Johannesburg - The court challenge between the Congress of SA Trade Unions and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA was stood down until later on Tuesday to allow for outstanding documents to be filed in the High Court in Johannesburg.
The application by Numsa is for it to accepted back into the Cosatu fold and follows a court settlement in May compelling Cosatu President Sdumo Dlamini to convene a long-awaited Special National Congress (SNC).
Cosatu's executive expelled Numsa last November and axed its general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi in March.
After the settlement, Numsa complained that Cosatu was ''trying to undermine the settlement by manipulating who can attend the SNC and the matters to be discussed there''.
Numsa also wants the court to rule that the union's "full contingent of delegates" be allowed to attend the SNC on July 13 and 14.
Numsa said its application was supported by several Cosatu-affiliated unions.
Numsa is also opposed to the attendance at the congress of new Liberated Metalworkers Union of SA (Limusa), being accepted as a replacement in Cosatu for Numsa.
Part of the reason for Numsa's application is that Vavi be given a chance to make his case at the SNC.
The affiliated unions supporting Numsa were the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu), the SA Catering Commercial and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu), the SA Football Players Union, (SAFPU), the Communications Workers Union (CWU), Public and Allied Workers Union of SA (Pawusa), the Democratic Nursing Union of SA (Denosa) and the SA State and Allied Workers Union (Sasawu).