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Cape Town - There has been considerable misreporting in the media about the present turmoil involving the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa) and the Cosatu federation, says Terry Bell in his latest Labour Wrap. Part of the reason, he says, is a series of contradictory and misleading statements made by members of the Cosatu executive.
This has all caused a great deal of confusion among the general public. But should anyone who is not a trade unionist or a member of a Cosatu affiliate even care about the furore, he asks. Does it matter what it is all about and whether Numsa has left Cosatu, will leave Cosatu, or is forming a political party?
The answer, Bell says, is yes. These matters should concern everyone in the country - and not only because a vibrant, healthy and democratic labour movement is an essential element in our parliamentary dispensation.
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He points out that the current turmoil in Cosatu involves the question of democratic rules and rights, of the validity and application of a constitution. Is a constitution a document that binds all members or citizens to the rights and obligations it contains, or is it merely a piece of paper that provides guidelines that may be ignored by powerful groups if and when they think it necessary?
And if democratic rules in the constitution of the country’s largest labour federation can be flouted with impunity, does this not amount to a rather large wedge driven into the supposedly protective wall of the national constitution and Bill of Rights?
In his next Inside Labour column, Bell intends to try to clarify what has been going on with Numsa and between that union and the federation. He also points out that while worker unity should be a union priority, it should be principled unity - and this should never be confused with blind loyalty.
- Fin24
Terry Bell is a political, economic and labour analyst. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.
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