boycott the CEC.
While Cosatu this week stopped short of taking action against Vavi, deferring any disciplinary processes against him to a special CEC scheduled for the coming weeks, Samwu condemned him for boycotting this week’s meeting, saying he had neglected his duties as general secretary.
“With the serious allegations brought against the general secretary and the recent developments, we believe that he should be subjected to constitutional provisions,” Theledi said in a statement.
He said that Samwu abided by democratic decisions taken by Cosatu and would own the decisions not matter how uncomfortable the union was with them.
Samwu’s comments come amid its ongoing wage negotiations with the SA Local Government Association, the Amanzi Bargaining Council and Water Solutions SA.
It is the country’s largest municipal workers union, as Cosatu increasingly becomes a federation dominated by public sector unions, all of whom are currently engaged in public sector wage talks.
The union has also been wracked by allegations of major financial mismanagement and corruption.
Its special central executive committee meeting this week was the first since its December one was interdicted by whistleblowers calling themselves Save Our Samwu.
Over 100 leaders have been dismissed, expelled or suspended for opposing the union’s leaders by among others, calling for an independent forensic audit into the union’s finances.
SOS’s campaign has led to the arrest of the financial consultant at the centre of the allegations, Samuel Phaswane, on charges of theft of millions of rand.
This week Theledi said that any members who “defined themselves outside of the union and its constitution” would be banned from contesting shop steward elections in their places of work.
He said some municipalities, particularly those in Gauteng, were refusing to recognise shop stewards who had been elected to replace sidelined shop stewards.
“The CEC confirms that the elections of these shop stewards (were) free and fair and therefore confirms their election as Samwu shop stewards.”
Independent Labour Bureau