Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 19 November 2025 #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #G20SocialSummit is underway at Boksburg #G20SouthAfrica #VioletSeboniBrigade #Cosatu40thAnniversary #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 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
19 November 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Applications for media accreditation to cover COSATU 40th Anniversary rally officially opened
- South Africa
- POPCRU rejects the 9.8% GEMS contribution increase for 2026
- NEHAWU rejects the increment of 9.8% by GEMS on member contribution for 2026
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- IndustriALL calls on Albemarle to stop anti-union practices in Chile's lithium sector
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Applications for media accreditation to cover COSATU 40th 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 40th 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
POPCRU rejects the 9.8% GEMS contribution increase for 2026
Richard Mamabolo, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 19 November 2025
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) strongly rejects the 9.8% increase in member contributions announced by the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) for the 2026 financial year.
As POPCRU, we view this latest increase as completely unacceptable, especially given GEMS’ persistent trend of imposing steep and unaffordable adjustments on public servants. Between 2023 and 2025, workers have endured consecutive excessive hikes, and the 2026 increase represents yet another blow to already overstretched household incomes.
GEMS was established to provide accessible and affordable medical cover to public servants. Instead, it has steadily evolved into a costly scheme that no longer fulfils its founding mandate. The continuous escalation of contributions—exceeding 25% over the past two years alone—shows a blatant disregard for the harsh financial realities confronting workers in the public service.
At a time when workers are battling an unrelenting cost-of-living crisis, the Scheme’s leadership appears determined to place the burden of mismanagement squarely on the shoulders of public servants. In 2025, GEMS justified a 13.4% increase by claiming financial distress and invoking the position of the Council for Medical Schemes—yet this same reasoning is being recycled again with no meaningful accountability or restructuring.
What is even more alarming is that according to GEMS’ 2024 financial statements, the Scheme spent nearly R2 billion on outsourced administration costs—an astronomical figure that raises serious questions about the efficiency, governance and priorities of the Scheme. While executive packages and board fees continue to balloon, workers are being forced to bankroll these inefficiencies through steep annual contribution hikes.
POPCRU reiterates its long-standing view that GEMS has strayed far from the purpose set out in PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2006, which emphasises affordability and accessibility for all public servants. The Scheme’s current trajectory is in direct contradiction to this mandate.
We therefore call on GEMS, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), and National Treasury to urgently halt the implementation of the 9.8% increase and instead focus on returning the Scheme to a sustainable, worker-centred model. This must include:
• In-sourcing of outsourced administrative functions
• A thorough review of excessive board and executive remuneration
• Improved governance and accountability
• Ensuring that public servants are not used to cover inefficiencies and mismanagement
POPCRU is resolute that this decision will not go unchallenged. We will defend the rights and economic wellbeing of our members and will utilise every available platform to oppose this unjustifiable increase.
Issued by POPCRU
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NEHAWU rejects the increment of 9.8% by GEMS on member contribution for 2026
Zola Saphetha, NEHAWU General Secretary, November 19, 2025
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] vehemently rejects the increment of 9.8% on members contribution by the Government Employees Medical Scheme [GEMS] for next year 2026.
As NEHAWU, we find it totally absurd that GEMS continues to increase the contributions of our members and workers with exorbitant percentages like they have done in 2023, 2024, 2025 and now in 2026. GEMS is supposed to be an affordable medical scheme for public servants but over the years it has become expensive and not providing what it was meant for.
The decision of the Scheme ignores the fact that in the last two years, they have increased members contribution by over 25%, ignoring the financial challenges faced by our members and workers in the public service. Our members and workers have been on the receiving end of the crisis of cost of living and are suffocating as a result.
This year 2025, GEMS Board imposed a 13.4 % increase in contributions arguing that the scheme was in financial danger and that the Council for Medical Scheme was going to act against them if increments of the contributions was not implemented. The same argument is once again used by the board to justify its decision, yet the Executives and the Board are paid exorbitantly at the detrimental of workers.
What is surprising is that according to their 2024 financial statements they spent almost 2 billion rand on administration costs that are outsourced yet workers are forced to pay these exorbitant increases.
As NEHAWU, we reiterate our perspective that GEMS has over the years become a financial burden on public servants with the yearly increments. It has totally moved away from what it was essentially created for, which was to ensure that it provides affordable medical cover for public servants as per PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2006, which in its principles states that the scheme is “to ensure greater accessibility by providing affordable medical cover to all employees” and this has been the understanding and general objective of the establishment of the scheme from inception.
As NEHAWU, we once again call on GEMS, DPSA and National Treasury to halt the implementation of the decision to increase member contribution and rather focus on ensuring that the scheme remains capable of serving the needs of workers and does not become an instrument of accumulation by capital and those who administers it. GEMS must insource many services that they have outsourced including capping the board fees they are paying to their board members.
Lastly, as NEHAWU, we are resolute that this decision to increase members’ contribution will not go unchallenged.
END
Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat.
International-Solidarity
IndustriALL calls on Albemarle to stop anti-union practices in Chile's lithium sector
17 November, 2025
IndustriALL Global Union has expressed deep concern about the unjustified dismissal of a union representative at the lithium salt flats in Atacama and about Albemarle’s lack of dialogue with the union. IndustriALL’s affiliate Industrial Chile–CONSTRAMET says that the dismissal was an act of retaliation against the union and a violation of basic labour rights.
IndustriALL has called on US multinational Albemarle, one of the world’s leading lithium producers, to reinstate the unionized worker fired in Chile and to engage in constructive dialogue with the local union. IndustriALL Chile–CONSTRAMET has described the dismissal as an act of retaliation and a clear violation of the employee’s right to freedom of association and to protection from workplace harassment.
The worker was reportedly pressured into accepting a “mutual agreement” after filing a workplace harassment complaint under Chile’s Karin Law (Law No. 21.643), which protects workers against violence and harassment at work, in line with ILO Convention No. 190. The subsequent investigation revealed failings in the process, including delays, inadequate notifications and a lack of preventive protocols.
The dismissal came shortly after the union representative took part in an ILO tripartite meeting on women in mining and an IndustriALL workshop on strengthening union representation in the lithium sector, which, IndustriALL warns, further suggests that it was an act of retaliation against an active, up-and-coming union leader.
The incident took place at the Atacama lithium salt flats in the north of the country, where Albemarle operates one of the world's largest lithium extraction facilities. The mineral is an essential component of batteries and key to the energy transition, placing Chile in a strategic position in the global supply chain. However, concerns about workers’ rights are increasing following labour disputes and allegations of anti-union practices in the sector.
In a letter to Albemarle, IndustriALL’s general secretary Atle Høie warned that the dismissal was an act of retaliation, in
a context of ongoing labour tensions.
IndustriALL reaffirmed its readiness to facilitate the dialogue process and recalled that companies in the mining sector must ensure a fair, sustainable and respectful transition for labour rights, throughout the lithium supply chain.
Atle Høie said:
“It is unacceptable for a global company to act contrary to international labour standards and commitments to social dialogue. Our position is clear: there can be no sustainable mining without full respect for trade union rights.”
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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