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Johannesburg - The Congress of SA Trade Unions and its affiliates must be free of political manipulation, the union federation's general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Thursday.
"We don't want sweetheart unions, we don't want Cosatu to be transformed into a lapdog sweetheart," he said at the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA's (Denosa) national congress in Boksburg, on the East Rand.
"We don't want the union federation to be used only as a vehicle by its leadership to land into nice positions for themselves," Vavi said to cheers from delegates.
Cosatu and its unions had to put the interests of its members and workers first to achieve unity.
"I want a fighting organisation that can pick up all of these issues... and champion them and fight for our people and fight for our members... independent from any political manipulation."
Cosatu has been dogged by infighting since Vavi was suspended last year for having an affair with a junior employee.
The National Union of Metalworkers of SA, a Cosatu affiliate and Vavi supporter, instituted court proceedings to get him reinstated. He returned to work in August.
Numsa and eight other affiliates, including Denosa, have been calling for Cosatu to hold a special national congress to elect new leaders. This request had been denied by Cosatu's national office bearers.
Cosatu is divided between support for Vavi and president Sidumo Dlamini.
Numsa and Cosatu have been at loggerheads since the suspension and since the metalworkers union resolved in December not to support the African National Congress in the general elections.
Numsa has accused the ANC and SA Communist Party of trying to divide Cosatu.
Vavi said if Cosatu wanted to stay relevant it had to fight for its members and the good of the country, not the alliance, which was made up of Cosatu, the SACP and the ANC.
The unions could not be afraid to stand up and fight corruption, even when its alliance partners were involved.
"If you want us to fight corruption together... [then] don't tell me we must close our eyes to corruption. We will never, no matter who is involved, but we will raise our voices louder if it's our political partners involved," Vavi said.
He said people wanted a trade union federation which could stand up and say no, protect the public protector and the Constitution.
"The ANC, the SACP and the alliance are not more important than our future as a country. Full stop," Vavi said to more cheers and whistling from Denosa members.
"A communist never sold out workers. Even Vavi, he never sold out the workers," they sang earlier in isiZulu.
Just before his address, Vavi asked delegates to stand before he led them in song.
"There is no problem when Cosatu is there. Even in hardship, we will hold on until we reach our destiny," delegates sang.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe and SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande also addressed the congress. Both leaders said the friction within Cosatu could not be blamed on the two political parties.
Mantashe called on Cosatu to stop using the ANC as a scapegoat.
Cosatu had the responsibility of implementing its own resolutions, and people could not blame the ANC if Cosatu failed to do that.
Mantashe said trade unions had to start doing their work.
"Wake up, do your work, you are a trade union movement. Don't look for someone to blame."
Nzimande said the SACP did not want to interfere in Cosatu, but had a right to comment because its members had helped built the trade union federation.
"We as the SACP are not a cause of divisions in Cosatu. We don't want a Cosatu which is an extension of the ANC or SACP," he said.
Short of naming Numsa, Nzimande warned unions that leaving the tripartite alliance would divide them.
"Why should we build this African National Congress and then want to walk away from it? Any union which wants to walk away from the alliance will divide itself."
