Numsa to spurn Cosatu's overtures

A showdown is looming between Cosatu and its largest affiliate - the National Union of Metalworkers of SA.

High-ranking Numsa members yesterday said the union intended snubbing a meeting Cosatu had planned for either today or Friday next week, heightening tensions between the two organisations.

Should Numsa go ahead and ignore Cosatu's move, the union's leaders might end up facing the federation's central executive committee, Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini said.

Numsa members said Cosatu's attempt to force the union to retract its congress resolutions - which include withdrawing support for the ANC in the upcoming general election - would be resisted.

Numsa spokesman Castro Ngobese confirmed Numsa 's national office bearers would not be available to meet Cosatu today as they had their own meeting.

"We'll indicate when we'll be ready to meet Cosatu. But we had expected to meet in a special national congress of the federation," said Ngobese.

Said Dlamini: "No one can force Numsa to retract [its] congress resolutions. All we can do is make them see the difficult position those resolutions have placed us in."

Numsa and seven other affiliates - among them the Food and Allied Workers' Union, SA Municipal Workers' Union and Footballers' Players Union - have consistently been calling on Cosatu to convene a special congress.

It is at this congress that Numsa and other affiliates are planning to move for fresh leadership elections and the reinstatement of suspended Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.

Earlier this week Vavi was slapped with charges stemming from an affair he admitted to having with a junior Cosatu staff member.

Ngobese yesterday emphasised that Numsa would not accede to Cosatu's demand.

Political analyst Mcebisi Ndletyana said the divisionin Cosatu was not new and should not come as a shock.

"It simply shows the continued contestation among unions over whether they should form an independent worker's party or support the liberation movement," he said.