A new "politically independent" trade union federation will be launched at the end of the month, former Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Willie Madisha said in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The Independent Trade Union Movement would be formally launched in Pretoria on March 28.

Madisha said it would provide an alternative to the current "politically saturated" trade union environment, dominated by Cosatu.

"The need for an independent labour movement has become a necessity because a politically aligned union or federation fails to address the needs of workers across industries, both in private and public sectors," Madisha told a press briefing.

The new movement hoped to attract independent unions as well as workers not aligned with trade unions in the past.

The need for a new union federation arose after a "crackdown" on workers who aligned themselves with the newly formed Congress of the People (Cope).

"Many workers have been dismissed, particularly in the public sector... because they don't believe in the same ideology [as the African National Congress]."

Madisha said members of Cosatu in the police, education and health sectors, were victims of intimidation.

"As long as you don't agree with the ANC... you must be kicked out. That's a very serious problem."

Using workers' resources to fund the ruling party through printing material and hiring venues was unacceptable, Madisha said.

He stressed that the new union would not be aligned to any political party.

Madisha was Cope's candidate for Limpopo premier.