Speech by NUM Acting President Thamsanqa Piet Matosa to the National Union of Mineworkers National Congress, June 3 2015
BACK TO BASICS MEMBERS FIRST
Dear NEC members, leaders of our constitutional structures, delegates to our congress, Leaders of the ANC, Cosatu ,SACP, Sanco, representatives of IndustriALL and BWI, all invited guests local and international, All guest speakers, former NUM leaders, and members of the Operational Arm of the National Union of Mineworkers. I welcome you all to this parliament of the people, the congress of NUM.
I want to take this time to bow respect for former Deputy President of NUM Crosby Moni who passed on while serving as a parliamentarian.
We bow respect for the return of the mortal remains of JB Marks and Moses Kotane. We also remember and bow our respect for our former Honorary President Nelson Mandela and Ruth Mompati .May their souls rest in peace.
I also take this opportunity to remind this congress that Comrade Senzeni Zokwana who was our President elected by NUM delegates in 2012 was also elected at the ANC Mangaung National Conference in 2012 as a member of the National Executive Committee .
We also remember that at the same time he was serving as the Chairperson of the South African Communist Party. Equally important is the fact that he was also the Vice President of IndustriALL which is a global Federation of unions wherein NUM continues to be affiliated.
He became a parliamentarian in our national government and later sworn in as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries which were full-time positions requiring him to leave the National Union of Mineworkers.
We take this time to thank him for his long service and trustworthiness in leading NUM. Comrade Minister Senzeni Zokwana we are proud to see you serving the people of South Africa at a different level.
We thank you now because we believe in the Chinese saying on the importance of acknowledgement which says “When you drink water, remember the mountain spring”.
As we move on we shall make reference to some of your good teachings and will continue to solicit your wisdom for guardianship as we navigate the treacherous realities of our time .We will always look back in line with the call made by our theme which is ‘back to basics members first’.
MEANING OF CONGRESS THEME
Comrades, as you are aware, the theme of this Congress is ‘Back to Basics, members first’. My own understanding is that it means a return to our previously held moral standards.
Such as discipline, respect for the constitution, taking responsibility for our actions, honouring organisational mandates, and keeping decisions made democratically. Most importantly service to our members.
Back to basics is not just a statement. It is a call to action to do things right and do right things. It is a right thing to provide and maintain service to members. It is a right thing to provide representation and defend members against the employer.
The people who must do things right are the trade union activists who believe in the rights of workers and improvement of their working and living conditions.
By improved working conditions I refer to the fight for a better rate of pay, improved health and safety, basic benefits and etc.
Those who believe in these rights and conditions of service will at all-time fight against the employers if such employers threaten the worsening of these conditions.
Going back to basics means therefore that we must mobilise the trade unionists and bring into them a consciousness of trade union activism to deal with the above expectations and responsibilities passionately and not because they are simply employed to do so .
PURPOSE OF FORMING TRADE UNIONS
Back to basics mean going back to the purposes of why trade unions were formed in the first place .The purpose of forming unions was not to create divisions but unify the workers.
The purpose of forming trade unions like NUM was not to create an atmosphere of separation through factions and malicious groupings which simply fragment us.
But was to fuse workers into a cohesive force .A cohesive force that builds a sense of nationhood against the myths of patriarchy and delusions of tribalism. In our case, we have to fuse members of NUM across the sectors that is mining, energy, and construction.
In this way going back to basics is a call for a revitalisation of a purposeful journey towards the primary intention of the union which is unity of workers across the board and into their true category of class.
This unity is against the employers and against the conditions of exploitation. It is a unity against abuse on the bases of class, race, and gender. So it is not a unity against ourselves but unity against the abuse of power.
Discipline and class discipline
For unity to exist and be sustainable we must nurture class discipline. Unity is always threatened by lack of discipline. Actually where there is no discipline there is never unity.
Three years ago we held a congress which was highly contested. It also exposed the character of some of our comrades who aspire to be national office bearers of this organisation .For instance we can confirm that some of those who were desperate for positions in 2012 solicited financial assistance from the employers.
They wanted material assistance from the employers to campaign for elections in NUM. This is a fundamental revelation of lack of class discipline. When you lack class discipline you will make the employer an ally against your fellow comrades.
When you do such things as to unite with the employer against your fellow comrades clearly you can’t be trusted by members of NUM. You can’t be entrusted with advancing and defending the interest of the working class.
Back to basics members first means that we can’t trust such characters to lead us or any Revolution. Some employers came to us and confessed that they were approached to fund campaigns by NUM leaders .We thank the employers for their honesty.
Discipline basic value
Discipline is the basic value to keep a variety of people together in an organisation united.
When we say discipline is linked to back to basics members first we mean that the members must attend events or sessions where they are deployed for training or for any other constructive organisational activity .Discipline in this regard means members arriving where they are sent or deployed.
But when a member or members sent or deployed for training or to attend an organisational activity by their regions do not turn up or fail to arrive that is lack of discipline.
It is worse when members default without explanation or apology. So let’s go back to basics and appreciate the fact that our failure to honour important obligations has cost implications to it.
In correcting this sickness we shall respect organisational obligations as part of going back to basics after this Congress.
There must be action against leaders and members who fail to turn up to events or activities they are assigned to. We must hold each other accountable to keep the organisation together.
XENOPHOBIA
The National Union of Mineworkers expresses again its disappointment with recent xenophobic attacks. Back to basics requires of us to preach the message of broad based citizenship.
But we should not lose sight of linking xenophobic attacks to the divide and rule manifestations of the monster of capitalism.
The ill treatment of others who come from different parts of the continent is part of the broader picture of how the evil spirit of capitalism is succeeding to dividing the working class across colonial borders.
As NUM we should reject all forms of social chauvinism no matter its sophistication. We know that the proponents of many forms of social chauvinism could also sound revolutionary sometimes.
The freedom of South Africa is a manifestation of a concoction of sacrifices by those who loved justice and freedom across the world.
United in permanent grief
On 23rd May 2015 NUM commemorated the Vaal Reefs Disaster which marked the death of 104 mineworkers who died underground on the 10th May 1995 in Orkney Matlosana in the North West Province.
To remind you, the victims were crashed beyond recognition. Amongst the dead were Citizens of Lesotho, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, and South Africa.
They died together without xenophobic accusations and they are trapped in death down in the belly of the earth united by common silence and united against xenophobia .Let’s us preach unity and dialogue. This is our commitment to Africa month.
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY
Comrades, the working class is known for sharing pain and celebrations together because by design it is collectivist and not individualist. As the working class we can only be strong if we continue to strengthen our unity across the seas and across the borders.
The Profit gangsters
The profit gangsters who exploit us are not restricted by borders and the seas. So long there is investment opportunity and labour to exploit they go there and they extract profit without mercy.
Where the working class is disorganised they are brutalised through the bonus driven processes of profit making. They save as much as possible and expose the working class to all manner of hazards without regard.
Job Culling menaces
These profit driven gangsters make profit through the menace of job cuts and retrenchments .A lot of workers are affected in mining, energy, and construction. In mining they use technology to effect displacement of labour.
In Construction they relieve workers from employment to avoid the new labour law arrangements which dictate that workers who are three months old in temporary employment must be absorbed as permanent.
In energy they drop workers to save costs yet Eskom can pay for family holidays of its management and international trips despite the fact that South Africa has entered a phase of seasoned blackouts and load shedding.
Going to basics means that every member and every leader of NUM must be in solidarity with those facing this capitalist and neo-liberal onslaught in our country .The basics say we must undertake action against this anarchy .This congress must express itself on this attack.
Global framework agreements
Comrades, we need the spirit of working class internationalism to bind us together to challenge employers globally. NUM is participating in IndustriALL and BWI to push strongly for global framework agreements.
So that companies hold up good standards of employment across countries. This is real progress for the struggle of workers across the globe .These agreements must be escalated .Our global Federations play critical roles in this regard.
As NUM we should ensure that they remain vibrant and sustainable. We must unite along common class interest for what we have to wage and win is part of the broad international class struggle.
RECRUITMENT AND ORGANISING
Comrades, I want to make a special appeal to the organisers of NUM. This is an important layer of officials in the organisation .The organisers have a responsibility to educate and service our members. While the branch committees are the power of our base. Collaboration between the two will create a powerful NUM.
The organisers and branch committees constitute an important detachment in NUM. They must be the first line of defence against any form of attack be it from employers or secondary enemies.
They must be a source of the culture of unity and organisational cohesion. These organisers and branch committees are a layer of strength for NUM and must remain active at all times.
COSATU
Comrades, on behalf of NUM let me express our thankfulness for the assistance and support we received from Cosatu when we were under violent attacks and displacement in the platinum belt.
Cosatu national leadership and its Provincial leadership stood firm in our defence despite the internal wrangling which were designed to confuse and fragment the Federation.
As NUM we are thankful for your sincere support and contribution. We also thank the National Office Bearers of Cosatu for keeping the Federation alive in these difficult times.
Under your collective stewardship Cosatu has not succumbed nor collapsed in the face of legal quibbles. We also thank our branches and the Region of Rustenburg for their resistance and defence of NUM.
We are grateful to those unmentioned who dedicated their time and risked their lives prepared to die for NUM. It is for this reason that as NUM we shall continue to defend Cosatu.
Neither court process nor amount of public posturing will deter us .It is through Cosatu that we have May Day as paid holiday in South Africa today.
NUM must prepare sufficiently for the Special Congress to be held in 13-14 July 2015 and the Ordinary Congress of Cosatu which would be held later this year. We must go there to defend this Federation so that no body rises on its carcass.
The Central Executive Committee of Cosatu has remained firm and guarded .It is through its resolve that the Federation continues to function and the Secretariat has not collapsed.
This demonstrates that Cosatu does not rely on the cult of personality. The cult of personality promotes the individual above the members .We must applaud this as an achievement and a return to basics where members come first.
We also welcome the new union in the metal industry called LIMUSA which was accepted by Cosatu recently as part of its affiliates. As NUM we shall continue to fight for growth and unity in the Federation.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
We thank the ANC for its persistent role trying to unite Cosatu. As NUM we were pessimistic and I believe other affiliates felt the same too on the possibility of keeping NUMSA in Cosatu.
This was due to the fact that some of its special congress resolutions were in confrontation with Cosatu policies. Thus our view that NUMSA`s case was long concluded.
They wanted out and nobody was going to stop them from organising across other designated areas which Cosatu had assigned to other unions. No one would stop them from forming a political organisation to rival ANC.
But we felt that we should give the ANC mediation efforts a chance. Despite our pessimistic conclusion that NUMSA had reached a point of no return, we left all options open.
We thank the ANC for demonstrating that it is a leader of the Tripartite Alliance in theory and action. Only the ANC could struggle so much for the Unity of Cosatu and no other political party.
DEFENDING THE ANC IS DEFENDING OUR GAINS
The ANC has brought a lot of changes to our country. While we have sometimes disagreed with certain developments such as labour brokers and e-tolls, we still believe there is no alternative as yet to this organisation.
I would not waste time by rattling you statistics or a litany of positive contributions to both the political landscape and at the level of the economic base.
But as workers we have the responsibility to stand up to defend the ANC. We shall fight it constructively where we differ with it. We will do so without fear.
We are not a lapdog as others want us to believe. When we defend it we are defending the revolutionary course in South Africa. As workers we must continue not only defending the ANC but also using all avenues to influence it in line with our interests.
Let us remember to swell the ranks of the ANC. Swelling the ranks of the ANC to influence it both from within and from without is part of a manifestation of back to basics which is our theme.
We swell the ranks of the ANC because the working class is the leading motive force of the National Democratic Revolution.
Our inspiration is Lenin
We shall do so inspired by Lenin when he said the following words in relation to the French Revolution "rousing the vast masses of the people in defence of its gains”. We too shall rouse the masses of our people in defence of our gains which we secured through putting the ANC in power.
Voting for ANC
Next year in 2016 we should continue to vote for the ANC in local government elections. The working class cannot afford at this stage to leap into a path of go-it-alone as others are agitating for such an adventure.
Therefore we shall mobilise for the ANC in the forthcoming local government elections.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Comrades, the employers are fully aware of the challenges faced by organisations such as NUM. They are aware that we are facing serious challenges of destabilisation by our opponents.
The attacks on NUM by rival unions in the platinum sector have made the employers to be more aggressive and stubborn in dealing with NUM.
They now want to terminate the release of shop stewards or elected leaders of NUM .They now question a long held tradition of releasing leaders full-time to attend to union activities and service members.
The dirty strategy of the employers
This is a carefully coined strategy to create conditions in which unions weaken and implode. At Transhex for example the employer refused on a number of occasions to release the Regional Chairperson of NUM to attend to organisational responsibilities.
This is a serious attack and we have to defend our gains .We have to defend ourselves because doing so is defending the interest of members and our members come first .
SETTING PRECEDENCE
We have set good standards for bargaining for good benefits and pay rates like we did in Eskom, Royal Bafokeng, Goldfields (South Deep), and the construction sector.
We must build on this standard. We hope that our negotiators will navigate with care noting that there are already expectations from our members.
The role of negotiators must be indisputable
Our negotiators carry the mandate of our members and our member come first .While we are guided by the outcomes of the collective bargaining conference which was held in March 2015.It is important for us to remember that we can’t be ignorant to the voices agitating for a living wage.
We shall not be ignorant to the reality that South Africa `s wage structure is still entrenched in the logic of apartheid wage structure, which was promoting class exploitation, gender domination, and racial oppression. As we enter the arena of negotiations we must have this baggage in our minds.
History and contemporary conditions imperative
Our battle for better remuneration must operate within that broad historical and contemporary environment .Most importantly; our members must be able to streamline their demands so that with few we can score big.
My special call to negotiating teams is consultation at all times .Let us not create gaps and let us remain team players in negotiations.
Building dynamic contact between leaders and members
Comrades, the leaders of NUM must create dynamic contact with the members .We face a lot of competition. We cannot afford to create space between leaders and members.
The Presidency of NUM travelled on a road-show nationally to advance this dynamic contact in the regions. While the road-show was successful it is with disappointment to mention that similar success cannot be claimed with regard to North East, Highveld, and in PWV.
For example, Highveld converted the Chairpersons Forum into an RC which disadvantaged other chairpersons who were supposed to attend the Forum. Thus our message could not spread as wide as possible.
The PWV attendance was very poor while in North East there was no interaction at all. I hope in the future there will be better commitment for the sake of our members and organisational cohesion
Constitutional meetings important
The Constitution of NUM requires of us that branches must hold a meeting every month. Any branch leadership that fails to convene meetings is in violation of the NUM constitution. If you don’t call branch meetings you will lose credibility.
If you continue to take decisions that affect workers without branch consultation you are likely to be guilty of representing yourself and not members of NUM .You are likely to lose legitimacy even though you were democratically elected.
Visiting branches
The leadership of NUM has every right to visit regions and branches as part of creating that dynamic contact with the members .The National Office Bearers have every right to visit branches of NUM. So that we know who we lead.
Gate keeping culture
When we visit branches we want to interact with both branch leaders and members .Branch leaders are not a branch by themselves.
In this way leaders must stop the culture of gate-keeping which deprives the national leadership the necessary interface with members.
Mass meetings and operation siyaphambili
The interaction with members through mass meetings is the best way of interface and we must continue addressing mass meetings post Congress.
The branch leaders must organise mass meetings. Both regional and national leaders must address such gatherings as part of operation siyaphambili.
No go areas
Comrades, we must not allow a culture of no go areas to creep in. When an area becomes a no go area it effectively means the leadership in that region has lost control and no longer enjoys territorial influence over branches.
Those who constitute a no go area have ulterior motives other than supporting NUM. The regional leadership must be able to stand firm and promote its influence over such branches .This will enhance organisational cohesion.
KNOWLEDGE AND EMPOWEMENT
Education and training
Our leaders and members must take opportunities to empower themselves through education and training offered by the union at the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training College (EBMTC).
SACP NUM Education partnership
We must also attend the partnership education provided by NUM and the South African Communist Party. When NUM sought and supported this partnership it was inspired by inputs of the book entitled ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’.
In this book Paulo Freire through his revolutionary pen promotes revolutionary education which is what we have already started doing through our partnership with the SACP at our college.
We want our members to have an education that arises out of mutual engagement between the facilitators and the learners or attendees.
The intention is to sharpen and inspire each one understanding about the urgency to change South Africa. We want to create ideological clarity for our members, create understanding of the nature of class struggle and the role of the state.
Thus we thank the SACP for its unconditional support to this revolutionary course .We must be armed with skills and critical thinking if we want to assert the role of the working class in society to influence the direction of South African development path.
We thank the SACP for being side by side with us, defending our members during the vicious attacks directed to us by vigilante unionist in the platinum belt.
We now know that the Agreement signed between Amcu and Anglo platinum contains a clause called reclamation project which empowers the employer to retrench 474 workers. A clear sell-out deal which guarantees the employer that the union will not strike come retrenchments.
TRANFORMATION
Comrades, transformation of the mining sector must happen and it is a revolutionary obligation that cannot be mediated any more. The South African government must demonstrate certainty on this course.
The mining companies that don’t comply with the MPRDA must face consequences. The reality is that companies will not transform by themselves.
They will do everything to sabotage progresses and use all avenues to delay implementation including camping in the courts.
The mining oligarchy has failed to comply with the scripts of transformation and their licences must be retrieved.
We must go to the streets in demand of implementation of change. We will challenge both government and business in this regard.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Health of our members is critical .Their safety must not be negotiable .We need to give attention to energy and construction sectors. A lot has already been done and is on-going in mining in terms of fighting diseases like TB and silicosis including HIV Aids.
The lessons from this sector must be translated into a formidable programme dedicated to construction in particular which is a highly vulnerable sector.
We must not be comfortable with the reality of leading members who are constantly dying out of lack of safety or out of poor health. The struggle for Health and Safety must be escalated in 2015. The statistics in energy, construction must be readily available constantly.
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WORKERS
We must create better working conditions which ultimately must improve our living situations. While we correctly push for better wages there is another better angle to reinforce remuneration which is workers participation in broad based economic empowerment (ESOPs).
There have been challenges but also phenomenal progress in some instances. For example the Envision scheme at Kumba which resulted in some employees raking in half a million before tax .This was a great achievement.
We must equally pursue the empowerment of workers in Energy and Construction sectors. Construction is one of the most exploitative industries, highly conservative which creates an atmosphere for super exploitation and corruption. We must stand up and push for employee share-ownership schemes in this area.
THANKING THE LEADERSHIP OF NUM
Comrades, it will be a mistake not to thank the incumbent leaders of NUM. We have been through trying times since our last Congress. We must praise ourselves for rising up to the challenges.
No easy victories
We do not seek to claim easy victories for we are warned by Amilcar Cabral when he said ‘Claim no easy victories’. But being deserted by members as it happened in 2012 and having them coming back day by day is a victory and not an easy victory.
Those who left us found that democracy was an expensive commodity elsewhere. The only place democracy is free in the mining industry was at NUM.They will tell you that there is no such a thing as financial accountability to members by the rival union.
Some have come back and others still fear for their lives if they were to do so openly. We hope that the Marikana Commission Report once released by the President will serve to liberate them from the grip of torment and the plague of fear.
TEST OF LEADERSHIP
Comrades, leaders are not tested in nice time’s .But the quality and character of leadership is tested in difficult times .I am glad to be counted amongst this leadership which stood the test of time.
INTERNATIONAL
The National Union of Mineworkers welcomes the move by the US government to remove Cuba from its list of blacklisted countries recently.
We also welcome the 40 Cuban Engineers who reportedly will be assisting the Free State Province government in infrastructure development and service delivery.
The Provincial government must work with the Engineering Council of SA to integrate them into our society. As NUM we expect to be sufficiently briefed at the right time as we are the only progressive union operating in construction.
We have offices and members in Free State and we are an important constituency. There can be no successful development without members and structures of NUM.
We hope that there will be skills-transfer to locals. This is how integration between local and those who come from outside can be institutionalised.
CONCLUSION
Comrades, NUM will be bestowing honour of courage to former Deputy President of the ANC and that of the country comrade Kgalema Motlanthe .We will be honouring him with Khau ea Bahale.
This is for his selfless contribution to the working class in our country. His contribution to the struggle for freedom and democracy.
We thank him for the wisdom he continues to provide to many young and old leaders of the ANC and the Alliance.
Comrades, let’s have freedom and robust discussion, festival of ideas, and unity in action. With these words I declare this congress officially opened.
Issued by NUM, June 3 2015
