Taking COSATU Today Forward, 12 November 2025 #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary

[Norman Mampane]

 

COSATU TODAY #Cosatu participates at #COP30 at Belem in Brazil #COP30noBrasil#JustTransition #Cosatu scheduled to hold its 40th Anniversary at Dobsonville, Soweto on December 6 #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary #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 November 2025

“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!

• Applications for media accreditation to cover COSATU 40^th Anniversary rally officially opened

• COSATU to host lectures in the lead up to 40^th anniversary

• South Africa
• COSATU welcomes positive drop in unemployment in Quarter 3
• International-Workers’ Solidarity!
• Unions demand urgent action as global steel crisis worsens

Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics  

Applications for media accreditation to cover COSATU 40^th Anniversary rally officially opened

Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson,10 November 2025

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) invites all members of the media to apply for accreditation to attend and cover the Federation’s historic 40^th Anniversary rally. This momentous event is scheduled to take place on 6 December at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto.

COSATU was launched on 1 December 1985, at the height of the struggle against apartheid. Its formation brought together 33 competing unions and federations that were opposed to apartheid but committed to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa. 

Alliance partners, local and international guests have been invited to celebrate 40 years of this vibrant movement advancing, defending and protecting the interests and rights of workers and the working class in South Africa and beyond. 

Applications for accreditation may be submitted to mam...@cosatu.org.za or non...@cosatu.org.za with the following details:

Name:
Surname:
ID number: 
Media House/Address:
Contact number/email: 

Alternatively, an application form can be completed via this link:

COSATU 40th Anniversary Media Accreditation Application Form – Fill out form

Issued by COSATU

Zanele Sabela (National Spokesperson)

Mobile:  079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639

Email: zan...@cosatu.org.za

____________________

COSATU to host lectures in the lead up to 40^th anniversary

Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson, 25 September 2025

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is set the host a series of lectures in the lead up to its 40^th anniversary celebration at Dobsonville Stadium on 6 December.

 

The culmination of four years of unity talks, COSATU came into being on 1 December 1985, and brought together 33 competing unions and federations opposed to apartheid and whose common goal was to bring about a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.

 

The Federation has been at the forefront of advancing, defending and protecting the interests and rights of workers since, and has led in the formation of the country’s progressive labour laws including workers’ rights to form trade unions, collective bargaining and to strike, minimum conditions of service, National Minimum Wage, etc.

 

From its vehement resistance of apartheid to the ushering in of the democratic dispensation and improving the economic and social wellbeing of the working class 31 years post democracy, COSATU has stood the test of time.

 

In the lead up to its 40^th anniversary in December, the Federation will host a variety of activities starting with a series of lectures by its National Office Bearers.

 

The lectures will tackle diverse subjects from COSATU’s pivotal role in gender struggles to the strike that broke the back of industry-wide exploitative labour practices as far back as 1959.  

 

Province: North-West
Date: 19 November

Topic: Strengthening Industrial Unions to build a militant COSATU        

Main Speaker: Mike Shingange, COSATU 1st Deputy President

Province: Eastern Cape
Date: 20 November

Topic: COSATU and the Reconfiguration of the Alliance      

Main Speaker: Duncan Luvuno, COSATU 2nd Deputy President

Province: Gauteng
Date: 21 November

Topic: COSATU and the Mass Democratic Movement 

Main Speaker: Zingiswa Losi, COSATU President 

 

Issued by COSATU

South Africa

COSATU welcomes positive drop in unemployment in Quarter 3

Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 11 November 2025

 

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the positive drop in unemployment announced by Stats SA with the expanded definition of unemployment down by 0.6% to 42.4% and the narrow definition falling by 1.3% to 31.9% for Quarter 3 of 2025.

 

The increase in employment by 248 000 jobs bringing the total number of working South Africans to over 17.1 million is good news indeed.  The fall in the number of unemployed persons by 360 000 bringing total unemployed persons to 8 million is equally positive.

 

It is crucial that this critical momentum is maintained and in fact accelerated as we head into the festive season of Quarter 4 where there is normally a spike in employment as the retail and hospitality sectors cater for millions of workers and their families’ end-of-year festivities.  South Africa is long overdue for some good news.

Whilst welcoming nearly a quarter of a million new jobs over the past three months, we dare not be complacent.  A 42.4% unemployment rate remains a dangerous ticking time bomb that cannot be sustained.  Much more needs to be done by the African National Congress led government, in particular to further capacitate the frontline public and municipal services that the working class and businesses depend upon, to inject additional stimulus needed to unlock economic growth including expediting the infrastructure investment programme, and to ramp up public employment programmes and relief for the poor and the unemployed.

 

Particular support must be provided by the state to struggling businesses and sectors due to the 30% tariff duty imposed on South African exports to the United States, increasingly unaffordable electricity or other economic challenges.  Such support must come in the form of tax relief, industrial subsidies and fixing the mind-numbing delays at the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Temporary Employment Relief Scheme.

 

The private sector must be mobilised to end the investment strike and invest in government bonds and critical economic infrastructure as well as the industrial, manufacturing and agricultural jobs rich economic sectors.

 

Unemployment is the single greatest threat to the nation. 

 

Tackling it must be our collective focus, and every possible resource and intervention mobilised to defeat it.  South Africans do not expect overnight miracles, but we need to see consistent and steady progress, e.g. a fall of unemployment by 1% each quarter. 

 

This will provide the momentum the economy needs and give hope to the working class and society.

 

Issued by COSATU

International-Solidarity   

Unions demand urgent action as global steel crisis worsens

11 November, 2025

Unions issued an urgent call for action on the global steel crisis as the OECD Steel Committee met on 4-5 November in Paris. Any solution to the crisis must give workers a seat at the table, hold companies accountable and guarantee social protections to drive a just transition, unions say. 

“ The steel sector is one of the clearest showcases of the challenges that imbalanced trade and capital flows pose at global level,”

said Veronica Nilsson, TUAC general secretary.

“Unless we shift the paradigm – from short-term profits and subsidy-fueled overcapacity to sustainable jobs, worker rights and domestic expenditure to boost demand – the steel sector will not withstand the twin challenges of unfair global trade and the climate transition.”

The joint statement from TUAC, IndustriALL Global Union and IndustriAll Europe stresses that while markets, capacities and trade flows are central to the debate, the human and social dimension must no longer be an afterthought.

The transition cannot and must not rest on workers’ shoulders alone,”

added Atle Høie, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.

“Multinational steel companies must reinvest profits in their workforce, in safe workplaces, in upskilling and decarbonisation – not simply reward shareholders and relocate production to the lowest cost jurisdiction.”

In particular, the unions highlight that:
• Global steel excess capacity is projected to reach 721 million tonnes by 2027, putting enormous pressure on even the most efficient producers.
• Many closures or conversions in Europe and Latin America are of high-carbon blast-furnace/BOF plants, raising serious social and employment concerns about the future of the steel industry in those regions.
• Public subsidies and trade measures must be linked to social conditionality – job retention, training, social dialogue, worker representation – to avoid a “just transition” turning into a “transition just for shareholders”.
• Unions call on governments and the OECD Steel Committee to incorporate labour rights, worker participation and corporate duty of vigilance into industrial, trade and climate policy frameworks.

“Europe’s steel industry cannot thrive under the weight of global overcapacity. Trade measures must go hand in hand with a robust industrial policy to defend jobs and drive the green transition,”

said Judith Kirton-Darling, IndustriAll Europe general secretary. 

“Steel workers are at the core of the global industrial and climate transformation — their voice and decent work must be guaranteed, or entire regions will be left behind.”

Unions stand ready to work with industry, governments and the OECD on practical solutions – including credible decarbonisation roadmaps, worker-led just transition plans, and strong global frameworks that protect jobs, rights and the environment.

______________________________

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

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.