The South African Federation of Trade Unions has noted COSATU’s suggestion that SAFTU unions must rejoin or join COSATU.
 
Firstly SAFTU, in line with its principled support of worker unity and its firm belief that the unity of workers is sacrosanct would jump at any opportunity to unite workers of the country who are currently organised into four federations.
 
We have made it clear that the biggest task though, and where the biggest unity is needed, is with the 76% of workers who have thus far refused to join any union thanks to some undermining of the most basic trade union principles.
 
In response SAFTU reprints below a letter it sent to COSATU on 17 May 2018, which shows the difference between a principled approach and opportunist grandstanding.
 
SAFTU is constituted by 30 unions not just by 8 former COSATU unions. There will be no NUMSA, FAWU, DEMAWUSA, DETAWU, MATUSA, SASAWU, SAFPU and SACOWSU going back to COSATU.  The members of these unions didn’t walk out of COSATU; they were persecuted and dismissed without even a hearing.
 
By now not all of their members ever belonged to COSATU. The former COSATU unions which now enjoy being part of the young and fast growing federation will not betray the 22 other unions that constitute SAFTU which have no history that connects them with COSATU and its alliance partners.
 

Issued by The South African Federation of Trade Unions