It’s all systems go for the COSATU 12th National Congress!
On the 23rd November 2015, 2500 delegates from all COSATU Affiliates and more than 250 international and local guests will descend at the Gallagher Estate Midrand to attend the 12th National Congress of the federation. The Congress will be held under the theme: :“Building unity and cohesion of COSATU to advance the National Democratic revolution”
This 12th session of the workers’ parliament will receive messages of support from our Alliance partners ,with ANC President, Comrade Jacob Zuma, the General Secretary of the SACP Cde Blade Nzimande and the President of SANCO Cde Richard Mdakane addressing workers on the different days of the congress {see the attached programme}.
We will also receive messages of solidarity from our international fraternal organisations from our continent and from all around the world. These include ITUC, WFTU, OATUU, etc.
We can say with certainty that it’s all systems go ,for what we expect to be a very successful 12th National Congress of Cosatu. Our affiliates are busy proceeding with their individual preparations, to ensure that they make meaningful contributions to the discussions and debates at the congress.
We go to this 12th National Congress with the sole aim of building on the foundation of unity laid by the Special National Congress, which was unambiguous in its defence for the founding principles of the federation. We expect open, robust and frank debates at congress in keeping with the character of COSATU.
This congress will confront the challenges facing both the federation and the National Democratic Revolution with revolutionary candour and organisational discipline.
We are summoning from the grave, the great wisdom of one of Africa’s foremost revolutionaries Amilcar Cabral , who said. Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories.
While we agree that there has been a massive delivery of basic services such as water, electricity, houses, etc and that the working class today enjoys the rights that come with liberal-bourgeois democracy, it is also true that the economic foundations that support such progress remain deeply faulty. The country remains confronted with the challenges of persistent and radicalised poverty, unemployment and extreme inequalities. The country remains trapped into a colonial and apartheid economic and social policy paradigm, in that despite the policy positions of the movement to change the colonial economic trajectory, the redistribution of income has still not occurred; the means of production and power remain concentrated in hands of white capitalists.
The structure of the economy remains mineral-dependent and of late we have seen the intense financialisation of the economy. The strategic sectors of the economy remain highly monopolised and foreign owned.
The increase in the rate of exploitation of workers during the past 21 years, has been reflected by the ever growing rate of inequality and the deepening poverty levels. We are going to the congress to seek answers to these difficult questions.
We will also confront and deal with the reasons behind the unnecessary detours and qualitative compromises, that have hobbled our revolution and tested the patience of the masses. We will discuss the current weak state of the Alliance, the challenges in the ANC as a leader of the Alliance, demobilization of the MDM formations and the challenges in COSATU.
We will confront the reasons that have led to the lack of unity within some of the COSATU affiliates. We will confront the scourge of business unionism. We will deal with the failure by unions to organise 73% of the unorganised workforce. Nothing will be off the table at our congress.
We have noted the media statement from Numsa, that they are abandoning their appeal to the congress. We will allow the congress to decide on that matter because they never officially informed the federation. We can sympathise with their position though because their continued antagonism and misplaced bravado after their dismissal, greatly reduced the chances of their appeal being successful.
The year 2015 and the last 5 years in general have tested the strength of the federation to the limit. We were forced to stretch and redirect both the financial resources and the focus of the federation, to defending it from attacks from within. We had to deal with court challenges and public assaults on the leadership and unity of the federation.
Despite this, we never abandoned the principles of worker control and democracy ,as evidenced by our ability to successfully convene 9 provincial congresses, in addition to the Special National Congress. This also showed the financial resilience of the federation.
We are financially steady ,despite spending a lot of money on legal cases and on an unplanned Special National Congress.
The federation of Elijah Bharayi has proved that it can withstand all kinds of political storms and organisational upheavals, defended by its members. We are moving out of the dark period of imposed disunity and manufactured divisions ,to the positive hopeful era of unity and cohesion. We have the clarity of thought; the gravitas of vision to acknowledge that unity will not be an event or an overnight process. It will only be achieved by the federation’s dedication to the cause of the total emancipation of workers from the shackles of capitalist exploitation.
The 12th National Congress will amongst other things focus ,on conducting an assessment regarding the implementation of our 2015 Plan, the 11th National Congress Resolutions, the 2013 Organising Campaigns Conference and the recently held Special National Congress.
Congress will receive the Secretariat Report and attend to various resolutions submitted by our affiliates and these will constitute the basis of discussion and debates at Congress.
The 12th National Congress coincides with the 30th Anniversary of the federation. The Secretariat report deals with the footsteps of COSATU, the victories we have secured, the challenges we have experienced and the tasks lying ahead.
Politically we look at the international balance of forces and their impact on the domestic balance of forces, regarding how the alignment of these forces limit or advances the strategic objectives of the National Democratic Revolution.
The Socio Economic section focuses on the Socio- Economic issues and further identifies areas of progress and challenges in the context of our 2015 Plan and the 11th National Congress resolutions, through the framework of the Freedom Charter.
Organisationally we deal with the work of the organisation and reflect on campaigns and other activities of building the organisation using the framework of the 2015 Plan and the 11th Congress resolutions.
We also conduct an assessment of our international activities and identify possible strategic areas of focus to maximize our solidarity work and the struggles of the labour movement and the working class globally.
Under the finance section of the report, we set the context within which COSATU finances were being managed; it also identifies red spots and proposes corresponding strategic interventions including work already done to address these. This report further identifies areas of good financial management practice executed despite the challenges which were imposed to the federation.
Parts of the core documents to be also presented and discussed at Congress include the following:
a. Draft COSATU Sexual Harassment Policy
b. Gender Policy Review
c. Position Paper on Maternity Protection
d. Discussion Document focusing on Youth Development and Young Workers In Particular
Politically
- We will reflect on the upcoming 2016 Local Government elections.
- Strengthening the Alliance through the Back to Basics Campaign.
- The reconfiguration of the Alliance in line with the decision of the 2008 Alliance Summit.
- Strengthening the left Axis within the alliance and defending the ANC from capture by those, who use money and patronage to influence its structures.
- We will discuss the National Democratic Revolution and the Struggle for Socialism beyond 2015.
- Look at strengthening the SACP to lead the struggle for socialism.
- Discuss forcing Accountability of deployees on the implementation of the progressive policies.
- Building the Alliance through building dynamic contact with Cosatu deployees ,etc,
Under Socio-economic
- We will discuss Macro –economic interventions
- Industrial and Infrastructure development
- Trade and Investment
- Focus on Eskom Tariff Increase
- Land and agrarian reform
- Food prices hunger and the neoliberal corporate food regime
- Labour Market policy interventions
- Occupational Health and Safety
- The Compensation fund
- Universal and National Health Insurance
- Financing inequality on health
- Human Resource and healthcare
- Health Literacy and Primary Healthcare
- NHI Pilot Sites
- HIV and Aids
- People’s Education for People’s Power
- Post Schooling education
- Retirement funds
- Taxation Amendment Law of 2013
- Preservation of retirement funds benefits
- Single investment vehicle for retirement funds
- Council of retirement funds of South Africa
- Financial sector charter
- Workers Bank
- Climate change and Economic Transformation
- Government Employees Pension Fund
- Comprehensive Public transport system
- Climate change policy advocacy
- Youth Employment Incentives
- The National Development Plan
- Xenophobia
- Campaign Against Gender based violence, etc.
Organisational
- One union one industry, One country one federation.
- Solidarity support to affiliates.
- Audit and governance of union investment companies.
- National Minimum Wage.
- Building and defending the federation.
- Gender report.
- Focus on the new labour legislation.
- Human Trafficking.
- Substance abuse, etc.
We will also be looking at our International work. We will engage on the struggles of the people of Swaziland, Palestine and Western Sahara. We will reflect on the emergence of BRICS and its significance for the workers. We will reflect on the developments in Cuba and the ongoing American imperialist wars and others critical issues.
We will also look at ways of building solidarity and close working relationship with unions in Africa and around the world.
We have distributed our Congress programme, the summary of the Secretariat Report, and the draft Resolutions from the affiliates for the attention of the media. We thank all those, who have applied for accreditation to come and cover the congress. We look forward to your reporting that will hopefully be factual, accurate and fair. We hope that there will be no temptation to sell the public your personal prejudices, but only accurate facts.
Issued by Sizwe Pamla, COSATU National Spokesperson, 18 November 2015
