COSATU+and+the+WSF

COSATU Media Release, Thu 2007/02/01 04:23 PM
=COSATU and the WSF – a response to the Sunday Independent=

The Congress of South African Trade Unions has written to the Sunday Independent to protest about the article, //COSATU must walk the talk,// on Sunday 29 January by Christelle Terreblanche.

Christelle is an excellent journalist, for whom COSATU has great respect. But this article is unfortunately marred by a number of damaging inaccuracies, which are then used to reach false political conclusions. COSATU must set the record straight.

The most serious allegation is that at the 7th World Social Forum (WSF) in Nairobi, “South African labour, including COSATU, was all but invisible”, and that “there was no input by COSATU, one of Africa's largest union federations, when a first-ever formal network between mainstream international labour and ‘left’ social movements globally was launched within the WSF.”

This is totally untrue. COSATU was a co-founder of the WSF, and its African wing the ASF, and has been participating in all its activities since 2002, when trade union representation was minimal. It fought for more representation of unions and was instrumental in getting the then International Confederation of Free Trade Unions on board.

COSATU was also in the forefront of the campaign to rotate WSF meetings around different continents, which resulted in meetings in Mumbai in 2005 and Nairobi this year.

It was represented on the Organising Committee for the Nairobi meeting and pushed successfully for the Kenyan Centre of Trade Unions and African union federations – ICFTU-Afro, OATUU and OOATU - to be given a central role. This led to the Trade Union Pavilion at the WSF, under the theme: Decent Work for a Decent Life! COSATU then campaigned strongly for trade unions to send delegations, and indeed the trade union activities were well attended for the entire three days.

COSATU itself was represented by its President, 2nd Deputy President, Deputy General Secretary, the General Secretary of NUMSA, and the Deputy Presidents of SAMWU and the NUM, and eight others from affiliates and head office.

They were certainly not “all but invisible”. It is unfortunate that none of their paths crossed Christelle’s, but the following summary of some of the important seminars and panel discussions shows just how actively COSATU participated:


 * NUMSA General Secretary, Slumko Nondwangu, spoke at a discussion on the growing expansion of multinational companies, their behaviour in emerging economies like South Africa and Brazil and how to monitor them.


 * Deputy General Secretary, Bheki Ntshalintshali, was part of the panel in a seminar on the informal economy and the role of trade unions.


 * Oupa Bodibe, the Director of Naledi, represented COSATU in a discussion on the ILO campaign for adequate social protection as a cushion against the effects of globalisation.


 * At a seminar on ‘Western Sahara: the last Colony in Africa’, which looked at ways of providing continuous support for the struggle of the people of a country colonised by Morocco, Deputy International Relations Secretary, Mandla Rametsi, represented COSATU.


 * President Willy Madisha participated in a panel discussion on the NAMA 11 negotiations, which aim to reduce tariffs on non-agricultural goods, which could involve deeper tariff cuts for developing countries than for developed countries.


 * The DGS was also involved in the International Council making plans for WSF meeting in 2009 and discussions on common programmes leading to the 2009 8th WSF at a venue still to be decided.


 * In the light of South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 World Cup, COSATU was invited to speak to a meeting on the theme of Decent Work equals Fair Play. This examined what action the trade unions should take action towards 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Mandla Rametsi took part in this discussion.


 * Mummy Jafta, COSATU gender coordinator, participated in a discussion on ‘Women and Sexuality’.


 * Violet Seboni, COSATU 2nd Deputy President, and the DGS participated in numerous discussions on decent work and the role of trade unions.


 * At an event dealing with labour, the environment, sustainable development and climate change, the DGS participated as a panellist.


 * The and NUMSA, with the CUT of Brazil and other progressive social movements, held an intensive discussion with the National Secretary of President Lula’s office on future cooperation between the social movements, NGOs and governments of India, Brazil and South Africa around strengthening their governments’ role in the future WTO negotiations.

This list, which leaves out the work done by COSATU representatives as part of international trade union organisations and numerous informal engagements, completely refutes the article’s main charge of COSATU’s ‘invisibility’.

The article then unfortunately proceeds from its inaccurate report of COSATU’s “non-involvement at the WSF” to draw false political conclusions about the federation’s relationship with the Tripartite Alliance and social movements. “COSATU’s lukewarm participation begs the question of whether it was ready - as it says, and resolved - to embrace more radical civil society organisations to build a front to challenge ANC policy, without breaking ranks with the ANC's rival ‘poverty front’."

The article then misquotes COSATU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, in his response to a question about “whether COSATU’s near-invisibility at the WSF was an indication that the resolutions about building the ‘popular movement’ were mere alliance rhetoric”.

“Vavi,” said the article, “pledged that in working with civil society from now on, ‘there will be no talk of [the ANC] alliance, [but] talk just about what we should be doing together’."

We are sure there was no intention to misquote him, but Vavi insists that he did not make such a statement and COSATU is concerned that it could give an entirely misleading interpretation of its relations with the Alliance and social movements.

The federation’s view has always been that the two relationships are complementary, rather than contradictory. The article correctly reports that COSATU resolved last year that "a popular movement towards socialism, located within a restructured alliance and involving a range of mass movements, must be formed to assert the leadership of the working class, including the pro-socialist social movements”.

But there were other resolutions equally emphatically reaffirming support for the Alliance with the ANC and the SACP. COSATU and its affiliates and provincial structures are now busy implementing both resolutions.

COSATU remains committed to work as closely as possible with progressive civil society and social movements, alongside its commitment to build and strengthen the Tripartite Alliance.


 * Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)**
 * Congress of South African Trade Unions**
 * 1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets**
 * Braamfontein, 2017**


 * P.O.Box 1019, Johannesburg, 2000, SOUTH AFRICA**


 * Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24, Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940/ 086 603 9667, Cell: 0828217456**
 * E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za**

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