SATAWU’s 4th National Elective Congress – a Rousing Success

Six hundred delegates of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) converged at the Midrand Conference Centre on 15 September, 2018 for its 4^th Elective National Congress. The theme, discussion and direction of the National Congress was not only to elect new leaders but aimed to reclaim, renew and unite the organisation for the purpose of strengthening working class power and going back to basics.

In line with the clarion call made by the November 2017 CEC, the union understood that it had to go back to its founding principles to ensure that the soul of the giant union was finally saved based on a return to revolutionary trade union principles. The robust engagements of Congress delegates, wisdom of the union’s founding leaders and the guidance of both COSATU and Global Federations- ITF and UNI- allowed SATAWU to reflect on its current challenges and begin to self-correct.

Accordingly, the following resolutions and mandate were given to the newly elected leaders among others:

• Revitalise the structures of the union by convening report back meetings with provincial leadership, members and staff to appraise them of the key outcomes of Congress covering crucial issues such as socio-economic, political, organisational and industrial matters
• To come up with organisational programmes and activities to recruit, service and retain so that workers can actively participate in rebuilding process thus ensuring the union is worker-led and controlled
• SATAWU must engage the Minister of Transport with the aim to revitalise the Transport Charter Council to aggressively drive transformation in the sectors we organise in line with the BBBEE legislation given pockets of resistance in aviation and maritime
• SATAWU to take on a more strategic research-based role in order to shape broader policy issues such as the Draft White Paper on the National Rail Policy and call for an urgent engagement with the Department of Transport
• SATAWU must strengthen its advocacy role with regards to State-Owned Enterprises in the following areas:
  • There is a need for SATAWU to raise its voice to address the crisis within Metrorail as millions of working class South Africans rely on it as a mode of commute for their livelihood on a daily basis and are subjected to overcrowding, crime and sabotage
  • SATAWU must be vigilant and poise to reject any efforts by government to privatise parastatals such as SAA via the backdoor
  • The alliance must be reconfigured in order to address the question of instability, dysfunctionality and to hold deployed leaders accountable for corruption in various state agencies
  • SATAWU elected leaders must desist from collaborating with employers for the purpose of dismissing workers from SOEs such as PRASA
  • SATAWU must have a say on the appointment of board members at SOEs
• Revive cleaning and security sector for the purpose of defending vulnerable and/or precarious workers in the economy
• SATAWU Provinces must play an active role in ensuring that clear recruitment and campaign programmes are put in place to address the issue of membership decline
• There is a need to form joint political schools with the SACP in order to enhance political education for workers
• SATAWU must revive the Gender Structure in order to ensure inclusive development of marginalised sectors of society including women and the LGBTI community
• Launch Young Workers structures in order to adequately cater to the needs of youth
• On completion of the forensic audit, SATAWU must ensure the prosecution of all implicated individuals to recoup all embezzled funds and assets of the union
• SATAWU must exert pressure on the Hawks and the Minister of Police through national campaign to ensure that those responsible for the assassination of Comrade Christopher Nkosi are brought to book urgently given an incomplete investigation since 2015
• The National Policy Conference will be convened in 2019 to deal with all items deferred to it National Congress.
• Newly elected National Office Bearers must continue to work closely with former leaders to enhance the turnaround process

SATAWU has emerged out of its Congress united and determined to rebuild the union into an ever rising giant that has the capacity to take on employers’ toe to toe in order to improve the conditions of its members on the shop floor through collective bargaining processes and link up with community struggles.

SATAWU will proceed to the 13^th National Congress of COSATU and fully participate as an affiliate in good standing with a view to contribute to strengthening the federation.