Taking COSATU Today Forward, 25 February 2026 #CosatuCEC #DownWithGEMS
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu public service unions are mobilizing ALL public servants for a National Day of Action, on Thursday at #GEMS Offices, Pretoria #CosatuCEC concludes its session at Braamfontein #WorkerControl #ClassSolidarity #Cosatu40 #SACTU70 #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #CosatuCallCentre 010 002 2590 #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
25 February 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media Alert: COSATU interviews at Parliament on Budget Day 25 February 2026
- South Africa
- COSATU KwaZulu-Natal to lead Protest Action against the exorbitant 9.8% GEMS contribution increase
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Deadly mud rush traps miners 800 Metres underground
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Media Alert: COSATU interviews at Parliament on Budget Day 25 February 2026
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 24 February 2026
For any media requests at Parliament on the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)’s expectations and reactions on Budget Day on 25 February 2026, please contact COSATU’s Parliamentary Coordinator, Matthew Parks, at 082 785 0687.
Issued by COSATU
Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)
Mobile: 082 785 0687
Email: mat...@cosatu.org.za
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU KwaZulu-Natal to lead Protest Action against the exorbitant 9.8% GEMS contribution increase
Edwin Mkhize, COSATU KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Secretary, 24 February 2026
Congress of South African Trade Unions in KwaZulu-Natal (COSATU KZN) convened a meeting last week with its Public Service Affiliated Unions to deliberate on the unilateral and unreasonable 9.8% increase in member contributions for 2026 announced by Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS).
The mandate from workers is clear and unequivocal, NO to the 9.8% ridiculous increase of GEMS membership contributions. This increase comes at a time when public servants are already suffocating under the escalating cost of living, stagnant wages, rising food and transport costs, and relentless economic pressures.
A 9.8% increase is not only unjustifiable; it is insensitive and punitive to workers who keep the public service functioning under extremely difficult conditions.
It has emerged that all our affiliated unions within the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) have unanimously rejected this increase. They have correctly cited the severe financial strain this decision places on members, public servants and their families in an already depressed economic climate.
It happens at a time when public servants are receiving only 5.5% salary adjustment in 2025/26, and just 4% in 2026/27, and while inflation sits at approximately 3.5% and government subsidy increases are limited to 4.5%.
Our unions were concerned that from January 2026, members are paying 9.8% more which constitutes a staggering 23.3% increase over two years noting the 13.4% increase last year. This means that medical aid costs are rising far above wages and inflation. It is a real wage erosion and a direct attack on workers’ take-home pay.
The Council for Medical Schemes recommended an increase of 3.3% for 2026. GEMS ignored this guidance and imposed an increase 6.5 percentage points higher, demonstrating a disturbing disregard for workers.
Such decisions, with far-reaching implications for millions of employees and their dependents, cannot be imposed unilaterally to labour. They require meaningful consultation and consensus within the PSCBC structures, as mandated by its founding framework.
Even the PSCBC has condemned the unilateral announcement of the 9.8% increase and has called on GEMS to return to the negotiating table without delay to seek a fair, affordable, and sustainable solution acceptable to all parties.
COSATU KZN fully supports this assertion.
The call for the above is in consideration that when GEMS was established through PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2006 its mandate was clear, to:
- Expand access to healthcare, particularly for lower- and middle-income public servants
- Provide affordable, sustainable, and cost-effective medical cover
- Promote equity, risk pooling, and social solidarity within the public service.
As a closed and compulsory scheme for public servants, GEMS carries a special responsibility to protect workers—not to burden them.
The arrogance and unilateral conduct displayed by GEMS represent a serious setback to the broader efforts to realise universal, equitable healthcare in South Africa, including the aspirations embodied in the National Health Insurance framework. Institutions that are meant to promote solidarity and affordability cannot operate in ways that deepen inequality and financial distress.
Our unions have resolved to challenge this decision through all available avenues. In responding to this, COSATU KZN will lead a coordinated protest action on Thursday, 26 February 2026, at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital.
Lunch-hour pickets at all institutions, departments, facilities, and service centres across the province will take place during the submission of the memorandum.
This is a disciplined, democratic, and united campaign aimed at defending workers from economic suffocation.
We call on all public servants and workers at large to participate in their numbers in this protest action.
We call on all affiliated unions to mobilise members thoroughly and decisively.
Our members and workers are called to stand united against unilateralism and economic suppression.
We shall not allow workers to be forced to choose between healthcare and survival.
We demand fairness, affordability, and genuine engagement.
An injury to one is an injury to all.
Issued by COSATU KwaZulu Natal
International-Solidarity
Deadly mud rush traps miners 800 Metres underground
24 February, 2026
Trade unions affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union have called for a formal inquiry into the incident at Ekapa diamond mine in Kimberley, where five miners remain trapped underground following a severe mud rush. Rescue operations have been abandoned amid persistent flooding.
Mud rush traps miners
A mud rush in the early hours of 17 February sent an influx of mud and water surging through sections of the shaft, trapping miners at depths of more than 800 metres. On 20 February, minister of mineral and petroleum resources, Gwede Mantashe, visited the site and said the miners must be presumed deceased due to their prolonged exposure to extreme conditions.
Union expresses sympathy
Mosepedi Sanane, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Kimberley regional secretary, expressed sympathy:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and colleagues of the affected workers at this profoundly challenging time. We continue to hold onto the faint hope that they may yet be located alive and returned safely.”
Call for independent investigation
Whilst prioritizing rescue efforts, the NUM has urged the department of mineral resources and energy (DMRE) to initiate a thorough and independent investigation. The union insists on a transparent process to determine the causes of the disaster and whether any lapses in safety management systems or operational protocols contributed to the disaster. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) echoed similar concerns, stressing that rescue efforts should continue.
Mining’s ongoing dangers
UASA-The Union, in its statement, underscored the persistent hazards inherent in mining, emphasising that the government, mining stakeholders, social partners and employers must increase efforts towards achieving “Zero Harm”.
“Notwithstanding existing safety protocols, mining continues to represent one of the most hazardous occupations, with workers’ lives repeatedly placed at risk. Every fatality or serious injury imposes severe economic hardship on dependent families, eroding household financial security and long-term livelihoods,” states UASA.
Stronger safety measures urged
Additionally, the unions say the mud rush underscored the need for rigorous risk assessment, enhanced geotechnical monitoring, and strict enforcement of regulatory standards to mitigate workers’ health and safety risks.
Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining, said:
“This tragedy highlights ongoing structural challenges in South African mining safety, particularly in smaller diamond operations, where geological risks such as mud rushes worsened by groundwater or rainwater can lead to rapid and devastating flooding. This calls for regular inspections and adherence to mine health and safety protocols.”
______________________________
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