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Court to hear Numsa’s case against Cosatu

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The High Court in Johannesburg will hear an application on Tuesday to declare that Numsa remains an affiliate of Cosatu. The National Union of Metalworkers of SA said on Monday that its application was supported by several Congress of SA Trade Unions affiliated unions.

“Numsa… will tomorrow, Tuesday 9 June 2015, be going to the South Gauteng High Court, to seek the court’s intervention to declare that Numsa remains an affiliate of Cosatu,” it said in a statement.

“A month ago, May 11 2015, we scored a historic victory in defense of a worker-controlled and democratic Cosatu… where we reached a court settlement compelling Cosatu President Sdumo Dlamini, to convene a Special National Congress [SNC], as requested by affiliates in line with the constitutional provisions of the federation.

“However, despite the ruling in favour of democratic trade unionism, the Cosatu NOBs [national officer bearers] are now trying to undermine the settlement by manipulating who can attend the SNC and the matters to be discussed there.

“This is a clear underhand strategy to influence the outcomes of the SNC. The workers shall defeat such an agenda.”

Numsa and its allies have been at loggerheads with Cosatu’s leadership under Dlamini. The executive expelled Numsa last November and axed general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi in March.

Numsa also wanted the court to rule that the union’s “full contingent of delegates” was entitled to attend the SNC on July 13 and 14.

It also wanted to ensure that the SNC had the powers of “any national congress”, and that the Liberated Metalworkers Union of SA (Limusa) must not attend the congress.

Limusa was accepted as a new Cosatu affiliate earlier this year.

“We strongly believe that the route we are taking is a legitimate and correct one, since the SNC has the powers to rescind Numsa’s expulsion,” the union said.

“A victory for Numsa will also open up the real possibility of ensuring that Comrade Zwelinzima Vavi is also provided with an opportunity to make his case to the SNC.”

The affiliated unions supporting Numsa were the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu), the SA Catering Commercial and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu), the SA Football Players Union, (SAFPU), the Communications Workers Union (CWU), Public and Allied Workers Union of SA (Pawusa), the Democratic Nursing Union of SA (Denosa) and the SA State and Allied Workers Union (Sasawu).


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