Cosatu facing massive changes

Johannesburg - Labour federation Cosatu is realigning some of its unions that have come under increasing pressure in the industries they represent.
 
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said a policy decision was taken at the federation's central committee to merge some of its unions so that one union would represent a particular industry.
 
The restructuring would merge the members of the Communications Workers' Union (CWU) with the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union.
 
The CWU, which has lost thousands of members in the Post Office in the past 16 months to the newly formed South African Postal Workers' Union, was this week suspended by Cosatu after the union failed to pay its affiliation fee for seven consecutive months. Speaking on this, Vavi said: "This is an internal policy matter. I think we should not discuss the matter in the media."

In an interview earlier this year, Vavi said Cosatu was looking at the relationship between the National Union of Mineworkers (Num) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) in the energy sector, particularly at Eskom.
 
"Num and Numsa are competing for members at Eskom. The scope of Num is to cover energy workers, and Numsa should have no business at Eskom," he said.

Num has 16 000 members working at Eskom, while Numsa has about 8 000.
 
A realignment at Eskom would see Numsa with 24 000 members, dramatically increasing its bargaining power because of the potential effect on Eskom's business should its members decide to go on strike.
 
Vavi said the decision was made for the benefit of workers.

Sakhela Buhlungu, a professor at the University of Johannesburg's sociology of work division, said the restructuring process would present ups and downs.

"If the process is successful, we will stop having a situation where members of Cosatu unions are fragmented in an organisation and not able to speak with one voice," he said.

"And it would become impossible for the management of companies to play one group against another union, especially during wage negotiation periods," he said.
 
Buhlungu cautioned that Cosatu's decision to restructure the unions might cause tension among certain unions, as some might not be keen to hand over their members.
 
"Having more members means more income and gives an added advantage when voting during Cosatu conferences."
 
Buhlungu said he was not surprised by the restructuring because it was prescribed by Cosatu's constitution, which states there must be one union operating in one sector.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union is another organisation that competes with other Cosatu stablemates - the South African Democratic Teachers' Union, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa and the South African Democratic Union.

  - City Press