CONTESTED LEGACY COSATU’S EDITED BY Sakhela Buhlungu Malehoko Tshoaedi CCL_titp 01.indd 1 2012/08/27 2:28 PM Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Published by HSRC Press Private Bag X9182, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa www.hsrcpress.ac.za First published 2012 ISBN (soft cover) 978-0-7969-2395-0 ISBN (pdf) 978-0-7969-2396-7 ISBN (e-pub) 978-0-7969-2397-4 © 2012 Human Sciences Research Council African territorial rights only This book has undergone a double-blind independent peer review process overseen by the HSRC Press Editorial Board. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Human Sciences Research Council (‘the Council’) or indicate that the Council endorses the views of the authors. In quoting from this publication, readers are advised to attribute the source of the information to the individual author concerned and not to the Council. Copyedited by Liz Sparg Typeset by Simon van Gend Cover design by Oswald Kurten Index by Abdul S. Bemath Printed by [Name of printer, city, country] Distributed in Africa by Blue Weaver Tel: +27 (0) 21 701 4477; Fax: +27 (0) 21 701 7302 www.oneworldbooks.com Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Contents List of tables v List of figures vii Abbreviations and acronyms viii Preface xi 1 A contested legacy: organisational and political challenges facing COSATU 1 Sakhela Buhlungu and Malehoko Tshoaedi 2 The experience of conducting a longitudinal study: the COSATU Workers’ Survey, 2008 32 Christine Bischoff and Malehoko Tshoaedi 3 COSATU, oligarchy and the consolidation of democracy in an African context 56 Johann Maree 4 Making sense of unionised workers’ political attitudes: the (un)represen- tation of women’s voices in COSATU 90 Malehoko Tshoaedi 5 The sociology of upward social mobility among COSATU shop stewards 110 Themba Masondo 6 COSATU, the ‘2010 Class Project’ and the contest for ‘the soul’ of the ANC 132 Ari Sitas 7 ‘What would you do if the government fails to deliver?’: COSATU mem- bers’ attitudes towards service delivery 147 Sarah Mosoetsa 8 COSATU’s influence on policy-making in post-apartheid South Africa: fact and fiction 167 Grace Khunou Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za 9 COSATU members and strike violence: what we learn from quantitative and qualitative data 186 Karl von Holdt 10 COSATU and internal migrant workers: old fault lines, new dilemmas 212 Nomkhosi Xulu 11 COSATU’s attitudes and policies towards external migrants 228 Mondli Hlatshwayo 12 The trade union movement and the Tripartite Alliance: a tangled history 259 Sakhela Buhlungu and Stephen Ellis Appendix Taking democracy seriously: COSATU Worker’s Survey data set 1994, 1998, 2004 and 2008 283 Contributors 305 Index 309 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za v List of tables Table 1.1 Which leader represents worker interests best? (selected results from question asked during survey in 2004 and 2008) 4 Table 1.2 How a shop steward should exercise his/her mandate (by percentage) 21 Table 2.1 Provinces covered in the COSATU longitudinal study 34 Table 2.2 Employment by sector between 2005 and 2009 37 Table 2.3 COSATU Workers’ Survey researchers 1994, 1998, 2004 and 2008 40 Table 2.4 COSATU affiliate membership figures 2007–2011 47 Table 2.5 Age of COSATU members between 1994 and 2008 48 Table 2.6 Year in which respondents joined the unions 49 Table 2.7 Gender distribution of COSATU members 50 Table 2.8 Highest formal educational levels of COSATU members 50 Table 2.9 Occupational category as defined by companies 52 Table 2.10 Security of tenure of COSATU members 52 Table 3.1 Are you a member of the SACP? 65 Table 3.2 Which party are you going to vote for in the forthcoming national elections? 68 Table 3.3 Cosatu has entered into an alliance with the ANC and SACP to contest the elections. What do you think of this arrangement? 69 Table 3.4 Classification of African regimes, end 2001 71 Table 3.5 African legislative election results, by ordinal number of election, 1989-2006 73 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za vi Table 3.6 South African post-transformation election results 73 Table 4.1 COSATU has entered into an alliance with the ANC and SACP. What do you think of this arrangement? 97 Table 4.2 Do you think that this Alliance should continue and contest the elections after 2009? 98 Table 4.3 Have any of the following services been provided or improved since 2004 in your area? 99 Table 4.4 Which party are you going to vote for? 100 Table 4.5 When you decide to vote for a particular party, which is the most important factor behind your decision? 100 Table 5.1 Have any of your shop stewards in the workplace been promoted into managerial positions? 119 Table 5.2 Is it acceptable (i.e. do you approve) for shop stewards to be promoted into management? 119 Table 7.1 Worker expectations in 1994 and assessment of access to services, 1998, 2004 and 2008 149 Table 7.2 Perception of access to services by province, 2008 151 Table 7.3 Yes, these services have improved since 2004 elections. 152 Table 7.4 In which ONE of the following areas would you like to see improvements after the 2009 elections? Select the most important one only. 153 Table 7.5 Involvement in local government or community development initiatives 155 Table 7.6 If the government to be elected fails to deliver, workers will: (more than one possible) (percentages) 157 Table 7.7 COSATU affiliates on participation in mass action, if the government fails to deliver (1998 to 2008) 158 Table 7.8 Participation in community protest action since 2004 by gender 160 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za vii Table 7.9 Have you participated in community protest action since 2004? (by union) 161 Table 9.1 Attitudes towards violence during strikes (by COSATU affiliate) 190 Table 10.1 Are you a migrant? 217 Table 10.2 Migrant workers by sector 217 Table 10.3 Migrant workers as a proportion of union membership 218 Table 10.4 Age categories of migrants and non-migrants 219 Table 10.5 Migrant worker by age and gender 219 Table 10.6 Proportion of migrants within each educational qualification level 220 Table 10.7 Migrants as a proportion of COSATU members in each occupational category (also by gender) 221 Table 10.8 Migrant workers’ security of tenure, including proportions of migrant men and women in each category 222 Table 10.9 Service delivery: migrant worker responses by service provision area (percentages) 223 List of figures Figure 8.1 COSATU members’ support for the Tripartite Alliance, 1994–2008 179 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za viii Abbreviations and acronyms ANC African National Congress ANCYL African National Congress Youth League ANSA Artists for a new South Africa AZAPO Azanian People’s Organisation BBBEE Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment BEE Black Economic Empowerment CAX Coalition against Xenophobia CAWU Construction and Allied Workers’ Union CEPPWAWU Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union COPE Congress of the People COSATU Congress of South African Trade Unions CPP Convention People’s Party CWIU Chemical Workers’ Industrial Union CWU Communication Workers’ Union CWUSA Council of Workers’ Union of South Africa DA Democratic Alliance DENOSA Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa FAWU Food and Allied Workers’ Union FOSATU Federation of South African Trade Unions GEAR Growth, Employment and Redistribution HOSPERSA Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union of South Africa HSRC Human Sciences Research Council ILO International Labour Organisation IMF International Monetary Fund LRA Labour Relations Act MAWU Metal and Allied Workers’ Union MDC Movement for Democratic Change NALEDI National Labour and Economic Development Institute NEDLAC National Economic Development and Labour Council NEHAWU National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za ix NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development NMMU Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University NPP New Patriotic Party NUM National Union of Mineworkers NUMSA National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa PAC Pan-Africanist Congress PAWUSA Public and Allied Workers’ Union of South Africa POPCRU Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union PPWAWU Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union RDP Reconstruction and Development Programme SAAPAWU South African Agriculture, Plantation and Allied Workers’ Union SACCAWU South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union SACP South African Communist Party SACTU South African Congress of Trade Unions SACTWU Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union SADC Southern African Development Community SADNU South African Democratic Nurses’ Union SADTU South African Democratic Teachers’ Union SAFPU South African Football Players’ Union SAMA South African Medical Association SAMWU South African Municipal Workers’ Union SARHWU South African Railway and Harbour Workers’ Union SASAWU South African State and Allied Workers’ Union SASBO South Africa Society of Banking Officials SASFU South African Security Force Union SATAWU South African Transport Workers’ Union SATUCC Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council SETA Sector Education and Training Authority StatsSA Statistics South Africa SWOP Sociology of Work Unit TGWU Transport and General Workers’ Union TUC Trade Union Congress TUCSA Trade Union Council of South Africa UCT University of Cape Town UDF United Democratic Front Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za x UDM United Democratic Movement UFH University of Fort Hare UIF Unemployment Insurance Fund UJ University of Johannesburg UKZN University of KwaZulu-Natal UNIP United National Independent Party UNISA University of South Africa UP University of Pretoria UPE University of Port Elizabeth (now NMMU) UWC University of the Western Cape WITS University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg WTO World Trade Organisation ZANU-PF Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front ZCTU Zambian Congress of Trade Unions Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za [...]... strategy before the achievement of democracy, there is no doubt that it has continued to shape COSATU’s approach to engagement with the new order in the post-apartheid period Indeed, ‘radical reform’ is part of the legacy that COSATU continues to embrace today Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za However, this legacy of South Africa’s largest union federation is subject to intense contestation by various... violent incidents during these strikes This issue is discussed further in Chapter 9 of this volume The contestation over the legacy of the trade union federation has an external as well as an internal dimension The external contestation of the legacy is by both friends and foes, including COSATU’s allies, opposition parties and observers such as researchers, ‘analysts’ and journalists For the most part, this... clear that unions have indeed become extremely complex organisations and as such they require rigorous forms of analysis In the same way that the legacy of the federation is contested, our research shows that its organisational and political life is also contested Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za On the one hand, COSATU is an extremely powerful and well-oiled organisational machine whose impact... all sectors of the economy and membership breakthroughs in new sectors that employed white-collar and professional workers In addition, COSATU’s strength and influence in South African politics and the economy is undisputed At the same time, this volume illustrates that COSATU’s successes also come at a cost and that the opportunities that present themselves are not always easy to take advantage of For... would like to thank our families and friends for their love and support throughout the duration of this project Sakhela Buhlungu and Malehoko Tshoaedi xiii Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za 1 A contested legacy: organisational and political challenges facing COSATU Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za Sakhela Buhlungu and Malehoko Tshoaedi In December 2010, the Congress of South African Trade Unions... ‘independent unions’ , something that blinded them to the existence of hierarchies within the groups they supported Below we turn to a discussion of the different dimensions of the contestation of COSATU’s legacy Power relations within labour organisations Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za The conventional approach to the study of power in trade unions focuses on how union members and leaders mobilise... on a political or collective bargaining issue Later in this chapter, we will discuss how contests over the legacy of the federation, particularly with regard to resistance and reconstruction, are inscribed with power relations The mobilisation of collective action A fascinating aspect of the legacy of union organisation during the last threeand-a-half decades in South Africa is the ability of workers... has changed dramatically, and unions whose members use violence risk generating strong public outrage The mobilisation of collective action remains one of the key terrains for the contestation of COSATU’s legacy by different groups within the federation and its unions While there is a general consensus in the federation about the need to use collective action, there seems to be no general agreement... statement issued on 23 April 2010 by Patrick Craven, COSATU’s national spokesperson, the federation confirmed that Mahlangu had admitted to taking the bribe and that he resigned voluntarily But what was particularly significant about the statement was the admission that corruption is endemic in the unions: This incident will in no way however, undermine COSATU’s crusade against corruption We have never... one of close cooperation with – and, some would argue, co-option by – the new regime, while others remain in resistance mode and refuse to engage constructively in the new order A unique aspect of COSATU’s legacy is that the federation has been able to achieve a delicate balance between the themes of resistance and reconstruction by ensuring that engagement in reconstruction processes does not result . CONTESTED LEGACY COSATU’S EDITED BY Sakhela Buhlungu Malehoko Tshoaedi CCL_titp 01.indd. ‘radical reform’ whereby it: 1 Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za COSATU’S CONTESTED LEGACY 2 combined a radical vision of a future society with a reformist,