1. Preamble
We, the 1840 delegates to the 15th National Congress of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), representing 1.5 million organised workers across South Africa, meet at a decisive moment in the history of our movement and our country under the theme: “Building a militant, Revolutionary Labour Movement and Strengthening Anti-imperialist Working-class Unity to Defend Jobs and Advance Socialism”.
This historic congress takes place as COSATU celebrates 40 years of revolutionary, militant and decisive struggles in defence of workers and to advance working class struggles across the nation. COSATU will soon hold its 41st anniversary celebrations on the 1st of December.
Our Congress takes place in an international and domestic environment characterised by deepening capitalist crisis, growing inequality, unemployment, poverty, austerity, imperialist aggression, deindustrialisation and attacks on the living standards and democratic rights of working people. Across the world, the capitalist system continues to place the burden of its crisis on workers and the poor while wealth and economic power remain concentrated in the hands of a few.
We draw strength from the revolutionary traditions of the working class and reaffirm the fundamental Marxist understanding that society is shaped by class struggle. The working class remains the most decisive social force capable of defeating exploitation and building a society based on equality, solidarity, social ownership and the democratic control of the economy, and building the foundations for socialism.
We therefore declare that the historic mission of COSATU remains the organisation, mobilisation and political education of the working class. Our struggle is not merely for better wages and conditions, important as these are, but for fundamental social, political and economic transformation, and creating a socialist society.
We reaffirm the National Democratic Revolution as the minimum programme towards socialism and commit ourselves to strengthening working-class power as the driving force of this transformation. We further reaffirm that the emancipation of the working class must be achieved by the organised working class itself.
2. Political Declaration
The Political Report to the 15th National Congress provided a comprehensive analysis of the federation’s historical mission, its ideological foundation, and an analysis of the current political conjuncture. It characterised the international situation as one of deepening and fatal crises of global capitalism, producing multiple global crisis cycles accentuating global inequality, global South debt and poverty, while capitalists in the global North continue to amass wealth.
Congress assessed the unfolding contradictions in the South African struggle in the post-apartheid era as representing the stagnation and regression of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), resulting from a protracted neoliberal austerity trajectory. This post-apartheid capitalist agenda and its crises have resulted in high levels of unemployment, growing inequality, and a crisis of social reproduction affecting working-class communities, especially women, youths, and children.
The struggle against patriarchy is integral to the National Democratic Revolution and the struggle for socialism. Working class women bear the intersecting burdens of class exploitation, racial oppression and gender inequality, intensified by austerity and the crisis of social reproduction. Women’s emancipation and leadership must be central to COSATU’s political programme.
2.1. The National Democratic Revolution and the struggle for socialism
The 15th National Congress reaffirmed the NDR and emphasised COSATU’s role in advancing the NDR as the path to socialism. Congress also highlighted the interconnectedness of global and domestic balance of forces and struggles, underscoring the importance of working-class unity in achieving working-class victories, specifically in the areas of political and socio-economic transformation.
Congress reaffirmed our immediate task to jointly build a socialist programme, entailing political/ideological education, class consciousness and cadre development, and building the left popular front, and building a powerful socialist movement of workers and the poor.
2.2. The 2024 elections and the Government of National Unity
The 15th National Congress characterised the 2024 election and the prevailing period as a strategic setback for the revolutionary Alliance, in which the ANC only won 40,18% of the vote, failing for the first time to attain an electoral majority. This was worsened by the GNU grand coalition of the ANC and including the DA, further severely straining the Alliance.
Congress affirmed the 8th Central Committee’s rejection of a GNU inclusive of right wing political parties and their neoliberal austerity agenda, even resulting in instances of threats to reverse workers’ and democratic gains.
2.3. Reconfiguration of the Alliance
Congress reaffirmed the federation’s resolution on the Alliance centre and its reconfiguration to advance the interests of the working class. Congress resolved on a COSATU roadmap towards convening the Alliance Political Council, an Alliance Summit and an Alliance led Congress of the Left.
2.4. Working-class electoral strategy
Congress noted the SACP 5th Special National Congress resolution to contest the 2026 local government elections independently. In this light, Congress resolved on a socialist axis and working-class electoral strategy, by taking a principled position for continued support of the Alliance as a strategic centre, and to keep the unity of workers by supporting the ANC and the SACP at the upcoming 2026 local government elections.
Congress also reaffirmed its commitment to jointly develop a programme as the Socialist-Axis, to work together in building the Left Popular Front as part of the medium-to-long-term strategic objective of building a powerful socialist movement of the workers and the poor to shift the balance of class forces.
2.5. 15th National Congress new resolutions
On multi-party and coalition strategy for the working-class, Congress resolved to adopt a multi-party and coalition engagement strategy based on working-class interests, rejecting any Government of National Unity (GNU) arrangement involving parties that undermine working-class agenda and the historical mission of the Alliance. To subject all multi-party and coalition engagements to a clear working-class programme that defends collective bargaining, labour rights, public services and social protection, and to oppose coalition arrangements that advance austerity, privatisation, outsourcing and attacks on workers’ rights.
On political opportunism, cadre accountability and working-class political independence, Congress resolved to oppose political opportunism, patronage and political careerism within the Alliance and broader movement, strengthening political education and cadre development as mechanisms for combating opportunism and to promote accountable, competent and politically conscious leadership. Congress also resolved to demand transparency and accountability in cadre deployment and political appointments, to strengthen mechanisms for political and organisational accountability within Alliance structures and to reaffirm that political leadership must be directed towards advancing the interests of workers and the poor.
3. Organisational Declaration
3.1. Organisational renewal and rebuilding worker power
Congress declares organisational renewal to be the central task of COSATU for the coming period.
We shall rebuild workplace structures, strengthen locals, recruit and organise unorganised workers, defend collective bargaining and ensure that Congress resolutions are translated into measurable programmes of action.
The Federation must become a militant, campaigning and politically conscious organisation that is present in every workplace and community.
3.2. Rebuilding private-sector organisation
Congress directs the Federation and its affiliates to accelerate organising in fragmented sectors of the economy, including outsourced, precarious, platform and other non-standard forms of employment.
Where appropriate, consolidation of unions in related sectors must be pursued to overcome fragmentation, strengthen bargaining power and organise workers across value chains.
3.3. Women and Gender Transformation
Congress reaffirms the policy principle of 50/50 representation and demands its effective implementation throughout the Federation.
Women must be represented meaningfully in leadership, bargaining structures and decision-making processes. Congress further commits COSATU to advancing pay transparency, gender pay audits, leadership development and targeted support for women leaders. We shall remove barriers to women’s participation, strengthen gender structures, and integrate gender equality into organising, collective bargaining and worker education.
Congress reaffirms its commitment to combating gender-based violence and harassment in workplaces, union structures and communities. We shall campaign for the effective implementation of ILO Convention 190, strengthen prevention and reporting mechanisms, support survivors and ensure accountability for perpetrators. Collective bargaining must address care responsibilities and the impact of domestic violence on workers.
Congress reaffirms its commitment to LGBTQI+ workers’ rights, dignity and equality, rejecting homophobia, transphobia and discrimination. COSATU and its Affiliates shall advance LGBTQI+ workers safety and full participation through worker education, inclusive policies, collective bargaining and advocacy.
3.4. Worker education and political development
COSATU shall institutionalise political schools at national, provincial and local levels while strengthening shop-steward and organiser development.
Worker education must develop class-conscious cadres capable of organising, mobilising and leading workers in workplaces, communities and Alliance structures.
3.5. Occupational health and safety
Congress declares that every worker has the right to a safe and healthy workplace.
COSATU shall strengthen provincial OHS structures, defend workers’ right to refuse dangerous work, campaign against workplace violence and harassment, and demand adequate security in high-risk workplaces.
3.6. Communications and mobilisation
Congress mandates the Federation to modernise its communications strategy, expand digital platforms, strengthen multilingual communication and establish rapid-response capacity.
Our communication machinery must become an organising tool capable of mobilising workers around May Day, Section 77 actions, campaigns and other programmes of mass action.
3.7. Implementation of Congress decisions
Congress directs the establishment of an effective Resolution Implementation and Monitoring mechanism with clear deadlines, measurable deliverables and regular reporting to the Central Executive Committee.
Congress decisions must not remain declarations on paper. They must become programmes of action implemented throughout the Federation.
4. Socio-economic Declaration
4.1. Against austerity and neoliberalism
Congress rejects austerity as a class programme that shifts the burden of capitalist crisis onto workers and the poor.
COSATU demands progressive taxation of wealth and finance, a strengthened South African Revenue Service, expanded social protection and increased public investment in energy, rail, water, municipal infrastructure and reindustrialisation.
4.2. Jobs, wages and collective bargaining
Congress declares that decent work is a fundamental requirement for a just society.
COSATU shall intensify the Living Wage Campaign, defend and expand collective bargaining, close loopholes that undermine the National Minimum Wage and oppose retrenchments, labour broking and outsourcing.
The Federation shall fight for stronger severance protections and appropriate measures to protect workers against the attempts to undermine decent work.
4.3. Local government and public services
Congress calls for the fundamental overhaul of local government financing.
The equitable share must reflect the actual cost of delivering services. Maintenance budgets must be protected, while outsourcing and structures that facilitate privatisation must be rejected.
COSATU shall campaign for insourcing and the absorption of Expanded Public Works Programme and Community Works Programme workers into decent, permanent employment.
Congress calls for expanded, adequately funded public care services recognising that care is a social responsibility. We shall campaign to recognise, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work, which falls disproportionately on black working class women, and advance decent work for all care workers through living wages, secure employment, safe working conditions, social protection and collective bargaining rights.
4.4. Health and National Health Insurance
Congress reaffirms its militant and unapologetic support for the implementation of the National Health Insurance Act.
The public health system must be strengthened through the filling of vacancies, improved conditions of service, the absorption of Community Health Workers and the development of state-owned pharmaceutical capacity.
4.5. Cost of living
Congress declares that the escalating cost of living is one of the central challenges facing working-class households.
COSATU shall intensify the campaign for the regulation of administered prices, expansion of the zero-rated food basket and opposition to above-inflation increases in electricity, transport and municipal tariffs.
The Federation shall pursue the development of a workers’ cost-of-living index to strengthen collective bargaining and inform public policy.
4.6. Pension and tax justice
Workers’ pension savings are deferred wages and must be protected.
Congress demands greater transparency and accountability in retirement funds, improved retirement and severance tax thresholds, and meaningful worker representation and control in the Public Investment Corporation.
The Federation will intensify campaigns to reduce the suffocating tax burden upon the working class and ensure that the rich pay their fair share. Engagements on the next phase of the Two Pot Tax Reforms will be intensified to provide greater relief for highly indebted workers.
4.7. The future of work and Artificial Intelligence
Congress recognises the profound changes being brought by digitalisation and artificial intelligence.
COSATU shall demand a worker-centred digital transition, including algorithmic impact assessments, human review of automated decisions, protection against excessive workplace surveillance, collective bargaining over data and AI, and comprehensive reskilling guarantees.
4.8. Climate change and a just transition
Congress supports a worker-led just transition based on public ownership, democratic planning, protection of jobs and the development of affected communities.
The Just Energy Transition must be aligned with industrialisation and economic development. The Federation shall defend public energy capacity, strengthen Eskom and promote a diversified energy mix while ensuring that the transition is gender-responsive and worker biased.
5. International Declaration
Background
The world economy is undergoing the most profound process of change in the history of capitalism, with the result that inequalities, poverty and unemployment are at their highest levels in many years.
The development of global capitalism is concurrently accompanied by the deepening class contradictions and the intensification of the global war economy. To this end, the working class understands fully that war is the inherent and integral part of the global accumulation system as different elites compete for the conquest of the resources, lands and geopolitical spheres of control of the world.
This is the class basis of grasping imperialism, domination and class rule and the importance of building international working class solidarity against wars and violence, exploitation, crime and racism. These are elements of the same system and require the unity, struggle and militancy of all workers.
While capitalism is a global system and exploits all workers, but it creates divisions that affects workers unevenly. This is what Lenin characterised as the law of uneven and combined development. This is why we dedicate special attention to building working class power in the global south and on our own continent, Africa.
Due to class, racial and gender discrimination, workers suffer disproportionate levels of exploitation and oppression. COSATU belongs to the global labour movement that organises itself based upon the material conditions facing the working class and rural poor.
The 15th National Congress of COSATU having received a comprehensive report on the obtaining global balance of power, the state of the international working class and the struggles which workers are waging, hereby adopts the following programme as a concrete response and anchors for our international programme of action:
5.1 On Building working class internationalism against the power of global monopoly capital represented by multinational companies
The 15th National Congress having received a comprehensive report on the obtaining global balance of power and the class balance of forces that favour capital and the rich elites, call for the acceleration of the internationalisation of the class struggle and working class solidarity across territories to advance workers rights, inclusive development, decent work, social justice and environmental justice for all.
The massive concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, largely based in the global north and the exclusion of millions of workers and people from meaningful economic gain and benefit is amongst the biggest threat to humanity.
Multinational companies have grown so tremendously they are tearing national boundaries and territories at a rate unprecedented in history, hence the concentration of global wealth in the hands of a tiny minority. These multinational companies and global supply chains move across boundaries with total disregard for the rights, resources and dignity of workers and ordinary people, which deepen exploitation, inequalities and poverty throughout the world.
COSATU National Congress called for a special dedicated programme which brings together our affiliates, our international trade union allies and the broad working class behind a concrete solidarity programme to advance decent work, ensure social and labour clauses in supply chains, as well as guarantee workers rights and rights of communities where these companies operate.
5.2 On building the unity, militancy and class consciousness of the international trade union movement and promoting worker-to-worker solidarity
Globally – COSATU 15th National Congress reaffirms its dual affiliation to the ITUC and the WFTU and close coordination with our strategic trade union allies in different countries who are affiliated to one or both of the two federations. To this end, the Congress calls for effective participation of COSATU in the work of both federations to advance working class solidarity, decent work, social justice, fair and just trade, industrialisation and global economic justice for all.
On the African continent – COSATU further reaffirms the centrality of building a united, effective and organised trade union movement on the African continent, building on our participation in OATUU, ITUC Africa and WFTU Africa, which are the anchors of our programme to advance decent work, economic justice, democracy, peace, industrialisation and social justice on the continent.
On our region, Southern Africa – COSATU calls for the strengthening and transformation of our regional body, SATUCC and capacity support for our role in leading this important regional body to advance progressive economic policies, democratic governance, industrialisation, social dialogue and decent work throughout the region. Building concrete regional solidarity with workers suffering oppression, state and employer abuse, as well as exploitation should be our priority work in this regard.
5.3 On advancing revolutionary Pan Africanism to fight against poverty, unemployment, inequalities and oppression on the continent for democracy, peace, social justice and inclusive development
The 15th National Congress commits the federation to the ideals of revolutionary Pan Africanism that united the continent against imperialism, colonialism and apartheid. It commits to with all progressive forces in our country and the continent to mobilise for democracy, workers rights, inclusive growth, social justice and peace in all countries on the continent. To this end, Congress affirms the centrality of building progressive forces and coordinating practical solidarity for democracy in Eswatini, Zimbabwe and throughout our region.
Congress calls for the implementation of the 8th Central Committee (CC) decision to send a fact finding solidarity mission to Eswatini as basis for the renewal of the solidarity campaign for democracy with the workers and people of Eswatini.
5.4 On advancing anti imperialism, alternatives to capitalism and international solidarity campaigns
COSATU 15th National Congress reaffirms our international solidarity commitments and support for the struggles of other workers and people suffering from imperialist aggression, colonial occupation, Zionism and genocide
To this end, the Congress calls for intensification of international solidarity campaigns with the people of Palestine, Cuba, Western Sahara, Venezuela, Iran, as well as various parts of the African continent facing wars and threats and subjugation by external powers.
Congress calls for a global energy embargo against the apartheid state of Israel for the crimes of genocide against the Palestinian people and the intensification of the global boycott, divestment and sanctions against all institutions associated with Israel and Zionists.
5.5 On building the SADC region through industrialisation, institutionalisation of social dialogue and creation of jobs
Congress paid detailed attention to the state of our region, SADC and the deepening crisis of poverty, unemployment, inequalities and rolling back of democracy and social justice.
Congress called on the federation to coordinate the work of rebuilding a progressive movement anchored in the progressive trade union movement to unite the workers and people of the region against erosion of democracy, poverty, underdevelopment, unemployment, unjust energy transition and climate crisis, gender based violence and femicide, landlessness, crime and corruption.
6. The Congress Mandate
1) The challenges before us are immense, but so too is the power of an organised working class.
2) Workers create the wealth of society. Yet those who produce the wealth continue to face unemployment, poverty, insecurity and exploitation. This contradiction cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.
3) The working class must move from resistance to organised power; from defensive struggles to a conscious offensive for social and economic transformation.
4) We must rebuild our unions as centres of worker power, schools of socialism and engines of mass mobilisation. We must organise the unorganised, educate the working class, strengthen shop-floor structures and take our struggles into every workplace and community.
5) We reject the idea that workers must remain passive victims of austerity, privatisation, unemployment, inequality and imperialist aggression.
6) Workers create the wealth. Workers own the capital.
Workers must have the power.
7) There shall be nothing about workers’ money without workers.
8) The 15th National Congress declares that the future of the working class will not be secured through passivity, compromise with exploitation or surrender to the dictates of capital. It will be secured through organisation, unity, class consciousness, militancy and struggle.
9) We therefore recommit ourselves to Marxism-Leninism, to the unity and independence of the working class, to the National Democratic Revolution and to the struggle for socialism.
10) Our solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Cuba, Western Sahara, Eswatini and all peoples resisting imperialist domination is an expression of our own internationalist working-class struggle.
11) Let the 15th National Congress be remembered as a turning point in the rebuilding of worker power.
Amandla!