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COSATU
COSATU logo.svg
Founded 30 November 1985; 38 years ago (1985-11-30)
Headquarters Cosatu House
110 Jorissen Street
Johannesburg
Gauteng
Location
  • South Africa
Members
2 193 965
Key people
Zingiswa Losi, President
Bheki Ntshalintshali, General Secretary
Website www.cosatu.org.za
COSATU state capture protest
A COSATU organised protest in Cape Town calling for an end to state capture and for the prosecution of those involved in the administration of President Jacob Zuma.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU or Cosatu) is a trade union 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.

History

Founding and early history

On 30 Nov 1985, 33 unions met at the University of Natal 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 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 (FOSATU), the small National Federation of Workers, and some independent unions, notably the National Union of Mineworkers. Elijah Barayi was the organisation's first president and Jay Naidoo 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.

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 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, 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'.

Post apartheid activities

The COSATU congress decided in 2012 to affiliate with the class-struggle oriented World Federation of Trade Unions, while maintaining its membership within the International Trade Union Confederation.

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.

Cosatu experienced a large drop in membership after 2012, although it remained the largest trade union federation.

Affiliates

Current affiliates

The following unions were listed by COSATU as their affiliates:

Union Abbreviation Founded Membership (2014)
Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union AFADWU 2016 N/A
Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers' Union CEPPWAWU 1999 80,331
Communication Workers Union CWU 1999 22,007
Creative Workers Union of South Africa CWUSA 2014 N/A
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa DENOSA 1996 81,319
National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union NEHAWU 1987 277,317
National Union of Mineworkers NUM 1982 270,649
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union POPCRU 1989 149,339
Public and Allied Workers Union of South Africa PAWUSA 1967 17,146
South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union SACCAWU 1975 120,352
Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union SACTWU 1989 85,000
South African Democratic Nurses' Union SADNU 1995 8,655
South African Democratic Teachers Union SADTU 1990 253,039
South African Emergency Personnel's Union SAEPU 2006 N/A
South African Medical Association SAMA 1998 8,166
South African Municipal Workers' Union SAMWU 1987 161,490
SASBO – The Finance Union SASBO 1916 66,539
South African Security Forces Union SASFU 1999 N/A
South African Transport and Allied Workers Union SATAWU 2000 152,254

Former affiliates

Union Abbreviation Founded Left Reason not affiliated Membership (1985) Membership (1993)
Amalgamated Black Workers' Union ABWU 1984 1986 Merged into TGWU 1,000 N/A
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union of South Africa ACTWUSA 1987 1989 Merged into SACTWU N/A N/A
Brick, Clay and Allied Workers' Union BRICKAWU 1987 Merged into CAWU 748 N/A
Cape Town Municipal Workers' Association CTMWA 1928 1987 Merged into SAMWU 11,097 N/A
Chemical Workers' Industrial Union CWIU 1974 1999 Merged into CEPPWAWU 20,700 41,462
Cleaning Services and Allied Workers' Union CSAWU Merged into TGWU 850 N/A
Commercial and Distributive Workers' Union CDWU 1,600 N/A
Construction and Allied Workers' Union CAWU 1987 2001 Merged into NUM N/A 24,300
Food and Allied Workers Union FAWU 1986 2016 Disaffiliated N/A 121,534
Food and Canning Workers' Union FCWU 1941 1986 Merged into FAWU 26,455 N/A
General and Allied Workers' Union GAWU 1980 1987 Merged into NEHAWU 19,076 N/A
General Workers' Union GWU 1977 1986 Merged into TGWU 20,000 N/A
General Workers' Union of South Africa GWUSA 1981 1987 Dissolved 2,905 N/A
Health and Allied Workers' Union HAWU 1987 Merged into NEHAWU 1,111 N/A
Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union HARWU 1926 1990 Merged into SACCAWU N/A
Institute of Public Servants IPS N/A N/A
Liberated Metalworkers' Union of South Africa LIMUSA 2015 2021 Merged into NUM N/A N/A
Metal and Allied Workers' Union MAWU 1973 1987 Merged into NUMSA 38,789 N/A
Motor Assembly and Component Workers' Union of South Africa MACWUSA 1982 1987 Merged into NUMSA 3,100 N/A
Municipal Workers' Union of South Africa MWUSA 1982 1987 Merged into SAMWU 9,249 N/A
Musicians Union of South Africa MUSA 1994 2014 Merged into CWUSA N/A N/A
National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union NAAWU 1980 1987 Merged into NUMSA 20,338 N/A
National General Workers' Union of South Africa NGWUSA 1984 6,037 N/A
National Iron, Steel and Metal Workers' Union NISMAWU 1980 1986 Merged into MAWU 976 N/A
National Post Office and Allied Workers' Union NAPAWU 2,163 N/A
National Unemployed Workers Co-ordinating Committee NUWCC 1987 1991 Dissolved N/A N/A
National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa NUMSA 1987 2014 Expelled 100,000 253,796
National Union of Printers and Allied Workers NUPAWO 1984 1987 Merged into PPWAWU N/A
National Union of Textile Workers NUTW 1973 1987 Merged into ACTWUSA 23,241 N/A
Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers' Union PPWAWU 1974 1999 Merged into CEPPWAWU 11,856 37,951
Performing Arts Workers' Equity PAWE 2014 Merged into CWUSA N/A N/A
Post and Telecommunication Workers' Association POTWA 1986 1996 Merged into CWU N/A 23,081
Retail and Allied Workers' Union RAWU 1984 1986 Merged into FAWU 3,830 N/A
South African Agricultural Plantation and Allied Workers Union SAAPAWU 1995 2004 Merged into FAWU N/A N/A
South African Allied Workers' Union SAAWU 1978 1987 Merged into NEHAWU 25,032 N/A
South African Domestic Workers' Association SADWA 1981 1986 Merged into SADWU 4,500 N/A
South African Domestic Workers' Union SADWU 1986 1998 Dissolved N/A 16,172
South African Football Players Union SAFPU 1997 2016 Disaffiliated N/A N/A
South African Mineworkers' Union SAMWU 1983 1987 Dissolved 3,029 N/A
South African Railways and Harbours Union SARHWU 1936 2000 Merged into SATAWU 8,220 41,081
South African Scooter Transport and Allied Workers' Union SASTAWU 1981 1986 Merged into TGWU 4,700 N/A
South African State and Allied Workers' Union SASAWU 2000 2015 Disaffiliated N/A N/A
South African Textile and Allied Workers' Union SATAWU 1984 1988 Merged into GAWU 1,900 N/A
South African Tin Workers' Union SATWU 1937 581 N/A
Sweet, Food and Allied Workers' Union SFAWU 1974 1986 Merged into FAWU 19,596 N/A
Transport and General Workers' Union TGWU 1973 2000 Merged into SATAWU 11,000 38,036
United Mining, Metal and Allied Workers of South Africa UMMAWOSA 1983 1987 Merged into NUMSA 8,335 N/A

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 (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 and the South African Communist Party, 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 (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. 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 offered a strong statement of support to the 2010 Public Sector Worker's strike.

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 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.

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 during Ramadan, a holy month for many Palestinians. COSATU marched to the 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: Malvern de Bruyn

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Congreso de Sindicatos Sudafricanos para niños

  • Trade unions in South Africa
  • 1973 Durban strikes
  • 2007 South African public servants' strike
  • Siphiwe Mvuyane
  • John Gomomo
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