Taking COSATU Today Forward, 8 July 2026
Norman Mampane
|
COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #NationaActionAgainstCostOfLiving Campaign continues… #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
8 July 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!
- SAMWU rejects Salga's attempt to intimidate and demobilise municipal workers ahead of National Day of Action
- Media Alert: COSATU Gauteng to Brief Media on the Unity of the Alliance & Campaign against Corruption
- Media Invite to the SAMWU National Day of Action
- South Africa
- SAMWU condemns National Treasury's irrational decision to withhold municipal funding
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
-
Panama: ILO complaint details how teachers and union leaders were detained, intimidated and harassed
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics #ClassWar
SAMWU rejects Salga's attempt to intimidate and demobilise municipal workers ahead of National Day of Action
Papikie Mohale, SAMWU National Media Officer, 7 July 2026
The South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU) has noted with contempt the circular issued by SALGA Gauteng Province seeking to discourage municipal workers from participating in the Union's National Day of Action on 9 July 2026.
The reckless communication is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate workers, suppress legitimate worker mobilisation and shield National Treasury from growing public opposition to its destructive austerity agenda.
We place on record that we formally notified SALGA National of the planned march well in advance and informed it that a memorandum would be delivered to the President of SALGA. We further confirm that SALGA National has indicated that it neither authorised nor sanctioned the circular issued by SALGA Gauteng Province. The actions of SALGA Gauteng are therefore unfortunate and irresponsible.
Municipal workers must reject every attempt to sow confusion, fear and division within our ranks. Throughout history, institutions of power have sought to portray worker mobilisation as disruptive while remaining silent on the real causes of social and economic crises. Today, SALGA has chosen to stand with those seeking to silence workers instead of confronting the policies that are systematically destroying local government. The irony is striking.
At this very moment that National Treasury is withholding equitable share allocations from municipalities, a decision that threatens workers' salaries, pension contributions, medical aid deductions, third-party payments and the continued delivery of basic municipal services, SALGA has chosen not to challenge Treasury. Instead, it directs its energy towards intimidating the very workers who continue to keep municipalities functioning despite years of underfunding, austerity and institutional neglect.
If SALGA were genuinely concerned about service delivery, its outrage would be directed at National Treasury, whose latest decision places municipalities on the brink of financial collapse. Instead of condemning Treasury's assault on local government, SALGA has elected to become an enforcer of the very austerity programme that has crippled municipalities across South Africa.
SAMWU has consistently argued that the crisis confronting municipalities is the result of years of budget cuts, chronic underfunding, political instability, corruption, vacancies, outsourcing, weakening of collective bargaining and National Treasury's relentless interference in local government. The latest decision to withhold equitable share allocations simply confirms what workers have long understood: National Treasury has become one of the greatest obstacles to developmental local government and quality public services.
Our National Day of Action is therefore not simply about delivering memoranda.
It is an expression of organised working-class power.
It is a declaration that workers will not remain silent while decisions affecting their livelihoods and the future of local government are taken without them.
It is a rejection of austerity, privatisation, budget cuts and the systematic erosion of public services.
It is a defence of collective bargaining, decent work and developmental local government.
Municipal workers understand better than anyone that society is built through labour. It is workers who ensure that water flows, refuse is collected, electricity networks operate, roads are maintained and communities receive essential services every day. Yet those whose labour sustains municipalities are repeatedly expected to shoulder the burden of fiscal consolidation while those responsible for policy failures escape accountability.
This contradiction lies at the heart of the struggle facing municipal workers today.
SAMWU therefore encourages every municipal worker to participate proudly in the National Day of Action, during which memoranda will be delivered to:
- National Treasury;
- The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs;
- The Department of Water and Sanitation; and
- The Office of the Premier of Gauteng.
Throughout history, every significant gain made by workers has been won through collective struggle. The eight-hour working day, collective bargaining rights, workplace protections, decent wages and safer working conditions were never gifts from employers or governments. They were victories secured through organisation, solidarity and sacrifice.
SALGA should remember this history before attempting to intimidate workers.
We therefore caution SALGA that it is dangerously misreading the mood of municipal workers. Every attempt to threaten, intimidate or demobilise workers only deepens workers. By acting as an extension of National Treasury rather than as the representative voice of municipalities, SALGA is inviting the wrath of municipal workers across South Africa.
We, along with our members will not be intimidated. No circular, no threat and no attempt to criminalise worker mobilisation will divert us from defending municipal workers, public services and the future of local government.
We therefore call on every municipal worker to reject fear, reject intimidation and stand with fellow workers on 9 July 2026 as we march to defend collective bargaining, reject austerity and the interference of National Treasury in municipal affairs.
Issued by SAMWU Secretariat
_________________
Media Alert: COSATU Gauteng to Brief Media on the Unity of the Alliance & Campaign against Corruption
Zanele Sabela, Cosatu Spokesperson, 7 July 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Gauteng invites members of the media to a briefing on Wednesday, 8 June 2026, to outline the outcomes of the Special Provincial Executive Committee meeting held on 7 July 2026, including the following:
· Unity of the Alliance
· Campaign against Corruption
· Impact of Corruption on the Cost of Living
Details of the media briefing are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 8 July 2026
Time: 10am
Venue:
COSATU House, 110 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the briefing.
Issued by COSATU Gauteng
For
RSVP and enquiries:
Zanele Sabela (Cosatu Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788/077 600 6639
Email: zan...@cosatu.org.za
_______________________
Media Invite to the SAMWU National Day of Action
Papikie Mohale, SAMWU National Media Officer, 3 July 2026
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) invites members of the media to cover its National Day of Action, which will take place on 9 July 2026 in Tshwane.
The march is expected to be attended by tens of thousands of municipal and water sector workers from across all nine provinces, as SAMWU takes to the streets in defence of workers, collective bargaining and public services.
SAMWU members and workers will gather at the Old Putco Depot in Marabastad, Tshwane, from where they will march to the National Treasury offices to deliver a Memorandum of Demands addressed to National Treasury, COGTA, SALGA and the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The march will raise critical issues affecting workers in municipalities and the water sector, including the underfunding of local government, National Treasury interference, the implementation of collective agreements, the City of Johannesburg PFA, the Wage Curve, Business Units, non-payment of salaries and benefits, outsourcing, consultants, load reduction, water boards and the victimisation of workers and shop stewards.
Details of the march are as follows:
Date:
9 July 2026
Gathering Point: Old Putco Depot, Marabastad, Tshwane
Time: From 9am
Destination: National Treasury offices
Purpose: Delivery of Memorandum of Demands to National Treasury, COGTA, SALGA and the Department of Water and Sanitation
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the march by confirming attendance with Cde Papikie Mohale on 076 795 8670 or via email on pap...@samwu.org.za.
Issued by SAMWU Secretariat
Papikie Mohale
National Media Officer
076 795 8670
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
SAMWU condemns National Treasury's irrational decision to withhold municipal funding
Dumisane Magagula, SAMWU General Secretary, 7 July 2026
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, National Treasury’s reckless decision to temporarily withhold the July 2026 equitable share allocations to dozens of municipalities across South Africa. While Treasury claims this measure is intended to enforce fiscal discipline and compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), its practical effect will be to push already struggling municipalities closer to collapse, with devastating consequences for workers, communities, and the delivery of essential public services.
National Treasury has sought to reassure the public that withholding these funds will have no impact on service delivery. Nothing could be further from the truth as municipalities cannot provide water, sanitation, electricity, refuse removal, or road maintenance without the financial resources necessary for daily operations. Furthermore, municipalities cannot pay workers’ salaries, honour pension and medical aid contributions, settle third-party deductions, or meet obligations to service providers if the very funds intended for these functions are frozen.
The inevitable consequence of this decision is that municipal workers will once again face severe uncertainty over their salaries, while communities bear the burden of deteriorating public services. This is not a corrective intervention but rather a recipe for deepening the municipal financial crisis.
SAMWU has consistently maintained that municipal workers are not responsible for the financial mismanagement plaguing local government. Workers did not authorise irregular expenditure, approve unfunded budgets, or fail to implement consequence management against officials guilty of financial misconduct. Yet, instead of holding those individuals personally accountable, National Treasury has chosen the path of collective punishment, imposing measures that hit workers and poor communities the hardest.
It is deeply ironic that National Treasury acknowledges many municipalities are already struggling to meet their obligations to Eskom, water boards, and SARS due to a deteriorating financial position. By withholding equitable share allocations, Treasury is not solving the crisis, but rather it is accelerating it.
This latest decision is not an isolated incident, it forms part of a broader pattern of National Treasury's interference in local government and its relentless pursuit of austerity policies that undermine municipalities, collective bargaining, and public service delivery. For years, SAMWU has warned that Treasury’s obsession with fiscal consolidation comes at the expense of ordinary citizens. Instead of strengthening local government, Treasury has become synonymous with arbitrary budget cuts, chronic underfunding, the erosion of municipal capacity, and direct attacks on collective bargaining agreements.
We therefore call on the national government to urgently rein in a National Treasury that has increasingly assumed powers far beyond its constitutional mandate. Treasury’s continued interference has transformed it from a custodian of the public purse into an institution that frustrates developmental local government. It is particularly concerning that such a reckless decision has been taken in an election year, when communities expect government to improve, rather than cripple, service delivery.
If National Treasury genuinely had the interests of municipalities and residents at heart, it would have pursued the constitutional mechanisms available to support failing municipalities instead of starving them of resources. Section 139 of the Constitution provides clear intervention mechanisms through which national and provincial government, working alongside the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), can assist struggling municipalities. These interventions are designed to restore governance and protect communities, yet Treasury has instead chosen the most destructive option available.
This decision confirms exactly why we have called for a National Day of Action against National Treasury. Our upcoming march on the 9th July is about defending public services, protecting local government, preserving workers’ livelihoods, and rejecting an austerity agenda that threatens developmental local government in South Africa. Time and again, Treasury has proven itself to be an obstacle to service delivery and a barrier to the transformation of local government.
We call upon municipal workers, communities, progressive organisations, and all South Africans to support the Union’s National Day of Action. The struggle against austerity is inseparable from the struggle for functioning municipalities and decent work. We cannot allow unelected officials in National Treasury to determine the fate of our communities through policies that impoverish workers and weaken democratic local government.
Consequently, SAMWU demands the immediate reversal of the decision to withhold equitable share allocations. We call for urgent engagement between National Treasury, CoGTA, organised labour, and municipalities to develop interventions that restore financial stability without collapsing services or jeopardising livelihoods. The future of local government cannot be built on austerity. It must be built on investment, accountability, democratic governance, and a genuine commitment to improving the lives of the working class.
Issued by SAMWU Secretariat
International-Solidarity
Panama: ILO complaint details how teachers and union leaders were detained, intimidated and harassed
7 July 2026
In June 2026, during the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conference, Education International (EI) formally submitted a complaint on behalf of the Magisterio Panameño Unido (MPU) to the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA).
The complaint documents widespread violations of trade union rights and fundamental freedoms by the Panamanian authorities during and after the 2025 national teachers’ strike.
The MPU alleges that the government, particularly the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) and the Controller General, systematically repressed teachers and union leaders for engaging in lawful trade union activities. The complaint describes a sustained pattern of
anti-union persecution in violation of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 and constitutional guarantees, including restrictions on freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to strike, as well as breaches of due process and retaliation against union
members and leaders. One year after the strike ended, 298 teachers from 23 educational institutions across five provinces remain unreinstated and without salary and benefits.
Retaliation during and after the teacher strike
The 2025 teachers’ strike was a significant national mobilisation. Beginning 23 April 2025, the MPU launched an indefinite nationwide strike to oppose Law 462, a reform of the social security system seen as undermining pensions, social benefits, and workers’
rights. The movement quickly broadened, drawing support from construction workers, students, and Indigenous communities, and leading to widespread protests across the country. From the outset on 28 April 2025, authorities responded with police violence in
several provinces, including Panama City, Colón, and Veraguas. Demonstrations were met with intimidation, arrests, detention, tear gas, and violence.
By late May, arrests and confrontations had become widespread. Around 20–27 May, protests continued amid a pattern described in the complaint as “persecution and judicialisation.”
The crackdown peaked in mid-June 2025. Unions report a “brutal and indiscriminate escalation”, including arbitrary arrests, beatings, and indiscriminate use of tear gas. On 20 June, the government declared a state of emergency (“estado de urgencia”), among
others in the northwestern province of Bocas del Toro, suspending freedoms of assembly and movement and deploying large security forces under “Operación Omega.”
Bocas del Toro became a focal point of mobilisation, particularly among teachers, banana workers, and Indigenous communities. Its economic importance, linked to agriculture, exports, and transport routes, combined with longstanding grievances over land, poverty,
and marginalization of indigenous communities, contributed to the intensity of the protests and the forceful State response.
From 14 June 2025, MPU documented large deployment of 2,499 police officers and 341 arrests, as well as house searches, detention of minors, and continued military-style operations.
The strike ended on 14 July 2025 following an agreement with the Ministry of Education. The deal enabled a return to classes and included commitments on due process, non-retaliation, and continued dialogue. However, it fell short of union demands, notably the
repeal or reform of Law 462.
While the agreement created some procedural safeguards and opened space for dialogue, key issues remained unresolved. Many teachers received no pay for the strike period, and disciplinary and legal proceedings often continued. The government did not reopen
discussions on structural reforms, and many teachers returned to work under financial pressure. Provisions that disciplinary measures against union leaders and teacher activists would follow administrative procedures rather than remain purely arbitrary, were
not respected.
The union reports that retaliation persisted after the strike, including wage deductions, disciplinary actions, and continued tensions with the authorities. Union dues were withheld, and judicial decisions ordering reinstatement and salary payments were not
implemented.
One year later, the complaint cites ongoing repression, including excessive use of force, curfews, and suspension of guarantees in regions such as Bocas del Toro. It also documents individual cases, including teachers with serious health conditions affected
by salary suspension and loss of social security coverage. Teacher Dalia Morales for example is a cancer patient, affected by administrative and economic measures during the teachers’ dispute. She has been unable to continue her medical treatment due to the
suspension of her social security coverage.
While a court in Panama overturned decisions affecting 32 teachers allowing them to receive their salaries and be reinstated in their schools. The Ministry of Education has reportedly not complied with this ruling.
Teachers and union leaders were detained, fined, and subjected to surveillance, intimidation, and harassment. Authorities reportedly delivered warnings at schools and even at teachers’ homes, creating a climate of coercion. In total, 298 teachers were subjected
to administrative measures, including dismissals, suspensions, or salary cuts, often without due process, and many were replaced before investigations were completed.
Targeting of union leaders and financial interference with unions
Union leaders were particularly targeted, facing dismissal, prosecution, and financial sanctions linked to their role in the strike. Union leaders Fernando Ábrego, Abundio González, Diógenes Sánchez, Dalia Bernal, and Alberto Díaz were dismissed, fined and
persecuted without full procedural guarantees, due to their leadership and participation in the strike
More than 30 constitutional protection actions (acciones de amparo) were filed alleging violations of constitutional rights. Unpaid leave was used by the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) and the Office of the Controller General as a mechanism of pressure and
intimidation against striking teachers. Among the reported cases is that of teacher Benilda González, from Manuel Urbano Ayarza School in Colón, whose reinstatement was ordered by a judicial ruling on 27 January 2026; however, this decision has not yet been
implemented with by the education authorities.
These actions of the ministry of Education and Controller General Anel Flores have affected teachers’ labour, salary, and trade union rights. The Controller General’s Office reportedly continues to deduct teachers’ salaries and apply unpaid leave measures,
despite Decree 681 stipulating that such leave must be requested by the teachers themselves.
The MPU calls on the CFA to urge the Government of Panama to take corrective measures, including reinstating dismissed teachers, paying withheld salaries, and dropping criminal and disciplinary charges. More broadly, the ILO is expected to recommend ending
intimidation and harassment, ensuring respect for the right to strike, and guaranteeing proportionate policing. Investigations into alleged abuses may also be requested.
Further recommendations could include legal reforms to align national legislation with ILO standards and renewed efforts to promote genuine social dialogue and collective bargaining.
How teacher unions can lodge complaints to the ILO
When teachers’ rights are threatened, for example through restrictions on strike action, unions can turn to the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association as a strategic tool to internationalise disputes.
This begins with systematic documentation of the facts, identifying measures taken, those affected, and the impact on trade union activity. As the MPU case illustrates, presenting a coherent, evidence-based complaint allows unions to challenge repressive measures
through an independent and recognised mechanism. Once submitted, the CFA procedure establishes a structured dialogue requiring the government to respond and justify its actions. This is particularly important when authorities invoke public order or emergency
measures.
Although CFA conclusions are not legally binding, they provide authoritative recommendations that may call for concrete actions, such as reinstating dismissed workers, ending disciplinary proceedings, or protecting lawful strike activity. The process also helps
frame violations as systemic rather than isolated incidents.
The impact of the mechanism often depends on how unions use its outcomes. Recommendations can strengthen negotiations, support legal challenges, and build national and international pressure. They also provide a framework for monitoring implementation, allowing
unions to track compliance with measures such as reinstatements or policy changes.
By engaging with the ILO, through EI, and maintaining visibility, unions can turn CFA findings into sustained advocacy tools. In this way, even without enforcement powers, the mechanism helps deter future violations and progressively strengthen respect for
trade union rights.
Link to Trade union rights toolkit.
https://www.ei-ie.org/en/item/27166:trade-union-rights-toolkit
______________________________
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