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Cape Town - The National Union of Metalworker (Numsa) has no intention — and has never had any intention — of forming a political party.
This was spelled out clearly by Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim.
His comments came following another spate of media reports that the union had announced, not only that it would be forming a political party, but that it would also be leaving Cosatu.
The confusion seems to stem from a misunderstanding by media pundits about the terms “united front” and “movement for socialism”.
“Numsa will remain as Numsa, but it is a catalyst for both a united front and a movement for socialism,” Jim said.
As a catalyst, the union would encourage the coming together of groups interested in a fairer, more egalitarian society — a united front — and perhaps within it, a movement with a more specfic, “socialist’ orientation.
However, in the same way as a catalyst acts in a chemical reaction, Numsa would remain unchanged as a trade union, while helping to precipitate the political and social changes in wider society.
But what has also led to misunderstandings is the insistence by elements within Numsa, including spokesperson Castro Ngobese, that Numsa is an (undefined) “Marxist-Leninist orientated trade union”.
Numsa, along with the other unions supporting the call for a special congress of Cosatu, have also made it clear that they have no intention of leaving the federation.
The argument between the two factions is about the current leadership and political orientation of Cosatu.
Numsa was one of eight unions that this week lodged a court application to force the Cosatu leadership to call — in line with the federation’s constitution — a special national congress.
Such a congress could see the recently reinstated general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi re-elected, along with a new leadership that would probably have, at the very least, an “at arm’s length” relationship with the ANC.
A development along these lines could lead to a split in Cosatu, but it is just as likely that most, if not all of the unions will remain within the federation, citing unity as the priority.
* Terry Bell is a political, economic and labour analyst. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.
This was spelled out clearly by Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim.
His comments came following another spate of media reports that the union had announced, not only that it would be forming a political party, but that it would also be leaving Cosatu.
The confusion seems to stem from a misunderstanding by media pundits about the terms “united front” and “movement for socialism”.
“Numsa will remain as Numsa, but it is a catalyst for both a united front and a movement for socialism,” Jim said.
As a catalyst, the union would encourage the coming together of groups interested in a fairer, more egalitarian society — a united front — and perhaps within it, a movement with a more specfic, “socialist’ orientation.
However, in the same way as a catalyst acts in a chemical reaction, Numsa would remain unchanged as a trade union, while helping to precipitate the political and social changes in wider society.
But what has also led to misunderstandings is the insistence by elements within Numsa, including spokesperson Castro Ngobese, that Numsa is an (undefined) “Marxist-Leninist orientated trade union”.
Numsa, along with the other unions supporting the call for a special congress of Cosatu, have also made it clear that they have no intention of leaving the federation.
The argument between the two factions is about the current leadership and political orientation of Cosatu.
Numsa was one of eight unions that this week lodged a court application to force the Cosatu leadership to call — in line with the federation’s constitution — a special national congress.
Such a congress could see the recently reinstated general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi re-elected, along with a new leadership that would probably have, at the very least, an “at arm’s length” relationship with the ANC.
A development along these lines could lead to a split in Cosatu, but it is just as likely that most, if not all of the unions will remain within the federation, citing unity as the priority.
* Terry Bell is a political, economic and labour analyst. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.
