Taking COSATU Today Forward, 8 December 2025 #HappyBirthdayCosatu #HappyBirthdayNUM #HappyBirthdayDENOSA #Cosatu40
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu acknowledges all workers and their families who honoured the invite at Dobsonville Stadium, Soweto #HappyBirthdaDENOSA #HappyBirthdaNUM #HappyBirthdayCOSATU! #Cosatu40 #VioletSeboniBrigade #Cosatu40thAnniversary #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary #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
8 December 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media Alert: COSATU will present its submission on the Adjustments Appropriation and Special Appropriation Bills (Medium-Term Budget Policy State Statement) to Parliament Monday 08 December 2025
- South Africa
- NEHAWU congratulates SASCO on a successful National Policy Conference
- Electoral Commission engages youth on digital technology ahead of local government elections 2026
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Employment in the circular economy
- L7 demands G7 restore labour agenda amid concerns over future of employment track
- A significant achievement for the trade union movement in Cyprus: Permanent agreement on the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Media Alert: COSATU will present its submission on the Adjustments Appropriation and Special Appropriation Bills (Medium-Term Budget Policy State Statement) to Parliament Monday 08 December 2025
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 07 December 2025
Media Alert: COSATU will present its submission on the Adjustments Appropriation and Special Appropriation Bills (Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement) to Parliament’s Standing Committee: Appropriations from 0900 Monday 08 December 2025 (virtual platform).
Issued by COSATU
Mobile: 082 785 0687
Email: mat...@cosatu.org.za
NEHAWU
congratulates SASCO on a successful National Policy Conference
Zola
Saphetha, NEHAWU General Secretary, December 07, 2025
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] congratulates our reliable ally, the South African Students Congress [SASCO] for convening a successful National Policy Conference [NPC] held on the 04th - 07th December 2025 in Mbombela, Mpumalanga.
The NPC was held under the theme “From Revolutionary Strategy to Policy Action: Evaluating and Strengthening SASCO’s Capacity as an Engine of Sectoral and Societal Transformation”.
The NPC serves as a platform to deliberate, develop and amend the organisational policies. The NPC officially launched a Historic Students’ Charter and furthermore deliberated how best to position SASCO in order to continue playing a critical role in the transformation of the post-schooling and training sector and advancing student’s struggles.
The task of transforming the higher education sector remains a critical priority in the holistic transformational project of the country and as such the national union will continue working with SASCO in taking forward the Student-Worker Alliance with an objective of transforming the higher education landscape.
As NEHAWU, we are looking forward in engaging with SASCO to take forward resolutions of the NPC and jointly work on resuscitating the Education Front for People’s Education for People’s Power and coordinate and campaign for the seven features defined for education in late 80’s for the new South Africa and use them as a yard stick to measure progress on the transformation of education in our country.
NEHAWU congratulates SASCO on a successful National Policy Conference.
END
Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat.
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Electoral Commission engages youth on digital technology ahead of local government elections 2026
04 Dec 2025
The Electoral Commission’s seminar on digital technology has called for optimal use of digital platforms to encourage youth to participate in electoral democracy ahead of the forthcoming local government elections.
The seminar was initiated to engage various stakeholders on how digital tools and technologies can inspire and drive young people to actively participate in electoral processes. Held under the theme, ‘Digital Democracy: Leveraging Digital Technology to Promote Youth Participation’, the event was attended by representatives from various sectors, including political leaders, academics, youth organisations, students and civil society.
Ms Ntombifuthi Masinga, the Provincial Electoral Officer in KwaZulu Natal said research continues to show a decline in voter participation among young people. She said the seminar, provided an opportunity to initiate robust conversations that could translate youth digital activism into active participation in electoral processes.
Professor Upasana Gitanjali Singh, academic leader in Information Systems and Technology at the University of KwaZulu Natal said the participation of young people in electoral democracy can be strengthened if institutions invest in digital innovations.
Professor Singh said today’s youth did not experience democracy the same way their parents did.
“The story of South Africa’s democracy has always been one of adaptation, innovation, and resilience. From the ballot papers of 1994 that represented newfound freedom, to the digital dashboards of today that reflect real-time results, our democratic institutions have always evolved in response to society’s needs. Today, the need before us is digital transformation,an imperative driven not only by technological advancement but by the expectations and behaviours of our citizens, especially our youth.
Young people born in the 2000s and 2010s do not experience democracy in the same way their parents did. They live online. They consume news online. They engage with institutions online. And increasingly, their expectations of government—responsiveness, transparency, convenience, are shaped entirely by their digital experiences. For this reason, digitalisation is not simply a technical upgrade. It is a democratic necessity. If democracy does not migrate into the digital spaces where young people already exist, then democracy risks losing an entire generation of participants,” she said.
Thabile Mdluli, from the Centre for Community Development South Africa (CCDSA) and Bayanda Gumbi from Luma Learn echoed Sing’s sentiments and also encouraged organisations to meet young people where they were – on digital platforms.
“Voting should be an everyday conversation, that should be held by all of us in our different capacities to ensure that young people are always well informed and know how to tackle key issues that affect them,” said Mdluli.
“Whoever owns our attention, owns our focus,” said Gumbi.
Josias Pila, Director of Intergovernmental Coordination and Stakeholder Management at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said bridging the digital divide will enable meaningful participation of young people in elections and civic life.
The Commission has, over the years, used various digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp to interact with followers and has about 500 000 followers across these platforms. The Commission will in 2026 introduce its own podcast platform and an improved WhatsApp channel to interact with voters, the media and other stakeholders.
Singh said the Electoral Commission’s online voter registration portal was one of many digital innovations necessary to encourage youth participation in democratic processes. Voters can register or update their details online on https://registertovote.elections.org.za/
“Registering to vote used to require physical presence at a station, access to transport, and awareness of registration weekends—barriers that disproportionately affected young people who were studying far from home, frequently moving between residences, or living in areas where transport was costly.
“Today, a young person can register in a few minutes using a smartphone. They can update their address instantly when they move for studies or work. They no longer depend on sporadic registration weekends or travel logistics. This shift is profound: it takes voter registration from being an administrative burden to being a seamless digital experience—something a young person can do in the same space where they order food or communicate with friends,” said Singh.
As we prepare for the 2026 Elections, citizens are reminded to register to vote in voting districts of the wards where they are residents. A registered voter who has moved since they last registered is urged to check and, if necessary, update their address details to ensure that they are registered in a ward linked to their new place of residence.
For media queries:
Kate Bapela
Cell: 082 600 6386
For media interviews: Email requests to spokes...@elections.org.za
Issued by Independent Electoral Commission
International-Solidarity
Employment in the circular economy
4 December, 2025
Between 121 and 142 million people worldwide are employed in sectors that contribute to the circular economy, such as repair, recycling, second-hand trade and waste management. This represents roughly between 5 and 5.8 percent of total global employment (excluding agriculture), according to a new joint report by Circle Economy, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank Group, in partnership with the UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (UN-PAGE).
The study is the first global analysis of employment in the circular economy and shows that most circular economy activities are concentrated in the Global South. The Americas and Asia and the Pacific regions report the highest shares of circular employment, at 6.4 percent and 5.8 percent respectively.
More than half of all circular economy workers—over 74 million people—are employed in the informal economy, where jobs are not regulated and lack state protection. This is particularly prevalent in the Global South, leaving many of the workers driving sustainable development and caring for our planet among the most disadvantaged. They often face precarious working conditions, unstable incomes, and low wages.
“This report is a strategic tool for trade unions. It provides solid evidence to anticipate the impacts of the circular economy on employment and will empowers us to demand industrial and labour policies that ensure a real Just Transition. Now it is time for changes in production and consumption models, but those have to be built with and for workers,”
says Diana Junquera Curiel, IndustriALL director for Just Transition and member of the advisory board for the Circular Employment Global Baseline.
Titled Employment in the Circular Economy: Leveraging circularity to create decent work, the study aims to equip policymakers and decision-makers with data and practical tools to accelerate a just and job-rich transition to the circular economy.
“With this report, we are casting a new light on the businesses and workers that every day in every country and every sector of our economies provide essential services for our societies and planet,”
says Casper Edmonds, head of the extractives, energy & manufacturing Unit at the ILO.
“Some are at the forefront of innovation. But for many, circularity is not a choice, but a way of getting by. If we combine investments in circularity with measures to advance decent work, we accelerate a just and job-rich transition to the circular economy.”
A selection of sectors dominate circular economy employment. Repair and maintenance account for nearly half (46 per cent), followed by manufacturing (24.5 percent) and waste management (8 per cent). By contrast, industries that are crucial to advancing the circular transition—such as construction and mining—have a very low share of circular employment. The report stresses the need for targeted policies to ‘green’ jobs in these sectors and accelerate their transition toward a circular economy.
The findings call on policymakers to integrate workers’ rights and social protections into circular economy strategies. Too often, environmental legislation prioritises climate goals while neglecting the social dimension and the people driving the transition.
To ensure a just transition to the circular economy, the report recommends:
Promoting circularity through public procurement and investment in high-potential sectors like manufacturing and construction
Supporting sustainable enterprises through access to finance, business development services and capacity-building programmes
Developing inclusive educational programmes with a focus on youth, informal workers and women
Enforcing occupational safety and health standards, extending social protection to informal workers and upholding fundamental labour rights
Strengthening data ecosystems at local, national, and international levels to monitor and assess circular economy activities and related employment trends
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L7 demands G7 restore labour agenda amid concerns over future of employment track
4 December 2025
Trade unions have raised serious concerns about the future of the G7’s labour and employment agenda following the virtual G7 Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting (LEMM).
After repeated calls from the Labour 7 (L7) throughout 2025, the Canadian presidency finally convened the meeting. While trade unions welcome the holding of the LEMM – even if late and online – the L7 was disappointed that the G7 only led to the adoption of a short Communiqué from the presidency, with little content and political commitments from G7 members. .
The L7 actively engaged in the work of the Employment Working Group (EWG) throughout 2025, working with the Canadian presidency, including by co-organising a dedicated EWG session with the B7 on strengthening workforce resilience. The L7 strongly regrets, however, that this engagement did not translate into more concrete deliverables and greater political commitments. With still no formal announcement of a LEMM under the incoming French presidency in 2026 yet, and the United States taking over in 2027, trade unions warn the G7’s labour and employment track is now at serious risk.
While the G7 discussed important themes this year, not least the advancement of AI, the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour market and ways to ensure workforce resilience, the failure to adopt actionable targets and a strong political declaration comes at precisely the wrong time. Digitalisation, AI, climate change and demographic shifts are transforming the world of work – and the G7 must shape these transitions to deliver decent work and fair wages.
The L7 Communiqué, circulated to Ministers ahead of the meeting, challenges the G7 to adopt concrete, measurable targets – including a “G7 target on Zero In-Work Poverty” centred on minimum living wages and collective bargaining, and a specific collective bargaining target to extend protections to millions of workers currently left without coverage.
“The relevance and credibility of the G7 is at stake. With workers’ rights eroding and millions living in poverty, the G7 cannot sideline its social dimension in times of such uncertainty. The L7 stands ready to work with Ministers – but we need political commitment, not retreat.” TUAC General Secretary Veronica Nilsson
“The G7 must move from commitments to action. Workers cannot wait while governments debate – they need concrete measures on living wages, collective bargaining and just transition. We call on G7 members to restore full political engagement and deliver real progress in 2026.”ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle
Read the full L7 Communiqué here.
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BY CENTRAL WFTU, 05 DEC 2025
Permanent agreement on the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) – A significant achievement for the trade union movement in Cyprus.
The General Council of PEO, in its meeting on 19 November, approved the permanent agreement on the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), emphasizing that:
• The COLA mechanism was safeguarded against attempts by employers’ organisations to weaken or abolish it.
• Trade union unity and the general strike of September 2025 played a decisive role in the final outcome.
• COLA is now permanently secured, without new parameters, and will be fully restored: 80% in January 2026, 90% in July 2026 and 100% from July 2027 onwards.
• A 4% inflation cap is introduced as the basis for its calculation, something PEO considers acceptable within the overall achievement.
• A significant step is taken towards integrating COLA into the National Minimum Wage, with cumulative adjustments every two years (first in 2026) and a new review in 2028.
• PEO continues to demand the universal application of COLA and key provisions of collective agreements for all workers. It calls on the government to introduce supportive legislation and measures to increase collective agreement coverage to 80%.
• Finally, the General Council welcomes the unity and struggles of workers and declares that the fight for extending the COLA mechanism to all workers and for regulated labour relations continues.
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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