EWN reports that according to Labour Registrar Advocate Lehlohonolo Molefe, infighting and poor financial controls remain the greatest threats to trade unions.  

In an interview with Eyewitness News, he also painted a bleak picture of the state of employers’ associations and bargaining councils, saying that even they were not immune.  The registrar is mandated to regulate labour-related organisations in the country in accordance with the Labour Relations Act.  In his view, at the core of all challenges faced by unions and the other labour relations organisations, was the pursuit of money and power.  SA’s trade union movement is worth billions of rand and has it accumulated even more wealth through the establishment of investment companies.  But, as Molefe laments, these riches rarely trickle down to members.  Last month, Molefe applied to the Labour Court to have the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) placed under administration for, among other things, failing to account for the use of funds.

Read Theto Mahlakoana’s original report on the above at EWN

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page