Secretariat Report to the Third Central Committee COSATU August 15-18, 2005 Taking the 2015 Plan to New Heights – Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of COSATU 1 Secretariat Report to the Central Committee...................................................................................1 COSATU ..........................................................................................................................................1 August 15-18, 2005..........................................................................................................................1 Part 1: Political Report .....................................................................................................................5 1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................5 2 Progress in the National Democratic Revolution.....................................................................6 2.1 The pillars of our 2015 Plan............................................................................................6 2.2 Fifty Years of the Freedom Charter ................................................................................6 2.3 Who has gained from democracy?.................................................................................7 2.4 Class Formation and Contestation .................................................................................9 2.5 Lessons from Zimbabwe...............................................................................................11 2.6 Engaging the Transition................................................................................................12 2.7 Other Developments.....................................................................................................13 2.7.1 Unity and cohesion of our movement ..................................................................13 2.7.2 Corruption ............................................................................................................16 2.7.3 Attacks on workers’ gains ....................................................................................18 2.8 The International Situation............................................................................................18 2.8.1 The balance of power ..........................................................................................18 2.8.2 The international labour movement .....................................................................20 3 Taking forward the NDR: Strategy and Tactics.....................................................................20 3.1 The ANC’s overwhelming victory..................................................................................20 3.2 Shifts in Government Policy..........................................................................................22 3.3 Development Strategy ..................................................................................................22 3.4 Rising workers’ militancy ..............................................................................................23 3.4.1 The Jobs and Poverty Campaign – A class struggle...........................................23 3.4.2 A new wave of Living Wage Struggles.................................................................24 4 Selected Engagements .........................................................................................................25 4.1 The Alliance ..................................................................................................................25 4.2 The ANC and its leagues..............................................................................................27 4.2.1 Debate on the Liberation Movement versus Political Party .................................27 4.2.2 Changes in the Composition of the ANC Leadership ..........................................29 4.2.3 Bilateral Relations ................................................................................................29 4.2.4 The ANC National General Council .....................................................................30 4.2.5 Relations with the ANC Women’s and Youth League .........................................30 4.3 The SACP.....................................................................................................................31 4.3.1 Raising the profile of the SACP ...........................................................................31 4.3.2 SACP and contest of power.................................................................................32 4.4 One Union One Industry – One Country One Federation ............................................32 4.4.1 FEDUSA and NACTU ..........................................................................................32 4.4.2 CONSAWU ..........................................................................................................33 4.4.3 Solidarity ..............................................................................................................33 4.4.4 Organising farm workers......................................................................................33 4.5 Social Movements ........................................................................................................34 4.5.1 Collaboration with the Churches and NGOs........................................................34 4.5.2 The State of SANCO............................................................................................34 4.5.3 New Social Movements .......................................................................................35 4.5.4 The Student Movement........................................................................................35 4.6 Social dialogue .............................................................................................................35 4.7 The ANC Deputy President ..........................................................................................36 4.8 The Local Government Election Campaign..................................................................37 Annexure 1. Engagements on legislation and policy, 2003-2005..................................................39 Part 2: Organisational Report.........................................................................................................47 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................47 2 The organisational challenges...............................................................................................47 2.1 The Context: Twenty Years of COSATU ......................................................................47 2 2.2 The state of COSATU...................................................................................................51 2.2.1 Poor Service.........................................................................................................51 2.2.2 Organisational discipline ......................................................................................54 2.2.3 Public coherence..................................................................................................57 2.2.4 Addressing the organisational challenges ...........................................................58 3 Organisational programmes ..................................................................................................62 3.1 Demarcation of provinces.............................................................................................62 3.2 Interventions to assist unions overcome internal problems..........................................62 3.3 Building Unity................................................................................................................62 3.3.1 Campaigns...........................................................................................................63 3.4 Gender work – building women leadership and addressing inequities ........................64 4 Education...............................................................................................................................65 5 Communications....................................................................................................................66 5.1 External media..............................................................................................................66 5.2 Internal media ...............................................................................................................67 5.3 Archive and Information Centre....................................................................................68 6 Engagements on policy .........................................................................................................68 6.1 Industrial policy .............................................................................................................68 6.2 Trade policy and negotiations.......................................................................................69 6.3 Financial sector.............................................................................................................69 6.4 Fiscal policy ..................................................................................................................70 6.5 Economic policy and research......................................................................................70 6.6 Retirement