Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 3 February 2026
Norman Mampane
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Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin
‘Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense’-Maoo
Our side of the story
3 February 2026
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
Organize at every workplace and demand respect for labour rights Now!
Defend Jobs Now!
Join COSATU NOW!
Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- DITSELA Institute invites Educators, Skills Development Officers in all federations at the 2026 Worker Education Program Launch
- African Unions invited to Trade Unions for Energy Democracy Africa Regional Quarterly Virtual Meeting
- South Africa
- Treasury opens registration for 2026 Budget lock-up
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Press release - International construction unions denied entry to the West Bank
- ITUC-Africa Statement in Solidarity with TUCA and the Trade Union Movement in Panama
- Message of solidarity from the TUI TPPC
- From vision to investment: Why the world needs the first-ever international finance summit for early childhood
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
DITSELA Institute invites Educators, Skills Development Officers in all federations at the 2026 Worker Education Program Launch
January 2026
Attention: Educators & National/Provincial Office Bearers Responsible for Education
Dear comrades and colleagues,
Ditsela Programme 2026 Theme: “Educate, Engage, Empower for Resilient and Inclusive Labour Movement”
You are invited to the launch of the 2026 Ditsela Programme
Date: Thursday 12 February 2026
Time 10h00 – 12h00
Venue: Ditsela Offices
Johannesburg Office
21 Marshall Street
4th Floor t
Johannesburg
We would like to urge educators to make every effort to ensure that office bearers responsible for education are available for this meeting. In 2025 we tried to include office bearers in all strategic activities so that they could engage with Ditsela on the priorities for workers’ education; this has proved to be a very successful way of communicating with our constituency about workers’ education.
In this meeting we will be sharing:
▪ New developments for 2026 Programme
▪ Recruitment processes to Ditsela Programme
▪ Required documentation for the application
Note: Ditsela would like affiliates to share their Union programme as well to establish areas of collaboration.
Please confirm your attendance by completing the reply slip to vero...@ditsela.org.za
Fax: 011 492-0302
Yours in the continued struggle for power through education.
Khanyisile Khanyi
Programme Manager
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African Unions invited to Trade Unions for Energy Democracy Africa Regional Quarterly Virtual Meeting
Dear Comrades
SAVE THE DATE: 10th February 2026
Africa Regional Quarterly Virtual Meeting
Please join us for a virtual meeting of African unions and their allies on:
February 10th, 2026. Time: Johannesburg. South Africa/16:00, Tunisia/15:00.
Find your local time here:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Anyone that wants to attend must please register. All registrants will receive a zoom link. RSVP:
Please register HERE. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/g1hf5pbiS5WPSMXDB92Ziw#/registration
Interpretation: to be confirmed! Dependent on the need and resources required.
Why This Meeting?
Join the meeting to listen to updates from Tunisia, South Africa, and Ghana regarding renewable energy costs, the unbundling and privatization of energy institutions, and the role of private sector participation, amongst other things.
See article attached on the Tunisia case study of the cost of renewable energy.
Kind Regards
Suraya Jawoodeen
on behalf of the TUED team
Treasury opens registration for 2026 Budget lock-up
03 Feb 2026
Online
registrations for the 2026 Budget lock-ups are now open. The Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana, will table the 2026 Budget in Parliament on 25 February 2026 at 14:00.
The lock-ups offer members of the media an opportunity to engage with the Budget documents under embargo ahead of the Minister’s speech. Lock-ups end when the Minister of Finance starts speaking in Parliament, which is also when the embargo lifts.
To register, please follow the link provided below. Important instructions and lock-up rules for both Pretoria and Cape Town can be found on the registration link. It is important to familiarise yourself with these lock-up rules to ensure a seamless participation
in the lock- ups. Please also note the distinction between PGA and non-PGA lock-ups.
Registration links:
Pretoria: 2026
BUDGET LOCK-UP REGISTRATION Pretoria - Media – Fill out form
Cape Town: 2026
BUDGET LOCK-UP REGISTRATION Cape Town - Media – Fill out form
Registration closes on Monday, 16 February 2026, at 16:00.
For any enquiries, please contact:
E-mail: Me...@treasury.gov.za
Issued by National Treasury
International-Solidarity
Press release - International construction unions denied entry to the West Bank
2 February 2026, Ramallah/Amman
Today, Israel refused entry to the West Bank to an international delegation of construction trade unions, seeking to meet Palestinian construction workers. The delegation included the General Secretary of Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), representing more than 12 million workers worldwide, together with trade union leaders from France, Belgium, Spain, and South Africa.
This denial of entry is not incidental. It reflects the conditions under which the future of Palestine is currently being discussed: exclusion, control, and the systematic silencing of workers.
From our conversations with Palestinian workers and communities, Israel is deepening annexation across the West Bank while severely restricting movement, access to land, and the ability of Palestinians to work and live with dignity. The scale of this reality is clear. More than 3,000 checkpoints fragment the West Bank, literally at every corner. Over 200,000 Palestinians in the West Bank are unemployed. Those who still leave home for work often do so without knowing whether they will return at night.
For construction workers, these are not abstract political dynamics. This determines whether a worker can reach a site, whether materials can move, whether a home is repaired or demolished, and whether building serves survival or facilitates dispossession. Palestinian workers are routinely forced into a cruel contradiction: building infrastructure they are barred from living in, while their own communities are denied permits or face demolition.
At the same time, plans to “rebuild” Palestine are being openly discussed by rich and powerful international actors without Palestinian workers, without trade unions, and without guarantees of land rights, freedom of movement, or protection from displacement.
"Denying entry to international worker representatives confirms a broader reality: exclusion is being built into the process before rebuilding even begins," Shaher Saed, General Secretary of Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), said.
Any just approach to rebuilding must rest on clear principles.
- Workers must be able to speak and organise without fear of reprisal.
- Building must not enable displacement, annexation, or erasure.
- Those who rebuild must have rights to land, safety, and dignity.
Blocking access shows how decisions about rebuilding are intended to proceed instead: without participation, without consent, and without accountability to those who will carry the work.
International construction unions reject this approach. Workers cannot be treated as labour alone while being excluded as rights-holders. Any future rebuilding of Palestine must be grounded in justice, land rights and dignity.
Ambet Yuson, BWI General Secretary, said:
“Blocking us from meeting workers is a deliberate act of exclusion and part of a wider attack on union rights and basic freedoms. You cannot decide the future of Palestine, of the West Bank, Gaza, or Jerusalem, while silencing the workers who will rebuild it.”
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ITUC-Africa Statement in Solidarity with TUCA and the Trade Union Movement in Panama
3 February 2026
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation expresses its full solidarity with the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas @csa_tuca following the arbitrary detention and expulsion of Comrade Marcelo Di Stefano, TUCA’s Secretary for Trade Union Strengthening and Organisation, by the authorities of #Panama.
ITUC-Africa unequivocally condemns this action, which constitutes a serious violation of democratic norms, the rule of law, and internationally recognised trade union rights. The targeting of a senior trade union leader—present in Panama to participate in activities linked to a tripartite mission of the International Labour Organization (ILO)—is not an administrative irregularity. It is a political act of intimidation.
Trade unions are custodians of democracy and the rule of law. Across history and continents, organised workers have defended civil liberties, social justice, accountability, and inclusive governance. An attack on trade union leaders is therefore an attack on democracy itself.
ITUC-Africa recalls that freedom of association and the right to organise are fundamental human rights, firmly enshrined in national legal frameworks and in international labour standards, including ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98, and the principles of tripartite social dialogue. Panama, having ratified core international labour conventions, is bound by these obligations.
ITUC-Africa therefore demands immediate and public explanations from the Government of Panama, calls for an end to all forms of harassment and restriction against trade union activity, and reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with TUCA and the democratic trade union movement in Panama.
The African trade union movement stands united with workers of the Americas: there can be no democracy without free, independent, and strong trade unions.
Signed in Lomé, Togo, on 3 February 2026
________________
Message of solidarity from the TUI TPPC
3 February 2026
Dear comrades,
The European Secretariat of the TUI TPPC sends its fraternal greetings to all dockworkers and trade union organisations taking part in the day of struggle on 6 February, under the slogan “Workers do not work for war.”
This is a date of great significance for the international class trade union movement, affirming the role of workers as a force for peace, solidarity among peoples, and resistance against militarisation, the war economy, and the transformation of civilian infrastructure into instruments of conflict.
The ceasefire must be real, respected, and lasting. It is urgent to guarantee the immediate and unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, the protection of the civilian population, and respect for the Palestinian people’s right to live in peace and with dignity in a free, independent, and sovereign Palestine. True peace requires an end to the occupation and respect for international law and the national rights of the Palestinian people.
The struggle of dockworkers against war is linked to the defence of their own rights, wages, pensions, health and safety, and public services, now threatened by rearmament policies, privatisation, and social attacks imposed in the name of war.
We salute all actions, strikes, and solidarity initiatives that affirm that workers are not accomplices of war, but protagonists in the struggle for peace, rights, and social justice.
With confidence in the organised strength of workers and in international solidarity,
Trade union greetings,
European Secretariat
________________
From vision to investment: Why the world needs the first-ever international finance summit for early childhood
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4Early childhood education, 2 February 2026 written by: Justin W. van Fleet
In November 2022, more than 150 governments and global stakeholders gathered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education. The outcome—the Tashkent Declaration and Commitments to Action for Transforming Early Childhood Care and Education—was a landmark moment. It reaffirmed a shared global truth: early childhood care and education is not optional social policy, but foundational infrastructure for human development, economic resilience, and social cohesion.
In November last year world leaders gathered at the G20 under South Africa’s leadership and made a historic commitment to young children at the G20 summit – agreeing to increase investment in the early years.
By putting the early years at the centre, leaders recognise that childcare, development and early childhood education are critical for every child to thrive and that investing in them is one of the smartest moves any country can make.
The challenge now is not a lack of vision, but a lack of financing, coordination, and accountability to turn these commitments into universal, high-quality provision.
With the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline fast approaching, the proposal for the first-ever International Finance Summit for Early Childhood in 2027 is not just timely—it is essential.
Why a finance summit—and why now?
The International Finance Summit for Early Childhood is designed to do what no previous global forum has done: put finance, planning and economic decision-making at the centre of the early years agenda.
The Summit reframes early childhood as what it truly is—one of the smartest, most cost-effective investments a country can make. Evidence shows that investments in the earliest years deliver lifelong returns: improved school readiness, better health outcomes, increased female labour force participation, higher productivity, and more resilient societies.
The Summit offers a structured moment for governments to move from principle to practice—mobilising new domestic financing, redirecting existing spending toward what works, and building innovative partnerships that unlock private and philanthropic capital for the early years.
Act For Early Years: a global movement powering the Summit
Central to the success of the International Finance Summit for Early Childhood is the Act For Early Years campaign—a global movement bringing together teachers, early childhood professionals, unions, civil society, researchers, parents, and champions across regions to drive political will and concrete commitments.
Act For Early Years exists to ensure that early childhood is no longer treated as a marginal or fragmented issue, but as a top-tier political and economic priority. It provides the connective tissue between global ambition and national action—mobilising coalitions in countries, supporting evidence-based planning, and building pressure for investment where it matters most.
Crucially, the campaign is firmly grounded in the early years workforce. With the backing of Education International and in alignment with EI’s Go Public! Fund Education campaign, Act For Early Years aims to elevate the voices of teachers, caregivers, and early childhood professionals who are essential to delivering quality early years care and education. This workforce perspective is not symbolic—it is structural. Without a well-trained, fairly paid, and professionally recognised workforce, commitments on access and quality cannot be realised.
Through national coalitions and regional networks, Act For Early Years is supporting governments to prepare for the Summit by:
Convening inclusive national consultations that bring together ministries of finance, education, health, and social protection.
Ensuring early childhood professionals and unions are part of commitment design, not an afterthought.
Aligning national priorities with global evidence on what works, including workforce investment and family-friendly policies.
Building public and political momentum so that commitments announced at the Summit are ambitious, additional, and deliverable.
In this way, Act For Early Years transforms the Summit from a one-off event into the peak moment of a multi-year, country-led process. It helps ensure that commitments announced in 2027 are rooted in real system reform—strengthening the workforce, improving conditions for teachers and caregivers, and delivering quality services for children and families.
At a time when educators and early childhood professionals face chronic underinvestment, high attrition, and growing demand, Act For Early Years sends a clear message: investing in the early years means investing in the people who make them possible. By uniting workforce leadership with political advocacy and financing reform, the campaign is helping to turn global consensus into national action—and ensuring that the Summit delivers lasting change beyond the headlines.
From workforce to families: financing what matters most
The priorities outlined in the Tashkent Declaration point directly to where financing must flow.
First, early childhood care and education personnel. Quality services depend on skilled, motivated professionals. This requires sustained investment in education and training systems, continuous professional development, fair wages, stable contracts, and clear career pathways. Aligning working conditions with those of primary education teachers is not just an equity issue—it is a quality imperative. The Summit creates space for countries to commit financing to professionalising the workforce, including in under-regulated non-state sectors where many of the youngest children are served.
Second, families and caregivers. The Declaration recognises that learning begins at home and in the community. Parenting support programmes, child benefits, paid family leave, affordable childcare, and work–family reconciliation policies are proven tools that strengthen outcomes for children while supporting parents—especially mothers—to participate in the workforce. Financing these family-friendly policies is both sound social policy and smart economics.
Third, quality and inclusion. The Summit elevates investment in inclusive, culturally relevant, and evidence-based services, ensuring that children with disabilities, those affected by poverty or conflict, and other marginalised groups are not left behind. Embedding early childhood into humanitarian response and crisis financing is a critical shift that the Summit can catalyse.
Smart Buys, real returns
A core contribution of the Summit process is the emerging Smart Buys for Early Childhood research—proven, cost-effective interventions that maximise impact. These include early health and nutrition programmes, early stimulation and parenting support, quality childcare and preschool, and family-friendly social protection policies.
What makes this moment powerful is not just the strength of the evidence, but its accessibility to finance ministries. The question is no longer whether early childhood investment works, but how quickly governments can scale what works—and how well they can coordinate across sectors to do so.
A once-in-a-generation opportunity
The International Finance Summit for Early Childhood represents a turning point. It builds on the political momentum of the Tashkent Declaration and the G20 and channels it into a concrete, time-bound process: national consultations, evidence-building, measurable commitments, and post-Summit accountability through to 2030.
In a world facing rapid technological change, climate shocks, demographic shifts, and widening inequality, investing in the earliest years is how societies future-proof themselves. The Summit is not about new promises—it is about delivering on existing ones.
The opportunity is clear. The evidence is compelling. The cost of inaction is too high. The first-ever International Finance Summit for Early Childhood can be the moment the world finally matches its commitments to children with the capital required to transform their futures.
______________________________
Norman Mampane (Shopsteward Editor)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Street, Braamfontein, 2017
P.O.Box 1019, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct line: 010 219-1348