The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says it's time the tripartite alliance sat down and reconfigured their partnership.

In delivering an opening address at the Cosatu 6th central committee meeting, its president, Sdumo Dlamini, told delegates that the African National Congress (ANC) needed workers and they, in turn, needed the 105 year old political party.

"The ANC cannot survive on her own without the workers in the country," Dlamini said on Monday.

He said although some in the trade union federation might believe they would be fine without the governing party, he did not share their sentiments.

He added that although the working class in South Africa could not be seen going against the ANC, they also had the duty to speak out when the party made mistakes.

"When they do these wrong things indeed we shall take the decisions that we have taken because we take decisions as comrades and defend our decisions," he added.

Frank, honest discussions

Dlamini was referring to a recent decision taken by the federation to ban Jacob Zuma, the president of both the ANC and the country, from any of its events.

In May, workers booed and refused to be addressed by Zuma at a Cosatu Workers' Day rally in Bloemfontein. Unions retaliated after a plea for them not to be addressed by the ANC leader was ignored.

Zuma, who has usually been the speaker to represent the ANC at Cosatu gatherings, would be replaced by his deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, who also the federation's candidate to replace him when the ANC goes to its national elective conference in December.

Dlamini said alliance partners would have a chance to have frank and honest discussions with each other when they meet on June 4 and 5 for the alliance political summit.

"The ANC must help us… It must help us to go through this journey of ensuring that you can build [not just] a stronger ANC but a stronger ANC-led alliance," he said.

Dlamini, in sharing his thoughts on what the tripartite alliance could do differently, said the entire alliance arrangement had to be reviewed.

"At the moment it seems decisions can be taken by one partner and it affects all of us and we are not part of those decisions. That has got to come to an end," he said.

He added that often they request meetings, but get no response from the governing party until there is a crisis.

Dlamini got chastised by teachers' union Sadtu KwaZulu-Natal secretary Nomarashiya Caluza who said he failed to announce the deputy president as their preferred candidate to replace Zuma.

She also criticised Dlamini for failing to pronounce on the federation's decision on Zuma during his opening address.

"We are not kids; we are adult workers. The decisions of Cosatu were supposed to be emphasised when the president was presenting the political overview," said Caluza.