Having lost its battle against e-tolls and still battling on other fronts - doing away with labour brokers and the government's youth-wage subsidy - labour federation Cosatu says it cannot afford to lose its latest fight - against pension fund reforms. In a strongly worded rebuke, the union federation, usually a staunch ally of the ruling party, yesterday suggested that the ANC government was on the "dangerous path" to becoming "an overbearing state".The federation's general-secretary, Bheki Ntshalintshali, said the fight to repeal the new laws would be sustained.He said this was because "this is a battle we do not want to lose. Members are saying this law is not only bad for them but also bad for the federation".President Jacob Zuma enacted the Tax Amendment Bill and the Tax Administration Laws Amendment Bill last week.The new laws compel workers to preserve their retirement savings for the long haul.Cosatu warned that "an overbearing state" is dangerous, especially if it unilaterally takes decisions and undermines democratic institutions such as Nedlac."The best defence against all this is an assertive and united workforce," said Cosatu.Speaking after the union federation's two-day meeting in Pretoria yesterday, Ntshalintshali said Cosatu did not want future generations to "spit on our graves" and ask where union leaders were when these laws were passed.The federation's president, Sdumo Dlamini, said it was not true that the fight was directed at Zuma for signing the laws. He said Cosatu was challenging the government as a whole.He said that although Cosatu would campaign for the ANC in the local government elections later this year, it would be difficult to convince union members to vote for the party.Political analyst Daniel Silke said Cosatu did not have a good track record in its previous battles, saying the issue of access to money was one that a trade union federation had to tackle as a service for its members.Additional reporting by Olebogeng Molatlhwa...