Johannesburg - The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) can forget about recruiting more members if it does not practice unity and tolerance, Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Friday.
"Unity is more important than anything.... Tolerance will take us through the current storm we are facing. We should guard our independence with jealousy," he said.
Vavi was speaking at a celebration in Johannesburg of Numsa's 26th anniversary, and the launch of a recruitment drive.
Numsa should not allow itself to be labelled a "darling union" which loved by capitalists, he said.
"You must be more militant and even risk death, do not run away."
Vavi said unions should go back to basics and serve their members.
"Perhaps we are spending too much time debating politics instead of why workers join unions.... As much as politics are part of us, we must remain worker unions and not lose focus."
He said that, according to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration, employers won 54% of the disputes it heard last year.
"Unless we fix that, you can forget about this 400 000 recruitment drive." Numsa spokesperson Castro Ngobese said it currently has 320 000 members.
Numsa organises mainly in the tyre, rubber, motor, auto, and engineering sectors, and at power utility Eskom.