SAMWU SAYS THE DISMISSAL OF NUMSA IS THE EMBARRASSMENT TO THE ENTIRE EXISTENCE OF LABOUR MOVEMENT ESPECIALLY COSATU

11 November 2014

The South African Municipal Workers Union in the Eastern Cape maintains its stance that of defending Cosatu. The defence of COSATU includes in our view defending NUMSA as we remain opposed to the dismissal of NUMSA in COSATU because they also seek to defend the soul of the Federation.

The reason why we defend COSATU is that there is a grouping that is held bent on liquidating COSATU to be a sweetheart union of the ruling class and the party. That is why their agenda is silent any ascendant view which seeks to maintain COSATU as a revolutionary militant and campaigning Federation.

That is why in the first instance they wanted to remove the General Secretary of the federation through the back door, because he continued to maintain the afore-mention values which COSATU stood for all these years. NUMSA now becomes a sacrificed lamb as a result of the same defence of the federation that seeks to realise the radical Economic Transformation as outlined in the Freedom Charter the people's document.

In support of the nine affiliates view and COSATU in the Eastern Cape PEC that this is not a personality fight but about the ideological and political direction of the federation.

To this end those unions that voted for the dismissal of NUMSA do not understand how Cosatu operates and come to conclusion.

Because every affiliate has got a right to discuss and resolve in the manner they want to wrongly or rightfully so, those resolutions remain the one of that affiliate which they have a right to influence till the congress of COSATU where they will be debated and be the resolutions of COSATU or be rejected.

There is nothing sinister in what NUMSA has done except just an agenda to defend the neo-liberal agenda and donate COSATU on a sever platter to the highest bidders by those opposed to the progressive and radical trade union movement.

It has become clearer that the only solution to salvage this federation of Elijah Barayi, John Gomomo ; Petrous Mashishi etc is to go for Special National Congress. Justice delayed is justice denied because if Pres Sdumo would have complied with constitution of COSATU we would not have been in this quandary.

The worker's parliament (congress) is where the owners of these unions through their shop floor delegates could shape the Federations direction.

Secondly a clarion call is made for the re-instatement of NUMSA without delay as this is a setback in the history of the labour movement to expel one of the biggest affiliates on the basis of disagreement when that affiliate decides to implement same resolutions of its Federation - COSATU.

HANDS OFF NUMSA HANDS OFF!!!! 

HANDS OFF COSATU HANDS OFF!!!!

FORWARD TO THE RADICAL ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION FORWARD!!!!

Statement issued by SAMWU Eastern Cape Provincial Secretary, Siphiwo Ndunyana, November 11 2014

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