The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the largest of the country's three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions.One Union expelled, and seven Unions voluntarily suspended their participation in COSATU

History

On 30 Nov 1985, 33 unions met at the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...

for talks on forming a federation of trade unions. This followed four years of unity talks between competing unions and federations that were opposed to

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

and were "committed to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa." COSATU was officially established on 1 December 1985. Among the founding unions were the affiliates of the

Federation of South African Trade Unions The Federation of South African Trade Unions (FOSATU) was a trade union federation in South Africa. History The federation was formed at a congress over the weekend of 14–15 April 1979 in Hammanskraal and officially launched five days l ...

(FOSATU), the small National Federation of Workers, and some independent unions, notably the National Union of Mineworkers.

Elijah Barayi Elijah Barayi (15 June 1930 – 24 January 1994) was a South African trade union leader. Born in Cradock, Barayi hoped to study at the Fort Hare University, but his family were unable to afford tuition, so he instead became a clerk at the D ...

was the organisation's first president and

Jay Naidoo Jayaseelan "Jay" Naidoo (born in 1954) is a South African politician and businessman who served as the founding general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) from 1985 to 1993. He then served as Minister responsible for t ...

the first general secretary. Several resolutions were passed at this first meeting that defined the aim of the federation and how the federation operates, namely: * To establish one union for each industry within six months. * To focus on the exploitation of women workers. * To call for the lifting of the state of emergency, withdrawal of troops from the townships and release of all political prisoners. * To continue the call for international pressure, including disinvestment. * To demand for the right to strike and picket. * To determine a national minimum wage. * To extend the struggle for trade union rights in the homelands. The COSATU congress decided in 2012 to affiliate with the class-struggle oriented

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation o ...

, while maintaining its membership within the

International Trade Union Confederation The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation w ...

. During the 2016 congress that was held in Durban, Michael Mzwandile Makwayiba, president of COSATU affiliate NEHAWU Michael Mzwandile Makwayiba was elected President of the World Federation of Trade Unions. On 5–6 May 1987 a strike as part of COSATU's Living Wage Campaign was held coinciding with 1987 General Election. More than 2.5 million workers took part in the stay-away. On 7 May 1987, in the early hours of the morning two bombs exploded near the support columns in the basement of the federation headquarters, COSATU House. The resulting damage caused the building to be declared unsafe.

Fight against Apartheid

At the second national congress held from 14 to 18 July 1987, the

Freedom Charter The Freedom Charter was the statement of core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies: the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats ...

was adopted by the federation after the resolution was proposed by the National Union of Mineworkers At the third congress held from 12 to 16 July 1989, a resolution was adopted that called on the members of COSATU to join a campaign of "sustained action" against apartheid, in the week leading up to the 1989 General Election of South Africa. On 26 July 1989, COSATU, the United Democratic Front and the

Mass Democratic Movement The United Democratic Front (UDF) was a South African popular front that existed from 1983 to 1991. The UDF comprised more than 400 public organizations including trade unions, students' unions, women's and parachurch organizations. The UDF ...

, instigated the National Defiance Campaign, in which facilities reserved for whites were invaded, and organisation that had been banned by the state declared themselves 'unbanned'.

Affiliates

Current affiliates

The following unions were listed by COSATU as their affiliates:

Former affiliates

Expulsion of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa

On 8 November 2014, Irvin Jim, the general secretary of the largest COSATU affiliate, the

National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is the biggest single trade union in South Africa with more than 338,000 members, and prior to its expulsion on 8 November 2014, the largest affiliate of the Congress of South African T ...

(NUMSA), announced that the union had been expelled from the COSATU after a vote at a special central executive committee had been convened resulting in a 33–24 vote in favour of the expulsion. NUMSA was charged with violating the constitution of COSATU On 6 November 2014, an urgent legal application by NUMSA to prevent the special central executive committee from being convened was postponed by South Gauteng High Court, thus allowing the meeting to take place. On 10 November 2014, 7 unions announced they were voluntarily suspending their participation in COSATU's decision-making bodies due to the expulsion of NUMSA and called for a special national congress to be convened. Irvin Jim described the expulsion as "a dark day for workers".

Government

COSATU is part of an alliance with the

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

and the

South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing Na ...

, called the ''Tripartite Alliance''. COSATU's role in the alliance has been the subject of debate, since the organisation has been critical of some of the ANC government's policies. While some affiliates have argued for greater independence from the ruling political party, others have argued that the arrangement gives COSATU a political influence beneficial to its members."

Labour and social movements

South Africa has one of the largest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world, with a 2005 estimate of 5.5-million people living with HIV – 12.4% of the population. In 2020, around 20.6-million people in eastern and southern Africa were living with HIV. The trade union movement has taken a role in combating this pandemic. COSATU is a key partner in the

Treatment Action Campaign The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is a South African HIV/AIDS activist organisation which was co-founded by the HIV-positive activist Zackie Achmat in 1998. TAC is rooted in the experiences, direct action tactics and anti-apartheid backgrou ...

(TAC), a registered charity and political force working to educate and promote understanding about HIV/AIDS, and to prevent new infections, as well as push for greater access to

antiretrovirals The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multipl ...

. In 1998, COSATU passed a resolution to campaign for treatment. "It was clear to the labour movement at that time that its lowest paid members were dying because they couldn’t afford medicines", says Theodora Steel, Campaigns Coordinator at COSATU. "We saw TAC as a natural ally in a campaign for treatment. We passed a formal resolution at our congress to assist and build TAC. Notwithstanding the formal alliance of COSATU with the ruling ANC party, it has been at odds with the government, calling for the roll-out of comprehensive public access to antiretroviral drugs.

Abahlali baseMjondolo Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM, , in English: "the residents of the shacks") is a socialist shack dwellers' movement in South Africa which organises land occupations, builds communes

offered a strong statement of support to the 2010 Public Sector Worker's strike.

Logo

The wheel in the logo represents the economy. The gold colour of the wheel represents the wealth of the country. The figures pushing the wheel, consisting of two men and a woman carrying a baby, represent the challenges that workers face namely, racial and gender oppression as well as economic exploitation. These figures are black as they represent the black majorities struggle against racial oppression. The figures are holding a red flag that represents the working class. The slogan on the logo is "An injury to one is an injury to all" signifies the vision the union has of social solidarity that binds the working class.

Zimbabwe

In October 2004 and February 2005 COSATU sent delegations to

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

to judge conditions in that country before the 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections. They were expelled from the country on both occasions. COSATU has arranged protests and border blockades against the regime in

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

. In 2016, COSATU voiced support for #ThisFlag protestors in Zimbabwe, stating "heavy-handedness of the Zanu-PF regime in dealing with perceived enemies was similar to that of Operation Restore Order/Murambatsvina in 2005."

Palestine activism

In 2020 COSATU voiced their solidarity with Palestinian peoples on 15 May (Nakba Day) and have linked the Palestinian right to land to COSATU's struggle against apartheid in South Africa. In 2021 Palestinians protested against an Israeli court ruling which stated that residents of Sheik Jarrah need to be evicted from their homes in Jerusalem. Israeli troops attacked

Al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situate ...

during Ramadan, a holy month for many Palestinians. COSATU marched to th
US Embassy in Sandton, Johannesburg
as a show of support for Palestinians, stating that the US government needs to recognize the sovereignty of Palestine as well as the gross human rights violations against Palestinians.

Current officeholders

National Office Bearers: * President: Zingiswa Losi * First Deputy-President: Mike Shingange * Second Deputy-President: Louise Thipe * Secretary General: Bheki Ntshalintshali * Deputy General Secretary: Solly Phetoe * Treasurer: Freda Oosthuysen Provincial Secretaries: * Eastern Cape: Xolani Malamlela * Free State: Monyatso Mahlatsi * Gauteng: Dumisani Dakile * KwaZulu-Natal: Edwin Mkhize * Limpopo: Gerald Twala * Mpumalanga: Thabo Mokoena * North West: Job Dliso * Northern Cape: Orapeleng Moraladi * Western Cape: Melvyn de Bryn

Notes

References

External links

Official homepage

COSATU Daily News
*cosatu Twitter @_cosatu
COSATU Press Releases

{{DEFAULTSORT:Congress of South African Trade Unions Organisations based in Johannesburg Trade unions in South Africa Politics of South Africa Political organisations based in South Africa African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation 1985 establishments in South Africa National trade union centres of South Africa Trade unions established in 1985