The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) sends warm greetings and revolutionary salutations to the World Federations of Trade Unions on its 76th Anniversary.
This class-oriented home of the international working class was formed on the 3rd October 1945 in France, and ever since it has been a permanent feature in the struggle for the liberation of workers and the working class from political oppression, ravages of capitalism and imperialism.
For more than seven decades, WFTU has played a very important role in leading the struggle against political and socio-economic exploitation across the globe. For over seven decades it has offered support and a home to the persecuted workers around the world, including some of our stalwarts like Moses Mabhida, Stalin Mtshali and others during the height of the struggle for the liberation of South Africa against Apartheid.
As South African workers, we regard the WFTU as amongst the most reliable allies in the striuggle against economic and social injustice.
This occasion arrives at a time when the working class is paying a price and suffering because of the COVID-19 inspired global economic crisis. Jobs have been lost, pensions are shrinking, collective bargaining is under attack and labour laws are being weakened all around the world.
We are looking to WFTU to provide strategic and tactical guidance to help the workers and the working-class ion general as they navigate their way out of this crisis.
We need the WFTU to tap into its wealth of experience to bring about solutions to today’s challenges and to lead from the front in the fight to liberate workers from this life of brute survival and helplessness.
We are proud to be an affiliate of this class -oriented federation that has been a torchbearer in the fight against global exploitation and imperialism for over 76 years, and we wish it many more revolutionary years to come.
Long Live WFTU Long Live!
Issued by COSATU
Sizwe Pamla (Cosatu National Spokesperson)
Tel: 011 339 4911
Fax: 011 339 5080
Cell: 060 975 6794