Taking COSATU Today Forward, 18 June 2026 #CosatuNationalActionAgainstCostofLiving

[Norman Mampane]

 

COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #COSATU set to launch the Cost of Living Campaign tomorrow across nine provinces… Be counted on the picket line/march #NationaActionAgainstCostOfLiving #ILC2026 #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

18 June 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!

• Media Alert: COSATU to Protest Escalating Cost of Living Crisis
• COSATU welcomes announcement of a rescue package to save Tongaat Hulett and 250 000 jobs
• COSATU KwaZulu-Natal statement on the National Day of Action against the high rising cost of living crisis

• NEHAWU to convene its 13^th National Congress  

• South Africa
• COSATU notes with deep concern the rise in CPI to 4.5%
• COSATU is deeply concerned by serious allegations of misconduct surrounding the PIC
• International-Workers’ Solidarity!
• IndustriALL Executive Committee meets in Geneva amid global turmoil

Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics #ClassWar  

Media Alert: COSATU to Protest Escalating Cost of Living Crisis

Zanele Sabela, Cosatu Spokesperson, 18 June 2026

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is set to protest the escalating cost of living with demonstrations across all provinces this coming Friday, 19 June.

 

The cost of living in South Africa has reached crisis level with the price of basic goods rising faster than wages.

 

Food, electricity, water, transport, health and education have become unaffordable.

 

At the same time, workers earn less in real terms than they did 10 years ago.

 

Household debt has escalated as workers borrow to put food on the table and keep the lights on.

 

The following demonstrations will be held across the country on 19 June:   Province		Venue/Assembly Point			Form of Action		Destination
Gauteng		Marabastad, Pretoria		March			National Treasury
Free State		Phuthaditjhaba		March/Picket			Maluti a Phofung Municipality
Western Cape		Hanover Street, Cape Town		March			Parliament and City of Cape Town
Northwest		Phokeng Luka Level Crossing, Rustenburg		March			Impala Platinum Offices
Mpumalanga		Matsamo Mall – Nkomazi Elukwatini SAAPI Forestry		Picket			Matsamo Mall and Sjonajona Plantation Elukwatini Sappi Forestry
Eastern Cape		Bisho War Memorial Park		March			Eastern Cape Legislature in Bisho
Limpopo		Limpopo Mall		Picket			Pick n Pay; Gems; Shoprite; Provincial Treasury and Department of Health
Northern Cape		ULCO Cement (NUM March), between Barkly West and approximately 80 km from Kimberley		March			ULCO Cementation Plant
KwaZulu-Natal		Durban Marine Building		Picket			Office of the Premier in Durban

Members of the media are invited to join and cover the demonstrations across the country.

For enquiries contact:
Zanele Sabela
Cosatu Spokesperson
079 287 5788/077 600 6639

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COSATU welcomes announcement of a rescue package to save Tongaat Hulett and 250 000 jobs

Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 17 June 2026

 

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the announcement of a rescue package to save sugar giant, Tongaat Hulett and 250 000 jobs along the value chain. 

 

The potential liquidation of this massive South African company and cornerstone of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga’s economies would have been a blow we simply could not afford.

 

Whilst the details of the turnaround package announced by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Vision must still be broken down in full, this announcement gives hope and comfort to the 250 000 workers and their families, communities and SMMEs along the entire value chain. 

 

We are pleased that this intervention ensures that this cornerstone South African company remains in South African hands and that the African National Congress led government, through the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the IDC played a central role. 

 

It is positive that Vision, is a Black led company, testimony of efforts to deracialise the economy’s still prevalent apartheid ownership patterns.

 

The public commitment by Vision and the IDC, the new majority owners of Tongaat Hulett, to work closely with workers and Organised Labour, is appreciated.  A partnership between the company and its employees and Organised Labour is key to ensuring its successful turnaround and that no worker, nor community is left behind. 

 

It is critical that this turnaround be premised upon saving all 250 000 jobs along the value chain, more so as the nation battles a devastating 43.7% unemployment rate.

 

It is essential that the Sugar Master Plan continue to ensure that the necessary supportive measures to nurture and sustain this important industry are in place, including protecting local growers and emerging farmers from cheap illegal imports.

 

COSATU looks forward to engaging with the IDC and Vision on their strategies and plans for Tongaat Hulett and to ensure that the needs of workers and their families and communities are placed at the heart of its restructuring and revival. 

 

Issued by COSATU

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COSATU KwaZulu-Natal statement on the National Day of Action against the high rising cost of living crisis

Edwin Mkhize, COSATU KwaZulu Natal Provincial Secretary, 15 June 2026

The COSATU KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Committee, PEC met on 11 June 2026 to assess the prevailing political, organizational, socio-economic and international situation. Among the key issues discussed was the deepening Cost of Living Crisis and its devastating impact on workers, the unemployed, the poor and their families.

As we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the June 16 Uprising, we honour the courage, sacrifice and revolutionary spirit of the youth of 1976 who stood against oppression and fought for freedom, equality and human dignity. Their struggle reminds us that the fight for social justice, economic transformation and a better life for all remains unfinished. Indeed, the future of freedom lives in every generation.

The PEC noted with concern that its meeting took place amidst a deepening global capitalist crisis characterised by escalating geopolitical conflicts, militarisation, economic instability and continued attacks on progressive governments. The consequences of these crises are borne disproportionately by workers and the poor through rising living costs, unemployment, inequality and the erosion of social protections.

The PEC further observed that South Africa continues to face a severe socio-economic crisis marked by mass unemployment, deepening poverty, widening inequality, deteriorating public services and persistent governance failures. These conditions are fuelling frustration among working-class communities, undermining confidence in democratic institutions and creating fertile ground for populist and reactionary forces.

This reality demands stronger organisation, greater unity and a more militant working-class movement.

As COSATU, we recognise that one of the greatest dangers confronting the working class is the fragmentation of progressive forces and the weakening of ideological clarity within the revolutionary movement. The tasks of defending and advancing the National Democratic Revolution, strengthening working-class unity and building a powerful mass democratic movement remain as urgent as ever.

The PEC fully commits itself to campaign against the escalating Cost of Living Crisis, which continues to place an unbearable burden on workers, the unemployed, pensioners, grant recipients and poor households.

Continuous increases in fuel prices have triggered higher costs of food, transport, electricity, housing, healthcare, education and other basic necessities.

As a result, millions of working-class families are being pushed deeper into poverty, debt, hunger and insecurity.

The Cost of Living Crisis is not only an economic challenge, it has become a social and psychosocial crisis. Workers are experiencing increasing levels of stress, anxiety and mental exhaustion as they struggle to provide for their families under worsening conditions. Trade unions must therefore remain at the forefront of defending workers’ livelihoods, dignity and well-being.

Workers are expected to carry the burden of an economy that continues to enrich a few while, wages stagnate and the cost of basic necessities rises relentlessly. COSATU cannot remain silent while workers are forced to choose between food, transport, electricity and other basic needs.

The PEC therefore calls for urgent interventions by government and all social partners to:

• Reduce the burden of fuel price increases on workers and the poor.
• Intensify measures to stabilise and reduce food prices.
• Expand affordable and accessible public transport.
• Protect workers’ wages and collective bargaining gains against inflation.
• Accelerate job creation and industrial development programmes.
• Strengthen social protection measures for vulnerable households.
• Improve the quality and accessibility of public services, including healthcare, education and housing.

The PEC calls upon all workers, communities, progressive organisations and working-class formations to unite behind this campaign and intensify the struggle against poverty, inequality, unemployment and the rising Cost of Living.

COSATU KwaZulu-Natal commits itself to ensuring the success of the National Day of Action through mass mobilisation, pickets and demonstrations across all districts and locals in the province.

The main provincial programme will take place as follows:

Date: Friday, 19 June 2026
Time: 10h00
Venue: Marine Building, Government Offices

The PEC calls on all COSATU structures, affiliates, shop stewards, activists and workers to join the programme and participate in their maximum numbers. As workers we want to send a clear message that workers will not continue to carry the burden of a crisis they did not create.

Issued by COSATU KwaZulu-Natal

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NEHAWU to convene its 13^th National Congress  

Lwazi Nkolonzi, NEHAWU National Spokesperson, June 08, 2026

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] will hold its 13th National Congress at the Birchwood Hotel & Conference Centre in Boksburg from the 26th to 29th of June 2026. 

The congress is convened under the theme “Advance Workplace Organisation to Defend Collective Bargaining, Heighten Class Consciousness and Advance Internationalism".

The congress will serve as a critical platform to deliberate and develop concrete responses to key international, national political and socio-economic matters as well as organisational matters affecting our members and the working class in general.

The congress will receive addresses from the African National Congress [ANC], South African Communist Party [SACP], Congress of South African Trade Unions [COSATU], World Federation of Trade Unions [WFTU] and Trade Union International Public Service & Allied [TUI – PS&A].

The congress will be attended by more than 750 delegates drawn from all structures of the union and other fraternal organizations from South Africa and Internationally.

Members of the media are hereby invited to apply for accreditation to cover the 13^th National Congress.

The following information should be included in the application: Full name, Media House, and contact details.

The deadline for accreditation applications is Friday 19^th June 2026.

The application for accreditation should be sent to the following email: lwa...@nehawu.org.za

Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat

For further information, please contact: Lwazi Nkolonzi (National Spokesperson) at 081 558 2335 or email: lwa...@nehawu.org.za

Visit NEHAWU website: www.nehawu.org.za                                                                                                 

South Africa #ClassSolidarity

COSATU notes with deep concern the rise in CPI to 4.5%

Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 17 June 2026

 

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) notes with deep concern the rise in consumer price inflation (CPI) to 4.5% in May, up from an already worrying 4% in April. 

 

Workers cannot afford to see a rise in inflation, especially over such a short period of time, given that most workers are paid a pittance and not a living wage by their employers. 

 

The impact of a sudden rise in inflation bleeds workers who are already drowning in debt, borrowing at unsustainable levels, simply to buy food and electricity and service other debt.

 

We hope that the current announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East holds and will be respected by all parties, in particular the renegade, rogue Netanyahu regime in Israel.  The resolution of the Middle East conflict is central to returning international oil and subsequently domestic fuel price supplies and levels to pre-war norms. 

 

This will provide impetus to see inflation fall to the 3% norm it was at prior to the war. 

 

A fall in fuel prices will give badly needed relief to workers (who already spend an average 40% of their wages on transport) and the economy that have both been devastated by the 25% and 50% plus hikes in petrol and diesel prices since the war started.

 

It is critical that the South African Reserve Bank exercise strategic patience and resist the knee jerk temptation to increase the repo rate and to rather allow time for oil and fuel prices to subside as the current spike in inflation is solely due to the war in the Persian Gulf and is not domestic drive.

 

It is equally important that government extend fuel levy relief for commuters until fuel prices revert to pre-war norms as well honour long outstanding commitments to review and seek to reduce the one third of fuel prices that go towards the fuel levy and taxes.  Fixing the Road Accident Fund, including tabling the necessary legislative amendments to effect this at Parliament are urgently needed.

 

Similarly, Eskom must be assisted to reduce the increasingly unaffordable price of electricity and that investments to expand public transport (Metro Rail, buses and taxis) be ramped up to provide commuters with more affordable and faster means of getting to their destinations. 

 

If inflation continues to increase, government must table a supplementary budget amendment bill to cushion Social and SRD Grant recipients from inflation. 

 

COSATU will continue to engage with government at Nedlac, in Parliament and in bilaterals to provide the necessary support to the working class and the economy during these turbulent economic times.

 

Issued by COSATU

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COSATU is deeply concerned by serious allegations of misconduct surrounding the PIC

Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 17 June 2026

 

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is deeply concerned by serious allegations of misconduct, possibly criminal, surrounding some investment(s) at the Public Investment Corporation (PIC). 

 

It is sacrosanct that all parties appreciate that the PIC’s funds are workers’ hard-earned pension, unemployment and workplace injuries and diseases insurance funds.  They are not the private property of any PIC official nor the slush fund for politicians, tenderpreneurs or their families.

 

We view the allegations and counter allegations in a very serious light.  It is critical that the PIC Board be provided the necessary space to investigate these allegations and where any persons are found wanting, to hold the accused accountable to the full might of the law, and to enlist the assistance of the relevant law enforcement authorities.

 

For far too long the PIC was treated like a private piggy bank by many dodgy elements in the state, political and business circles, at the expense of the ordinary workers and pensioners to whom these monies belong.

 

We have been encouraged by the positive strides that have been made over the past few years at the PIC to clean up the rot and introduce a sense of transparency and accountability.  Many of the Judge Lex Mpati Commission of Enquiry’s recommendations have been actioned.  Some, including the recent amendments to the PIC Act, need further work to ensure their full implementation.  Nonetheless there has been substantial progress from the days when a former CEO of the PIC had a blank cheque to sign unlisted and listed investments of up to R3 billion and R10 billion respectively without seeking board approval!

 

The PIC has done very well to grow its asset base from R1.8 trillion at the peak of COVID-19 to over R3.5 billion today.  It is critical that these funds which belong to workers, be used at all times to enable pensioners to retire in comfort, to provide relief to workers who lose their jobs, go on maternity or parental leave, or are afflicted by a workplace injury, disease or death. 

 

Given the weak state of South Africa’s economy and our dangerously high unemployment rate of 43.7%, it is equally important that these funds be invested in a manner that stimulates South Africa’s inclusive economic and industrial growth, creates decent jobs, invests in critical economic infrastructure, and helps create a better life for the working class.  The days of dubious investments and unaccountability must end. 

 

COSATU will be seeking an urgent engagement with the PIC Board on these pressing matters for workers.  The Federation will be vigilant against those who seek to undermine efforts to clean up the PIC. 

 

We urge all parties to allow space for the Board to exercise its fiduciary obligations in full and without fear or favour.

 

Issued by COSATU

 

International-Solidarity   

IndustriALL Executive Committee meets in Geneva amid global turmoil

16 June, 2026

IndustriALL's Executive Committee met in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11-12 June 2026, against a backdrop of deepening geopolitical instability. The wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran, a multilateral trading system under attack were among the threats to the working class raised. Within that landscape, IndustriALL welcomed a landmark ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) confirming that the right to strike is protected under international law.
A world under pressure
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie said the world is going through one of its most dangerous periods since the second world war. He pointed to growing pressure, with the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran cited as part of a broader erosion of respect for international law and human rights.
In Ukraine, the government continues to push labour law reforms that would weaken protections, even as the country seeks EU membership, a contradiction that the EU needs to address.
The ILO itself is in crisis, as the United States has not paid its contributions, worth 21 per cent of the ILO budget, since 2023, with reports that the US delegation at this year’s International Labour Conference was instructed to exclude references to gender and Just Transition.
In Argentina, affiliate Unión Obrera Metalúrgica (UOM) re-elected its leadership in March with 85 per cent of the vote, only for the courts to overturn the result and suspend it for six months.
IndustriALL is also in dispute with Mercedes-Benz over its role in defeating a 2024 organizing vote at its Alabama plant and has announced it is withdrawing from its global framework agreement with the company while an NLRB hearing is under way.
A win amid the turmoil: the right to strike
Against this backdrop, participants welcomed the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion of 21 May 2026, confirming that the right to strike is protected under ILO Convention 87 on freedom of association. The ruling follows years of disputes at the ILO, where employer representatives have challenged that link and was referred to the ICJ after the workers’ group decided the question could no longer be left unresolved.
Trade, Cambodia and holding multinationals accountable
A discussion on trade, introduced by IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan, examined the impact of US tariffs on global manufacturing and the rise of protectionism. Speakers agreed that while unilateral tariffs are unlikely to bring back lost manufacturing jobs in the long run, trade has become more unfair, with European industries such as steel and automotive under pressure from Chinese competition.
IndustriALL president Christiane Benner argued for “local content” requirements as a legitimate, temporary response to unfair competition, while Atle Høie said the tariffs are also creating chaos for global clothing brands trying to adapt their sourcing strategies, with no sign that textile, garment, shoe and leather jobs are returning to the US.
Closing the session, Kemal Özkan said IndustriALL would continue to coordinate its work on trade at global, regional and sectoral level.
In Cambodia, eight years of work are bearing fruit: nine collective bargaining agreements have now been signed under the Cambodia template agreement, improving conditions for 15,000 workers.
This year the Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Competence Centre, led by executive director Kelly Fay Rodriguez was launched. The centre helps unions use HRDD laws to build worker power, supporting organizing, collective bargaining and binding outcomes for workers in global supply chains. [LINK to HRDD article]
Africa at an industrial crossroads
IndustriALL vice president Rose Omamo, also general secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metal Workers, said Africa stands at an industrial crossroads. US tariffs and uncertainty over the African Growth and Opportunity Act have already cost jobs, with nearly 40,000 garment jobs lost in Lesotho alone, mostly affecting women workers.
Rose Omamo said:
“Industrialization without rights is exploitation. Industrialization without strong unions is unsustainable. Industrialization without decent work cannot withstand economic shocks.”
She highlighted the African Continental Free Trade Area as an opportunity for regional production and Africa’s role in supplying minerals for the green transition. Including cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lithium from Zimbabwe and copper from Zambia, with examples of progress already under way in South African auto manufacturing, Kenyan electric buses and Rwandan electric motorcycles.
Advancing the gender transformative agenda
The Women’s Committee met on 10 June 2026 and elected new co-chairs from Sub-Saharan Africa and North America. IndustriALL assistant general secretary Christina Olivier told said that gender-related conclusions at this year’s International Labour Conference were hard won. With global unions helping secure language on human rights due diligence despite resistance from some governments.
Presenting the committee’s road map, the Sub-Saharan Africa co-chair, Regina Nambahu, said the gender transformative agenda goes further than a gender-responsive approach:
“Feminism is for everybody. It seeks equality for all and it is not anti-men.”
The road map covers care, pay equity, health, gender-based violence, human rights due diligence and Just Transition, with regional road maps due at upcoming regional executive committee meetings.
Welcoming the new Global Youth Committee
IndustriALL welcomed the first meeting of the global youth committee, established on 28 May 2026, which elected two co-chairs along with deputy co-chairs and a secretariat. Its priorities include strengthening youth representation across IndustriALL’s structures, building solidarity among young workers and monitoring the implementation of youth-related resolutions.
Closing the session, IndustriALL president Christiane Benner reflected on the significance of the moment:
“I remember the discussion we had in Sydney in the youth conference, when we said the future is now, another future is here. We wish you all the best, because you are influencing the future of the unions tremendously.”

______________________________

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

 

 

 

 

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