Taking COSATU Today Forward, 20 August 2025 #CosatuCC2025
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu scheduled to convene its ordinary 8th Central Committee next month, September in Johannesburg #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
20 August 2025
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media Alert: National Minimum Wage (NMW) Commission invites written representations for consideration to 2026 wage adjustment.
- South Africa
- COSATU saddened by the demise of Mango Airlines
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- IndustriALL and ASOS renew global agreement to strengthen workers’ rights
- ITUC Condemns Escalating Attacks on UGTT and Tunisian Democracy
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Media Alert: National Minimum Wage (NMW) Commission invites written representations for consideration to 2026 wage adjustment.
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) Commission is inviting all interested parties or stakeholders to make written submission for possible adjustments to the NMW for 2026.
The NMW Commission said it will publish its annual report and recommendations concerning possible adjustment to the National Minimum Wage to the Minister of Employment and Labour later in 2025, in accordance with Section 6(2) of the NMW Act, No. 9 of 2018.
NMW Chairperson Imraan Valodia encourages interested parties to have their say in the possible adjustment.
The National Minimum Wage is the lowest remuneration rate that employers are obligated and legally permitted to pay their employees for each ordinary hour worked. It is illegal for employers to pay their employees less than the minimum threshold. The NMW was first introduced for implementation in South Africa in 2019.
The minimum wage is currently fixed at R28,79 for each ordinary hour worked. The current rate was announced in February 2025 by Minister of the Department of Employment and Labour, Ms. Nomakhosazana Meth.
The Commission is responsible for annually reviewing and recommending adjustments to the national minimum wage. It also investigates and reports annually to the Minister on the impact of the national minimum wage on the economy, collective bargaining, and income differentials, making this information available to the public.
Representations should reach the directorate: Employment Standards, Department of Employment and Labour, Private Bag X117, Pretoria, 0001 or be sent to nmwr...@labour.gov.za by 18 September 2025.
In addition to making representations on NMW the Commission is appealing to interested parties to complete a survey questionnaire on the link: https://forms.office.com/r/jXFtcZag90?origin=1prLink and the link can also be accessed on the Department of Employment and Labour’s website and social media pages.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694/ teboho....@labour.gov.za
COSATU saddened by the demise of Mango Airlines
Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson, 19 August 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is saddened by news that Mango Airlines will be wound down and will never take to the skies again.
Prior to Covid-19, Mango was the star performer in the SAA stable, even outdoing its parent company.
However, in July 2021, the orange-branded low-cost carrier was grounded due to mounting debt and withdrawal of financial support from government. It was subsequently placed under business rescue, and now four years later, it will not be getting off the ground again.
As recently as June, business rescue practitioner (BRP) Sipho Sono is reported to have said Ubuntu Air Services was waiting in the wings to take over the airline, but now the consortium has walked away from the deal.
Most disheartening is the 501 retrenched workers, who will never get their jobs back. The pain of losing this many jobs is made worse because Sono is the BRP. While it might appear unfair to blame Sono for the failed rescue, the truth is he has had four years in which to give Mango a new lease on life.
He maintains that a structured wind down will ensure creditors get more out of a rand than a liquidation would, meantime he is smiling all the way to the bank having earned a cool R11 million from the unsuccessful rescue of Mango.
Granted, COSATU’s perception of Sono is coloured by previous interactions.
Two weeks ago, attorneys representing the Registrar of Labour Relations appeared before the Labour Court, in a final effort to remove Sono as the administrator of COSATU-affiliated union - Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union (CEPPWAWU).
CEPPWAWU was placed under administration in June 2020. After the initial administrator was removed, Sono was brought in as interim administrator for six months before eventually being appointed.
The court ordered him to appoint a reputable facilitator to convene Congresses as per the union’s constitution.
The said Congresses were to be concluded by September 2023, after which Sono would handover management and control of the union to the newly appointed leaders, when his term expired on 12 December 2023. However, Sono is still at CEPPWAWU, drawing exorbitant fees, and refusing to leave even though union members, former leaders and employees want him gone.
Judgement has been reserved in the case seeking the removal of Sono as CEPPWAWU administrator. In an economy growing at a meagre 1%, with a 42.9% unemployment rate, it is sad to note that Mango’s fate has been sealed.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
IndustriALL and ASOS renew global agreement to strengthen workers’ rights
19 August, 2025
IndustriALL Global Union and global fashion destination ASOS have renewed their global framework agreement (GFA), reinforcing their mutual commitment to workers’ rights, trade union access, and responsible supply chain practices.
ASOS has remained the only ecommerce brand to hold a GFA with IndustriALL since signing its previous GFA in 2017.
The new agreement reaffirms ASOS’s and IndustriALL’s commitment to work together to tackle human rights challenges and support workers. Under the new agreement, IndustriALL and ASOS will jointly develop a binding dispute resolution mechanism to handle worker grievances regarding violation of freedom of association and right to collective bargaining.
IndustriALL and ASOS will also implement a joint training programme for key suppliers, ensuring they understand and meet their responsibilities to uphold workers’ rights. This will help to create an enabling environment for workers and build sustainable internal dialogue in factories.
Says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie:
“The renewed global framework agreement reflects years of joint work and shows that lasting change comes from strong implementation and monitoring, not voluntary pledges. It demonstrates a sustainable approach to labour rights, ensuring that trade unions can represent workers effectively and that their voices are heard on the ground in supplier factories.”
José Antonio Ramos, CEO, ASOS, says:
“Renewing our global framework agreement with IndustriALL was one of the first commitments we set ourselves when we relaunched our updated Fashion with Integrity sustainability strategy last year. In the eight years since we signed our original agreement, our relationship with IndustriALL has helped us to improve resilience in our supply chain, mitigate human rights risks, and deliver positive long-term change for the people who make our clothes. Our new agreement will strengthen our relationship and will be vital in driving further improvements for ASOS and for workers in our supply chain.”
The renewed agreement covers all core International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, including Convention 190 on violence and harassment, reinforcing commitments to workers’ rights, trade union access and responsible supply chain practices.
Health and safety remain a central focus, with ongoing monitoring and due diligence to ensure commitments are met. Both parties emphasise that voluntary initiatives alone are insufficient, and that robust implementation, monitoring and enforcement are essential to safeguarding workers’ voices across ASOS’ supply chain.
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ITUC Condemns Escalating Attacks on UGTT and Tunisian Democracy
19 August 2025
The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) is today facing an orchestrated political campaign aimed at weakening it and excluding it from its historic role as a defender of workers’ economic and social rights, and as a steadfast advocate for freedoms and democracy in Tunisia.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) strongly condemns the recent attack by groups outside the UGTT headquarters, which included open calls for the union’s dissolution . This alarming incident represents an unprecedented deterioration in the climate for freedoms and democracy in Tunisia.
This is not an isolated event but part of a continuing pattern of violations against UGTT members over the past three years, including judicial prosecutions, arbitrary transfers, the suspension of collective bargaining, the refusal of social dialogue, and the unilateral amendment of labour laws.
Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the ITUC, said: “The UGTT has always stood at the heart of Tunisia’s democratic and social achievements. Any attempt to weaken or silence it is an attack not only on workers but on democracy itself. The ITUC stands in full solidarity with the UGTT and will mobilise our global movement to ensure that trade union freedoms in Tunisia are defended and respected. We call on the Tunisian government to immediately put an end to these attacks and to return to genuine social dialogue.”
The ITUC stresses that trade union freedoms are a cornerstone of democracy. Any attempt to weaken or silence the UGTT is a direct attack on Tunisia’s democratic experience itself, which has long been a beacon of hope for people across the region. Defending the UGTT means defending independent civil society and safeguarding Tunisia’s democratic path.
Despite these pressures, the ITUC salutes the courage and determination of UGTT members and leaders, who have responded with resilience and responsibility, remaining committed to peaceful struggle and respect for constitutional legitimacy. Their call for a national trade union march on 21 August is a powerful message of unity against attempts at domination and exclusion.
This march is not only a national act of protest but also a global trade union call for democracy and freedom of association. It reflects the wider struggle against authoritarianism, populism, and the global rollback of democratic and trade union rights.
Accordingly, the ITUC:
Holds the Tunisian government fully responsible for undermining trade union freedoms and threatening the foundations of democracy.
Demands an immediate return to genuine social dialogue as the only path to stability and the preservation of Tunisia’s democratic transition.
Reminds Tunisia of its international obligations under ILO conventions guaranteeing freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.
Calls on all member organisations worldwide to intensify solidarity actions—political, media, and grassroots—with the UGTT in every national and international forum.
An attack on the UGTT is an attack on the global trade union movement and on democracy itself. We remain united and determined in the face of any attempt to silence the voice of workers.
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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