The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) will convene its 15th National Congress from 14 to 17 September 2026 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand under the theme, “Building a militant, revolutionary labour movement and strengthening anti-imperialist working-class unity to defend jobs and advance socialism.”
We have convened this media briefing to communicate our readiness for the National Congress and to formally launch our Congress Discussions documents.
We can confirm that we are ready to welcome about 1 820 delegates from our 16 affiliates to the Workers Parliament. We expect messages of support from our revolutionary Alliance of the ANC, SACP and SANCO. The Congress will also be graced by the presence of our domestic and international fraternal organisations.
The Congress meets at a critical moment of mass unemployment, deep inequality, rising living costs, insecure work, weakening public services and political frustration. Globally, workers confront war, imperialism, economic stagnation, climate change, technological disruption and a changing world of work.
COSATU will confront the political, organisational, socio-economic and international challenges facing workers and adopt a decisive programme to rebuild working-class power.
POLITICAL
The Political Report argues that the global capitalist crisis shifts its costs onto workers through austerity, unemployment, deindustrialisation, debt, rising living costs, attacks on collective bargaining and precarious employment. In South Africa, unemployment, inequality and poverty continue to undermine millions of workers and communities.
COSATU rejects austerity and demands public investment, industrialisation, localisation, decent work, expanded social protection and quality public services, with capital—not workers—bearing the burden of economic adjustment.
The report warns that the National Democratic Revolution is under severe threat with many of our strategic post-1994 gains at risk. Congress will debate on how to unite and strengthen the Tripartite Alliance ahead of the 4 November Local Government Elections, including the failure to convene the Alliance Political Council and Summit despite COSATU’s 8th Central Committee mandate.
COSATU’s participation in the Alliance must be guided by working-class interests and the objectives of the National Democratic Revolution. The Federation remains committed to rebuilding the Alliance through honest engagement, principled debate and a common programme, while ensuring workers emerge united.
The report also proposes institutionalised political education, stronger research and policy capacity, better monitoring of Congress resolutions, and campaigns connecting workplace struggles with unemployment, public services and local government accountability.
ORGANISATIONAL
COSATU remains a major force in organised labour, with 16 affiliates across the public and private sectors and continued participation in social dialogue, legislative processes and national campaigns.
Yet unemployment, retrenchments, company closures and stagnation have weakened workplace organisation and membership. Labour broking, outsourcing, casualisation, short-term contracts, platform work and other precarious forms of employment make traditional organising increasingly difficult.
Whilst high by international stands, COSATU is not content that only 28% of workers are organised in 2024, while irregular work grew to slightly exceed permanent employment. Private-sector union density is about 20%, compared with roughly 64% in the public sector; approximately 2.2 million union members are in the private sector and 1.8 million in the public sector.
COSATU must organise where employment is growing—among precarious, outsourced, programme-based, casual, platform and informal workers—while strengthening existing strongholds, locals and shop-steward structures, political education and modern organising methods.
Renewal must be continuous and grounded in worker participation, discipline, accountability and implementation of Congress resolutions. COSATU will defend collective bargaining, oppose retrenchments, labour broking and privatisation, and campaign for secure, decent work.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
COSATU records unemployment at 43.8%, with 56% of South Africans living below the Upper Bound Poverty Line of R1,634 per month. Workers face stagnant real wages, rising living costs, precarious employment and retrenchments.
The Federation rejects austerity and calls for a developmental state, with fiscal and monetary policy directed towards job creation, industrialisation, public investment and working-class needs. Its fiscal alternative is to “tax the rich, not the poor”: reject VAT increases, tax wealth, corporate profits and very high incomes more effectively, close loopholes, and strengthen SARS against evasion and illicit financial flows.
COSATU will continue to fight for:
· Mass job creation, industrialisation, productive investment and local manufacturing;
· Strong state-owned enterprises and opposition to privatising strategic public assets;
· Affordable electricity, transport and quality public services;
· Comprehensive social security, including a Universal Basic Income Grant;
· Free public healthcare through a fully state-funded National Health Insurance, alongside accessible education and skills development;
· Land redistribution, protection of retirement funds and stronger safeguards against retrenchment; and
· A worker-led Just Transition that protects existing jobs and creates decent green employment.
COSATU is concerned that gig and platform workers often lack adequate wages, social protection and collective bargaining rights. It seeks labour-law reforms to protect them and prevent digitalisation and artificial intelligence from becoming tools of exploitation.
The Federation will intensify its anti-corruption campaign, demand protection for whistle-blowers and effective law enforcement, and useBargaining Councils, Sectoral Master Plans, Nedlac, Parliament and the Alliance and other institutions to defend workers’ rights and advance a working-class economic programme.
INTERNATIONAL
COSATU’s international programme is rooted in working-class internationalism, anti-imperialism, democratic trade unionism and solidarity with oppressed peoples. As multiple centres of power and the Global South and BRICS gain significance, war, instability, resource competition, poverty and inequality continue to impose heavy costs on workers.
COSATU will strengthen solidarity with workers and oppressed peoples in Palestine, Eswatini, Western Sahara, Cuba, Venezuela and elsewhere, opposing aggression, occupation, sanctions and regime-change efforts.
The Federation will deepen participation in the ITUC, WFTU, ITUC-Africa, OATUU, SATUCC, the BRICS Trade Unions Forum and the International Labour Organisation, while building a stronger African and Global South trade union movement.
COSATU proposes a Southern African Progressive Forum to coordinate progressive forces around economic justice, democracy, inclusive development and resistance to imperialism. It will promote cross-border solidarity, defend migrant workers against exploitation and xenophobia, and organise in response to multinational corporations, global supply chains and regional labour markets.
Its international strategy will connect global struggles with workers’ everyday battles for jobs, decent work, social protection, peace, economic sovereignty and democratic development.
BUILDING A MILITANT AND REVOLUTIONARY LABOUR MOVEMENT
Across all four reports, five strategic messages emerge:
1. Rebuild Worker Power
COSATU must grow its membership, strengthen affiliates and rebuild workplace organisation.
2. Defend Decent Work
The Federation will defend collective bargaining, wages, public services, occupational health and safety and workers’ social protection.
3. Organise the New World of Work
Casual, outsourced, platform, contract and other precarious workers must be brought into collective organisation.
4. Fight Inequality and Austerity
COSATU rejects economic policies that shift the burden of crisis onto workers and the poor and calls for industrialisation, redistribution, public investment and a developmental state.
5. Strengthen Working-Class Unity and International Solidarity
COSATU will deepen anti-imperialist internationalism, strengthen African and global trade union solidarity, renew Alliance strategy and advance a programme directed towards working-class interests and socialism.
COSATU enters its 15th National Congress determined not only to defend workers’ gains, but to build the collective power needed to transform South Africa and advance a more equal, democratic and socialist society.
Issued by COSATU
Solly Phetoe (COSATU General Secretary)
082 304 4055
Email: solly@cosatu.org.za
Zanele Sabela (COSATU Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zaneles@cosatu.org.za