By Amy Musgrave
The Cosatu national congress got off to tense start on Monday, with affiliates refusing to submit their credentials over the status of Mike Shingange, who is the first deputy president of Cosatu.
Shingange, who is president of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, has apparently been suspended from his union.
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Affiliates including the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) and Sasbo demanded that the congress discuss Shingange’s position at Nehawu before the meeting starts.
According to insiders, Nehawu suspended Shingange in reaction to the NUM backing him for president of the federation.
NUM, Samwu and Saasbo told the congress they would withhold their credentials before the matter was cleared up.
Other affiliates, including Nehawu, said the matter needed to be discussed when credentials were discussed later in the day. Nehawu is supporting Sadtu deputy president Mabutho Cele as the new president of Cosatu.
NUM wants Solly Phetoe to continue as general secretary, but the public sector unions are backing Zingiswa Losi for the position.
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The jostling for positions comes at a time when Cosatu needs to decide whether it will back the ANC or the SACP for the November local government elections. Cosatu leaders have pleaded with affiliates that the congress not to be bogged down by leadership and election tensions.
This is Cosatu’s 15th national congress. A total of 16 affiliated unions will be represented at the four-day congress, and 1820 delegates will attend.
The congress will focus on rebuilding working power (it is 500,000 off its two million membership target), defending decent work, how to unionise in the changing world of work, how to fight economic policies that shift the burden of crisis onto workers, and strengtheningworking-class unity and international solidarity.
There are six NOBs in Cosatu. The outcome of the votes will be announced to Thursday.
