Taking COSATU Today Forward, 22 May 2026 #CosatuRedFridays
Norman Mampane
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Taking COSATU Today Forward
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Our side of the story
22 May 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- National Dialogue Steering Committee Adopts Pilot Dialogue Implementation Framework for Rollout Phase
- South Africa
- COSATU welcomes International Court of Justice decisive ruling in defence of workers' right to strike
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- ICJ rules the right to strike is protected under international law
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics#ClassWar
National Dialogue Steering Committee Adopts Pilot Dialogue Implementation Framework for Rollout Phase
18 May 2026
In a meeting held on Monday, 11 May 2026, the National Dialogue Steering Committee formally adopted the National Dialogue Pilot Dialogue Implementation Framework as a working guide toward the rollout phase of the National Dialogue pilot process.
This follows the adoption of the National Dialogue Roadmap during the March 2026 Strategic Planning Week, which laid the strategic foundation for the phased national rollout of the National Dialogue process.
The adoption of the Implementation Framework marks an important transition from strategic planning toward structured pilot implementation, as the National Dialogue continues to build the governance, operational and participation architecture required to support a credible, inclusive and citizen-led national process owned by the people of South Africa.
The adopted Implementation Framework provides a coordinated operational pathway for the pilot phase scheduled to commence in June 2026 and conclude in August 2026. During this phase, the thirty-nine (39) sectors of the National Dialogue will coordinate a total of 195 pilot dialogues, including ward-based, digital, media-based and sectoral dialogues across all nine provinces of South Africa.
The pilot phase is intended to serve as a deliberate national learning and participation process aimed at:
Testing methodologies and engagement models;
Strengthening systems and operational readiness;
Ensuring broader accessibility and inclusion;
Integrating existing grassroots and community dialogues; and
Enabling citizens and communities themselves to shape the future implementation methodology of the National Dialogue.
The Steering Committee emphasises that the Implementation Framework remains a working operational guide that will continue to evolve through implementation learning processes, sectoral coordination and ongoing institutional refinement.
In this regard, the National Dialogue seeks to proceed with both urgency and responsibility,
recognising the importance of ensuring that the process remains grounded, inclusive, credible and responsive to the lived realities of South Africans.
The implementation phase is guided by the principle that the National Dialogue must not merely speak about communities, but must create meaningful platforms through which communities are able to speak for themselves, influence national reflection and contribute towards a people’s compact aimed at informing the future growth trajectory of the Republic of South Africa.
The proposed pilot dialogues are therefore expected to prioritise:
Balanced participation across Provinces, Districts, Rural Communities, Urban Centres, Townships and Sector formations;
Direct community participation and ward-level engagement, targeted at approximately 60% of the rollout;
Building trust through direct engagement in communities often excluded from national processes;
Multilingual facilitation approaches;
Trauma-informed engagement methodologies; and
Dialogue models capable of navigating South Africa’s social, economic and geographic diversity.
The Steering Committee further recognises that the success of the National Dialogue depends not only on engagement itself, but also on the strength of the systems supporting implementation, coordination and rapid response capacity.
Current work undertaken under the direction of the Steering Committee, supported by the Secretariat, sectors and technical working structures, therefore includes:
Finalisation of sector pilot plans;
Development of facilitation and participation guidelines;
Strengthening communication and mobilisation systems;
Enhancement of monitoring and evaluation frameworks; and
Mobilisation of additional partnership and resource support.
The Steering Committee is also cognisant of the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE), announced by the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, and scheduled for 4 November 2026.
In recognition of the heightened political environment during the election period, and in order to preserve the non-partisan credibility, neutrality and integrity of the National Dialogue process, the Steering Committee has resolved that the Dialogue will enter a pause and reflection period between September and December 2026.
As South Africa continues to reflect on the meaning of freedom, democracy and social justice, and as the country commemorates thirty years of constitutional democracy under the national theme “One Constitution; One Nation: Reflect, Renew, Recommit” the National Dialogue remains committed to advancing a shared national vision rooted in accountability, social justice, democratic participation and ethical leadership.
The National Dialogue remains fully committed to constitutional values, democratic participation, accountability, dignity and social cohesion. The process further places particular emphasis on
ensuring that communities historically excluded from formal policy and decision-making spaces are meaningfully included within the national conversation.
The Steering Committee therefore calls upon all sectors of society, including communities, civil society organisations, organised labour, business, youth formations, academia, faith-based institutions and broader social partners, to actively participate in shaping a credible, solutions-oriented and citizen-led National Dialogue process for the future of South Africa.
Media Enquiries:
Ms Qhamisa Tengile
Steering Committee Spokesperson
Cell: +27 81 802 0812 / +27 78 965 0822
Ms Mpho Kunene
Chairperson: Communications Subcommittee
Cell: +27 72 678 3642
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU welcomes International Court of Justice decisive ruling in defence of workers' right to strike
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 21 May 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s decisive ruling in defence of workers’ inalienable right to strike.
This case brought by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at the instigation of the trade union movement, in particular COSATU, and with the firm support of the South African and other progressive governments, seeks to affirm workers’ rights to withhold their labour and to strike as a critical tool of collective bargaining and in pursuit of better working and living conditions.
The ILO affirmed this right in its Convention 87 on the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise. This is a fundamental call that has guided workers’ struggles against the most exploitative employers and oppressive regimes across the world over many decades.
Today South African workers’ right to strike is enshrined in our progressive Constitution and the Labour Relations Act. This was a hard-won victory achieved over years of painfully fought campaigns by COSATU and its predecessors.
Whilst we appreciate this right, we are painfully aware that workers in Zimbabwe, eSwatini, Myanmar and many other nations have all too often been denied such fundamental labour and human rights.
We have seen a rise in extreme right-wing governments across the world, including in some of the most industrialised economies, shamefully seek to roll back such rights. We dare not take these for granted.
The ruling by the ICJ affirms this fundamental right of all workers and places further pressure on those reactionary governments who to this day seek to undermine and deny this essential right to their citizens.
COSATU applauds the steadfast support given by the South African government led by the African National Congress and the Minister for Employment and Labour, Ms. N. Meth. in this groundbreaking case.
This historic ruling provides an invaluable boost to the global labour movement and millions of workers across the world.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
ICJ rules the right to strike is protected under international law
21 May, 2026
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued a landmark advisory opinion confirming that the right to strike is protected under ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association. This is a massive win for workers worldwide and the result of more than a decade of campaigning by IndustriALL Global Union and fellow global unions.
IndustriALL, together with the ITUC and other global unions, has been at the forefront of defending this right since 2012, when employer representatives at the ILO began challenging the longstanding interpretation that Convention 87 protects the right to strike. In February 2015, IndustriALL joined a global day of action in more than 60 countries, pressing governments to defend the right to strike. Years of deadlock followed, with employers refusing to engage on freedom of association cases where the right to strike was at issue.
In November 2023, after nearly a decade of persistent pressure from workers’ representatives, the ILO Governing Body took the unprecedented step of referring the question to the ICJ. IndustriALL responded by mobilizing affiliates and launching a global petition, making clear that the right to strike is not a privilege to be negotiated away. It is a fundamental pillar of freedom of association.
Today’s ruling by the ICJ settles the dispute in favour of workers. While advisory opinions are not legally binding, they carry significant authority. Convention 87 has been ratified by 158 countries and is embedded in UN labour standards, OECD guidelines and international trade agreements. This gives the ruling far-reaching implications for labour law and industrial relations worldwide.
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie says:
“We have always been convinced of this outcome, but at the same time the opinion is a big relief. The right to strike is now once and for all confirmed as protected by ILO Convention 87. It is a big day for the world of work.”
______________________________
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