Taking COSATU Today Forward, 9 December 2025 #HappyBirthdayCosatu #Cosatu40
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #HappyBirthdayDENOSA #HappyBirthdayNUM #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
9 December 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- NEHAWU Mpumalanga Statement on the permanent employment of Community Health Workers and HTS counsellors in the province
- South Africa
- COSATU welcomes agreement to halt retrenchments between Eskom, Samancor Chrome and Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Pushing for gender transformative agenda in South East Asia
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
NEHAWU Mpumalanga Statement on the permanent employment of Community Health Workers and HTS counsellors in the province
Welcome Mnisi, NEHAWU Mpumalanga Provincial Secretary, December 09, 2025
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] in Mpumalanga welcomes the permanent employment of 2 172 Community Health Workers [CHWs], including HTS Counsellors, by the Mpumalanga Provincial Department of Health. This development follows the historic agreement signed between NEHAWU and the National Department of Health on 25 November 2025.
This milestone marks a significant victory in our ongoing struggle to secure decent work, job security, dignity, and improved working conditions for workers in the healthcare sector. NEHAWU further assures all remaining CHWs and HTS Counsellors that the union will not relent on this struggle.
Our commitment remains steadfast until the outstanding 3 764 workers across both categories are permanently absorbed. We have noted the commitment and the preposition made by the Provincial Department of Health that qualifying HTS Counsellors will be absorbed through the normal recruitment processes, and our position as the union is that such processes should be implemented expeditiously in a manner in which it does not prejudice our members.
In this regard, the union in the province is continuously engaging with the Department of Health in ensuring that the HTS Counsellors are included in the whole process of employing the Community Health Workers. Furthermore, we are pursuing the Department to come up with some interventions and means to assist with the permanent employment of those Community Health Workers and HTS Counsellors whom are purported not to be meeting the criteria by the Department.
The union is currently engaging the Mpumalanga Department of Health to finalise the absorption of the remaining workers in line with the signed agreement. These engagements are ongoing and remain a priority for the organisation as we push for the full implementation of the commitments made by the Department.
The union is also convening membership update sessions across all four regions. These sessions serve as a platform to interact directly with members, communicate progress and unpack the contents of the agreement to ensure full understanding, transparency and unity within the membership.
Furthermore, NEHAWU remains unwavering in its mission to defend and advance the rights, interests and socio-economic well-being of workers. Our struggle for permanent and decent employment for all CHWs and HTS Counsellors continues with determination and revolutionary discipline.
Lastly, we call on the Mpumalanga Department of Health to expedite and finalise all outstanding processes related to the permanent employment of all 5 224 Community Health Workers and 712 HTS Counsellors, for the betterment of their conditions of service and the strengthening of healthcare service delivery in the province.
END
Issued by NEHAWU Mpumalanga Secretariat
COSATU welcomes agreement to halt retrenchments between Eskom, Samancor Chrome and Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 08 December 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the progressive agreement to halt retrenchments between Eskom and ferrochrome producers, Samancor Chrome and Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture. The agreement responds to the dire impact of the increasingly unaffordable price of electricity upon these heavy intensive users by providing lower tariffs over the next three months.
The companies’ Section 189 retrenchments will simultaneously be suspended for this period. This will provide welcome relief to thousands of workers at these companies whilst further engagements take place over the next three months for long-term solutions to the electricity tariff challenges threatening the sustainability of these companies and their employees’ jobs.
COSATU applauds the efforts by the parties to find solutions and provide space for further engagements on a sustainable long-term solution for a long festering crisis that has seen many smelters close, workers retrenched and communities plunged into economic depression.
We appreciate the tireless efforts of unions in the sector, in particular the National Union of Mineworkers, and the active involvement of government led by the African National Congress, and in particular the Presidency and the Minister for Electricity and Energy, Dr. K. Ramokgopa, the leadership of Eskom and the affected companies.
Key to finding a sustainable long-term solution is to provide Eskom with the necessary support to plug its many financial holes, from corruption to wasteful expenditure, from cable theft to infrastructure vandalism, and most critically to ensuring that all Eskom and municipal electricity consumers are moved to pre-paid meters. This needs to include a comprehensive package of interventions to arrest the crisis of municipal debt owed to Eskom currently nearing R100 billion and increasing at an alarming rate of R20 billion per annum.
Eskom cannot be sustained or end its dependence upon unaffordable above inflation tariff hikes, unless all consumers pay for electricity consumed. Increased daily revenue will enable Eskom and municipalities to increase the allocation of free electricity to indigent households whilst continuing to ramp up maintenance programmes and investments in new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Whilst welcoming this job saving agreement it is sacrosanct that all parties honour their agreed obligations, in particular the companies’ commitment to suspend retrenchments proceedings. We cannot afford to see a single worker added to the already dangerously high unemployment rate of 42.4%.
We expect all parties to offer solutions and make compromises to ensure that the jobs of these workers are saved and the sustainability of this strategic industry as well as Eskom are ensured.
Key to unlocking the economy and achieving the 3% growth rate necessary to slashing unemployment, is an affordable electricity tariff regime. Working- and middle-class families too need to see the price of electricity become affordable once again. Lower prices will help workers take care of their families’ needs and see more money spent stimulating economic growth.
This is a matter that requires an urgent solution and prioritisation by the most senior leadership of government and industry.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
Pushing for gender transformative agenda in South East Asia
8 December, 2025
Women union leaders in South East Asia are advancing a gender-transformative agenda through legislative advocacy, social dialogue, and awareness campaigns. This commitment was further strengthened at the South East Asia regional forum of women toward gender-responsive actions and campaigns, held on 24–25 November in Jakarta, where twenty-five women union leaders from across the region pledged to conduct regular gender mapping, build alliances and networks with other trade unions, disseminate information on Convention 190 through study circles, and campaign to end digital violence against women and girls.
At country-levels, unions in the Philippines will continue its campaign for the passage of a House of Representative Bill to implement the Convention 190 in the Philippines. They continue to organize women and young workers at local unions and strengthen the youth and women committees at country-levels.
Indonesian women unionists will initiate social dialogues with stakeholders on a zero tolerance policy on violence and harassment. The Malaysia women’s committee will create posters and campaigns for the implementation of the anti-sexual harassment policy at workplace levels. Thailand’s women activists will integrate LGBTQI+ programs in workplace unions. Cambodia will hold a planning-meeting with members of the women’s committee.
Delegates from each country shared the achievements their unions have made in promoting gender equality, pushing for inclusive workplaces and stronger worker protections. Despite progress, participants also acknowledged persistent challenges rooted in structural barriers, cultural norms and capacity limitations.
IndustriALL South East Asia regional secretary, Ramon Certeza, said:
“Although women have achieved major milestones in promoting feminism and advocating for workplaces free from discrimination, harassment and violence, more sustained and transformative efforts are still needed. This forum plays an important role in translating the decisions and commitments of the 4th IndustriALL Congress into concrete regional actions.”
IndustriALL director of gender and white-collar workers, Armelle Seby, said:
“The recent IndustriALL Congress has adopted a comprehensive roadmap for gender equality (2025–2029) and a powerful feminist resolution. These initiatives will guide global efforts to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment, promote women’s leadership and ensure gender equality remains central to the global labour movement.”
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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