Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 24 March 2026 #CosatuFeministSchool2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #CosatuFeministSchool scheduled to wrap its business tomorrow at Benoni #GenderTransformativeChange#GenderStruggle #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 March 2026
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
Organize at every workplace and demand respect for labour rights Now!
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media Alert: COSATU will present its submission on the Budget's Division of Revenue Bill 25 March 2026
- COSATU National Gender Elective Conference
- South Africa
- COSATU relieved for the families of the Ekapa trapped miners
- Media Invite: NEDLAC Labour School enters final phase with addresses by former President Thabo Mbeki and ESKOM CEO
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- India’s just transition is leaving workers behind
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Media Alert: COSATU will present its submission on the Budget's Division of Revenue Bill 25 March 2026
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 24 March 2026
Media Alert: COSATU will present its submission on the Division of Revenue Bill (2026/27 Budget allocations to provincial and local government) to Parliament’s Select Committee: Appropriations from 1000 Wednesday 25 March 2026 (virtual platform).
Issued by COSATU
Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)
Mobile: 082 785 0687
Email: mat...@cosatu.org.za
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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
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU relieved for the families of the Ekapa trapped miners
Zanele Sabela, COSATU Spokesperson, 24 March 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is relieved for the families of the five miners that were trapped underground at Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, whose remains were finally retrieved.
The miners were tragically stuck underground following a mud rush in the early hours of 17 February. All hope of finding them alive was dashed seven days later when they were presumed dead. Efforts to recover the bodies have been ongoing since then.
COSATU is relieved that the families can now find some small comfort and closure with the recovery of the remains of all five miners. Now the families will be able to give their loved ones a dignified burial, which will afford them a sense of closure. We know it will not be easy, but we hope in time the families will find healing.
With the recovery process complete, COSATU hopes the investigation into what caused the mud rush and if it could have been prevented will get underway immediately, even though Ekapa Mine has applied for liquidation. Should the findings reveal any negligence on the part of the company, the responsible parties should be held fully liable under the law.
Additionally, Ekapa Mine must ensure that families of the five miners are paid their full dues without delay, including salaries, benefits and relief from the Compensation Fund.
Issued by COSATU
Media Invite: NEDLAC Labour School enters final phase with addresses by former President Thabo Mbeki and ESKOM CEO
24 March 2026
Organised labour at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) invites members of the media to attend and cover the third and final day of the 2026 Nedlac Labour School, which concludes tomorrow (Wednesday).
The Labour School, convened by organised labour formations comprising COSATU, FEDUSA, SAFTU and NACTU has brought together worker leaders, policymakers, government leaders and labour market experts to interrogate the central theme: Building Unity of Workers to Advance Decent Work for All.
The final day of proceedings will be marked by two significant addresses that speak directly to the political economy challenges facing South Africa and the strategic role of organised labour in shaping the country’s development trajectory.
Former President Thabo Mbeki will deliver a keynote address reflecting on the National Dialogue, while the Group Chief Executive Officer of Eskom, Dan Marokane, will engage the Labour School on the state of the energy sector, Eskom’s operational and financial recovery efforts, and the implications for workers within the context of South Africa’s just energy transition.
EVENT DETAILS
Nedlac Labour School – Day 3 (Final Day)
Date: Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Time: 09:00
Venue: Kievits Kroon, Plot 41, Reier Road, Kameeldrift-East, Pretoria
MEDIA RSVPS AND ENQUIRIES
Media are requested to confirm attendance in advance.
Contact:
Zanele Sabela
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Betty Moleya
063 736 5533
Newton Masuku
066 168 2157
International-Solidarity
India’s just transition is leaving workers behind
24 March, 2026
India’s energy transition is no longer a distant policy ambition. Yet, as discussions at a two-day meeting held on 10–11 March in New Delhi made clear, the gap between the language of a “Just Transition” and the lived reality of workers remains stark. Organized by IndustriALL, the meeting brought together, for the first time in India, trade unions from both coal, mining and energy sectors to assess what this transition means and who it is leaving behind.
What emerged was not only concerns about exclusion, but a deeper critique of gaps between policy formation and governance design, where workers may be acknowledged as stakeholders in principle but remain excluded in practice.
Policy language vs ground reality
India’s transition is often framed in ambitious and progressive terms. Government narratives emphasize renewable expansion, climate targets, and green growth. Policy frameworks recognize that the transition will affect not just energy systems, but also employment, regional economies, and social stability.
However, participants repeatedly pointed to a disconnect between this political language and actual practice.
While frameworks are being designed, trade unions remain largely excluded from taskforces, committees, and ministerial processes shaping them. Even in states like Jharkhand, where the impacts of coal dependency are most acute, unions reported having no formal representation in planning bodies.
As a result, unions are not shaping policy but merely reacting to it, with interventions often occurring only after decisions have already begun to impact workers, limiting their ability to influence outcomes.
Transition without dialogue
The absence of structured social dialogue is not merely procedural but has material consequences. Participants highlighted that even large-scale protests and mobilizations have failed to compel governments to open lines of communication with unions.
In some cases, bipartite negotiations with management have yielded results, but these remain limited and inconsistent, often dependent on personal relationships rather than institutional frameworks. This raises concerns about sustainability and transparency.
At the same time, unions noted that international frameworks—such as those linked to decent work and development goals—can sometimes be leveraged to force inclusion.
Informalization as a core feature of the transition
A key finding from policy analysis and field discussions is that transition is not eliminating precarious work but reorganizing it.
In coal, production has not declined in proportion to transition narratives. Instead, there has been a freeze on permanent jobs, accompanied by increased use of contract labour. Examples such as NMDC Ltd. were cited, where pressure to maintain production has led to greater reliance on outsourced work.
This aligns with what has been described as a “wait-out strategy,” where difficult decisions around restructuring and closure are deferred through gradual informalization.
In renewable energy, employment is often precarious and short-term, disappearing once projects become operational.
The missing pillar: social protection
Discussions made clear that Just Transition must also address income security and social protection.
Policy assessments already recognize that the transition is not only about energy substitution but about restructuring entire regional economies.
However, while the scale of financial disruption is acknowledged, there is little clarity on how resources will be redistributed to protect workers and communities.
Contract workers often lack access to basic benefits, legal protections, and safety nets. Participants highlighted the absence of frameworks to support workers nearing retirement, displaced by closures or unable to transition into new sectors.
Mine closures and collapse of local economies
The consequences of unplanned mine closures extend far beyond the loss of jobs. Entire local economies built around mining face collapse.
Policy discussions recognize the need for planned mine closures, land rehabilitation, and economic diversification.
However, participants described how closures have led to the emergence of ghost towns, where the shutdown of mines triggers a chain reaction: workers migrate, services shut down, and local economies collapse. In some cases, communities are effectively displaced, becoming “refugees” within their own country.
Skills without security
Recent policy modelling underscores the scale and complexity of India’s transition, highlighting its far-reaching social and economic implications.
While skill development is often presented as a key solution, participants were sceptical of its effectiveness.
Without alignment between training, job availability and working conditions, skilling risks becoming a statistical exercise rather than a pathway to secure livelihoods.
Health, safety and regulation gaps
Health and safety emerged as a critical concern across both traditional and emerging sectors.
Serious accidents, weak enforcement and absence of safety mechanisms, particularly for contract workers are exacerbated in renewable sectors due to weak standards and limited union presence.
This raised questions about whether the transition is improving working conditions or shifts risks into less regulated spaces.
Gender: beyond representation
Women workers are often concentrated in low-paid, insecure roles, with limited access to benefits or advancement. At the same time, unions themselves must address internal barriers to participation, including the lack of safe spaces and inclusive structures.
Participants emphasized that achieving gender equality requires active engagement from male workers and leadership, as well as concrete measures to ensure representation and safety.
The need for supply chain organizing
A recurring theme was the fragmentation of worker power across increasingly complex supply chains.
The transition is not limited to mines or energy plants but extends to transport, manufacturing, and ancillary services.
The need to map and organize across entire supply chains was emphasized to strengthen collective bargaining power: not only direct employees, but also those indirectly dependent on these industries, such as transport workers and local service providers.
Towards a worker-led transition
Despite these challenges, the meeting also outlined a strategic path forward.
Participants proposed formation of a Just Transition committee to coordinate efforts, bridge policy and ground realities, and develop a unified union position.
There was also strong emphasis on building union capacity, expanding and diversifying membership, and fostering cooperation between unions to combat fragmentation.
Diana Junquera Curiel, director for industrial policy at IndustriALL Global Union emphasized:
“Without clear protections and planning, the transition risks creating more precarious work than it replaces.”
Ashutosh Bhattacharya regional secretary of IndustriALL South Asia says:
“A transition designed without workers is not Just, but imposed.”
______________________________
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