FAWU WILL IDENTIFY, NAME AND SHAME, AND ISOLATE THOSE DESTRUCTIVE FORCES PEDDLING LIES THAT FAWU WILL LEAVE COSATU

The National Office Bearers of the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), after getting information that there are destructive forces mobilizing dissent and divisions within our low-level structures and workplaces by peddling lies and mongering rumours that FAWU is intending to leave the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

To put the record straight, the leadership of FAWU emphasize that FAWU is a founder-affiliate that ‘suffered labour pains', including donating two founding COSATU leaders in Chris Dlamini and Jay Naidoo, by helping to give birth to COSATU. With the above said, FAWU leadership is clear that it would remain as an affiliate to COSATU and will urge all affiliates to remain affiliated to the federation.

Having said this, FAWU will identify, name and shame, and isolate those forces, be they senior leaders of the Alliance, that peddle these lies and innuendos in order to weaken our organizational resolve to have the Special National Congress of COSATU convened not later than end-February 2014. This call was first made by FAWU back in April 2013.

It is our belief that those claiming that FAWU is about to leave the federation are laying the basis to either expel FAWU from the federation or blackmail FAWU from pursuing its stances regarding the court application to get nullification of the suspension and insist on the immediate reinstatement of Zwelinzima Vavi, as well as the holding of the special congress to resolve factors giving rise to divisions once and for all.

We hope that all our sister affiliates will heed the seemingly change-of-heart call made by ANC's Comrade Gwede Mantashe, if his previous public pronouncements on the issue of Vavi are anything to go by, on the price of pursuit of Vavi lest there be risk to have this advice becoming ‘too little too late'.

Meanwhile, FAWU will continue to campaign against neoliberal offensive of e-tolls, labour brokers, youth wage subsidy romanticised as employment tax incentives, and the NDP.

Statement issued by FAWU General Secretary, Katishi Masemola, November 28 2013

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