Taking COSATU Today Forward, 15 July 2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #Cosatu holds a National #JustEnergyTransition workshop on localisation, decent work, gender equity… #NationaActionAgainstCostOfLiving Campaign continues… #ClassWar #Cosatu40 #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
15 July 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU calls for Venetia Mine jobs
- South Africa-#ClassSolidarity!
- COSATU notes the suspension of the PIC's CEO, Mr. Patrick Dlamini
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Research, solidarity, and union action: ResNet charts a path to strengthen the status of the teaching profession
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics #ClassWar
COSATU calls for Venetia Mine jobs
Zanele Sabela, COSATU Spokesperson, 14 July 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) joins its militant affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), as it condemns the decision of De Beers to halt production for two years at Venetia Mine in Limpopo, and issue a Section 189A notice threatening the livelihoods of 1214 workers.
NUM is fuming at De Beers’ portrayal of the decision to pause production as a sudden and unavoidable crisis, when the company has long been aware of the challenges facing the diamond industry including depressed prices and rising demand for synthetic diamonds.
De Beers claims the move to pause production is part of a wider effort to cut costs and reassess capital expenditure amid a global slump in the diamond industry. But NUM is adamant that workers cannot be treated as expandable and discarded whenever companies face economic pressures.
Section 189A of the Labour Relations Act compels employers to genuinely engage in consultations to find alternatives to job losses and not merely resort to retrenchment.
COSATU reiterates the alternatives NUM has put forward for consideration including retraining and upskilling workers, decreasing non-essential expenses along with a comprehensive review of executive and management costs.
South Africa’s unemployment rate is already dangerously high at 43.7%, we therefore cannot afford to lose a single job. Moreover, the unemployment rate in Limpopo is even higher than the national rate at 47%. Worryingly, the impact of the halted production will extend beyond workers and their families and will also harm the economy of Musina and surrounding areas.
COSATU amplifies NUM’s call for all stakeholders including including the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Department of Employment and Labour, De Beers, other sector trade unions to engage with NUM to devise means to save jobs and mitigate the economic damage that will be caused by this decision.
Issued by COSATU
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26th Commission for Employment Equity Report (CEE) Annual Report 2025/26
https://www.labour.gov.za/.../2026/26th%20CEE%20Report.pdf
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU notes the suspension of the PIC's CEO, Mr. Patrick Dlamini
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 14 July 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) notes the suspension of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC)’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Patrick Dlamini. We appreciate that this is not a finding of guilt but rather to allow investigations into sensitive matters of governance and financial conduct to take place in an appropriate manner.
Whilst we can never welcome allegations of corruption, we appreciate the PIC acting to address matters of great concern to millions of workers and pensioners. We would not want a return to the dark days of state capture where such serious matters would have been swept under the carpet.
The Federation is deeply concerned by serious allegations of misconduct, possibly criminal, surrounding some investment(s) at the PIC. It is sacrosanct that all parties appreciate that the PIC’s funds are workers’ hard-earned pension, unemployment and workplace injuries and diseases insurance funds. They are not the private property of any PIC official nor the slush fund for politicians, tenderpreneurs or their families.
We view the allegations and counter allegations in a very serious light. It is critical that the PIC Board’s be provided the necessary space to investigate these allegations and where any persons are found wanting, to hold the accused accountable to the full might of the law, and to enlist the assistance of the relevant law enforcement authorities as needed.
For far too long the PIC was treated like a private piggy bank by many dodgy elements in the state, political and business circles, at the expense of the ordinary workers and pensioners to whom these monies belong.
We have been encouraged, by the positive strides that have been made over the past few years at the PIC to clean up the rot and introduce a sense of transparency and accountability. Many of the Judge Lex Mpati Commission of Enquiry’s recommendations have been actioned. Some, including the recent amendments to the PIC Act, need further work to ensure their full implementation. Nonetheless there has been substantial progress from the days when a former CEO of the PIC had a blank cheque to sign unlisted and listed investments of up to R3 billion and R10 billion respectively without seeking board approval!
The PIC has done very well to grow its asset base from R1.8 trillion at the peak of COVID-19 to over R3.5 trillion today. It is critical that these funds which belong to workers, be used at all times to enable pensioners to retire in comfort, to provide relief to workers who lose their jobs, go on maternity or parental leave, or are afflicted by a workplace injury, disease or death.
Given the weak state of South Africa’s economy and our dangerously high unemployment rate of 43.7%, it is equally important that these funds be invested in a manner that stimulates South Africa’s inclusive economic and industrial growth, creates decent jobs, invests in critical economic infrastructure, and helps create a better life for the working class.
The days of dubious investments and unaccountability must end.
COSATU will be seeking an urgent engagement with the PIC Board on these pressing matters for workers. The Federation will remain vigilant against those who seek to undermine efforts to clean up the PIC.
We urge all parties to allow space for the Board to exercise its fiduciary obligations in full and without fear or favour.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
Research, solidarity, and union action: ResNet charts a path to strengthen the status of the teaching profession
15 July 2026
Teacher pay, child labour, climate action in education, and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence were among the key issues discussed as members of Education International’s Research Network (ResNet) met to examine the challenges facing
educators worldwide and identify strategies for strengthening the status of the teaching profession.
Bringing together researchers and union leaders from across the globe, the 19th meeting of ResNet reaffirmed the critical role of evidence-based research in supporting educators’ rights, influencing public policy, and strengthening union advocacy for quality
public education.
Research in the service of educators and their unions
Opening the meeting, Education International (EI) Deputy General Secretary Cassandra Hallett stressed that independent, rigorous research is essential to advancing policies that improve the working and learning conditions of educators and students alike.
“As a global community of education researchers, we come together to share what we know and to learn from each other about effective research on behalf of members that influences public opinion and government policy,” she said.
Hallett also underscored the importance of research at a time when evidence and expertise are increasingly challenged in public debate.
She noted that ResNet provides a vital global forum where researchers and education unions can exchange knowledge, strengthen collective advocacy, and ensure that research remains rooted in the lived realities of educators and education support personnel.
The meeting was moderated by Stacey Pelika, Director of Research at the National Education Association (NEA) in the United States and Chair of the EI Research Institute.
“Those of us who are doing research are doing it not out of ideology, but out of wanting to understand what is happening and inform where we go,” Pelika said.
Highlighting the link between research and advocacy, she added: “We need the data so we can continue to argue about the policy.”
Global research reveals a profession under pressure
A central focus of the meeting was the latest findings from EI’s Global Status of Teachers research, presented by Professors Greg Thompson and Ben Arnold.
The research paints a concerning picture: while teachers are widely recognised as playing a fundamental role in society, that recognition is not reflected in public policy, funding decisions, or working conditions.
“There was a sense that teachers have a key role to play in society, but the actual status accorded to the profession wasn't reflected in that sense of importance,” Arnold explained.
Across many countries, education continues to be treated as an area for budget cuts rather than a public good worthy of sustained investment. Participants noted that austerity policies, chronic underfunding, inadequate salaries, staff shortages, and excessive
workloads continue to erode the attractiveness of the profession and contribute to the global teacher shortage.
The findings reinforced a message that education unions have highlighted for years: teaching is highly skilled professional work, requiring deep expertise, intellectual labour, emotional commitment, and strong relationships with students and communities. Yet
too often educators are denied the professional respect, trust, autonomy, and resources they need.
AI and technology must support—not replace—educators
Participants also examined the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence in education.
While digital tools can support teaching and learning, concerns were raised that governments and private actors are increasingly presenting AI as a substitute for professional educational work rather than a tool to assist educators.
The discussion highlighted how promises of efficiency can mask cost-cutting agendas that devalue professional expertise. In practice, educators frequently find themselves correcting errors, adapting AI-generated content, and managing new responsibilities created
by technological systems.
Participants warned that technology must not be used to deepen the de-professionalisation of teaching. Instead, educators and their unions must have a decisive role in shaping how AI is developed, regulated, and used in schools.
As Thompson emphasised, unions must continue to pursue advocacy strategies that address educational change from multiple angles.
“It is about trying to make decisions that are strategic around what is the advocacy work that we need to do around the broad sweep of educational change, knowing that some of it has to be industrial, some of it has to be social, some of it is always local
and contextual,” he said.
Arnold added that discussions about workload alone risk overlooking the broader nature of educators’ work.
“Professional work is really the key question. When the question gets bogged down in workload, we ignore that there is a huge emotional nature to the work. There is a real cognitive and intellectual element of the work. What is human? What is professional work?
What do we advocate for?”
EI research advancing social justice and public education
The meeting also highlighted the breadth of Education International’s research agenda and its contribution to union action around the world.
Martin Henry, Research, Policy, and Advocacy Coordinator at Education International, took the opportunity to highlight EI-led research on diverse issues. Some of these research topics are technical and vocational education and training (TVET) , teacher pay
and remuneration, child labour, greening education, LGBTI, and regional European and African research. Additionally, Teacher-led Learning Circles for Formative Assessment
(T3LFA) leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and collective bargaining, AI and education technology, the ISTP briefing, the autonomy of educators and school leadership, and gender, especially in regards to Arab education unions and restrictive backlash,
were other important, highlighted works.
Participants also explored EI’s work on teacher-led professional development, collective bargaining in the context of AI, and the growing influence of education technology on education systems.
Together, these projects demonstrate how research can strengthen unions’ capacity to defend public education, advance equity and inclusion, and ensure that educators' voices are central to policy discussions.
Building union power through evidence and collective action
A strong conclusion emerged from the discussions: improving the status of the teaching profession requires strengthening educators’ collective voice and ensuring that unions are fully engaged in decision-making at every level.
Participants agreed that research is most powerful when it supports organising, collective bargaining, and advocacy. By documenting educators’ experiences and exposing the realities of underfunding, excessive workloads, low pay, discrimination, and privatisation,
research helps unions build the evidence needed to win change.
The 19th ResNet meeting demonstrated that research is not an academic exercise detached from the workplace. It is a tool for building union power, advancing professional rights, and defending quality, inclusive public education.
By bringing together researchers and trade unionists from around the world, ResNet continues to strengthen the collective capacity of education unions to shape the future of education—one grounded in evidence, solidarity, professional respect, and the voices
of educators themselves.
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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