Taking COSATU Today Forward, 27 August 2025 #CosatuCC2025
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu scheduled to convene its ordinary 8th Central Committee in September 2025 #CosatuCC2025 #WorkerControl #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 August 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU presented its submission on the Tobacco and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill to Parliament
- SATO 2025 Solidarity Games Draw
- South Africa
Ø Message of Support to NEHAWU's Bargaining Conference (26-29 August 2025)
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Unions push for safer, organized artisanal gold mining in Zimbabwe
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
COSATU presented its submission on the Tobacco and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill to Parliament
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 26 August 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) presented its submission on the Tobacco and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee: Health.
The Federation welcomes this long overdue Bill as a critical tool in the campaign to reduce smoking and the exposure of non-smokers and young people to smoking. COSATU has engaged extensively on this progressive Bill at Nedlac and is pleased it is finally before Parliament.
Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer and a major contributor to the spread of tuberculosis in South Africa with an estimated 30 000 deaths and resultant costs to healthcare and the economy of more than R1 billion annually.
The Bill provides many progressive provisions including strengthening restrictions on smoking at work, in public places and private property to protect non-smokers, workers and children from secondhand smoke. Clauses restricting advertising and the display of tobacco products and their illegal sale to minors will be important boosts to discouraging youth and other persons from smoking. As will the introduction of plain packaging and graphic health warnings on tobacco and related products.
South Africa has made major strides since 1994 under government led by the African National Congress, in reducing the number of smokers, in particular young people. The tightening of legislation has been key to this progress. This is now under severe threat due to the explosion of the illicit trade in cigarettes, which retail on average at 25% of the price of legally sold products and is estimated to now occupy 70% of the market. This will not only collapse the legal industry and its jobs but also the sin tax regime that has played a key role in discouraging young people from smoking. Over R30 billion in tax revenue is believed to be lost annually.
Government efforts to tackle illicit trade in tobacco are painfully inadequate at best. It is beyond disappointing that the Department of Health has failed to exploit this Bill to further empower the state, in particular the South African Revenue Service and law enforcement to tackle this criminal pandemic by requiring the tracking and tracing of tobacco and related products. COSATU urges Parliament to insert bold provisions to ensure that the state is not only empowered but compelled to tackle these highly sophisticated and dangerous criminal syndicates.
Strengthening the Bill is critical, as is ensuring that officials of SARS, the South African Police Service, Hawks and State Security are trained and equipped to win this war. Parliament’s Finance, Health, Police and Intelligence Committees are urged to hold regular oversight hearings with these key state organs on their efforts to crack down on this illicit trade.
This is an industry with deep pockets and one that has not been shy to purchase dodgy politicians. This is not a war for the faint-hearted or one that can be won through feelings.
It requires a well-resourced and determined state.
Issued by COSATU
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SATO 2025 Solidarity Games Draw
12 August 2025
The MEC for Education in KwaZulu Natal, Sipho Hlomuka, MEC For Sports, Arts and Culture, Mtomuhle Khawula, SATU President Magope Maphila, SATO Secretary Agang Gabana, SATO President Mbongwa Dlamini and KZN SAFA President, Maxwi Mkhize did the draw for the 2025 SATO Solidarity Games (Team Codes) as follows:
BASKETBALL MALES:
Group A: Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa.
Group B: Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe
VOLLEYBALL FEMALES:
Group A: Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa
Group B: Lesotho,Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia
BASKETBALL FEMALES:
Group A: Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia
Group B: Botswana, Namibia and South Africa
VOLLEYBALL MALES:
Group A: Mozambique, Tanzania, Lesotho, South Africa and eSwatini.
Group B: Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe
NETBALL:
Group A: Tanzania, Zimbabwe, eSwatini, Lesotho
Group B: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia
FOOTBALL FEMALES:
Group A: Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania
Group B: Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa
FOOTBALL MALES:
Group A: Mozambique, Lesotho and Zambia
Group B, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe
Group C: Namibia, eSwatini and Tanzania
Message of Support to NEHAWU's Bargaining Conference (26-29 August 2025)
Solly Phetoe, COSATU General Secretary, Boksburg, 26-29 August 2025
Comrades, esteemed guests
I bring you warm greetings from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).
We are delighted to be part of this significant bargaining conference, and we commend NEHAWU for organizing this crucial event.
As workers, we understand the importance of collective bargaining in advancing our interests and improving our working conditions. We believe that this conference will provide a platform for meaningful discussions, strategic planning, and collective action to address the challenges facing workers in your sector.
Comrades, the World of Work is changing at an accelerated pace and this requires our collective effort including being agile, we must be ready to respond accordingly in defense of workers’ rights and gains and improve their working condition including eliminating Decent work deficit...
Here are some of the glaring changes in World of Work both in Public and Private Sectors
a) Precarious work has increased as permanent employment has decreased. Yet there is a low level of union organization amongst precarious workers.
b) The overwhelming majority of precarious workers are black women and youth
c) Traditionally labour law protections and benefits do not generally apply to precarious workers.
d) The system of male domination has a social and economic basis, characterized by racism and capitalist exploitation
e) Women only earn on average 70% of what men earn in South Africa
f) One in three women experience physical or sexual violence, most often from their partner or someone they know. Gender-based violence also occurs in the workplace and domestic violence affects work.
What must we do
a) We must increase our membership amongst precarious workers, -organizing and fighting for the rights of precarious workers is key for trade unions
b) We should use worker solidarity and collective worker strength to help deal with the precariousness of work and identify legal gaps that allow precarious work and casualization.
c) Gender and women’s issues are union issues and taking up issues that affect women may encourage more women to join unions
d) Collective bargaining is never gender-neutral. Bargaining can make a significant difference for women workers, by reducing the gender pay gap, combatting low pay, valuing women’s work, and addressing gender discrimination and safety in the workplace
e) The state and bargaining councils have been slow to implement equal wages for work of equal value including reducing income differentials and unfair discrimination. The principle of equal wages for work of equal value also applies to workers in precarious work.
f.) We should defend the rights of LGBTI+ workers & ensure they have equal access to benefits, uniforms, bathrooms, etc. and that recruiting and hiring policies and practices do not discriminate against LGBTI+ workers
g) ILO Convention 190 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work covers all workers, including informal economy workers, and as is now ratified, we must monitor its implementation and enforcement.
h) Parental rights are important for all workers to ensure that women are not discriminated against on the grounds of pregnancy and women and men can participate in all aspects of family and working life.
COSATU stands in solidarity with NEHAWU and its members, and we pledge our support for your efforts to negotiate better wages, improved working conditions, and enhanced benefits. We are confident that your collective efforts will yield positive outcomes and contribute to the growth and development of your sector.
We wish you fruitful deliberations and successful conference and set an agenda for the up-coming Bargaining Period.
Labour law amendments
Since 2022, government and business have launched the biggest attack on our hard-won labour rights since 1994. They want to make it easier to fire and retrench workers, exclude small businesses from labour laws, and weaken our power to embark on protest action. This is nothing less than an assault on the working class by capital and its allies in the state.
COSATU has fought back! Through our strength and struggle, we have made strides in defending and advancing workers’ rights. Through our many meetings in Nedlac:
- We stopped the neo-liberal assault to make it easier to retrench workers. We defeated government’s and business’s proposals to have a 2 year moratorium on section 189, to exempt small business from section 189 or having to pay retrenchment packages, and attempts to reduce consultation and the consultation period for section 189A. While we blocked the assault on our labour law, we also advanced workers’ interests - now, severance pay has increased to 2 weeks per year of service, and workers can challenge all aspects of retrenchments directly in the Labour Court.
- We blocked the exclusion of small businesses from labour laws. We blocked the neo-liberal assault which wanted separate special codes for small businesses and changes to labour law that would make it easier to fire workers in small businesses. We succeed – and ensured that all workers (whether in big or small businesses) must be protected!
- We protected the National Minimum Wage. Labour law is being amended to ensure that there are no more tricks to deduct bonuses and reduce the National Minimum Wage. Our struggle in Nedlac, and our victory, has protected the most vulnerable workers.
- We forced government to drop plans to seriously curtail our right to embark on protest action under Section 77. We have ensured that if socio-economic problems are not fully rectified, we can embark on protest action.
- Through our proposals that we took to Nedlac, we extended the definition of ‘employee’ to include dependent contractors. This means more workers can now join unions, engage in collective bargaining and strike. We also advanced the position of on-call workers.
But, comrades, the struggle is not over. Capital and government still want to:
- Make it easier to fire young workers with a 3-month qualifying period – Business had wanted a 12 month qualifying period and have not agreed to reduce this.
- Limit fair procedure in dismissals to being only giving an employee a fair opportunity to respond – which means that employees may not in fact respond or even be represented.
- Limit what counts as unfair labour practice.
- Provide for an inquiry by an arbitrator in a dismissal case – without written consent of the employee.
- Extend fixed-term contracts and labour broking.
There are serious assaults on our previously hard won gains and labour rights.
While we can celebrate our advances, we must continue to fight the ongoing assault. Our struggle is far from over and we say: No retreat! No surrender!
The working class must be united and militant. We must continue to fight hard for:
- Full protection for all workers, including those in small businesses and the gig economy.
- Stronger enforcement against bosses who steal wages and benefits.
- No weakening of existing labour law and workers’ rights.
- No limiting of what is currently defined as an unfair labour practice.
What next?
The proposed laws are now with the State Law Advisor. They will then be released for public comment likely before the end of 2025. They will then return to Nedlac for further engagements, before being tabled at Cabinet and then Parliament. Parliament too will hold public hearings in both Houses where we will further engage.
Engagements are taking place at Nedlac on amendments to the UIF and Compensation of Occupational Injuries and Diseases Funds where it is critical that we ensure that the UIF and Compensation Fund are overhauled and cleansed of corruption as well as to ensure that all workers, including atypical workers, are covered by these two Funds.
We cannot hope that the outstanding issues will be resolved in our favour in Parliament where the ANC lacks an outright majority and hence we are engaging the Minister for Employment and Labour to ensure we reach a full and progressive agreement on the full package before it gets to Parliament.
We must mobilize, educate, and organize workers to defend every gain and push for more. We must demand that all outstanding disputes are resolved before any law is passed. The bosses and their allies are united. They are strong but when we are united and militant, we are stronger.
We must resist attempts by neo-liberal forces and other Federations to confuse and divide labour. We must build our unity, advance our knowledge and understanding, sharpen our political consciousness, mobilise workers and other progressive forces and show our strength and determination. We must fight for a future where no worker is left behind, for the power of the working class and for socialism.
We should not be distracted by the attacks of some on COSATU, including SAFTU. Let us be honest comrades, we had more than 30 meetings on the labour laws at Nedlac.
SAFTU attended three and then disappeared leaving it to COSATU alone to stop the proposed weakening of our labour laws by the former Minister for Labour, to divide government from business and to secure key victories.
This is not new.
SAFTU rarely attends Nedlac negotiations, preferring to convene press conferences, claim false victories on the media and travel overseas. Our task is to do the work and ignore armchair populists. But when COSATU is attacked, we will defend the Federation without fear or favour.
Update on COSATU's Readiness to Host the Central Committee
As we gather here today, we are also preparing to host our Central Committee meeting in September. We can confirm that all logistical arrangements are Finalised, and we are confident that the meeting will be a success.
The Central Committee is a crucial platform for COSATU, where we asses implementation of previous national congress resolutions, discuss with a view of finding solutions to key issues affecting workers, make important decisions, and chart the way forward for our organization. We are committed to ensuring that this meeting is productive, inclusive, and action oriented.
We invite all comrades who will be delegates and stakeholders to participate actively in the Central Committee meeting and contribute to the discussions that will shape the future of our organization.
Update on COSATU's 40th Anniversary Celebrations
As we look ahead, we are also preparing to celebrate a significant milestone in COSATU's history – our 40th anniversary. This momentous occasion will take place on December 6, 2025, at Dobsonville Stadium in SOWETO. and we are working hard to ensure that it is a fitting tribute to our organization's legacy and contributions to the labour movement.
We hope that All members of NEHAWU will come in their numbers and be part of the celebration at the Stadium on the 6th December.
The 40th anniversary celebrations will be a time for reflection, celebration, and rededication. We will reflect on our achievements, challenges, and lessons learned over the past four decades. We will celebrate our resilience, solidarity, and collective strength. And we will rededicate ourselves to the principles of worker unity, social justice, and economic transformation.
We invite all comrades, stakeholders, and allies to join us in this momentous celebration and to share in the joy and spirit of this significant occasion.
International-Solidarity
Unions push for safer, organized artisanal gold mining in Zimbabwe
26 August, 2025
In Zimbabwe, where artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) accounts for over half of the country’s gold production, unions are stepping up to improve health, safety and organization for informal miners.
IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and the Zimbabwe Diamonds and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU), have committed to supporting these efforts.
Artisanal miners, who often rely on basic tools and minimal mechanization, face severe risks. Many lack proper personal protective equipment, exposing them to toxic substances like mercury, which harms lungs, skin and eyes while polluting the air, water and soil.
Poorly ventilated pits increase the risk of lung diseases like silicosis and pneumonia. Deep shafts, some reaching 40 meters, are prone to collapses and flooding, often resulting in injuries or deaths. Miners also lack adequate training on safety protocols, worsening these dangers.
On 20-21 August a delegation from IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional office, MUZ and ZDAMWU, visited artisanal mines in
Mazowe, at the former Mettalon-owned Jumbo Mine and in Penhalonga near Mutare. The delegation, which included Zambia’s Luapula Mineral Miners Association representing over 200 small-scale mines which has signed a memorandum of understanding with MUZ, observed
hazardous practices, such as miners descending shafts using ropes and communicating through plastic pipes. Further, women miners were processing gold using mercury with bare hands.
At a meeting in Mutare on August 22, artisanal miners requested financial support to mechanize operations and guidance on improving safety. Government officials, including representatives from the Office of the President and Cabinet, endorsed formalizing the
ASM sector, urging miners to organize and improve wages and conditions. The Ministry of Mines and Minerals said that it provides loans and information to registered miners, while the Ministry of Labour emphasized support for better working conditions, contracts
and wages. The National Social Security Authority highlighted its health and safety training programmes.
Other organizations, including the Centre for National Resources and Governance and the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions, also participated.
Union leaders stressed cooperation with ASM associations to improve safety and decent work.
George S. Mumba, MUZ general secretary said: “ASM associations must work with trade unions to improve working conditions and health and safety.”
“We are calling for a national plan on responsible mining practices and standards that include ASM,”
added Justice Chinhema, ZDAMWU general secretary.
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan regional secretary, Paule-France Ndessomin, said:
“We continue to call for the formalization of ASM as most unemployed youth are earning a living in informal mining and for
the protection of women who are exposed to hazardous chemicals and face gender-based violence and harassment.”
These efforts align with the International Labour Organization’s Recommendation 204 on the transition from informal to the formal economy and the African Mining Vision, which advocate for formalizing ASM. While Zambia has ratified International Labour Organization
Convention 176 on safety and health in mines, Zimbabwe is yet to do so.
The cooperation between MUZ, ZDAMWU and ASM associations is backed by Union to Union under IndustriALL’s Union Building Project, promoting cross-border learning and stronger organization for Zimbabwe’s artisanal miners.
Zimbabwe’s more than 500 000 ASM extract gold, lithium, diamonds and platinum group metals and other minerals that include chrome, cobalt, copper, iron ore, tin, and gemstones.
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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