Rustenburg - Four Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) affiliated unions in North West are under serious attack, the trade federation said.
In organisational report before the trade union federation's 13th national congress held in Midrand, Cosatu said SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) were under serious attack from the new federation, without giving details.
But in July last year, South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi welcomed hundreds of National Health Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) who had joined the SA Liberated Public Sector Workers Union (Salipswu) in Potchefstroom.
The report on the state of Cosatu affiliates show that the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers' Union (Ceppwawu) was not active in North West and South African Society of Bank Officials (Sasbo) had no activism in the province while the Public and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (Pawusa) was only active during provincial conferences.
Cosatu unions in the public sector had been under pressure following the formation of Saftu.
The NUM lost members to the Association of Mineworkers and Trade Unions (Amcu) at the platinum mines in Rustenburg.
In the Free State, Limusa recruited 5 000 members and lost all of them within a short space of time due to weak membership system management, the NUM in the Free State lost about 8 000 members while Samwu was not active.
In the Eastern Cape, the Communication Workers Union (CWU), Liberated Metal CWU , Liberated Metalworkers Union of South Africa (Limusa), Sasbo, South African Medical Association (SAMA) and Pawusa were not active.
In Gauteng, it was reported that CWU, Pawusa and Samwu were not participating in the activities of Cosatu.
In the Northern Cape, the CWU, Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu), Samwu, Sama and Pawusa were not participating, Sama and Pawusa have never attended a provincial executive committee meeting.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Samwu, Sasbo and Satawu were not active.
Ceppwawu, Limusa and Satawu were not active in Limpopo.
Despite declining membership, Cosatu reports that they have received a number of union applications requesting affiliation to Cosatu but, most of them were not registered and others were turned away by the Registra therefore not complying with the federations requirements as national unions while others were non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Examples of these unions were the South Africa Volunteers and Allied Workers Union (Savawu). The union represent all volunteers in the country.
"This is an organisation that was formed by NGO's volunteers that are known as community home-based care members and other volunteers in Mpumalanga that is aimed to recruit members around all nine provinces in the country," the report stated.