THE COSATU PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRATIC TRADITION AND SOUTH AFRICA'S NEW PARLIAMENT: ARE THEY RECONCILABLE?

COSATU, The Congress of South African Trade Unions, has a participatorydemocratic tradition on the shopfloor that dates back to theemergence of some of its constituent unions in the 1970s. Infact, an ethic developed among members that the unions oughtto be democratic. By 1994, when South Africa underwent a majorpolitical transformation and the African National Congress cameto power with the support of COSATU, the question arose whetherthe new parliament would be reconcilable with COSATU's expectationsof it. A random survey of 643 COSATU members shortly beforethe 1994 election established that COSATU had sustained itsdemocratic shopfioor tradition and that its members expectedthe 20 union leaders it sent to parliament on an ANC ticketto be as accountable to them as their shop stewards are. Subsequentresearch found dissatisfaction with the ANC on account of unsatisfactorydelivery and inadequate consultation, especially by the ministries.In response, COSATU has adopted a dual strategy of strengtheningits representation in parliament by opening a ParliamentaryOffice and putting pressure on the government and organizedbusiness by engaging in mass action on selected issues. COSATUthus reconciled itself to parliament by combining new terrainsof struggle.