A New Year's message form COSATU President, John Gomomo.
We started the year on a very high note with the "Autumn Offensive Campaign" which resulted in some affiliates gaining more members. However, what is regrettable is that such gains are spoiled by organisers as well as some shop stewards not servicing those new members.
I must say that when shop stewards are elected by workers in the factories, shops and mines, very few unions are providing the basic shop steward training. Therefore, in their daily duties as shop stewards when dealing with grievances etc. they are not receiving the education and training and in-depth knowledge about trade union rights and procedures.
As a result of this there is a lack of confidence being displayed by the workers towards the shops stewards and this in turn leads to the weakening of the unions and ultimately the weakening of Cosatu.
Lack of servicing by organisers is becoming a "cancerous disease" in the labour movement, and is not receiving the correct treatment. I would never have thought Cosatu affiliates would have referred so many unnecessary cases to the Ccma. This is saying to the membership that we do not have the necessary structures to deal and assist with labour issues such as dismissals, grievances etc.
We feel we should approach the Ccma Directors to get statistics from the various provinces of the cases which have been referred to them by organisers so that we can get a better idea of where and in which province more assistance is required.
The decisions taken by the national structures, including the Executive Committee and the Central Executive Committee of Cosatu are not being implemented and carried out by affiliates. Our members believe they are being used only to fight "crisis" situations when we want them to take up arms in a "cause".
This is having a negative impact and I wish to warn our affiliates that this kind of operation does not build the organisation, but destroys it. There is a big gap between the senior leadership and our members on the ground about political and socio-economic issues and this is due to the lack of communication by the leaders to the sub-structures of the unions. It is a matter of not cascading information downwards to the members on the ground.
My experience of the situation is that when Cosatu Office Bearers attend the Provincial Regional Councils they must realise that their input at these meetings is extremely important. Often workers are attending these meetings for the first time and the impression gained is of vital importance. As they say: "first impressions last". Often there is no senior leadership from the affiliates attending these meetings to back up Cosatu. Comrades, this must be addressed by the unions.
This kind of operation is happening across the board in all sectors, and differs from one area to the other. The attendance at national and regional meetings is frustrating Cosatu. Regional Secretaries will be calling meetings in order to address this problem. Non-attendance by affiliates is frustrating the movement and resulting in unnecessary wastage of money and energy because of the time and effort put into the preparation for these meetings.
The two General Secretaries and the staff of the Federation spend long hours and days without overtime payment writing reports and preparing for the meetings, but all these decisions end up in the upper structures of the affiliates. This problem must be addressed. Some affiliates do not even bother to provide financial resources to their sub-structures for operational work. I am appealing to my co-affiliates to rectify these mistakes with immediate effect.
Let us all try and rebuild our organisation by introducing layers of leadership. I am aware of the fact that some affiliates do not have the capacity but this is no excuse as we have the support of the Federation whose duty it is to co-ordinate the activities of the affiliates.
What I have observed, comrades, is the lack of commitment by some of the comrades who believe that working for the labour movement is only about being employed to earn a salary. Let us change our attitudes and rebuild our structures in the interests of the people who sell their labour to live. I suggest that in our first Executive Meeting of 1999 we should use the first day assessing our operation and come up with a way forward and mechanisms to address these problems.
The Presidential Jobs Summit was one of, if not the most important event of the year 1998. Our good leaders put a lot of energy into making the summit not only a success but beneficial to the entire community. We need to tighten up the loose ends and work out a strategy to implement all these decisions. It is the duty of Cosatu, Nactu, and Fedusa leadership to report back to their membership about decisions taken, in order to bring the community on board. If we want to give effect to these decisions during our first Exco we should come up with dates for these report back meetings.
I want to emphasise that report back responsibility does not rest solely with Cosatu National Office Bearers. All affiliate leadership is charged and responsible for organising these report back sessions.
I wish all members of this Federation a happy festive season and a bright and prosperous 1999. We must not forget that 1999 is the general elections and we should encourage our members and the entire community to go and vote. This election is important to the workers and we want to win the 2/3 majority in order to finally destroy the remaining laws of the apartheid struggle for the working class.
AMANDLA!
ALUTA CONTINUA!!
