Africa's largest trade union federation ended its national conference with the announcement that its general secretary is eyeing a senior position in the ruling ANC.

Congress of SA Trade Union (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said that his present term, ending in 2012, would be his last.

"It has been a long, long time comrades... I cannot stay forever," he said at the trade union's conference in Midrand.

Vavi said that if he were offered a position in the African National Congress leadership, he would not refuse.

His planned resignation in 2012 would be just in time for the ANC's next leadership election due to happen in 2012.

Vavi, along with Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini and deputy general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali, was re-elected unopposed to his position by the congress delegates.

Also elected as treasurer unopposed was Freda Oosthuysen of the SA Clothing and Textile Workers' Union.

Only two of the national positions had more than one candidate. James Tyotyo of the National Union of Mineworkers was elected as first deputy president and Zingiswa Losi of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) was elected as second deputy president.

Losi and Oosthuysen's election means that two of the six national leadership positions will be held by women.

Cosatu's four-day policy conference ended with a range of resolutions as delegates-in celebration of Heritage Day-dressed in traditional clothing.

Most wore colourful tunics and headgear but one delegate went further and dressed completely in animal skins and wielded a club and shield.

The resolutions made on Thursday included a call for a reform of the Labour Relations Act and the banning of labour brokers.

"For the past 15 years, we failed to review the act to ensure that it truly protected workers... we want that by next year. Workers have gained nothing and the capitalists everything," said Numsa delegate Vuyo Bikitsha.

Bikitsha said while the act was viewed as progressive, there were certain sections which placed workers at a disadvantage.

"For example employers are allowed to use scab labour... this dilutes the power of the strike," he said.

Cosatu also resolved to call for an outright ban of labour brokers, tightening the original resolution requiring "stringent regulation" of the practice which it said "amounts to human trafficking and modern slavery."

Congress resolved to resort to protest action should it not succeed in completely eliminating the practice of labour brokering.

Companies who source labour and then hire those workers out to a different employer are known as labour brokers.

Delegates also passed a special resolution to call for the head of Athletics SA (ASA) president Leonard Chuene. They also condemned the treatment of South African runner Caster Semenya by the media, ASA and the International Association of Athletics Federations.

As decisive as its decisions were pertaining to labour brokers and Semenya, Congress could not agree on a resolution for the decriminalisation of sex workers.

The resolution, sponsored by Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), would have supported the decriminalisation and regulation of sex workers while also subjecting it to taxation.

But the resolution was condemned by the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) president Thobile Ntola who argued that it would formalise the victimisation of women. Nhlapo also argued that the conference was being rushed to approve it.

"[The debate] is only providing one side which is favouring the adoption. It is not favouring on what might be the unintended consequences and what ways to deal with those unintended consequences.

Other union delegates condemned the resolution on the basis that sex work was exploitive, immoral or went against African culture.

But other unions, led by Popcru, pleaded that the plight of sex workers was an urgent one and the decriminalisation would provide them with protection under the law.

SA Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Blade Nzimande -who is also the Minister for Higher Education and Training - did not condemn the resolution for sex workers but cautioned that its controversial nature would require more political preparation.

"The political groundwork must be laid. We must be cautious that we do not move too far ahead of our people as we could open up fault lines," warned Nzimande.

With no agreement in sight, the conference deferred the matter to the Central Executive Committee of Cosatu.

President Jacob Zuma, at the opening of the conference, used the opportunity to warn delegates against behind-the-scenes plotting about the next ANC leader.

The conference was marked by some harsh criticism against one of Zuma's ministers, Trevor Manuel, the National Planning Minister, who recently released a green paper, to the ire of Cosatu.