Johannesburg - Cosatu affiliates demanding the reinstatement of metalworkers union Numsa will again boycott a meeting of the federation’s central executive committee (CEC) at the end of the month if the ANC fails to meet them.
This follows a task team from the ruling party cancelling a scheduled meeting with the unions before a CEC meeting earlier this month.
The ANC is meant to be helping to broker a peace deal in the federation, which is facing a split due to divisions over a number of issues.
While ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said on Tuesday the party did not report on every meeting it held or had scheduled, Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini said he was not aware of any meetings scheduled with the task team.
The previous meeting was cancelled because Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was not able to attend.
The unions believe they stand no chance of their demands getting a fair hearing until they meet with the ANC, which is in the tripartite alliance with Cosatu. The demands include that Numsa be reinstated into Cosatu.
Food and Allied Workers Union general secretary Katishi Masemola said on Tuesday he expected the majority of the seven unions calling for Numsa’s reinstatement not to attend the special CEC on March 30 and 31.
The special CEC is meant to discuss charges against Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, including financial maladministration, as well as a special national congress.
Although Vavi, five of the unions and the general secretary of another affiliate boycotted the last meeting, it went ahead.
Dlamini confirmed that the federation had written to the unions asking them to come back into the Cosatu fold.
In the meantime, the seven unions are meeting shop steward councils across various provinces regarding resolutions from Cosatu’s 2012 congress.
The Star