Sunday 12 January 2014

Numsa now being shunned by ANC and Cosatu

numsaGeorge Matlala writes that the ANC and its alliance partners have started to isolate the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) from their key activities, following the union's decision to dump the ruling party as its political home.  Numsa leaders were excluded from a top Cosatu delegation that met the ANC and the SA Communist party (SACP) this week.  The tripartite alliance political council – which brings together 15 senior leaders from each management structure of the organisations – met on Monday in Mbombela to iron out differences and develop a common election programme.  Numsa resolved at its special congress in December to persuade Cosatu to ditch the alliance, although the union has yet to formally inform Cosatu about its decision to agitate for the collapse of the alliance.  "We have taken a decision not to campaign for the ANC.  But there is no decision to boycott alliance engagements," general secretary Irvin Jim said.  Numsa spokesman Castro Ngobese accused Cosatu president S'dumo Dlamini of isolating the union, even though it would not in any case have attended the ANC manifesto launch.  But for Dlamini, Numsa did not deserve to be part of the alliance activities due to its public attacks on the ANC and the SACP.

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