Discussions on whether labour unions still have a role to play in South Africa have been gaining prominence for quite some time now.
Issues of infighting and leadership battles in some of the country’s trade union federations have also led to questions regarding the continued relevance of trade unions and whether or not some of them are still for the rights of workers.
Workers on the other hand, have had to contend with workplace issues which appear will never be resolved, including the constantly worsening economic situation while salary increases appear to be a thorny issue with no winners.
One example of the latter was when public sector unions dragged government to court, accusing the employer of reneging on some aspects of the 2018 wage agreement.
Also Read: Court dismissal of public sector wage hike could come back to bite SA’s citizens
Government implemented wage increases for public servants in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020, but could not do so in 2020/2021 due to lack of funding.
The unions said the government’s decision not to honour the final leg of its three-year wage agreement in 2020 jeopardised the bargaining process, as the state could no longer be relied upon to fulfil contractual obligations it had entered into.
The Labour Court had previously ruled in favour of government in December 2020.
ALSO READ: Unions defeated as ConCourt rules for government on wage agreement
Other issues workers face include unfair dismissals, and less than acceptable working conditions.
But while workers continue to struggle, some of the country’s biggest trade union federations are facing internal battles for power and positions, including the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU).
Unions have a role but they’re just not playing it well
Labour expert Terry Bell is of the view that despite all the challenges unions have been faced with, they still have an important role to play in society.
“So long as there exists a system that allows, in fact demands the exploitation of the many to the profit of the few, there will always be a need for the sellers of labour to organise to protect themselves and to fight for decent wages and working conditions,” he said.
However, Bell expressed concern over how some of the unions have been running their affairs.
“Unfortunately, too many have become businesses in their own rights with investment companies, often operated by self-serving bureaucracies.
Bell stressed that in such cases, union leaders should earn no more than the highest paid ordinary member, adding that they (unions) remain relevant but many of them had better get their acts together or they will go under.
“In principle, unions are intensely democratic, with the power vested in the members and should be transparent in their dealings and with elected leaders wholly accountable to and recallable by the members,” he said.
Tensions have been brewing for some time now within the ranks of NUMSA, with reports suggesting that General Secretary Irvin Jim and his relationship with Numsa Investment Company (NIC) CEO Khandani Msibi is at the heart of growing discontent at the union.
3Sixty Life, which is owned by the NIC through 3Sixty Global Solutions Group, underwrites life and funeral insurance policies mainly for Doves and Numsa members.
The union in effect markets policies to its members, and acts as the policyholder for a compulsory Numsa funeral scheme.
ALSO READ: Political tensions brewing around Numsa Investment Company, Irvin Jim
These allegations of union bosses living it up while workers’ rights are poorly represented have left a sour taste in the mouth of many.
Fighting for a piece of diminishing membership numbers
One of the other biggest challenges facing unions, is that of declining membership. Bell said the numbers have been falling across the board.
“It is difficult to get an accurate picture, because, although the unions are supposed to annually supply the registrar of trade unions with audited figures, it seems the system at the registrar has problems at the moment, and many of the unions are way behind in supplying data.
“Zwelinzima Vavi is on record saying that union membership has severely declined over the past decade,” Bell added.
Another labour expert, Andrew Levy echoed Bell’s sentiments regarding the relevance of trade unions in this country but questioned the dedication of some of the union leaders.
According to Levy, most of the unions in the country have been experiencing massive declines in membership.
“There are different contributory factors that led to these declines in membership and they range from many people who have lost their jobs as a result of the tough economic conditions and also workers, particularly in the private sector not wanting to take part in industrial action fearing job losses,” he said.
Levy said the infightings in trade union federations like COSATU a few years ago as well as in SAFTU in recent times, are also exacerbating the difficult situation they (unions) find themselves in.
“Some of these unions leaders who are fighting each other, are just fighting over an already diminished membership,” Levy said.
Unity among unions desperately needed
A lot of calls, especially the Marikana Massacre have been made for trade unions to join forces, for the benefit of workers.
At some point, media briefings were held where leaders from different federations were present, including Vavi and the Association of the Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU)‘s Joseph Mathunjwa.
Cosatu has come under a lot of criticism, including being accused of being in bed with the ANC and lobbying for political favour at the expense of workers’ rights.
Just like the SACP, Cosatu has also on several occasions threatened to withdraw its support for the ANC, but that has not happened.
With the increasingly difficult economic conditions, Levy is also of the view that the time has come for all unions to put their differences aside and present a united front to take on workers’ challenges.
“If ever there was a time for all unions to unite for one common purpose, then it is now.
“They (unions) must put aside all their differences, whether you are a socialist or capitalist, it doesn’t matter, what matters is the workers,” Levy added.
How did we get here?
Cosatu’s leadership battles started around 2014, when the federation’s former general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi was expelled for bringing the federation into disrepute, and for allegedly having an affair with a junior employee.
Vavi’s suspension at the time, was not welcomed by some unions affiliated to Cosatu, chief among these being the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).
It was during this time that NUMSA became very vocal about Vavi’s issue as well as the political mess which was the governing ANC at the time.
The ANC leads the tri-partite alliance which consists of COSATU, the South African Communist Party (SACP), and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO).
Numsa, led by Irvin Jim, went as far as demanding that Cosatu withdraw its support for the ANC, particularly during elections, in a move which did not sit well with the mother body COSATU, eventually leading to Numsa’s expulsion from the federation.
Preceding the Cosatu, Numsa and Vavi drama was the 2012 Marikana Massacre, where 34 mineworkers were brutally killed by the police during a wildcat strike at the Lonmin Platinum mine, just outside Rustenburg.
It was this strike which saw another Cosatu affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), lose thousands of members to rival union on the platinum belt, Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).
Amcu was and is still led by the outspoken Joseph Mathunjwa who was once chairperson of a local branch of NUM before being expelled in 1999.
Just like Vavi, Mathunjwa was expelled for bring the union into disrepute and partly for clashing with NUM’s former general secretary and current ANC national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe.
Vavi versus Jim
New trade union federation on the block SAFTU was formed in 2017, and consists of a number of affiliates.
However, the relationship between Vavi, general secretary of Saftu and Numsa’s Irvin Jim has since gone sour.
Also Read: Numsa infighting threatens to spill over in umbrella Saftu
The tensions between the two has led to Numsa threatening to leave the federation this year.
Numsa, meanwhile is also currently facing it’s own internal battles with its planned congress having been halted and ordered by the Labour Court to only convene the congress once it has complied with its own constitutions.
The court found that the suspension of the union’s second deputy president Ruth Ntlokose was invalid, including NUMSA’s decision to suspend more than 20 of its members in various regions.
The union decided, however, to ignore this interdict and continue with the congress anyway.
