CEPPWAWU PRESS STATEMENT ON THE MOVES BY DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR TO PLACE THE UNION UNDER ADMINISTRATION

7 May 2015

Members of the media,

Thank you for coming to this press conference.

We have called this Press Conference to inform the public in general and the entire membership of CEPPWAWU our position with regard to the move by the Department of Labour to place CEWWAWU under administration.

CEPWWAWU has 7 Regions. We represent four of these regions, these four regions together carry the majority of the members of the union.

A. The Situation in CEPPWWAWU

1. For a long time now we have been complaining and asking for assistance from COSATU and the DOL itself, to assist the union to put its house in order.

2. The country knows as had heard about allegations of rampant corruption in the union.

3. The country knows and has heard about the failure to hold constitutional meetings of the union, for years now.

4. We all perhaps have heard about the power struggles going on among the national leadership of the union, which struggles have virtually divided and paralyzed the union.

5. We all know about the problems, as a result of the failure to fulfil constitutional obligations by the current national leadership, how these problems have now led to a situation where the union is no longer being administered according to its constitution and the Labour Relation Act.

6. The union has failed to file audited financial statements for more than four years now.

7. As we speak, we have failed to hold our scheduled national congress, there have been no regular National Executive Committee Meetings. The union is in a state of chaos and paralysis.

8. All this situation is very well known to the current leadership of Sdumo. We have appealed to them on several occasions to intervene. They have not done so, for obvious factional reasons.

9. The union is being held hostage by the current leadership of CEPPWAWU.

10.Finally, the DOL of has correctly decided to place CEPPWAWU under administration.

A. Our Position

1. We the four regions who are the majority in the union have already made presentations to the DOL and we have fully supported the move to place the union under administration.

2. We want a full investigation on the financial, organizational, operational and constitutional affairs of the union.

3. We want all this because we want the union to return to its constitution, and to be returned to its members, throughout the country.

4. We reject, with contempt, at this late stage, any move from any one, including COSATU to interfere with the DOL’s application. This application must go through to allow for the work necessary to restore the union to its correct state.

5. We appeal to the police to move quickly with their investigations on corruption to assist us to clean the union.

6. We reject any political interference from any quarter in this matter.

7. We appeal to all our members to support the move we have taken as the majority, and to allow the DOL to help us to fight to return the union to its members.

We thank you, for your attendance at this press conference.

Statement issued by Scotch Dibetso, CEPPWAWU, May 7 2015