Cosatu in the red as unions struggle to pay
The labour federation says it loses R1.6m a month in unpaid fees
Labour federation Cosatu has run up a deficit of more than R10m in the past two years due to difficulties in its income collection, a decline in membership and financial instability in some of its affiliates. In its financial report to be presented to its central committee meeting, the federation says the financial challenges have led to difficulty in the maintenance of overall federation operations and delivery of congress mandates. Cosatu lost its largest affiliate and financial contributor when it expelled the National Union of Metalworkers of SA in 2014 and later lost the Food and Allied Workers Union after it resolved to disaffiliate. Affiliates were spending millions on legal fees as a result of infighting, said Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali, who addressed workers at the Saint George Hotel in Irene on Monday. "The problem of money is a cancer that is killing unions," he said. Seven of Cosatu’s affiliates, including the South African Municipal Workers Union, Co...
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