Al the beginning COSATU itself sent a delegation to the Churches held in Harare, This delegation included COSATU's general secretary Jay Naidoo and Cyril Ramphosa, the president of the South Antal Mineworkers (NUM).
Al the Harare conference Naidoo met with leaders of the ANC and SACAccording 1o a COSATU statement this was in order lo exchange views on the Africa.' The ANC had already ourlined its views of the politics of the new union on Radio Freedom when, commenting formation declared it is 'vital that unions should be deeply involved in the mass activities being launched by organisations like the United Democratic Front.
The demands of COSATU, in parlicular demand democratic South Africa, pression and economic exploitation. in fact do sound exactly like a rehearsal of the chief demands popularised in South Africa by the ANC. important are the moves to establish direct legal contact, and practical collaboration, between ANC, and the UDF.
The question therefore evidently arises firstly as to how this convergence of COSATU and the ANC look place? Secondly, what should be the attitude of the labour movement iowards it?
of December ot the world Council of Zimbabwe of present crisis in South dependently of COSATU general union federation, tremely united free of op. Evidenily equally repressive COSATU, the itself 'in movement.' organised development, nor organisationar col trol, which is leading to the line of the ANC, and the key forces that created This process can be seen particularly clearly by studying the development African Trade Unions (FOSATU) -which waged a long battle for nonof ANC. ANC member Ben Turok, one of the authors of the economic section of the Freedom Charter, speaking in London recently. referred to FOSATU as having been formed by a 'workerist current. hi secretary of FOSATU. Joe Foster, in a 1982 report adopted by the also spelt out exclearly the disagreements of FOSATU with the ANC at that time.
Foster characterised the ANC we rue creative onovertai of Africa' He stated that 'The role o the great political movements such as the ANC and the Congress Allian: e la been to mobilise the masses against the regime argued that FOSATU must not place opposition the vider political struggle or its major liberation to state that the working class must be independently within this
er killed by police, June 1985 of COSATU In strikes, 250,000.
Chris tion. basis now accepted by COSATU as one of its five founding principles.
FOSATU a SU developed a lar higher level of militancy than its rivals.
1982 for example FOSATU filiated unions were involved in 145 strikes with 90,000 workers taking part. This compared to for example, with 10,000 workers ticipating, for Council Unions (CUSA) affiliated unions and 6 strikes, involving 2,600 workers, for the South African Allied Workers Union (SAAWU).
The relation of forces established by FOSATU's tactics was seen clearly at the creation of COSATU. FOSATU alone had 120,000 paid up members at the time of the formation of the federafion - exceeding even the 100,000 paid up members of the NUM, although the latter claims a total membership of COSATU's general secretary Naidoo, and COSATU's vice president Diamini, were members FOSATU affiliated unions. The principles of organisation, and politics, adopted by FOSATU - notable non-racialism, organisation on the basis of membership dominate the new COSATU federaMiners The FOSATU affiliated unions, together with the NUM, form the core of COSATU, and make it easily the totally dominant union of black industrial workers in South Africa.
The initially UDF affiliated unions parSouth The issues involved in agreement between FOSATU and the ANC were not just questions of Joe Foster's glowof the liberatien movement. They in reterence Jay particular applied to the decisive issue of non-racialism — the cardinal point of of political difference which divided the ANC off hoth from the Pan Africar Congress (PAC) in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Movement which had exactly previously divided FOSATU had insisted on non-racialism as its fundamental principle right from UDF affiliated unions. SAAWU president Thozamile Gqwetha explained his union's position, for example, as being Socialist Action 10 January 1986 and from the Black ConIn LUNA ГУЯТ the UDF had first decisively secured powerful mass action so far in South federation of Trade Unions (AZAC. TU) refused to participate in the formared with the founding formation of COSATU is therefore ab. solutely clear. At the level of tactics and organisation FOSATU won out com.
The organising principles of COSATU — organisation by industrial union, representation on the basis of non unsupplied the leadership personnel for COSATU. FOSATU supplied the key industrial base which, with the NUM provides the membership and power of . he othel main union federation,
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KILL CARTIS NOT Drin