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Johannesburg - The group of affiliates calling themselves the "nine plus unions", sympathetic to the expelled metalworkers union Numsa and former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, maintain that they are still united as a group, despite the Communications Workers Union (CWU's) announcement on Thursday that it was pulling out.
South African State and Allied Workers Union (Sasawu's) Deputy General Secretary Simphiwe Pinana told reporters on Thursday that, as far as they were concerned, they were still a group of nine.
"It still has to be checked and tested whether it is a consensus position [from] the leadership of the CWU," said Pinana, referring to the CWU's withdrawal.
"We... have seen the letter from CWU, but I believe they will be best positioned to tell [us] whether that is the resolution of the collective."
Earlier, the CWU said it had made a decision to pull out of the group of affiliates on the basis that it did not want to be "entrenching division".
The union's general secretary, Aubrey Tshabalala, said the decision was taken at its special national executive committee meeting which was held a day before Cosatu's special national congress last week.
Unity and cohesion
He said the union also wanted unity and cohesion within Cosatu, which has been marred by infighting for almost three years.
"I think the special NEC took all of that into account. We went to the congress very optimistic that when we leave the congress, there will be no nine unions... there will be one Cosatu.
"There will be no need to talk about unity and cohesion if we are still entrenching division," Tshabalala said.
The CWU has always been a strong Vavi supporter, jumping to his defence on many occasions.
Vavi in turn has thrown his support behind the communication workers, especially during the recent MTN strike.
Vavi even tried to intervene on CWU's behalf with MTN. He addressed striking workers outside the telecommunications company's headquarters in Johannesburg two weeks ago.
However, CWU members are said to be split in their support.
Tshabalala on Wednesday said the union was still in support of Vavi and expelled metalworkers union Numsa being reinstated into Cosatu.
The nine unions, which called for the Cosatu special national congress, wanted the issue of their reinstatement discussed and to elect new leadership at last week's congress.
However, it was decided that Vavi and Numsa would be able to appeal their expulsion at the ordinary congress in November, where new leaders would also be elected.
Cosatu 'hijacked'
Numsa President Andrew Chirwa said on Thursday that the union was not only supported by the group of nine, but workers within so-called pro-Sdumo Dlamini unions as well.
"I think we have always been clear that we are nine plus... because there are workers in all these unions, even the unions that Sdumo claims are his core faction. They are with us and are very worried about the state Cosatu is in."
Chirwa said Cosatu had been hijacked by elements of the state and that it was no longer being managed by workers on the ground, but by those sitting "at higher offices".
While reading out a joint-statement, the group said it was appalled at the manner in which the special national congress was conducted, saying it was "rigged".
"And if the pending 'ordinary' National Congress to take place in November would be convened under the prevailing attitudes and circumstances, there is sure to be nothing 'ordinary and/or normal' about it, but a repeat performance of last week's pantomime," said SA Football Players' Union (Safpu) General Secretary Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe.
There was a need for a strong, militant and united workers movement. The unions would be joining Vavi and Numsa at the National Workers Summit set to take place between September and October, he said.
All workers, including Cosatu affiliates, were encouraged to attend.
The summit was intended to rebuild the Cosatu that once was, only bigger and more effective.
The current Cosatu was collapsing because people were contesting positions based on who could gain access to investment companies' profits and not on the basis of who could best serve the workers, Gaoshubelwe said.
