BusinessDay reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has decided to enter talks with its old federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), with a view to a potential return to the fold.

This was revealed in documents from the union’s December central committee (CC) meeting. Numsa was kicked out of Cosatu in November 2014 over its decision to withhold electoral support from the ANC and its decision to expand its scope to organise workers outside the metals sector.   Cosatu extended an invitation to Numsa to begin talks on the union’s potential return to the federation fold after such a decision was taken by its own CC meeting in September. “We are willing to discuss going back with Cosatu, but we have to address the issues that led to our expulsion … you will know that those issues include Numsa expanding its scope to include other sectors of the economy,” a senior Numsa leader indicated.

Cosatu insiders say that at this point in SA’s political economic history, it is crucial that the left unite and that Numsa’s decision on its scope was not an insurmountable hurdle if it meant it would return to the federation fold. After Numsa’s departure, Cosatu has been dominated by public sector unions and has largely retreated on the labour front in the mainstream economy. Numsa forms part of the newly formed SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), led by former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi. Seemingly, Numsa’s decision to engage Cosatu on rejoining the federation does not spell a complete rejection of Saftu, but opens the way for the possibility of a “confederation of trade unions in South Africa”.

• Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard by Natasha Marrian at BusinessDay (subscriber access only)

Get other news reports at the SA LabourNews home page