Taking COSATU Today Forward, 19 June 2025
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #CosatuCallCentre number is 010 022 2590 #DecentWork #DecentLives #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
19 June 2025
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media Accreditation Opens for NUM 18th National Elective Congress, 24-26 June 2025
- South Africa
- COSATU urges swift action by government to stave off a pending July fuel hike
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Unions promote labour in energy transition at Global Energy Efficiency Conference
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Media
Accreditation Opens for NUM 18th National Elective Congress, 24-26 June 2025
Livhuwani
Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson,
17 June 2025
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) invites members of the media to apply for accreditation for its 18th National Elective Congress, taking place from 24-26 June 2025.
The Congress will be held at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg.
This year's Congress is organised under the theme: “The Epoch for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat Now Or Never.”
The Congress will serve as a critical platform to debate the challenges confronting workers in the mining, construction, energy and metal sectors. It will also address the current political and economic landscape in South Africa.
Distinguished delegates will include leaders from the Congress of South African
Trade Unions (COSATU), the South African Communist Party (SACP), the African National Congress (ANC), and other fraternal organisations from South Africa and abroad.
Accreditation Details: Members of the media who wish to cover the Congress must apply for accreditation by submitting their full name, ID number, and the name of their media house to the officials listed below.
The deadline for accreditation applications is Friday, 21 June 2025.
A detailed programme will be distributed to all accredited journalists closer to the date.
For accreditation and further information, please contact:
Livhuwani Mammburu NUM National Spokesperson Cell: 083 809 3257 Email: mamm...@gmail.com
Luphert Chilwane NUM Media Officer Cell: 083 809 3255 Email: lchi...@num.org.za
The National Union of Mineworkers
7
Rissik Street. Cnr Frederick
Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111
Cell: 083 809 3257
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COSATU urges swift action by government to stave off a pending July fuel hike
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 18 June 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) urges swift action by government to stave off a pending July fuel price hike. International oil prices have skyrocketed by 10% over the past week with Israel’s latest assault on peace in the Middle East with its brutal attacks on Iran.
This is likely to see an increase in petrol prices across the world and be a painful blow to millions of South African workers and commuters already struggling to cope with the rising costs of living as well as a still fragile economy that has stumbled along 1% economic growth for the past decade plus.
Whilst there is little the South African government can do to prevent the rising oil prices beyond intensifying international solidarity campaigns with the long struggling Palestinian people and offering support for an end to the war of aggression and the implementation of the long called for two state solution; it is critical that government put in place urgent measures to help cushion workers and the economy from a pending and likely very painful fuel price hike in July.
Key interventions needed include:
- Reviewing and lowering the taxes and levies consuming a third of the fuel price.
- Putting in place measures to address the chaos and maladministration at the Road Accident Fund and expediting the tabling of the RAF and Road Accident Benefits Schemes Bills at Parliament to lessen its dependency on the fuel levy.
- Additional measures to return Transnet to full productive capacity to help shield food from inflation.
- Accelerating investments in Metro Rail to return all lines to full capacity offering 10 million urban commuters cheaper and faster means to travel to work and education institutions.
- Enhancing support for buses and taxis to reduce the use of private transport.
- Adjusting the SRD Grant for value lost to inflationary erosion, helping ensure 8 million of the most vulnerable are able to buy essential food items.
- Increasing the allocations of free electricity and water to indigent households.
- Expanding the Presidential Employment Programme to provide a pathway to work for millions of unemployed, in particular the youth.
- The South African Reserve Bank lowering the repo rate to ease debt repayments for millions of struggling consumers.
- Expediting engagements on the next phase of the Two Pot Pension Reforms to give further relief to millions of highly indebted workers.
It is critical that government move with speed and be proactive. South Africa cannot afford to be found wanting with yet another global conflict spiking international oil and thus the domestic fuel price regimes.
The South African Reserve Bank will need to resist its default trigger finger lest it be tempted to add further pain to workers by increasing the repo rate.
With inflation at 2.8% and far below the inflation target range, there is ample space for further rate cuts and zero need for any hikes.
COSATU will continue to engage with the Presidency, Treasury, and the Department of Transport amongst others on the need for urgent action to cushion the working class and economy from any potential pain due to the wars in the Middle East.
Issued by COSATU
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Statement by the Study Group on Employment and Labour on briefing by the Department of Employment and Labour on the Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan
18 June 2025
The ANC Study Group on Employment and Labour, as part of the collective of the Portfolio Committee, received a comprehensive briefing from the Department of Employment and Labour today on its Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan.
The picture painted was one of optimism, particularly on South Africa’s developmental trajectory. However, there is a stark contrast between these projections and the reality of slow growth rates, which appear insufficient to outpace the country's population increase.
The department’s goal of creating 2 million work opportunities by 2030 is commendable and the significant chunk of these jobs will be funding UIF that is 1 million and 650 000 jobs will be created through National Pathway Management Network and 350 000 jobs will be created from Public Employment Services, totalling 2 million jobs to be created. We do however believe that the department should consider implementing targeted measures that prioritize high-growth industries and manufacturing, to create sustainable development pathways. Achieving the goal of 2 million work opportunities requires not just the creation of jobs but also meaningful integration into longer-term economic participation.
There was also a commendable commitment to increasing employment opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), with specific targets outlined for 2025 to 2028. However, employment creation for PWDs hinges on proactive policy implementation and enforcement. This includes fostering awareness campaigns, incentivizing private sector participation, and ensuring compliance with employment equity regulations.
Productivity SA’s plan focuses on enterprise development, research dissemination, and the strengthening of institutional capacity which is crucial for fostering sustainable economic resilience. However, despite these strategic initiatives, the challenge remains whether the entity’s approach sufficiently addresses the underlying structural issues in a context marked by high unemployment, resource strain, and high costs of living. The plan’s commitment to promoting productivity awareness and capacity-building is commendable, but these efforts require significant behavioural change at the enterprise level.
Nedlac’s briefing for the current financial year demonstrates a concerted effort to embed social dialogue as a cornerstone of South Africa’s socio-economic development, despite the budget constraints that has affected this entity of the department. The President’s recent announcement of establishing a national dialogue and the conventions leading to the National Dialogue which is to be housed at Nedlac, elevates Nedlac’s role from a facilitator to a central orchestrator of policy consensus, which could significantly influence socio-economic outcomes by creating more coordinated, transparent, and participatory policy processes. However, whether this will translate into tangible policy change depends heavily on Nedlac’s capacity to mobilize social partners effectively and maintain a balanced voice for all stakeholders. Furthermore, integrating perspectives of marginalized groups into policy debates remains a challenge that Nedlac must overcome to genuinely uphold its vision of equitable participation.
The CCMA’s strategic focus demonstrates a commendable commitment to improving dispute resolution, strengthening workplace relations, and enhancing service delivery through the application of technological innovations, despite the budget short falls. Notably, the CCMA's historical achievement of maintaining clean audits and disciplined financial management provides a solid foundation for confidently pursuing these targets, underscoring its capacity for operational efficiency and accountability. Notably, the CCMA's historical achievement of maintaining clean audits and disciplined financial management provides a solid foundation for confidently pursuing these targets, underscoring its capacity for operational efficiency and accountability.
The CCMA’s strategic initiatives remain vital, but their influence might be limited unless complemented by broader structural reforms driven by government and economic stakeholders. Maintaining discipline and efficiency in operations provides a competitive advantage; however, without significantly expanding economic opportunities, the entity’s capacity to impact overall employment levels will remain constrained.
Issued
by the Whip of the Study Group on Employment and Labour, Cde Mncedisi Nontsele.
For
enquiries, please contact:
Cde Hlengiwe Hadebe
Media Liaison Officer
+27 64 147 3276
International-Solidarity
Unions promote labour in energy transition at Global Energy Efficiency Conference
18 June, 2025
On 12 and 13 June, IndustriALL Global Union took part in the 10th Global Conference on Energy Efficiency organized by the International Energy Agency (IEA), and in the meeting of the Clean Energy Labour Council held during the conference in Brussels.
During the opening session of the conference, speakers underlined the urgency of placing energy efficiency at the core of policies to address the climate crisis, reduce energy poverty, strengthen energy security and improve industrial competitiveness.
Energy efficiency was highlighted as the "first fuel" ahead of any other energy source, with significant economic returns: every euro invested in efficiency can translate into up to 12 euros of savings for households. The energy crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine was also shown to have accelerated the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, particularly Russian gas, thanks in part to energy efficiency measures.
At the Clean Energy Labour Council, co-chaired by Luc Triangle, ITUC general secretary and Zingiswa Losi, president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), the focus was on ensuring that the energy transition is just, inclusive and people-centred. Luc Triangle stressed the need for a transition framework that guarantees quality jobs, labour rights and social protection, highlighting that without genuine trade union participation and a justice-based approach, the process will not gain the necessary support from workers.
In his intervention, IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Høie, said:
"There are people in this room who have been persecuted for their trade union activities, which means that they wouldn't even be close to the room that decides on what's going to happen in terms of transition. If countries decide that they want to persecute trade unionists for doing the job of protecting people in that country, how do we expect that workers are going to be at the table? There's so much we have to do at the same time here, and we don't have time to do it wrong."
Two key documents were presented at the meeting, providing concrete recommendations for translating the principles of a Just Transition into national and international actions, with a view to the G20 and COP30 processes in Brazil:
The IEA Clean Energy Labour Council Paper on the labour dimension in energy transitions
IndustriALL is working in these forums to ensure that global energy transitions are built on a firm commitment to social justice and respect for workers’ 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