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Johannesburg - The ANC and its long-time labour partners may convene an alliance summit next month or in November, the party and unions said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
The ANC and its labour partners had said last month they were unable to convene a summit for fear of widening the rift between them at a time of major labour unrest.
"It is envisaged that the alliance summit will be held during October or November 2010," ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said in the statement.
"It is agreed that the alliance summit will be held as soon as all the discussions had happened at leadership level, so that we provide the necessary leadership when the alliance summit takes place."
The decision on the summit was taken by the parties at a meeting late on Monday aimed at repairing a governing alliance that has been described by union groups as "dysfunctional".
The ANC's discussions with the country's largest labour federation Cosatu came a week before an ANC mid-term policy review, where the labour group could turn up the heat on President Jacob Zuma unless he gives them a greater say in policy formation.
"The alliance is facing paralysis, which needs to be unblocked," Cosatu said in a policy paper released last week.
There were closed-door talks between political officials of the two groups but no details were released, officials from the groups said.
Zuma, derided by critics as ineffective, risks leaving the September 20 to 24 ANC national general council in a weaker position, with enemies seeing him as a lame duck and lining up their own bids for power well before his term ends in 2014, analysts said.
The ANC elects its leader in 2012 and the winner is almost certain to become president, given the party's political dominance.
Zuma could find himself out of office before his term ends if he cannot win the race for the top position in the ANC.
Zuma also faces elections next year for all local posts and Cosatu, which has used its nearly 2 million members to generate votes for the ANC, has threatened to withhold support for candidates it does not see as qualified. The alliance between the ANC, Cosatu and the small but influential Communist Party was forged in their struggle to end apartheid.
It has been strained by a three-week public sector workers' strike and Cosatu's complaints about what it sees as spreading cronyism in Zuma's government.
