The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) wants the tripartite alliance to be reconfigured, giving all parties equal decision-making powers.
"We want an alliance that will collectively develop policy in line with our vision as located in the Freedom Charter. We want an alliance which will collectively monitor the implementation of policy and decides on deployment and which can also call ministers to account," Cosatu general-secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali told reporters in Johannesburg on Monday.
His call, which formed part of the outcomes of Cosatu's 12th national congress held last week, also wanted all alliance partners to be treated equally.
This is not the first time Cosatu has made such a call.
Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini said the refiguring of the alliance would happen with the help of the workers on the ground.
"At the end of the day the fact is you will not go to a boardroom to negotiate and agree and then have a reconfigured alliance. It is a product of intense work on the ground, swelling the ranks of the [African National Congress] and [South African Communist Party]," he said.
The ruling party dominates the tripartite alliance between the SACP, Cosatu and the ANC.
Some former ANC leaders, including former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe, have said the alliance was dead.
There have been calls within the SACP for the party to reconsider its position in the alliance.
The alliance's relevance was a recurring theme at the congress. with President Jacob Zuma and SACP general-secretary Blade Nzimande touching on its importance during their addresses.
Ntshalintshali said Cosatu would work with the SACP to strengthen the "socialist axis".
"This will also include participating in the SACP process towards decision on how it will relate to electoral politics in the future..."
The SACP and Cosatu would run joint programmes focusing on ideological training.
He said Cosatu would make resources available to ensure victory for the ANC in next year's local government elections.
This would be done through campaigns based on political and socio-economic demands.
The trade union federation would continue to be a "campaigning federation of workers".
Source: News24
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