Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 18 March 2025 #CosatuProvCongress #CosatuProvGenderConf
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY This week, #Cosatu KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga Provincial Gender Conferences are underway #SACTU70 #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin
‘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 March 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!
- Webinar on Investor Guidance and Expectations: Supply Chain Due Diligence and Binding Agreements
- South Africa
- COSATU welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa's signing into law the Climate Change Act
- NEHAWU KZN wishes COSATU a successful 2nd Provincial Gender Conference and 15th Provincial Congress
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- The WFTU condemns the new barbaric bombardment of Gaza and the continuation of the genocide of the Palestinian people
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
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COSATU welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa's signing into law the Climate Change Act
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 18 March 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s promulgation into law the badly needed Climate Change Act.
Climate change is a real threat to workers, their families, communities and the economy. Its effects are being felt with the pollution that claims the lives of thousands of workers annually, increasing occurrences of devastating floods whilst some regions experience dwindling supplies of drinkable water, rising temperatures and arable land being lost to desertification.
The key causes of climate change result from the unsustainable behaviour of humanity and capital’s thirst for profits at the expense of workers and society’s needs.
The Climate Change Act is a welcome and long overdue intervention that seeks to provide a balanced approach for South Africa to try to manage the many crises of climate change and to ensure that the transitions which are taking place, will be just and protect workers, their jobs and communities.
It is a welcome assertion by government led by the African National Congress that we will move collectively to manage climate change and do so in a manner that takes all of society with and leaves no person or community behind.
COSATU engaged extensively on the Act at Nedlac and is pleased that its concerns and proposals were accommodated in the Act. These include the need for South Africa’s climate change responses to tackle not only the climate change crises, but also our employment and economic development needs simultaneously. These cannot be tackled separately if we are to ensure a sustainable approach to these challenges.
The Federation welcomes the Act’s provisions:
- Establishing the Presidential Climate Change Commission, that will include key stakeholders including organised labour; and help guide South Africa’s climate change responses.
- Requiring national, provincial and local government as well as key State-Owned Entreprises have climate change plans to reduce and mitigate their footprints.
- Providing for provincial and municipal forums for key stakeholders, including labour, business and communities to participate in the development and implementation of these climate change plans.
- Synchronising South Africa’s climate change responses with our carbon tax regime. This is critical to maintaining trade relations with the European Union and other key partners.
- Providing for strict penalties for government entities and businesses who fail to comply with environmental and climate change requirements.
COSATU looks forward to government, at all levels, moving with speed to implement this important Act, including drafting its regulations and the promulgation of the Act’s remaining clauses.
Whilst the Act lays a progressive foundation for the nation’s response to climate change, it can only achieve its objectives if government resources its organs to implement it.
The private sector too must play its role, adopt less pollution intensive behaviour and invest in reskilling and not retrenching workers’ whose jobs are at risk.
Such coordinated forward planning by government is all the more critical in a world sorely lacking sober leadership and increasingly marked by political vandalism and flat earth climate change denialism.
Issued by COSATU
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NEHAWU KZN wishes COSATU a successful 2nd Provincial Gender Conference and 15th Provincial Congress
Ayanda Zulu, NEHAWU KZN Provincial Secretary, March 18, 2025
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] in KwaZulu-Natal wishes its federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions [COSATU], a successful 2nd Provincial Gender Conference commencing today, the 18th of March 2025 at Royal Hotel, Durban and the 15th Provincial Congress which will be convened on the 19th - 20th of March 2025 at Durban Exhibition Centre, Durban.
The 2nd Provincial Gender Conference and 15th Provincial Congress are convened under the theme: " Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”.
As NEHAWU, we expect the Gender Conference, to practically consolidate the struggle for the NDR which seeks to address gender, race and class oppression. It’s important that this struggle be led by the bulk of the oppressed-women. Women should be empowered to challenge the system of patriarchy.
The conference must come up with resolutions on workplace gender activities and campaigns as necessary mechanisms in empowering and developing women, creating conditions for the election of female shop stewards to shape the gender programme for the trade union movement.
We further wish for a congress that will be highly characterised by in-depth analysis on the State of our National Democratic Revolution and robust deliberations to strengthen the ability of COSATU to be a militant, fighting and a campaigning federation for workers’ demands in all sectors and in the struggles for the working class in general.
The congress must resolve on campaigns that must be wedged in defence and protection of collective bargaining , high cost of living and the rights of workers. The defence of these rights is based on a principle understanding that workers have fought and sacrificed their lives for those rights.
NEHAWU will play its role through discussions and lobbying affiliates of the federation to ensure that COSATU emerges more united, stronger and capable of representing all workers of this province along their interests and aspirations particularly in collective bargaining, workers’ rights and creating conducive working environment recognising the critical role workers are playing at the point of service.
Forward with the Unity of COSATU Forward!!!
END
Issued by NEHAWU KwaZulu-Natal Secretariat Office
For more information, please contact: Ayanda Zulu (Provincial Secretary) at 081 758 5199 or email: Aya...@nehawu.org.za or Ntokozo Nxumalo (Provincial Deputy Secretary) at 0815255983 or email: Nto...@Nehawu.org.za
International-Solidarity
The WFTU condemns the new barbaric bombardment of Gaza and the continuation of the genocide of the Palestinian people
17 March 2025
The WFTU condemns the continuous escalation of genocide in Palestine, with the latest aggression in the early morning hours killing hundreds of women and children while sleeping in their tents on the rubbles of their homes in Gaza.
The Israeli government didn’t show at any point its true will to end the genocide, even throughout the cease fire deal, provoking the deal repeatedly by prohibiting aid from entering Gaza, and the ongoing military operations in the West Bank and Lebanon.
The escalation of the genocide with blessing and support of the USA and its allies, reveals once again the hypocrisy and cynicism of the imperialist powers.
The WFTU reiterates its solidarity with the heroic people of Palestine, and calls upon its affiliates to intensify the solidarity action with Palestine. The WFTU was and will remain on the side of the Palestinian in their struggle for freedom and peace.
End the Genocide!
Free Palestine!
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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