NUMSA ON THE UNITED FRONT AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF ESTABLISHING A MOVEMENT FOR SOCIALISM
3 March 2014
Numsa convened a press briefing on Sunday 2nd March 2014, for purposes of presenting our 2014 statement on a range of issues and to report the outcome of the historic Numsa Special National Congress held on 17-20 December 2013.
The media on Monday 3rd March 2014 ran with headlines screaming that Numsa is establishing a new political party. Given the many media enquiries we received we opted not to do a multitude of interviews, but to offer this brief statement which is in line with our 15 page statement of 2 March 2014, wherein we reiterate the following;
1. The Numsa Special National Congress concluded that the ANC led-Alliance has become dysfunctional and incapable of defending working class interest in the midst of the implementation of anti-working class policies such as;
The National Development Plan (NDP) which seeks to postpone the resolution of poverty, unemployment and inequality to 2030;
Implementation of the e-tolling which is nothing short of the privatization public roads;
Failure to ban Labour Brokers;
Introducing a National Youth Wage Subsidy which is a tax incentive/subsidy to the rich but a promises of an investigation into the modalities of a National Minimum Wage;
Etc
2. The Alliance springs into action every 5 years when it is time for elections, but would otherwise not address pertinent issues agreed upon in Alliance Summits since 1994.
3. For all intends and purposes, the Freedom Charter, which is the minimum program which glued together the Alliance, has been abandoned in favour of GEAR and the NDP.
4. In the current circumstances we see leaderless services delivery protest of about 37 per day furthermore illustrating that the vulnerable and the poor in our society are left to their own devises.
5. The United Front Numsa resolved upon in its Special National Congress is a mobilising tool to organise and coordinate working class struggles. It is no different to what Cosatu had attempted in its Civil Society Conference. It is not "A Party".
6. Numsa is on record as saying that we shall explore and internationally research the possibility of a Movement for Socialism and report back to our Numsa Central Committee in March 2015 on the international experience in the struggle for Socialism. This remains our position as taken in the Special National Congress.
7. In a question posed in the media briefing on Sunday 2nd March 2014, Numsa NOB's did indicate that exploring a Movement For Socialism and the report-back on our international research report to the Numsa Central Committee of March 2015, shall invariably lead to the establishment of a working class party the form, shape and content shall be determined in consultation with left and progressive formations in our country. Whether such a working class party contest elections in 2016 or 2019, the Numsa March 2015 Central Committee shall resolve.
8. Numsa provincial and national consultative conferences shall be convened to enable Numsa National Office Bearers to share with left and progressive formations in our country the meaning of the Numsa Special National Congress resolutions. This Numsa position is no different from the one taken by Cosatu's 1993 conference in Shaft 17 which was never acted on by Cosatu but also never rescinded.
9. The idea that Numsa is forming a political party to contest 2014 elections is false and baseless.
10. Whereas Numsa shall not endorse nor resource the ANC's elections campaign, the SNC resolved that;
Numsa shall not endorse any political party in the 2014 national and provincial government elections;
Numsa members and officials have a right to vote for a political party of their choice.
We hope that this brief statement clarifies the Numsa Special National Congress position and resolutions
Statement issued by Karl Cloete, NUMSA Deputy General Secretary on behalf of the Numsa National Office Bearers, March 3 2014
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