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Cape Town - It was no surprise that members of the police and prisons union Popcru attempted to sabotage a shop stewards' meeting in Durban on Sunday, according to National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) general secretary Irvin Jim.
Speaking in Johannesburg, he pointed out that Popcru was the union that led the bid to oust newly-reinstated Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi at the federation’s congress in 2012.
At that congress Popcru, from the floor, tried to nominate a candidate to oppose Vavi.
According to Popcru officials Nehawu, the public sector health and education union, was supposed to second the motion but, in the event, did not because delegates were divided on the issue.
Despite vociferous complaints from Popcru, Vavi was re-elected unopposed. “But we’ll get him in the CEC (Central Executive Committee),” an anti-Vavi executive member said confidentially at the time.
Since Vavi’s suspension Popcru, together with the National Union of Mineworkers, has been to the forefront of the group opposing Numsa and the reinstatement of Vavi.
However, almost all the Cosatu affiliates seem divided on these issues and this was obvious in Durban on Sunday, with members of unions on opposing sides taking opposite sides in the confrontation.
For example, the double booking by Popcru was supported by the local region of the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) that, at a national level, supports the reinstatement of Vavi. Police had to be called in when the group led by Popcru erupted into pro-ANC songs, while the group led by Numsa sang in support of Vavi and suspended South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) president Thobile Ntola.
Ntola was axed by the union after he invited the suspended Vavi to address a Sadtu meeting in the Eastern Cape. The Eastern Cape region is now on record as supporting the reinstatement of Ntola and Vavi. The KwaZulu-Natal region of Sadtu supported Popcru on Sunday.
Both Ntola and Vavi were billed to speak in Durban, but Vavi spent the day at the bedside of his daughter Phumeza in the Mount Frere Hosital in East London, where she underwent surgery following a taxi accident.
Numsa deputy general secretary Karl Cloete took his place in Durban.
And the Durban confrontation once again revealed the important part the May 7 elections play in this deeply divisive battle in the country’s major trade union federation.
According to Popcru provincial secretary Kwenza Ncele, his union had booked the hall on behalf of four unions that wanted to “plan strategies for mobilising support for the ANC”.
Although it is only Numsa among the nine unions supporting Vavi that has declared that it will no longer support the ANC, the other eight are thought to be, at best, lukewarm to calls for unconditional support.
However, there are also divisions on this score: while some trade unionists and members of their leaderships want a more independent union movement - even one supporting a “worker party” - others merely want the present leadership of the ANC changed.
The official position of Jim and Numsa is that it must be up to a national congress of Cosatu affiliates to decide what the federation should do in future. Numsa is not supporting any political party in the coming elections and has called on its members to vote according to their consciences.
Speaking in Johannesburg, he pointed out that Popcru was the union that led the bid to oust newly-reinstated Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi at the federation’s congress in 2012.
At that congress Popcru, from the floor, tried to nominate a candidate to oppose Vavi.
According to Popcru officials Nehawu, the public sector health and education union, was supposed to second the motion but, in the event, did not because delegates were divided on the issue.
Despite vociferous complaints from Popcru, Vavi was re-elected unopposed. “But we’ll get him in the CEC (Central Executive Committee),” an anti-Vavi executive member said confidentially at the time.
Since Vavi’s suspension Popcru, together with the National Union of Mineworkers, has been to the forefront of the group opposing Numsa and the reinstatement of Vavi.
However, almost all the Cosatu affiliates seem divided on these issues and this was obvious in Durban on Sunday, with members of unions on opposing sides taking opposite sides in the confrontation.
For example, the double booking by Popcru was supported by the local region of the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) that, at a national level, supports the reinstatement of Vavi. Police had to be called in when the group led by Popcru erupted into pro-ANC songs, while the group led by Numsa sang in support of Vavi and suspended South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) president Thobile Ntola.
Ntola was axed by the union after he invited the suspended Vavi to address a Sadtu meeting in the Eastern Cape. The Eastern Cape region is now on record as supporting the reinstatement of Ntola and Vavi. The KwaZulu-Natal region of Sadtu supported Popcru on Sunday.
Both Ntola and Vavi were billed to speak in Durban, but Vavi spent the day at the bedside of his daughter Phumeza in the Mount Frere Hosital in East London, where she underwent surgery following a taxi accident.
Numsa deputy general secretary Karl Cloete took his place in Durban.
And the Durban confrontation once again revealed the important part the May 7 elections play in this deeply divisive battle in the country’s major trade union federation.
According to Popcru provincial secretary Kwenza Ncele, his union had booked the hall on behalf of four unions that wanted to “plan strategies for mobilising support for the ANC”.
Although it is only Numsa among the nine unions supporting Vavi that has declared that it will no longer support the ANC, the other eight are thought to be, at best, lukewarm to calls for unconditional support.
However, there are also divisions on this score: while some trade unionists and members of their leaderships want a more independent union movement - even one supporting a “worker party” - others merely want the present leadership of the ANC changed.
The official position of Jim and Numsa is that it must be up to a national congress of Cosatu affiliates to decide what the federation should do in future. Numsa is not supporting any political party in the coming elections and has called on its members to vote according to their consciences.
