Taking COSATU Today Forward, 23 March 2026 #COSATUFeministSchool2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 Today, #CosatuFeministSchool commences at Benoni #GenderTransformativeChange#GenderStruggle #ClassWar #Cosatu40 #SACTU70 #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
Taking COSATU Today Forward
‘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
23 March 2026
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU National Gender Elective Conference
- SAMWU welcomes City Of Johannesburg budget adjustment as a victory for workers
- South Africa
- COSATU commemorates Human Rights Day
- SADTU Statement on Human Rights Day
- South African Communist Party Statement on Human Rights Day
- COSATU demands urgent action by government to cushion society from the massive fuel price hikes
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Indian unions unite around organizing and Just Transition
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
COSATU National Gender Elective Conference
Zanele Sabela, COSATU Spokesperson, 17 March 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is set to convene its 2nd National Gender Elective Conference from 26 to 27 March as part of the organisation’s three-year accountability cycle.
The Gender Office Bearers and Gender Structure will report on the implementation of resolutions and programmes adopted at the Gender Conference in 2022. The Conference takes place at a time of sharpened gender inequalities in the workplace and in society, particularly for women workers, workers with disabilities and LGBTQI+ workers.
The conference will deliberate on the following:
- GBV and sexual harassment, including the implementation of the International Labour Organisation’s Convention 190 and Recommendation 206, which relate to the elimination of violence (including GBV) and harassment in the workplace.
- Care Economy and Care Workers’ Rights
- Gender and climate change: Examining the impact on workers with disabilities.
- Engendering collective bargaining, in particular advancing parental rights and maternity protection.
- Ensuring implementation of COSATU’s gender policies and organisational power.
Alliance partners, ANC Women’s League, SACP and SANCO will deliver messages of support.
The conference will also elect National Gender Office Bearers who will assume responsibility to ensure that the Federation’s work of striving for gender equality is taken forward.
The details of the National Gender Elective Conference are as follows:
•
Date: 26
& 27 March
• Time: 9am
• Venue: Anew Hotel, OR Tambo, 1 Country St, Lakefield, Benoni.
All members of the media are invited to the conference.
RSVP to mam...@cosatu.org.za or non...@cosatu.org.za
Issued by COSATU
Zanele Sabela (COSATU Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zan...@cosatu.org.za
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SAMWU welcomes City Of Johannesburg budget adjustment as a victory for workers
Mpho Tladinyane, SAMWU Gauteng Provincial Secretary, 20 March 2026
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) notes and welcomes the passing of the City of Johannesburg adjustment budget which includes the implementation of the Politically Facilitated Agreement (PFA), marking an important victory for municipal workers who have endured decades of wage injustice. This victory was not handed to workers, it was won through sustained organisation, resilience and sheer determination by our members.
We note that this progressive step was supported by parties including the ANC and the EFF. While other parties, including the DA and ActionSA, did not support the adjustment budget, it is important to emphasise that an adjustment budget is not limited to the PFA alone, but also addresses broader service delivery priorities, budget realignments and the operational needs of the municipality. Opposition to the adjustment budget therefore has implications that go beyond labour matters and touches on the municipality’s ability to respond to service delivery challenges facing communities.
SAMWU is particularly concerned by the continued posture of the Democratic Alliance, which has once again positioned itself in opposition to measures that seek to advance the interests of workers. This is consistent with its conduct in other municipalities, most notably in the City of Tshwane, where workers were subjected to prolonged disputes due to the refusal to implement wage agreements. The DA’s approach reflects a broader political position that places workers’ rights in conflict with service delivery, instead of recognising that workers are central to the delivery of quality services.
This development comes just a day after the conclusion of the union’s 13th National Congress which reaffirmed the union’s militant posture and resolved that all outstanding issues affecting workers will be confronted through mass mobilisation and struggle in the streets. As declared by Congress: We will organise; We will mobilise; and We will fight. The outcome in the City of Johannesburg demonstrates that sustained organisation and pressure remain critical in securing victories for workers.
For SAMWU, this moment represents an important step towards correcting historical salary disparities within the City. The Politically Facilitated Agreement is aimed at restoring fairness and ensuring that workers are not left behind in relation to their counterparts in other metropolitan municipalities.
At the same time, this development must serve as a political reminder to workers. The positions adopted by different political parties in this process provide a clear indication of where they stand on issues affecting workers. Municipal workers must remain clear about their class interests and the broader implications of political decisions taken within councils.
As the country approaches the upcoming local government elections, workers and their families must carefully consider these realities. A municipal worker’s wage sustains not only the individual worker, but often entire households and extended families. Any attempt to undermine workers’ gains therefore has direct consequences for communities. Workers must not forget the role played by the DA in opposing wage agreements and must take this into account when they go to the polls.
SAMWU further calls on the City of Johannesburg to ensure the effective and timeous implementation of the PFA. If the City is committed to its workforce and to building a stable administration, it must honour the commitments it has made and ensure that workers receive what is due to them.
Importantly, we congratulates all our members in the City of Johannesburg for waging this noble struggle and for the confidence they have placed in the union to lead it to this point. We remain commitment to defend the rights and dignity of municipal workers and will continue to organise, mobilise and fight in defence of all gains achieved through struggle and negotiation.
Issued by SAMWU Gauteng
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU commemorates Human Rights Day
Nonzuzo Dlamini, COSATU Communication Officer, 21 March 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) stands with millions of South Africans in recognising the attainment of the country’s hard-earned democracy on this Human Rights Day. Today serves as a reminder of the blood that was shed in Sharpeville and KwaLanga in 1960, in opposition of a vile system of racial segregation.
As the country reflects on the tumultuous and painful journey towards freedom and its realisation, the commemoration of days such as these should be an opportunity to not only celebrate the colossal gains achieved over the years, it should also lay bare, true introspection on the harsh realities facing many at the hands of shortcomings that could be remedied.
The nation has come extremely far, guided by the Constitution that has been hailed as one of the most progressive in the world. The document provides a fundamental promise to right to life, equality and human dignity. Decades of collective deliberations shaped by constitutional processes have paved the way for laws that restore human dignity stripped away by the previous regime.
Today, billions of Rands are allocated towards social grants for the destitute. Initiatives such as the National School Nutrition Programme benefit masses of learners by combating hunger to improve their learning, attendance and development.
Vast redress policies and legislation play a significant role in the reduction of poverty and in the protection of vulnerable persons.
The country can boldly take pride in an array of victories achieved through strategic policy development aimed at the provision of essential services. But it is a bittersweet celebration when communities endure water supply disruptions, high crime levels and unemployment.
The road to the advancement of workers was worth every measure of resistance. Employers are compelled by the Employment Equity, National Minimum Wage and Basic Conditions of Employment Acts to respect their hard-won rights to dignity. Whilst the relationship between the workforce and the employer is regulated, threats of retrenchments and the constant attack on collective bargaining remain on the horizon.
This Human Rights Day, COSATU reiterates the urgent reinvestment into the commitment to the restoration of human dignity by capacitating the state, improving delipidating infrastructure that robs citizens of water, stimulating tangible economic growth to beyond 3% which is crucial to generate a meaningful fall in our stubbornly high unemployment rate of 41.1%.
Once the economy performs at a required level, jobless graduates will rise to the occasion of rebuilding, government facilities will operate optimally and be boundless in the ability to address human rights deficiencies.
Issued by COSATU
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SADTU Statement on Human Rights Day
Dr Mugwena Maluleke, SADTU General Secretary, 21 MARCH 2026
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) joins the country in commemorating Human Rights Day, under the theme: “Bill of Rights at 30: Making Human Rights Dignity Real.” This day remains deeply entrenched in the history of our nation. It is a day that honours the sacrifices of those who paid the ultimate price in the struggle against apartheid, particularly the people who died in the Sharpeville Massacre on 21 March 1960.
As we mark 30 years of the Bill of Rights, we reflect on the progress made in advancing human dignity, equality, and freedom. The Constitution of South Africa remains a cornerstone of our democracy, affirming the fundamental rights of all who live in this country.
Human Rights Day is commemorated during Human Rights Month, which coincides with the commemoration of International Women’s Day. The rights of women and the girl child to safety, security and equality are fundamental human rights.
As a union in the education sector, SADTU emphasises that education is a basic human right as enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Education serves as a tool for social transformation and human development. It is through education that individuals are empowered, inequalities are reduced, and a more just and equitable society is built.
While significant strides have been made in expanding access to education since the advent of democracy, serious challenges remain. Many learners, particularly in township and rural schools, continue to experience conditions that undermine their dignity. These include inadequate infrastructure, shortage of learning and teaching materials, overcrowding and insufficient staffing.
As we celebrate 30 years of the Bill of Human Rights, we are faced with the reality that learners in schools in disadvantages communities do not enjoy the same quality of education as those in suburbs in well-resourced schools. This as a stark reminder the promise of the Bill of Rights has not been fully realised. The persistence of these inequalities continues to reproduce social injustice and undermine the vision of a truly democratic society.
Women are most severely impacted by unemployment, poverty,and gender-based violence. Girl learners from the poor working-class backgrounds, sometimes do not attend school during their menstrual cycle due to a lack of access to sanitary pads.
On this Human Rights Day, SADTU calls on government to intensify efforts to make human dignity a lived reality in all schools. This include accelerating the eradication of infrastructure backlogs, ensuring safe, secure learning and teaching environments, filling vacant teacher posts, reducing class sizes, and investing meaningfully in teacher development and support.
Addressing the disparities within the education system will not only restore the dignity of learners and educators but will also honour the legacy of those of fought for our freedom and justice.
SADTU remains committed to advocating for quality public education for all and to ensuring that the ideals of the Bill of Rights are translated into tangible improvements in the lives of learners and educators across the country.
ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat
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South African Communist Party Statement on Human Rights Day
Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head of Media, Communications and Information, 21 March 2026
The South African Communist Party (SACP) joins the millions of South Africans today in celebrating Human Rights Day. We recognise the legacy of struggles of the masses of the people that has brought about this particular day in our history.
In 1994, the people of South Africa marked 34 years of the Sharpeville Massacre while preparing for a national democracy. In 2026, we are commemorating 66 years of Sharpeville Massacre while also celebrating 32 years of democracy. This signifies remarkable progress for the people of South Africa.
The Sharpeville and the Langa massacres commemorated on this day are not mere memories of the brutality of the apartheid and colonial rule but are a testament to the bravery and visionary spirit of the African people whose sacrifices have set the foundation for democratic society we have today.
As the SACP, we recognise that, while Human Rights Day is significant and necessary, its importance and relevance stems not from national ceremonial events but rather from the ongoing demands of the working class whose condition is characterised by minuscule levels of progress, if any, despite formal political shifts from apartheid to democracy.
The progress made by the national democratic project in significantly improving literacy rates, crosscutting access to education, electricity, water and healthcare is currently being counteracted and diminished by a drastic rise of neoliberal policy orientation in state policy. These policies threaten to replace those rights and services with an increased role for monopoly capital, which would result in the impoverishment of the working class and its continued disenfranchisement.
The memory of the Sharpeville and Langa massacres therefore should spur us on at this moment in history to continue the struggle for the total liberation of our people, the working class in particular, from underdevelopment, poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, unemployment, insecurity and exploitation. This struggle is as relevant today as it was in 1994 when the masses of the people stood in line for the first time to mark the dawn of democracy and majority rule. To fight against neoliberalism at this time is the preeminent task of the revolution.
As we celebrate Human Rights Day, we call on all progressives and the people of South Africa as a whole to keep alive the revolutionary spirit that freed them from colonial oppression as it is a necessary tool at this moment in history for pursuing a holistic national development, to fight poverty and create thoroughgoing economic prosperity and equality.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY,
FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
Media, Communications & Information Department | MCID
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COSATU demands urgent action by government to cushion society from the massive fuel price hikes
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 20 March 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) demands urgent action by government to cushion society from the massive fuel price hikes due to come into effect from the beginning of April of R5.41 per litre of petrol and R8.84 per litre of diesel.
These hikes are due solely to the war of aggression in the Middle East and the havoc it has caused to international oil and gas supplies and prices.
The devastating impact these unprecedented price hikes will have upon the working class and the economy cannot be overstated, it will be a bloodbath. Projected economic growth for 2026 of an already weak 1.4%, will be shot out of the war.
Businesses will not manage a near doubling of diesel prices. Many will retrench workers in large numbers. Painstaking gains reducing unemployment over the past five years will be lost.
Workers who are already drowning in debt and supporting about seven relatives each, will simply not cope. Most workers already spend an average of 40% of their salaries on transport. This will now double. This means they will now have to choose between feeding their children and travelling to work and school.
Whilst appreciating the very limited fiscal space of the state, Treasury’s public statement that “there is nothing they can do” is simply unacceptable and a shocking abdication of leadership and responsibility to cushion society, in particular the working class, and the economy from the spillover of the latest war of insanity unleashed in the Middle East.
The fundamental solution to this global geopolitical and socioeconomic crisis is for the war to immediately end and sobriety to be restored. The United Nations must wake up and act. South Africa’s government of course has a very limited say in this, but it can do much to help protect the nation from the coming pain.
Key interventions that need to be put in place include:
- Suspending or lowering the fuel price taxes and levy for the duration of the war.
- Providing support to Eskom to lower the price of electricity.
- Expediting measures to return Transnet and Metro Rail to full capacity to shield food and urban commuters from inflation.
- Adjusting social grants, including the SRD Grant, for inflation.
- Expanding public employment programmes to absorb more unemployed.
- Distributing food parcels to indigent households and social grant recipients.
- Offering financial relief for embattled companies and sectors, including fixing the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Temporary Employment Relief Scheme.
- No repo rate hikes by the Reserve Bank.
- Loan and insurance payment holidays for struggling consumers and businesses.
- A halt on retrenchments by the private sector.
It is critical that Nedlac urgently convene the leadership of government, business and labour to put in place a rapid response to this loading disaster. Sitting still or offering glib comments is not a plan, it is a failure of leadership. South Africa cannot afford to weather this storm on a wing and a prayer.
Cabinet must meet and begin putting in place a bold and progressive financial, economic and social relief package.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
Indian unions unite around organizing and Just Transition
19 March, 2026
Trade unions across India called for stronger organizing and greater unity at the India Council Meeting held on 12–13 March, as discussions highlighted rising informalization, weakening labour protections, and the systematic exclusion of workers from decision-making. Bringing together affiliates from across sectors, the meeting stressed that rapid industrial and technological changes risk deepening inequality unless workers are placed at the centre of policy.
Global shifts, local realities
Day 1 focused on sustainable industrial policy and Just Transition in the context of global economic and political shifts.
Participants highlighted how changes in production, supply chains, and trade are reshaping industries in India, often without meaningful union participation.
Diana Junquera Curiel, director for industrial policy at IndustriALL, emphasized that Just Transition must be used as a tool to shape policy, not respond after decisions are made. She stressed the need for unions to build knowledge, engage with technology, and organise across supply chains, including informal workers who remain largely invisible.
Informalization and technology pressures
Across sectors, unions raised concerns about growing informalization, outsourcing, and contract labour. Declining permanent jobs and weak protections are increasing precarity, with women workers particularly affected.
At the same time, technological change and AI are widening skill gaps and threatening livelihoods. A key point that emerged was that while these changes cannot be resisted, unions must intervene to ensure technology benefits workers, not just companies.
Organizing and strategy at the core
Day 2 reinforced organizing as the central priority.
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie noted that nearly 93 percent of workers remain unorganized globally, stressing the need to expand membership and strengthen collective bargaining. He underlined that while global frameworks and tools exist, their impact depends on active use by affiliates.
“Organizing remains the most important task in front of us. With the vast majority of workers still in the informal economy, strengthening membership and collective bargaining is essential if unions are to effectively respond to the changes we are seeing globally.”
Participants emphasized the need for coordinated strategies, stronger research and data, and greater focus on organising informal and precarious workers.
Labour reforms and shrinking dialogue
Labour law reforms emerged as a major concern, with unions warning that new labour codes risk institutionalising precarious work.
Participants also pointed to declining bipartite and tripartite dialogue, limiting unions’ ability to influence policy and raising concerns about increasing demands for “union-free” environments.
Looking ahead
The meeting highlighted the need for unions to adapt strategies, strengthen inclusion of women and youth, and engage more proactively with policy and technological change.
As India’s industrial transition accelerates, ensuring workers have a meaningful voice in shaping its direction remains a critical challenge.
Ashutosh Bhattacharya regional secretary of IndustriALL South Asia saod:
“Industrial policy, trade, and technological change are already reshaping jobs and industries. The question is whether workers will have a say in that process. Trade unions must move early, build collective strategies, and ensure that this transition is shaped with workers—not imposed on them.”
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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