Globaization Tops COSATU Agenda
	  id XAA12174; Mon, 29 Sep 1997 23:27:12 -0400


Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

Sep 26, 1997 by labornews@igc.apc.org


INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS (ICFTU)

ICFTU OnLine...
242/970923/AF

Globalisation tops Cosatu agenda
(By Alan FINE, Deputy Editor, Business Day, SA)

Brussels, September 23 1997 (ICFTU OnLine): The 1,7-million member
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) held its sixth triennial
congress last week. Attended by more than 2000 delegates representing the
country's largest federation's 19 affiliates, it was the first Cosatu
congress given the opportunity properly to assess the early period of
post-apartheid SA and labour's prospects in it. 

Resolutions covered four major areas: internal organisation; 
international issues; political policy; and socio-economic matters. Time
constraints made it necessary to refer the latter to a special policy
conference to be held in the next six months. However, rank-and-file
responses to President Nelson Mandela's opening address to the congress
would have left him in no doubt of Cosatu antipathy to the ANC
government's macro-economic strategy which contains restrictive fiscal
targets, a tough anti-inflation monetary regime and the like. 

The main 'international' decision of the congress was the confirmation of
the Central Executive Committee decision to affiliate to the ICFTU.  Most
resolutions on the subject noted the need for international worker unity
in the face of economic globalisation. The feeling also was to create
greater unity in Africa and the southern African sub-continent, with a
number of unions advocating closer links, or even a merger, between ICFTU
African structures and the OATUU and SATUCC. 

An intensive debate on the globalisation issue dominated the first full
day of the congress. Most affiliates advocated Cosatu taking a more
prominent position. The SA Clothing and Textile Workers' Union was perhaps
the most vocal, calling for internationally co-ordinated campaigns to
protect working class interests in areas such as labour market
flexibility, macro-economic policy, privatisation, minimum employment
conditions and state social spending. 

The focus of the internal organisational debate was on strengthening the
capacity of Cosatu and its affiliates to carry out their ambitious agenda
which, in essence, envisages labour playing a key 'stakeholder' role at
all levels of the economy - from the individual firm to the formulation
ofnational economic policy. Among other things, this will involve
increasing the number of full-time elected officials from the current two
to six -including, for the first time, the president, vice-presidents and
treasurer. 

One of the more controversial organisational debates was over whether the
federation should adopt a quota system in Cosatu structures to advance the
position of women in the organisation. The vast majority of affiliates,
with their female delegates usually speaking on their behalf, rejected a
quota system on the grounds that it was a form of tokenism and that they
would rather be elected to positions on their own merits than as part of a
compulsory quota. 

Resolutions on political policy also suffered from time constraints. 
However, a range of proposed resolutions were unanimously in favour of
continuing and strengthening Cosatu's alliance with the ANC. More
important was for Cosatu to seek ways to enhance its influence over party
(and hence government decisions). 

Contact: ICFTU Press, tel.:32 2 224 02 12 (Brussels) 

 
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