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'Nine plus' aggrieved over 'authoritarian' congress

Midrand - Leaders of the nine unions that initiated the demand for a Cosatu special national congress will be meeting on Wednesday in Johannesburg for a post mortem on a congress that they feel extremely aggrieved about. 

They question the “authoritarian way” the congress was handled by the chairperson, the trade federation's first deputy president Tyotyo James, and the the manner in which the “entire process”, including the voting, was conducted.

“The nine will meet to discuss the way forward,” said Katishi Masemoal, general secretary of the Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu). He also clarified Fawu's position during the voting on the contentious “credentials issues” on Monday.

Allegations that Fawu members had voted with the loyalist position were incorrect, he said. Because Fawu delegates disagreed about the way the congress was being handled, they decided to have nothing to do with the vote on the credentials issue.

“Fawu boycotted the vote and we informed the chair,” Masemola said. “But we were then listed as having abstained which meant that we took part in the process. We did not,” he stressed.

He and a number of other delegates also pointed out that the numbers listed for the votes “do not make sense”, given the positions taken by several unions, and that the final tally did not accord with the number of delegates who were officially accredited.

Numsa - as one of the nine unions - will also be present at the meeting on Wednesday.

*Fin24 Inside Labour columnist Terry Bell is covering the congress exclusively for Fin24.


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