Cosatu in fervent appeal to Numsa

Come back home Numsa.

This was the impassioned plea of Mugwena Maluleke, a member of Cosatu’s national leadership and general secretary of the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu).

“We know that you were irritated but come home so we can work on those irritations,” he said as he delivered the keynote address at Cosatu’s Nelson Mandela Bay Workers’ Day rally.

“Don’t be misled by [Numsa general secretary Irvin] Jim and his [Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party] who says he’s whistling for corruption.”

Numsa was expelled from Cosatu in 2014 following the metal workers’ decision not to support the ANC in the last general elections.

This violated Cosatu’s constitution. On its own, Numsa represents more than 300,000 workers – a large chunk of whom are based in the Bay.

There was a poor turnout at the Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele on Wednesday as only one of the three grandstands was full while a sparse group of people milled around the rest of the venue.

Guests clad in red and yellow sang struggle songs and the famous Phakama Ramaphosa [loosely translated: Rise Ramaphosa] song.

Maluleke told those in attendance that they were fighting for labour brokers to be banned and they wanted all contract workers who had been in a job for longer than 12 months to be hired permanently.

He said Cosatu should ensure worker’s demands were met and the national minimum wage was implemented.

“It is up to us to ensure that farm workers who do not enjoy the same rights are liberated, that domestic workers who are not paid a national minimum wage are also paid.

“It is up to us to ensure the minimum wage is implemented as we embark on a living wage,” Maluleke said.

Corruption in the private sector was a big problem but also a problem in unions.

“Corruption is dividing us; it is weakening us and is making us a blunt instrument instead of a sharp instrument that can fight,” Maluleke said.

ANC national executive committee member Zweli Mkhize delivered a message of support to the workers, saying they had to be the force behind the drive toward innovation and the digital revolution.

He said they had to accelerate infrastructure development to increase investment in the economy.

Mkhize said workers should go out and vote for the ANC because workers’ struggles were similar to political struggles.

“The ANC remains the workers’ choice and there is no other party that can advance the interests of the workers.

“We are on course, we have made some serious mistakes and we are humble enough to own up to them [but] we are positive about our future,” Mkhize said.