Taking COSATU Today Forward, 12 May 2026 #InternationalNursesDay
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #COSATU wishes nurses an awesome International #NursesDay #ClassSolidarity #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
12 May 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- DENOSA to co-host International Nurses Day national event with Eastern Cape Department of Health in KuGompo on 12 May 2026.
- NEHAWU Statement on International Nurses Day
- South Africa
- COSATU notes President Cyril Ramaphosa's intention to take the Justice Ngcobo Section 89 Report on Review
- COSATU Gauteng Welcomes Skills Development Initiative Empowering Youth to Rebuild Public Infrastructure
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Workers the last to know: KONE’s mega-deal with TK Elevator
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics #ClassWar
DENOSA to co-host International Nurses Day national event with Eastern Cape Department of Health in KuGompo on 12 May 2026.
Siboniseni Delihlazo, DENOSA Communication Manager, 11 May 2026
PRETORIA – As the National Nursing Association in South Africa, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) will be collaborating with the Eastern Cape Department of Health in hosting this year’s International Nurses Day national event, which will be held at the Abbotsford Christian Church in KuGompo City (formerly East London) on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, to outline action plans that are needed to resolve the many life-saving nursing challenges in both the province and nationally.
Government leaders nationally and provincially are expected to form part of the main event which commemorates Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing. The International Nurses Day is commemorated annually, and is one of the significant days in the Health Calendar as it celebrates the majority healthcare professionals in the healthcare setting throughout the world.
DENOSA President, Simon Hlungwani, will be delivering the keynote address at the event on behalf of ICN, wherein he will be tabling the action plan, based on the International Nurses Day’s evidence-based Report, that needs to be implemented by the country’s healthcare system in order to resolve the many challenges that have increasingly become a great hindrance to the delivery of positive health outcomes for the country.
Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi; Office of the Premier of the Eastern Cape, Oscar Mabuyane; MEC of Health in the Eastern Cape, Ntandokazi Capa; and Executive Mayor of the Buffalo City Metro, Princess Faku, are some of the government leaders who are expected to attend this significant event for the nursing profession.
DENOSA, as the National Nursing Association in South Africa, represents the country at the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the international nursing body that represents the nursing voice at global decision-making bodies.
Each year, the event is held under a specific theme. The theme for this year is: *OUR NURSES. OUR FUTURE. EMPOWERED NURSES SAVE LIVES.* The theme focuses on the importance of empowering the full life-saving nursing workforce, and the essence of providing a safe working environment, fair compensation, as well as education and leadership opportunities.
Some of the Challenges Nurses Face Daily:
1. Great Strain and Shortage of Staff
Whilst nurses continue to sustain care, protect communities and hold health systems together, they do so often under immense strain to themselves. Yet their work is often not fully recognized and supported. This is the case in both the Eastern Cape and nationally, where there is severe shortage of staff and non-absorption of unemployed nurses.
2. Workload Not Tallying with Compensation
The tremendous work that the nurses continue to pull off is often not tallying with the poor pay, as many nurses do the work of three of four other nurses who remain unemployed. This often leads to burn out and brain-drain as nurses are forced to look for greener pastures where working conditions are far better.
3. Lack of Education and Leadership Opportunities
While making up the majority healthcare professionals, who are on the bedside with the patients 24 hours a day, nurses often get overlooked when it comes to education and leadership opportunities. Nurses understand the healthcare system far better and deserve leadership role. Many studies have recommended that, focusing on and addressing global nursing challenges will half the world’s healthcare challenges altogether.
4. Lack of Recognition and Support
Nurses often do not get recognized for the sterling work of keeping the healthcare system together. Appreciation can take many forms, but these are glaringly non-existent in the healthcare settings, pointing to the need to appreciate their input.
End.
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NEHAWU Statement on International Nurses Day
Zola Saphetha, NEHAWU General Secretary, May 11, 2026
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] conveys its militant salute to millions of nurses across the world celebrating International Nurses Day which is celebrated annually on the 12th May.
We recognise and appreciate the critical role of nurses as the backbone of our healthcare system and the sterling role they play in promoting health and wellbeing of our people. We take this moment to pay tribute to the gallant nurses across the country, we salute their relentless, combative and brave contribution to the noble cause of saving and preserving the health and lives of our people.
As we observe this day, it is important to highlight the plight of nurses particularly under capitalism and imperialism, and to honour the generations, who have fought against oppression and exploitation. As we celebrate this day, we must acknowledge and recommit ourselves to continue with the struggle of nurses and fight all forms of oppression and the social systems that breeds oppression.
Indeed, nurses are part of a broader movement against capitalism, which sustains itself through the exploitation of the working class. They form a critical component in the struggle against greed and human exploitation. Hence, nurses and the working class as a whole, must unite to fight for its rights, and advance the struggle for a free egalitarian society.
We are observing this year’s International Nurses Day under worsening socio-economic conditions of high unemployment, poverty and inequality confronting our nation. This is as a result of the government implementing neoliberal macroeconomic policies which have destroyed the capacity of the state to deliver social services such as Health.
The health system generally is confronted by a myriad of challenges across, ranging from the poor management of hospitals and clinics, emergency services, forensic pathology, capacity of districts in driving primary health care delivery, inability to account for finances by state-aided hospitals, failure to deploy resources for the speedily implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) to guarantee universal access to health for all citizens of this country.
Despite the enormous challenges facing the public health system in South Africa, nurses continue to keep our hospitals and clinics functional. Every day they carry the health system on their shoulders, often working under difficult conditions and facing the frustration of communities who are suffering because of poor service delivery. Nurses are the backbone of healthcare.
They ensure that patients receive treatment, even when there is a shortage of staff, medicines, equipment and other essential resources. They go beyond the call of duty to deliver babies safely, care for the sick, comfort families and save lives. From the moment a child is born until the final moments of life, nurses are there providing compassionate and professional care.
South Africa faces a serious shortage of nurses. The World Health Organization recommends a minimum threshold of about 44.5 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10,000 people to achieve universal health coverage. South Africa remains below what is required in many provinces and facilities, especially in rural and underserved areas.
In some public hospitals and clinics, one professional nurse may be forced to care for 30 to 40 patients during a shift, far above safe staffing norms. One of the biggest obstacles facing nurses is government austerity and budget cuts, which have led to frozen posts and worsening staff shortages.
For this reason, the union has adopted the theme for International Nurses Day 2026: “Stop Budget Cuts, Fill Vacancies: Empower Nurses for a Functional NHI”. If we are serious about building a strong and functional National Health Insurance system, we must invest in nurses, fill all vacant posts and provide the resources they need to care for our people.
The World Health Organization advocates that nurses and midwives are key to the achievement of its goal of Universal Health Coverage because they play a critical role in health promotion, disease prevention and the delivery of care in all settings. Furthermore, the WHO advocates for greater investment in the education, employment, service delivery and leadership of nurses which will stimulate economic growth by creating decent jobs for nurses and greater economic participation, and such advancements can accelerate progress towards health equity, gender equality and UHC through a primary healthcare approach and move towards achieving the broader Sustainable Development Agenda.
We reiterate our long-held position as the union that it is imperative for government to invest in the nursing fraternity to address major challenges encountering our healthcare system. This investment would contribute in improving and strengthening the healthcare system ensuring that it provides access to quality health services for all in line with the principles of universal health coverage.
The government must invest in the nursing fraternity through the employment of more nurses in order to have an effective and functional health system that provides qualitative health outcomes for the population as per the vision of HRH Strategy. Equally, in order to achieve a well-developed and sustainable healthcare system it’s crucial to have nurses that are skilled, knowledgeable and have expertise to provide healthcare services. The government must invest on nurses for the realisation of providing quality healthcare services for our people.
Lastly, the union will continue advocating for investment in the nursing fraternity to be at the centre in the reengineering of our primary healthcare system to ensure all citizens have access to proper and quality healthcare.
END
Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat.
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU notes President Cyril Ramaphosa's intention to take the Justice Ngcobo Section 89 Report on Review
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 11 May 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) notes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s intention to exercise his legal rights to take the Section 89 Panel Report upon Review.
We welcome the President’s taking the nation into confidence on this pressing matter and are comforted by his consistent and principled affirmation of the judiciary’s independence and its constitutionally enshrined role with regards to holding the executive accountable at all times.
Whilst the Report and its allegations are a matter of great concern to all, it is important that space be provided to Parliament to fulfill its responsibilities in full, including as directed by the Constitutional Court. We expect all Members of Parliament, across party lines, to uphold the spirit and letter of the Constitution at all times, in particular in how it processes these serious matters of state.
Now is not the time to play to the public gallery, irrespective of the pending local elections and politicians’ desperation for social media likes and media headlines. This is more so during these uncertain and sensitive times, both global and domestic.
It is equally sacrosanct that President Ramaphosa be afforded his constitutionally guaranteed rights to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, or in the event of an impeachment, by Parliament. Social media hysteria has no legal standing.
Whilst none would wish for these messy headlines, especially when the nation is grappling with high unemployment, weak economic growth, rising costs of living, entrenched poverty and inequality, endemic crime and corruption, and embattled public and municipal services.
We nonetheless take pride that ours is a robust constitutional democracy where all are subjected to oversight by Parliament, scrutiny by the judiciary and ultimately the public’s verdict.
This was built and achieved in no small part by the liberation movement led by the Tripartite Alliance. We must at all times defend these fundamental tenets of our nation.
Issued by COSATU
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COSATU Gauteng Welcomes Skills Development Initiative Empowering Youth to Rebuild Public Infrastructure
Louisah Modikwe, COSATU Gauteng Provincial Secretary, 11 May 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Gauteng welcomes the graduation of more than 2,500 young people through a provincial skills development programme aimed at equipping unemployed youth with practical skills to support the maintenance and refurbishment of schools, hospitals, clinics, and other public facilities across Gauteng.
This initiative is a practical intervention in addressing two interlinked crises confronting our province and country: the stubbornly high levels of youth unemployment and the deteriorating condition of public infrastructure. By investing in artisan, technical, and maintenance skills, the Gauteng Provincial Government is not only creating pathways for young people into the labour market but also strengthening the state’s capacity to improve service delivery.
Gauteng continues to face significant infrastructure backlogs in schools and healthcare institutions, with many facilities requiring urgent repairs, maintenance, and upgrading. The deployment of skilled youth into these sectors can contribute meaningfully towards creating safer learning environments for learners, dignified working conditions for educators and health workers, and improved service delivery for communities.
COSATU Gauteng believes that skills development must be central to the province’s economic recovery and industrialisation agenda. South Africa cannot meaningfully tackle unemployment while millions of young people remain excluded from education, training, and workplace opportunities.
We therefore call on government to ensure that this programme is not treated as a once off intervention but is institutionalised and expanded to absorb more unemployed youth, particularly graduates and TVET college learners who remain locked out of employment opportunities despite having qualifications.
Furthermore, participants in these programmes must be linked to sustainable employment opportunities, entrepreneurship support, and further training pathways to ensure long-term economic inclusion.
COSATU Gauteng also urges stronger coordination between government departments, SETAs, municipalities, public entities, and organised labour to ensure that skills programmes are aligned with the actual developmental and infrastructure needs of the province.
The Federation remains committed to supporting initiatives that advance decent work, rebuild public infrastructure, and restore hope to the youth of Gauteng.
Issued by COSATU Gauteng
International-Solidarity
Workers the last to know: KONE’s mega-deal with TK Elevator
11 May, 2026
On 29 April 2026 KONE Corporation and TKE announced that KONE and a consortium led by Advent and Cinven have entered into an agreement to combine KONE and TKE in a cash and share transaction, implying a total enterprise value for TKE of EUR 29.4 billion (US$34.6 billion). This deal was made without prior consultation of unions and workers’ representatives, denying them their legal consultation rights.
If approved by regulators this takeover, the largest in Finnish corporate history and one of Europe’s biggest private equity exits, would create the world’s largest elevator and escalator manufacturer. Key topics of discussion include the KONE TK Elevator acquisition and its potential effects on workers’ rights. In doing so, it would employ more than 100,000 workers in over 100 countries.
Workers and their representatives found out when everyone else did through the financial press. Furthermore, they were informed by an email sent by the CEO after going public.
This is unacceptable. The announcement constitutes a serious breach of the GFA signed in 2021 between TK Elevator, the Group Works Council, IG Metall and IndustriALL. This agreement is one that TKE itself describes as key to safeguarding human and employee rights globally. Moreover, it also clearly violates the EWC and Global Workers Council agreements, signed in 2022 and 2024 respectively. These lay down information and consultation rights.
A Betrayal of Trust
The reaction from labour representatives was immediate and unambiguous. Knut Giesler, deputy chairman of TKE’s supervisory board and IG Metall district leader for North Rhine-Westphalia, described the announcement as outrageous. Additionally, he called it a direct attack on workers’ co-determination rights in Germany, Europe and globally. IG Metall demanded an extraordinary supervisory board meeting.
The planned €700 million (US$824 million) in annual synergies represents the language financial markets use for job cuts. This represents a direct threat to tens of thousands of TKE workers worldwide.
Christiane Benner, president of IG Metall and IndustriALL Global:
“The sale of TK Elevator to KONE must not be carried out at the expense of the employees. We will not accept the sacrifice of thousands of good jobs under the guise of synergies. Anyone who supports this merger must also guarantee that jobs and locations will be secured, co-determination will be respected, and opportunities will be created for the workforce—anything else will meet with our resolute opposition.”
And that is why we will fight that:
No location stands alone.
No country is pitted against another.
No employee is left behind.
“From a European perspective, this announcement represents a clear breach of both the spirit and the letter of the European Works Council agreements at KONE and at TK Elevator. More than 45,000 workers in Europe are directly affected by this planned acquisition, yet their elected representatives were completely sidelined. That is not acceptable. Before any further step is taken, both KONE and TK Elevator must fully comply with their existing information and consultation obligations. If this deal is to proceed, it must be a growth project that also benefits workers, through secure jobs, respect for collective bargaining, and full, prior information and consultation,”
says Judith Kirton-Darling, general secretary, industriAll European Trade Union.
The question KONE must answer
KONE has made no public commitment to honour the existing TKE agreements. The merged entity will be headquartered in Finland. TK Elevator’s current co-determination architecture includes the supervisory board structure, the Group Works Council, the European and Global Works Council (GWC) and the GFA itself. However, this faces an uncertain future under new ownership unless KONE explicitly and formally assumes all obligations.
IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Hoie, said:
“The announcement of KONE’s acquisition of TK Elevator is a direct violation of the GFA and GWC agreement that IndustriALL signed with TK Elevator in 2021 and 2024. These agreements are not a formality, they are a binding commitment to consult workers before decisions of this magnitude are made, not after. More than 100,000 workers around the world learned about the biggest change in both companies’ history from the financial press. That is unacceptable. There will be no union cooperation with this transaction unless our agreements are honoured in full.”
Taking immediate action
Both IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll Europe are coordinating with affiliates, including IG Metall and Finnish affiliates, to ensure workers on both sides of this transaction have a voice.
The antitrust review process for this transaction is expected to last at least until mid-2027. That window is not merely a regulatory formality; it is an opportunity. The unions will use every day of it to fight for their jobs.
Private equity bought TK Elevator in 2020. Workers already paid a price for that transition. They will not be left behind again.
The world’s largest elevator company should not be built on the backs of workers who were never asked.
Employees are not the subject of this deal—they are its foundation. After all, they are the ones who have created the value and must be treated with appreciation and respect.
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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