The new Liberated Metalworkers’ Union of SA (Limusa) is not replacing expelled National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), Cosatu said on Thursday.

“Limusa is not replacing anyone because they did not say in their application that ‘we are [coming] to Cosatu to replace Numsa’,” Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) second deputy president Zingiswa Losi told reporters in Johannesburg.

“No, they said we are a union of metalworkers and we want to find a home in Cosatu.”

She said the three-day Cosatu central executive committee (CEC) meeting, held earlier this week, was satisfied that the newly-formed union met the trade union federation’s constitutional requirements which allowed it to become an affiliate.

Last year in November, Cosatu expelled Numsa for contravening the federation’s constitution.

Numsa, however, is appealing the expulsion internally and taking the matter to court.

Limusa was registered with the labour department in December. It is led by former Numsa president Cedric Gina.

Losi said a final decision on whether the union would become an affiliate would be taken at Cosatu’s special CEC meeting which would be convened soon.

“Cosatu now does not have metalworkers, it’s a fact,” she said.

“We don’t have a union that organises the metal industry… Limusa meets the requirement…” SAPA