Taking COSATU Today Forward, 16 July 2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #MandelaDay takes place this weekend… #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
16 July 2026
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
Organize at every workplace and demand respect for labour rights Now!
Defend Jobs Now!
Join COSATU NOW!
Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU General Secretary Input at the Just Energy Transition Workshop in partnership with the Institute for Economic Justice underway at Boksburg, Gauteng
- Employment and Labour Ministry to host Breakfast Sessions with key Stakeholders in Port St Johns
- South Africa-#ClassSolidarity!
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Government calls on South Africans to honour Mandela Month through service and active citizenship
International-Workers’ Solidarity! - In Argentina and across the Americas, unions push back against right-wing attacks
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics #ClassWar
SA Address to the 15th BRICS Trade Unions Forum, India 2026 by the Overall Coordinator of Organised Labour at NEDLAC, Gerald Twala
Gerald Twala, COSATU Deputy General Secretary, 15th July 2026
Our hosts of the 2026 BRICS Trade Union Forum in India,
Special Guests, particularly the Minister of Employment and Labour of India and your team,
Delegates from BRICS member states and trade unions,
Fellow delegates from SA and our continent, Africa as a whole,
Dear Comrades and friends,
It is our Honour and privilege to be invited to this historic moment, the 15th version of the BTUF hosted in this highly symbolic city of Hyderabad.
SA and India - shared history, legacy and struggle
The South African working class has a proud and deeply shared history, experiences and traditions with the Indian working class. Not only were we both colonized by the British, but we shared common trenches in our struggles for liberation and independence across the two continents. We were together part of the Tri-Continental movement, born in Bandung in 1955 that became the Global Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which became the main coordinator of the Global anti colonial movement.
Further, we together suffered amongst the biggest mineral resources extraction by the colonial regime, particularly gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. To that end, our strong and militant trade union traditions are a testimony of these deep-rooted struggles and legacies.
We are deeply anti-imperialist, deeply anti-capitalist, deeply anti sexism, deeply anti racism and deeply anti class oppression and exploitation. Today the world is living through a period of profound political and economic changes, with war as the main defining feature of imperialism and capitalism.
We reject war imperialism and call for end to all conflicts for Peace, justice and development
The war is a result of the desperation by forces of the old order resisting transformation of global power to include the global south in the architecture of the global power system.
Africa, Asia and Latin America can no longer be spectators on matters of global decision making and allocation of global resources. This is the crux of the matter, hence the foundational basis of the birth of BRICS, the struggle for a balanced, just, inclusive and equitable world order. The post second world order has become dormant and unable to resolve the most pressing matters facing humanity and our planet.
From rampant environmental destruction to vicious looting of our natural resources, to huge concentration of resources in the hands of a few to the exclusion of billions of hungry people all over the world, these can no longer be ignored.
SA and the profound processes of change
In our own country, South Africa, we are living through a profound process of change. We are transforming our economy and society from apartheid concentration to democratic participation by all the people, workers and women in particular. But we are meeting fierce resistance from the privileged and racist forces that have constituted themselves into what is now known as the SA MAGA (Make Apartheid Great Again) movement. These are the most racist and sexist forces opposed to transformation and have found resonance with the US racist establishment led by THE US MAGA movement of President Trump.
We are determined to push through a new phase of social justice, equality and democratic ownership of our means production. From land redistribution to a just national health insurance and equal access to education for all our people.
This includes fighting for Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Employment Equity to address the racist, sexist and untransformed economy..
The SA labour market is still skewed in favour of white males, and assigning the black majority into a second tier sphere of cheap, unprotected and unskilled jobs. This reproduces inequalities and poverty.
Further continue to play our key role in advancing international solidarity with all oppressed people, particularly the people of Palestine and most of our own continent, including Sudan and the DRC. The apartheid state of Israel poses the biggest threat to global peace and security and the crimes of genocide cannot be ignored by peace loving humanity.
The biggest issue we face on our own continent is underdevelopment and lack of Industrialisation and jobs. This means we ship out our raw material for processing outside our continent and get back finished products at exorbitant rates. This is not sustainable and developmental for our people. We seek to process our natural resources on our own continent. We are as eager to develop our value chains under the auspices of the ACFTA, as we are to ensure decent work, workers’ rights and inclusive growth for all. This is an imperative of our development trajectory.
We continue to defend jobs, fight retrenchments and ensure a state capable of driving incisive development for our people. Youth unemployment and inadequate skills are amongst the biggest threats to our country's stability and progress.
Tasks of the 15th BRICS Trade Unions Forum
We reaffirm the commitments made by previous BRICS Trade Union Forums, including the 2023 Declaration in the city of Ethekwini in SA, the Russian Declaration and the Brazilian declaration, as we look forward to concrete outcomes of this important Summit to finalise the new declaration and new tasks.
We are hoping that next year's BRICS in China, to be followed by the SA version the following year shall mark a qualitative change in the work, focus and strategic role of this important forum.
We once again, reiterate that we welcome our new members and partners of the BRICS family. The growth of BRICS is a milestone in the growth of a new multipolar world, marked by diversity and inclusive models of human existence.
Africa is ready to play its part in ensuring that the new world is indeed inclusive and just for all humanity.
On behalf of the SA delegation we extend our sincere appreciation to our hosts for the excellent Organising of this historic event and affirm its success as part of taking forward the spirit and aims of BRICS and the Trade Union Forum as locomotives of the futures we are together building.
The idea of a BRICS Trade Union International Solidarity and Development Fund, still remains as important as when it was proposed to exchange ideas, share experiences and build bridges of equitable resource sharing and build innovation hubs.
In the same way we call for the further strengthening of the BRICS Trade Union Forum Research and Policy Centre to enhance joint research and policy development on matters of key interest between our countries and unions.
Finally, we reaffirm our shared commitment for a better coordination mechanism in the ILO and in key global platforms for the workers and people OF the BRICS family.
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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
Government
calls on South Africans to honour Mandela Month through service and active citizenship
15
Jul 2026
Mandela
Month provides every South African with an opportunity to honour the life and legacy of former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela through service to others and by helping to build stronger, more caring communities.
Observed annually on the 17th of July, Nelson Mandela International Day was proclaimed by the United Nations in 2009 in recognition of Madiba's lifelong commitment to peace, justice, human rights and freedom. It reminds people across the world that everyone
has the power to make a meaningful difference through simple acts of service.
This year's Nelson Mandela International Day is observed under the theme: "It's still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity." The theme speaks directly to one of South Africa's greatest challenges.
While democracy has transformed the lives of millions since 1994, too many people continue to experience poverty, unemployment, hunger and unequal access to opportunities.
Addressing these challenges requires a collective effort from government, business, civil society and every citizen.
In South Africa, the legacy of former President Nelson Mandela extends beyond a single day of volunteerism. Mandela Month encourages all South Africans to embrace a lasting commitment to kindness, service and active citizenship throughout the year.
Former President Nelson Mandela captured this responsibility when he said: "Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings." His words remind us that lasting change begins
when ordinary people choose to act.
During Mandela Month and on Mandela Day, government leaders will conduct a series of service delivery initiatives aimed at meeting the basic needs of this country’s citizens.
Among the host of activities to be undertaken, government, through the Department of Water and Sanitation will launch the National Water Access Acceleration Programme on Mandela Day. The programme aims to expand access to safe and reliable water services for
communities that remain unserved or underserved, while accelerating service delivery through practical, sustainable and fit-for-purpose solutions.
A key milestone of the programme will be the launch of 67 borehole interventions across the country, symbolising the 67 years that Madiba dedicated to serving humankind.
The initial rollout will focus on rural communities served by the Babanango Community Water Supply Scheme in KwaZulu-Natal and the Mncwasa Water Supply Scheme in the Eastern Cape. The programme will also include the commissioning of the 50 megalitre-per-day
Klipdrift Package Water Treatment Plant in Hammanskraal, Gauteng.
These projects will provide much-needed access to safe drinking water, while demonstrating that Mandela Day is also about making lasting investments that improve people's lives and restore dignity to communities.
Government remains committed to improving the lives of all South Africans through expanded access to healthcare, education, housing, social protection, clean water, electricity and other essential services. Continued investment in education, healthcare, science,
innovation and inclusive economic growth is creating opportunities and improving the quality of life for current and future generations.
Government encourages every South African to participate in these initiatives and to extend a helping hand wherever it is needed.
As we commemorate Mandela Month, let us renew our commitment to building a South Africa defined by the spirit of ubuntu and continue the legacy of Nelson Mandela.
Together, let us build the South Africa that Nelson Mandela envisioned.
Enquiries:
Nomonde Mnukwa
Acting Government Spokesperson
Cell: 083 653 7485
William Baloyi
Deputy Government Spokesperson
Cell: 083 390 7147
Issued by Government Communications
International-Solidarity
In Argentina and across the Americas, unions push back against right-wing attacks
14 July 2026
Two weeks ago, UNI General Secretary Christy Hoffman was in Buenos Aires for the congress of La Bancaria, the union that represents the country’s bank workers.
The gathering was a celebration of more than 100 years of the union’s activism and advocacy for financial employees in Argentina. In addition to the advances in collective bargaining and representation, it highlighted the thousands of workers the union trains
to keep up with new technology, and the union’s own commission that is tackling artificial intelligence’s impact on work.
During the congress, participants also honoured the union’s members who were “disappeared” under the country’s brutal dictatorship during the 1970s and 1980s, adding seven more names to its commemoration board this year.
The testimony from La Bancaria members and leaders underscored why Argentina has such a strong trade union movement. Its unions are a central part of civil society and provide a broad range of services.
And that is exactly the model that far-right Argentine President Milei is trying to eliminate. After the congress, Hoffman and Americas Regional Secretary Marcio Monzane met with every UNI affiliate in the country. They heard how Milei’s government has been
going after unions, above all by cutting off the resources they depend on.
As Hoffman said, he should know he is up against “a big and united target that will not be defeated.”
Argentina is not a one-off. Right-wing governments have been winning elections across the Americas, and a lot of them are doing the same things once they are in office.
Governments use the notion of an economic emergency to push reforms through by decree, skipping proper debate and any real consultation. They point to new technology and AI as a reason to roll back labour market regulations. And they go after whatever gives
workers strength in numbers.
Labour laws in Brazil, passed under Bolsonaro, and Argentina are undermining unions’ ability to get the resources they need. Chile has made striking far harder by demanding excessive minimum service. Ecuador and Peru now confine demonstrations to designated
“low-impact” areas, and Trinidad and Tobago has restricted where protests can happen and kept them away from public institutions. In Panama and El Salvador, union leaders have been prosecuted and jailed.
But unions are pushing back.
“In Argentina, unions are not taking any of this lying down. This was clear at La Bancaria congress, and in every interaction we had with affiliates there,” said Hoffman. “They are organized, united and will not be intimidated. It is the same strength unions
across the region are drawing on now. Milei and governments like his have picked a fight with a movement that has no intention of losing it, and the global union movement will be with them every step of the way.”
______________________________
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