COSATU Central Executive Committee Statement, 16 October 2015
The Congress of South African Trade Unions held a Special Central Executive Committee meeting from 14-15 October 2015. It was attended by the national office bearers; all affiliated unions and provincial leaders. The meeting was convened to discuss the preparations for the upcoming 12th National Congress and a myriad of other issues, including the recently held ANC NGC, COSATU Programme of Action, etc.
Preparations towards 12th National Congress, 23-26 November 2015
The CEC officially confirmed that the 12th National Congress will be convened from the 23rd to the 26th of November 2015 at Gallagher Estate Midrand, under the theme: “Building unity and cohesion of COSATU to advance the National Democratic revolution”. The federation will also be celebrating its 30 year anniversary on the 5th of December 2015, by hosting a massive rally in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal. These celebrations will be followed by provincial celebrations in 2016, which will be linked to consolidating unity of COSATU on the ground, heightening the Living Wage Campaign and building the momentum towards the victory of the ANC in the local government elections.
The Special CEC was used to deepen the unity of the federation; building on the momentum of the Special National Congress. In this context ,all unions will be going to the 12th National Congress with the aim of deepening and defending the unity and founding principles of the federation, and ensure that there is a robust and constructive National Congress.
The meeting signed off strategic National Congress documents which included the following:
(a) The Credentials Report with about 2500 delegates expected to descend at Gallagher Estate, from the 23rd of November 2015.
(b) The Secretariat Report which has the Political, Socio-Economic, Organisational; International and the financial sections.
(c) The Congress will also receive a discussion document focusing on young workers and this will be discussed as part of the Secretariat report.
(d) The congress will review its mid-term strategy document “Consolidating Working Class Power for Quality Jobs – Towards 2015”, known as the 2015 Plan ,that was adopted by the 8thCOSATU National Congress in 2003.
This plan is based on three pillars which include:
(1) Strategies to build the power of the organized working class in South Africa, in our region and continent as well as internationally.
(2) Strategies to make our relationship with the Alliance work.
(3) Priority areas for intervening on socio economic policy in the short term to stem the job loss bloodbath and a fight for quality jobs.
The congress will also reflect on the work done to take forward the resolutions and declarations of our last 11th National Congress. The mandate of the 11th Congress included the following:
(a) Abolition of the apartheid wage structure and a campaign for a living wage.
(b) Heightening the struggle for Radical Socio-Economic Transformation which is also linked to a campaign which we conceptualized as Creating Our Own Lula Moment- Driving the Second Phase of Our Transition from below!.
(c) Building the organisation focusing on Building Strong Worker-Controlled Unions.
(d) Our International Programme – which include , Supporting the building of a strong, united and effective African trade union movement , building global solidarity for confronting multinational companies, confronting underdevelopment for industrialisation in the African continent , the transformation of multilateral institutions, democratisation of global power relations and fighting the domination of the world by a few countries, building working class power for fair trade and global economic justice, and a global working class movement to confront neo-liberalism and build anti-capitalist alternatives.
Part of the core work of the congress will be to conduct an assessment of the International and Domestic Balance of forces since our last congress, to assess the state of the federation and propose a programme of action going forward. The congress will also have an opportunity to elect a new leadership collective to take forward the adopted outcomes.
The CEC agreed on an approach for the congress to deal with the appeals of both NUMSA and the expelled General Secretary.
On the state of COSATU Affiliates
The CEC reflected on the state of COSATU affiliates, and based on a shared understanding that COSATU affiliates constitute the heart beat of COSATU, it was agreed that the programme to strengthen affiliates will be prioritised, and anchored by the CEC itself. This will in practice be handled by a CEC task team set up for this purpose.
COSATU 2016 Budget
The CEC approved the 2016 Budget of the federation which amounts to about R80 million. In the adoption of the budget the CEC emphasised the need to always ensure that the federation remains self reliant. Based on this we can say with confidence the federation is ready for the implementation of its 2016 Programme of Action.
On Kopano Ke Matla
The meeting expressed concern about the state of Kopano ke Matla (KKM), our Investment Company . Going forward it was agreed that the process of finalising the appointment of KKM trustees will be a priority. A number of intervention strategies were agreed upon and the NOBs will soon be rolling them out.
National Day of Action
The CEC conducted an assessment of the one day National Strike that was declared on the 7th October 2015, to mark the International Day for Decent Work. Overall, the CEC agreed that the national strike was a considerable success and signalled that the federation was back at work, after a challenging period.
The national marches and demonstrations were a clear and solid response by the federation to the mandate of the Special National Congress {SNC}. The SNC gave the leadership of the federation a mandate to unite the workers and focus the energies of the federation towards leading workplace and working class struggles.
The CEC made it clear that ,since COSATU remains the biggest organisation representing the creators of wealth in South Africa, it should continue asserting its hegemonic role in economic development, in redistribution of wealth, income, resources, knowledge and skills, and job creation.
COSATU should continue asserting the goals of broader social justice; demand the people centred and people driven development and the construction of a comprehensive social welfare system that will help end the current wealth and income gaps.
The marches and demonstrations therefore, represented the continuation of a process to heighten mobilisation for socio economic strikes going forward. The success of the strike reflected the will of the workers, to ensure that their federation remain a fighting organisation with efficient structures, led by effective, assertive and coherent leadership.
May Day
The CEC was inspired by the 2015 May Day events, which saw thousands of COSATU members and workers, attending various activities throughout the country, to claim their hard won gains. The venue for the 2016 National May Day will be in Gauteng. It was agreed that there is a need to review the form, which our may day will take moving forward and this will in the future include country- wide marches.
On the ANC – National General Council
On Organisational matters
The CEC noted the outcomes of the ANC NGC and is looking forward to engaging with the resolutions, as and when they are released. The posture of the federation going to the ANC NGC was to advance the unity of the ANC, as the leader of our movement and not allow the premature and factional debates to defocus the movement. We went there to focus on defending and advancing progressive policies as adopted by both Polokwane and Mangaung conferences.
The CEC congratulates the ANC NGC ,for managing to take forward the organisational renewal programme of the ANC, particularly with respect to re-asserting the mass based character of the ANC, and by frankly confronting tendencies ,which are at the centre of the weaknesses in the ANC and the movement as a whole.
The CEC understand that the ANC NGC was meant to account and review progress on the implementation of the ANC resolutions and it was not a policy making platform. We therefore acknowledge the commitment by the ANC to take forward progressive policies such as the Land Question and Rural development, food security and on human settlement, especially the effort to prioritise military veterans etc.
NGC on the Economy
The CEC is concerned by the lack of explicit, bold and decisive commitment, by the ANC, to deal with monopoly capital and change the control and ownership patterns of the economy. It is deeply troubling that the NGC declaration was quiet about the non implementation of some key ANC policies, such as the establishment of the state bank, state mining company, nationalisation of SASOL and Arcelor Mittal, the establishment of a state Pharmaceutical Company and the implementation of NHI.
NGC on the NDP
The NGC ignored all other decisions and commitments made in the Alliance Summits, in relation to the NDP. The alliance raised some concerns about some sections of the NDP, especially the economic and labours chapters, but the ANC NGC’s articulation of the NDP does not acknowledge this fact.
On e-tolls and labour brokers
There was not a single person in the NGC, who disagreed with the demand for the banning of labour brokers and the abolition of e-tolls. But the ANC’s articulation of the outcomes of the NGC ignores this consensus within the movement.
NGC on the Annual National Assessments
The CEC supported SADTU in rejecting the Annual National Assessments {ANA}, in their current form, because they are not in the best interests of learners and will do nothing to improve the quality of education.
The CEC endorsed the idea of assessments in principle but called on the department of Basic Education, to respect the work of the Task Team that is reconciling the views and positions of all stakeholders on the matter. The CEC rejected the position of the ANC NGC, to insist on the implementation of the ANA’s this year. The meeting instructed NOB’s to convene a meeting with the our affiliate SADTU leadership on this matter, and further explore the possibility another meeting with the department of Basic Education ,to find an amicable solution to this impasse.
On National Treasury
The CEC has reiterated its opposition to the reactionary role that is being played by the National Treasury in frustrating the implementation of the ANC progressive resolutions. The treasury has clearly appropriated to itself the custodianship of policy determination from various departments.
The CEC noted that the NGC said nothing about this phenomenon, where the Treasury acts as a super ministry which has become a stumbling block in the implementation of social security reforms and the NHI. Since the release of the report of the Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive System of Social Security for South Africa (Taylor Report) in 2002, the Treasury has been on the offensive.
They have used every trick in the book, to derail engagement on the establishment of a comprehensive social security system at NEDLAC. The CEC calls on the ANC to confront the elephant in the room, which is Treasury, because it is sabotaging and undermining the whole concept of the radical second phase of our transition. We need a proper and sincere engagement at NEDLAC on the introduction of a comprehensive social security system.
Overall, the outcomes of the ANC NGC do not reflect the seriousness on the part of the ANC, to take forward the radical transformation of the economy. This commitment seems to only exist on paper and nowhere else. We hope that all these concerns, which we also expressed in the NGC itself, will be dealt with and some of them will find their way the final report of the outcomes of the NGC.
The CEC will table the outcomes of the NGC to the 12th COSATU National Congress. The congress will look at ways of unifying and strengthening the progressive forces on the ground and inside the ANC itself, so that they can defend the implementation of the ANC’s progressive policies and resolutions. The biggest challenge for us going forward, is to ensure that progressive ANC resolutions are translated into implementable policies in government.
Tragic collapse of a bridge on the M1
The CEC expressed shock and anger over the collapse of a temporary bridge on the M1, next to Grayston off ramp, in Johannesburg that resulted in two deaths and twenty one people suffering injuries. We express condolences to the families and friends of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
We demand a full and thorough investigation by the regulators and the department of labour. Murray & Roberts is the same company that was involved in price fixing and collusion as exposed by the Competition Commission.We demand that they be held fully responsible. The lack of adherence to Occupational health and safety procedures in this country, leaves much to be desired. The federation will consider exploring a legal challenge against the Murray & Roberts.
SABMiller AB Inbev merger
The CEC rejected the deal between SABMiller and AB Inbev and called on the South African government, local and international regulators and the South African state employees’ pension fund investor, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), not to ratify the deal.
We feel that the merger will affect both the tax revenue and the job security of the workers going forward. This merger will have devastating consequences, to local but more importantly township and rural economies. SABMiller was already guilty of repatriating profits to London, which is where their primary listing is.
Taxi violence
The CEC condemned the taxi violence that has engulfed the province of KZN and that has left many people dead and commuters traumatised. It is not acceptable that an industry that plays such a crucial role in driving the South African economy can be mired in such bloodshed. We call on government to intervene and take seriously the COSATU call for a safe, reliable, affordable, integrated and accessible public transport system.
Issued by COSATU National Spokesperson Sizwe Pamla, 16 October 2015
