While MPs were singing Deputy President Jacob Zuma's praises yesterday, Cosatu shop stewards were declaring that they would defend "the workers' friend at all costs".

Cosatu's general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said their support for Zuma was principled, but also "because he is the friend of the workers".

He told about 500 shop stewards from Gauteng that Cosatu would have taken the same position even if the person who was being tried by the media without his day in court was Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon.

Phutas Tseki, Cosatu's chairman in Gauteng, shouted "viva JZ viva" six times to a tumultuous response from the shop stewards.

"We will make sure that the deputy president is protected and defended at all costs," said Tseki.

A shop steward representing the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) likened Zuma's "persecution" to that of ANC personalities Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Tony Yengeni.

"If we don't support the deputy president, we will be left with no leader who is a friend to the workers," he said.

A counterpart from the Food and Allied Workers Union urged the tripartite alliance to meet and tackle the issue "as a unit".

The secretaries of the alliance, the ANC's Kgalema Motlanthe, Cosatu's Vavi and Blade Nzimande of the SA Communist Party met in Johannesburg yesterday.

They issued a statement afterwards saying: "We have noted intense media speculation and expectation that the meeting would generate new developments with respect to the outcome of the Schabir Shaik case. In this regard, however, there are no new developments."

With acknowledgements to Moshoeshoe Monare and the Cape Times.