President Thabo Mbeki urged South African unions yesterday to join hands with solidarity workers across the continent, and push the national democratic revolution into Africa.

"They must act with other solidarity workers across the continent and spread the national democratic revolution. Nehawu must look closely at its responsibility to the rest of Africa," he said whilst addressing 386 delegates attending a National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) conference in Pretoria.

The conference, which comes a day after Nehawu celebrated its 17 birthday, was attended by members from all provinces.

In his address union president Vusi Nhlapu painted a picture of financial insecurity, internal conflict and a decrease in membership since Nehawu's last conference three years ago.

He said a funeral scheme had almost financially paralysed the union, which had also fallen behind in its subscription fees to the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu).

This, he said, had cost it its representivity but it was now fully paid up.

"And adding to the revenue problems we have experienced a drastic fall in membership and an increase in infighting within the union," he said.

But they were trying to "extricate ourselves out of this mess."

"We tried to respond as best we could as a union. We may have looked clumsy to our critics," he said, adding that the organisation would now try to build financial viability and implement effective monitoring systems.

Mbeki told the conference, attended by SA Communist Party general secretary, Blade Mzimande, Cosatu chief, William Madisha, and public service and administration minister, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, that Nehawu's woes had been a worry to the African National Congress.

"It's clearly not in the interests of the national democratic revolution that we have a weak Nehawu," he said.

He congratulated the union for the steps it had taken to solve the problem and again urged them to join forces with other unions locally and internationally.

He also thanked them for their part in "liberating Kwa-Zulu Natal" during the national elections held in April this year.

"During the April election, members of Nehawu and other Cosatu affiliates served as volunteers and ANC party agents in different parts of the country, most notably in areas of Kwa-Zulu Natal where the political climate had made it difficult for the ANC to have party agents before," he said.

He said that given the history of violence and political intolerance in the Kwa-Zulu Natal, this was an undertaking that required a level of commitment and dedication of a truly revolutionary nature.

"As a result of the selfless efforts of those union members, we were able to ensure that the people of KwaZulu-Natal were able to exercise their right to vote in free and fair conditions. "The difference that this made to the election was clearly evident in the results in that province, creating the opportunity after ten years for the ANC to take the lead in bringing about a better life for the people of KwaZulu-Natal," he said, exclaiming that it was "at last liberated."

Because of the sectors (health and education) in which the union operated, it had the potential and capacity to play a major role in contributing to the success of the people's contract, in particular the provision of good quality services, he said.

"Members of Nehawu are similarly well placed to assist in tackling corruption, mismanagement and incompetence in the public service," he said. According to a document released by Cosatu at the conference, employment and joblessness -- not including workers who were too discouraged to seek employment -- had increased from 16% in 1995 to over 30% in 2004.

"In short, for most of our members and their communities, the huge improvements in the political and social environment had not been matched by economic prosperity," it stated. – Sapa.