Taking COSATU Today Forward, 27 March 2025
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #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
27 March 2025
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- South Africa Convene G20 Second Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting
- Government welcomes employment growth in the final quarter of 2024
- South Africa
- COSATU welcomes slight increase in Employment
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- ITUC-Africa Statement of Solidarity with the People and Government of South Africa In the Face of Unjust Attacks by the Trump Administration.
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
South Africa Convene G20 Second Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting
27 March 2025
South Africa's G20 Presidency will host the Second Group of Twenty (G20) Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting from 8 to 11 April 2025 at the Arch Convention Centre in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal.
This crucial gathering will spearhead discussions on gender equality in the workforce and the growing labour income share disparity, aligning with South Africa's G20 Presidency theme: “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability."
Building upon the successful First EWG session in Gqeberha, which launched the Nelson Mandela Bay Target — a five-year commitment to reduce global youth unemployment by 5% by 2030 through quality job creation, skills development, and youth-led innovation. Delegates are expected to formally adopt this target, cementing South Africa's contribution to long-term solutions for youth employment challenges.
The Umhlanga meeting will specifically address gender disparities and declining labour income share, two of the four key priorities identified by South Africa's G20 Presidency: inclusive growth and youth employment, gender equality, income inequality, and the future of work.
These priorities reflect the EWG's theme: “Living and Working in an Unequal World: Ensuring Decent Work and Decent Lives."
A central focus will be the urgent renewal of the Brisbane Goal, set to expire in 2025. Initially established to reduce the gender participation gap, discussions will now emphasise closing gender pay gaps within G20 countries. Leveraging international labour conventions and global commitments, South Africa proposes extending this goal to reinforce the G20's commitment to meaningful progress in gender equality and workforce participation. This initiative underscores the G20's leadership in promoting fair wages and inclusive economies.
The Second EWG will feature contributions from G20 members, invited countries, international organisations such as the ILO, World Bank and OECD, and academic experts. Four EWG meetings will precede the Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting (LEEM) in August 2025, where a declaration will finalise actionable policies.
Media is invited to attend the G20 2nd EWG meetings.
· For media RSVP's to facilitate accreditation, please kindly contact:
Mr. Nhlanhla Khumalo: 066 488 0265 / Nhlanhla...@labour.gov.za
Ms Ziphozihle Josefu: 082 308 6306 / ziphozih...@labour.gov.za
For media inquiries, please contact:
Mr. Teboho Thejane, Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694/ teboho....@labour.gov.za
-ENDS-
Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour
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Government welcomes employment growth in the final quarter of 2024
25 Mar 2025
Government welcomes the growth in employment in the fourth quarter of 2024, as reported in the latest quarterly employment statistics survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). According to the Stats SA report, employment increased by 12,000 jobs, bringing the total number of employed persons in the formal non-agricultural sector to 10.64 million by December 2024. This marks a modest but significant 0.1% increase compared to the previous quarter.
The trade industry led the employment gains, followed by the business services sector. Modest increases were also recorded in the transport and electricity sectors, reflecting continued efforts to strengthen these key industries.
Full-time employment saw an increase of 10,000 jobs in the final quarter of 2024, indicating gradual recovery in job stability. Part-time employment also recorded a slight uptick, rising by 2,000 jobs from 1.151 million in September 2024 to 1.153 million in December 2024. The report also highlights a 6.1% increase in total gross earnings paid to employees.
Government acknowledges that despite the quarterly improvement, full-time employment remains lower than it was a year ago. However, the slight increase speaks to the on-going efforts by both government and business to drive job creation and support economic recovery. Government will continue to work with various stakeholders, including businesses and social partners, to accelerate job creation efforts and ensure inclusive economic growth that benefits all citizens.
Enquiries:
Ms Nomonde Mnukwa, Acting Government Spokesperson
Cell: 083 653 7485
Issued by Government Communications
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COSATU welcomes slight increase in Employment
Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson, 26 March 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the slight uptick in employment registered by Statistics SA in the fourth quarter of 2024.
On Wednesday, Stats SA announced a 0.1% increase in employment equivalent to 12 000 jobs in last quarter of 2024. This is despite a loss of 91 000 jobs year on year from December 2023 to December 2024.
According to the latest Quarterly Employment Statistics the marginal increase in employment comprises 10 000 full-time jobs plus 2 000 part-time jobs. This is a slight departure from the norm where retailers and the hospitality sector usually hire more part-time workers over the festive season to cater for increased customer volumes.
The trade and business services sectors are responsible for the increase in employment, while the mining, construction and manufacturing industries lost jobs.
Given South Africa’s expanded unemployment rate is stubbornly stuck at 41.6%, COSATU welcomes every job added to the economy. We hope to see the trend continue into 2025, but we remain concerned about governments’ plan to increase VAT by 0.5% as it risks slowing growth.
Whilst welcoming each new job, we cannot celebrate a 41.6% unemployment rate. This must be a reminder to move faster to capacitate the state, fix our SOEs, invest in infrastructure and stimulate growth.
We cannot normalise such high levels of unemployment.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
ITUC-Africa Statement of Solidarity with the People and Government of South Africa In the Face of Unjust Attacks by the Trump Administration.
26th March 2025
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUCAfrica, www.ituc-africa.org) expresses its profound solidarity with the people and democratic government of South Africa amid the recent political and economic attacks launched by the Trump administration of the United States against South Africa’s sovereignty, right to selfgovernance, and human dignity.
We strongly condemn the attempts by the U.S. administration to undermine South Africa’s sovereign and democratic efforts to address the historic and ongoing legacies of colonialism, apartheid, and systemic racial inequality.
These attacks—including the suspension of aid, threats to trade agreements, and inflammatory rhetoric—are not only misguided but dangerously echo past imperialist interventions that sought to delegitimise Africa’s liberation struggles, post-colonial and post-Apartheid state-building efforts.
At the core of these attacks are South Africa’s principled and commendable steps toward redress and justice:
1. The Land Reform Process, rooted in constitutional law, aims to correct the profoundly unjust and racially skewed land ownership patterns created under apartheid. The recently signed Expropriation Act, which ITUC-Africa welcomes, emerged from years of extensive and inclusive democratic consultations and aims to promote equitable land redistribution while preserving legal safeguards and due process. We are aware that the majority of South Africans across the different races agree that this piece of legislation is progressive and can contribute to redressing the class, race and gender injustices of the apartheid era.
2. South Africa’s Case at the International Court of Justice, calling for accountability in Gaza, is a courageous and principled act of international solidarity with the Palestinian people. We reject attempts to vilify South Africa for upholding international law and human rights.
3. The National Health Insurance (NHI) Act and the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, among other salutary pieces of legislation that ITUC-Africa lauds, are necessary and critical instruments for dismantling health and education apartheid and ensuring universal, quality public services for all South Africans, especially workers and the poor.
The Trump administration’s campaign—amplified by right-wing groups, Elon Musk’s obsession with old Apartheid style governance and some vested economic elites—seeks to defend entrenched white minority privilege at the expense of justice for the non-white majority and working class. We denounce these efforts as neo-imperialist, racist, and in blatant disregard of South Africa’s constitutional and democratic processes.
South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world today. This is not by accident, but a direct result of structural racism and economic apartheid. The bold steps taken by the government, amid coalition challenges and mounting global pressure are necessary and long overdue.
As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, ITUC-Africa stands firmly with the people of South Africa and their government in pursuing a just, inclusive, and democratic society. We salute your resolve in the face of intimidation and affirm that your struggle is a shared one. We will continue to walk and work with you and other African countries, pursuing the attainment of egalitarian societies.
ITUC-Africa commends governments, organisations, institutions, and entities that have spoken in support of and shown solidarity with the South African people and government. We call on African governments, trade unions, civil society organisations, and the international community to stand in solidarity with South Africa, to resist President Trump’s bullying, and to defend the right of all peoples to shape their destinies, free from foreign coercion, blackmail and racist double standards.
In solidarity,
Akhator Joel Afolabi Odigie
General Secretary
ITUC-Africa
Lomé, Togo, 26th March 2025
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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