The Congress of South African Trade Unions' (Cosatu) central executive committee would deal with the call from some affiliates that African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa should become president.
"Congress resolved the CEC of Cosatu should take forward the discussion about the succession debate and there are clear principles that will be guiding the discussions," Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini told reporters in Johannesburg on Monday.
This comes after the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), without naming anyone, called on the congress to endorse the principle the deputy president become president.
Other unions, including Cosatu's biggest affiliate, the National Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), seconded the call. It was seen as an indirect endorsement of current deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.
However, Dlamini said Cosatu would not discuss any names, as "it was about the principle".
The unity of the ANC and the unity of the alliance would be one of those principles, as well as the unity of Cosatu itself.
"The talk about names or talk about who then will be leaders should be evolving out of these principles."
Cosatu noted the ANC national general council had decided not to open the succession debate yet.
Dlamini said just as ANC leaders had to respect that decision, so did alliance partner leaders.
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