Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 24 June 2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 This weekend, #NEHAWU scheduled to convene its 13th National Congress at Boksburg #WorkerControl #NationaActionAgainstCostOfLiving #ClassWar #Cosatu40 #SACTU70 #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
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
24 June 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!
- Media Advisory-Media Accreditation: NUM Central Committee Meeting (29 June – 2 July 2026)
- NEHAWU to convene its 13th National Congress
- South Africa
- Minister Manamela commits to upholding the law and protecting workers while not closing the door on Africans
- South Africa reaffirms call for climate finance, just transitions, adaptation and accelerated implementation at Bonn Climate Talks
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Cambodia: launch of renewed collective bargaining agreement
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics #ClassWar
Media Advisory-Media Accreditation: NUM Central Committee Meeting (29 June – 2 July 2026)
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will convene its Central Committee (CC) meeting from 29 June to 2 July 2026 at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg.
This year’s Central Committee is organized under the theme: “Consolidate Worker Control To Build A Road Map To Socialism.”
Key Speakers & Guests
The event will feature addresses from high-profile leaders and key industry regulators, including:
• His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa
• Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa – Minister of Electricity and Energy
• Gwede Mantashe – Minister of Minerals and Petroleum Resources
• Nomakhosazana Meth – Minister of Employment and Labour
• Sihle Zikalala – Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
Fraternal Messages of Support
Leadership from the following alliance partners and international labour organizations are also scheduled to deliver messages of support:
• Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) President, Zingiswa Losi
• African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula
• South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary, Solly Mapaila
• South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO)
• World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)
• IndustrALL Global Union
• Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI)
Accreditation Process
Members of the media are urged to apply for accreditation timeously. Please note that the NUM will not be able to accommodate last-minute or late accreditation requests due to security protocols.
To apply, please email your details (Full Name, Media House, Designation, and Contact Number) to the following officials:
• Livhuwani Mammburu (NUM National Spokesperson)
◦ Cell: 083 809 3257
◦ Email: lmam...@num.org.za, mamm...@gmail.com,
• Luphert Chilwane (NUM Media Officer)
◦ Cell: 083 809 3255
◦ Email: lchi...@num.org.za
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Public Event: Making green industrial policy just: the role of governments, trade unions and multilateral development banks
Date: Thursday 25th June 2026
Time: 10:30-12:30 BST (09:30-11:30 UTC)
Venue: online and at International Transport Federation House, 49 - 60 Borough Rd, London SE1 1DR, United Kingdom
Registration link: Zoom link (please indicate whether you will attend in-person or online) In-person registration closes on 15th June
For any questions, please contact Luca Lueschen at luca.lusc...@ituc-csi.org
Event languages: English and Spanish (interpretation in English, Spanish and French)
Agenda
Moderator: Giulia Laganà, Director, Just Transition & Climate, ITUC
10:30 - Welcome
Gemma Swart, Director of Global Campaigns & Operations, International Transport Federation
10:40 - Keynote speech
Amir Lebdioui, Director, TIDE (Technology and Industrialisation for Development) Centre, Oxford University
11:00 - Panel discussion: MDBs & industrial policy: no longer taboo? And is it both green and just?
Chair: Rouguiatou Diallo, Economic Research Officer, ITUC liaison office to the International Financial Institutions
Tristan Reed, Economist, Development Research Group, World Bank (online)
Dimitri Koufos, Associate Director, Climate Strategy and Delivery, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Ioannis Gkoutzamanis, Energy & Climate Change Policy Officer, Greek General Confederation of Labour
11:45 - Panel discussion: Spain, South Africa and the United Kingdom, drivers of green industrial policy?
Chair: Diana Junquera Curiel, Director, Industrial Policy & Just Transition, IndustriAll Global Union
Judit Carreras Garcia, Director, Just Transition Institute – Spain
Angél Rubio Gomez, Coordinator, Climate Action & Just Ecological Transition, Unión General de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores (UGT)
Dorah Modise, Executive Director, South African Presidential Climate Commission
Boitumelo Molete, Social Development Policy Coordinator, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
Ali Poncia, Industrial Policy Lead at the UK's Trades Union Congress (TUC)
12:30 – Wrap up followed by light lunch
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NEHAWU to convene its 13th National Congress
Lwazi Nkolonzi, NEHAWU National Spokesperson, June 08, 2026
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] will hold its 13th National Congress at the Birchwood Hotel & Conference Centre in Boksburg from the 26th to 29th of June 2026.
The congress is convened under the theme “Advance Workplace Organisation to Defend Collective Bargaining, Heighten Class Consciousness and Advance Internationalism".
The congress will serve as a critical platform to deliberate and develop concrete responses to key international, national political and socio-economic matters as well as organisational matters affecting our members and the working class in general.
The congress will receive addresses from the African National Congress [ANC], South African Communist Party [SACP], Congress of South African Trade Unions [COSATU], World Federation of Trade Unions [WFTU] and Trade Union International Public Service & Allied [TUI – PS&A].
The congress will be attended by more than 750 delegates drawn from all structures of the union and other fraternal organizations from South Africa and Internationally.
Members of the media are hereby invited to apply for accreditation to cover the 13th National Congress.
The following information should be included in the application: Full name, Media House, and contact details.
The deadline for accreditation applications is Friday 19th June 2026.
The application for accreditation should be sent to the following email: lwa...@nehawu.org.za
Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat
For further information, please contact: Lwazi Nkolonzi (National Spokesperson) at 081 558 2335 or email: lwa...@nehawu.org.za
Visit NEHAWU website: www.nehawu.org.za
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
Minister Manamela commits to upholding the law and protecting workers while not closing the door on Africans
24 June 2026
The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr Buti Manamela, today briefed the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on the employment of foreign academics across the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector. This follows a request from the committee for disaggregated data on foreign nationals in higher education. In his remarks, the Minister cautioned against a debate that has become clouded by vague categories and misinformation, while reaffirming that the law governing the employment of foreign nationals is not negotiable.
“There are legitimate concerns in this conversation, and we do not pretend otherwise. South Africans are entitled to expect that public institutions prioritise them for employment, that everyone who teaches does so lawfully, and that transformation is not quietly deferred. These are not xenophobic concerns, but we must be careful of the great deal of misinformation and disinformation that circulates around this debate”, said Minister Manamela.
THE DATA
The Minister presented the Portfolio Committee with the most complete picture currently available across the three sub-sectors: TVET college sector, of the 265 foreign academics in question, the clear majority being 158, are naturalised South African citizens or permanent residents, with the remainder non-citizens. The overwhelming majority provide critical and scarce skills, and most are permanently employed. Those in management positions rose through the ranks of South Africa’s own colleges. In the CET sector, 31 foreign nationals are employed across five colleges, the majority teaching Mathematics, Physical Sciences and other scarce-skills subjects. Many of these appointments predate the sector’s establishment and were inherited through the migration of adult education functions to national government in 2015.
In the university sector, international academics are drawn overwhelmingly from the African continent, carry a high concentration of doctoral qualifications, and are concentrated in the senior academic ranks where research is led and postgraduates are supervised.
PRECISION, NOT SUSPICION
The term “foreign nationals” should not be made to carry more than it can bear. “When we collapse the citizen, the permanent resident, the holder of a critical-skills visa and the person on a temporary contract into a single category of suspicion, we are not analysing a policy problem, we are manufacturing a grievance. A great many of those at the centre of this debate are South Africans. Our own law says they too must be prioritised for opportunity.” The Minister identified the genuine issues as,
1. compliance with immigration law where an invalid work visa is a criminal exposure for an institution’s leadership,
1. the casualisation of academic work, where a reliance on temporary contracts raises labour and transformation questions that should not be disguised as questions of nationality.
THE SOLUTION IS BUILDING LOCAL CAPACITY
Minister Manamela further emphasised that South Africa cannot build a local academy by removing the foreign one, but only by producing South Africans able to take its place.
“Localisation cannot be achieved by subtraction. Localisation happens by building,” said the Minister, pointing to the doctoral pipeline supported through the National Research Foundation and the Department of Science and Innovation, including the New Generation of Academics Programme, research chairs, centres of excellence and postgraduate funding weighted toward South African citizens and permanent residents. The Minister noted that foreign academics, with their high concentration of doctorates, currently help sustain the supervisory capacity on which the production of South African PhDs depends. The Minister located the matter within South Africa’s continental ambitions and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which places a skills revolution underpinned by science, technology and innovation at the heart of the African Renaissance.
“South Africa hosts some of the finest universities on the continent. Our destiny is to anchor a continental system of research and innovation from which all of Africa benefits and from which we benefit most of all. We will protect our workers, enforce our law and accelerate transformation. We will do none of those things by pulling up the drawbridge,” concluded the Minister.
STRENGTHENING THE INFORMATION SYSTEM
The Minister announced that the Department will rebuild and reconfigure its information management system to make nationality, citizenship and visa status precise and mandatory reporting fields, and to abolish vague catch-all categories that have blurred the picture. This will ensure an honest information system is created as the precondition for having this debate honestly. To this end, the department is operationalising a joint task team with the Department of Home Affairs and Universities South Africa to clear the visa backlog and tighten compliance, and has appointed a 19-member Advisory Panel of internationalisation experts, drawn from across the 26 public universities, to develop a standardised framework. This will define approved visa pathways, skills-transfer obligations and employment-equity expectations for presentation to stakeholders by the fourth quarter of 2026. Universities will also be required to account for how they balance internationalisation with transformation in their Annual Performance Plans.
Enquiries: Matshepo Seedat, Spokesperson to the Minister of Higher Education and Training on 082 679 9473
ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
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South
Africa reaffirms call for climate finance, just transitions, adaptation and accelerated implementation at Bonn Climate Talks
22
Jun 2026
South
Africa reaffirms call for climate finance, just transitions, adaptation and accelerated implementation at Bonn Climate Talks
South Africa has reaffirmed its call for a fair, ambitious and implementation-focused global climate response following the conclusion of the 64th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as
the Bonn Climate Talks.
The talks took place in Bonn, Germany, from 8 to 18 June 2026 and brought together Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement to advance technical negotiations ahead of COP31, which will be held in
Antalya, Türkiye, later this year.
South Africa played an active role in advancing the priorities of developing countries during the talks. This included assuming the chairship of the BASIC group, comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China, and contributing to the work of the Africa Group,
where South Africa led thematic items on adaptation, trade, just transition and transparency reporting.
South Africa used the platform to underline that the global climate response must move decisively from negotiation to implementation, with adequate support for developing countries. The BASIC statement raised concern that growing geopolitical uncertainty, shifting
international priorities and insufficient climate finance are undermining confidence in the implementation of the Convention and the Paris Agreement.
The group called for developed countries to honour their climate finance obligations, including under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, and stressed the importance of progress towards the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance. BASIC further called
for the inclusion of the Climate Finance Work Programme on the CMA8 agenda, noting that predictable and accessible finance remains central to enabling developing countries to implement meaningful climate action.
On adaptation, South Africa reaffirmed that the Global Goal on Adaptation is a core priority for developing countries. BASIC called for a transparent, inclusive and Party-driven process, as well as urgent progress in closing the adaptation finance gap, including
the commitment to at least triple adaptation finance by 2035.
South Africa also highlighted the importance of concluding the transition of the Adaptation Fund at SB65, including enabling access to proceeds from Article 6.4 mechanisms, as a practical demonstration of support for adaptation in developing countries.
On mitigation, BASIC emphasised the need for a coherent and balanced mitigation package that recognises the leadership obligations of developed countries, while ensuring that developing countries receive the finance, technology and capacity-building support
required to implement their nationally determined contributions.
The statement also placed strong emphasis on just transitions. South Africa welcomed progress made at SB64, while cautioning against attempts to narrow just transition discussions to domestic, mitigation-focused approaches only. BASIC stressed that the Just
Transition Mechanism must support nationally determined pathways, green industrialisation, value addition, technology transfer, market access, decent work and equitable participation in emerging value chains.
South Africa further supported the call for a dedicated and continuing institutional space within the UNFCCC to address trade and climate change. BASIC stressed that climate-related trade measures must not become a vehicle for arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination,
disguised restrictions on trade, or the shifting of transition costs onto developing countries. The group emphasised that an open, inclusive and supportive international economic system is essential to enable developing countries to participate fairly in emerging
low-carbon value chains.
“South Africa remains committed to ensuring that the multilateral climate process delivers fair and ambitious climate action, backed by the finance, technology and capacity-building support required by developing countries,” said Maesela Kekana, Deputy Director-General:
Climate Change and Air Quality, and Head of Delegation.
On transparency, BASIC expressed concern at the limited progress made on support for reporting under both the Convention and the Paris Agreement. South Africa reiterated that the Paris transparency framework must recognise the different starting points of countries
and must be accompanied by adequate support for developing countries to meet reporting and capacity-building requirements.
South Africa also participated in discussions on Article 6, loss and damage, technology, capacity-building and arrangements for intergovernmental meetings. BASIC welcomed constructive engagement on Article 6, while emphasising that developing countries require
predictable support to participate effectively in cooperative approaches and non-market mechanisms.
“The Bonn Climate Talks have once again demonstrated the importance of trust, fairness and implementation in the global climate process. As Parties prepare for COP31 in Türkiye, South Africa will continue to work with partners across negotiating groups to advance
ambitious, equitable and practical outcomes that support climate action, resilience and sustainable development,” added Kekana.
For media queries, contact Zolile Nqayi on 082 898 6483 / znq...@dffe.gov.za.
Issued by Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment
International-Solidarity
Cambodia: launch of renewed collective bargaining agreement
19 June, 2026
On 17 June 2026, in Cambodia, the Employers Association and trade unions affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, launched a newly renewed
template collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The agreement was launched at the IndustriALL roundtable for brands, manufacturers and trade unions.
The template agreement runs from 1 July 2026 to 31 July 2029 and enables standardized, brand-supported CBAs at factory level across the sector. As a template agreement, it becomes legally binding once adopted at factory level.
What the agreement covers
The CBA includes:
• wage increases,
• additional special leave,
• additional maternity leave,
• paternity leave,
• embedded protection on freedom of association and gender-based violence,
• heat stress,
• skills development,
• a dispute resolution mechanism,
• an industrial peace clause.
The renewed agreement increases the monthly base wage by US$6 until December 2027, rising to a further US$9 increase from January 2028. It also extends maternity leave by 15 additional days and introduces five days of paid paternity leave for the first time,
alongside the agreement’s existing protections on freedom of association, gender-based violence, heat stress and dispute resolution.
Supporting fair wage growth
The CBA complements national minimum wage increases and builds on the minimum wage process. In line with International Labour Organization (ILO) recommendations, wage increases under the CBA are established through collective bargaining between the social partners,
providing predictable and reliable real wage growth supported through the supply chains of global brands.
By engaging global brands and negotiating a CBA template for standardized agreements at factory level, the social partners in Cambodia secure the connection to binding brand commitments. As a result, all factories adopting the template CBA benefit directly
from those commitments.
The agreement is part of the ACT programme in Cambodia, which enables brands to engage meaningfully with unions, manufacturers and fellow retailers, setting a new industry standard for stable, predictable and responsible supply chains.
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie said:
“We congratulate our affiliates and the employers on this new collective agreement template. It is another constructive step towards sound industrial relations and stable workplaces. Further, the CBAs introduce new industry standards that complement national
laws while securing brand support for wage developments that are transparent, accountable and sustainable.”
IndustriALL and its Cambodian affiliates call on all global brands and retailers sourcing in Cambodia to immediately sign the Cambodia Support Agreement.
Aligning with due diligence standards
By signing the agreement, brands commit to an industrial relations model that balances the priorities of workers, manufacturers and retailers. The initiative also aligns with due diligence requirements on stakeholder engagement, wages and freedom of association
(FOA), supporting a transparent and responsible approach to sourcing practices.
Under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, wages, benefits and conditions of work offered across the operations of multinational enterprises should not be less favourable to workers than those offered by comparable employers in the host country.
Where comparable employers do not exist, enterprises should provide the best possible wages, benefits and conditions of work, within the framework of government policies and applicable international standards (Chapter V, Paragraph 4b).
The CBA negotiated between the social partners in Cambodia within the ACT Cambodia programme provides the best possible wages, benefits and conditions of work within the framework of applicable international standards, including ILO Conventions No. 87 and 98,
and is already implemented by comparable employers in the country.
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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