South Africa – The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is taking its campaign for better working conditions to the streets on Wednesday as workers face rising retrenchments, wage violations, casualisation and mounting living costs.
The nationwide protest action coincides with World Day for Decent Work, with marches and pickets planned in several provinces.
According to Business Day, Cosatu spokesperson Zanele Sabela said workers were “under siege from rampant retrenchments, non-compliance with the national minimum wage (NMW), increasing casualisation of jobs, escalating attacks on collective bargaining rights and lack of social protection and retirement funds”.
The federation is also demanding stronger enforcement of the National Minimum Wage. Sabela said the minimum wage had increased substantially since its introduction in 2019, but compliance remained a major problem.
“Yet compliance remains a challenge as an estimated 40% of workers are still paid less than the NMW,” she said.
Cosatu is calling on government to accelerate the recruitment of 10,000 additional labour inspectors announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, arguing that stronger enforcement is needed to protect workers.
The federation’s concerns come against a difficult economic backdrop. eNCA reported that Cosatu believes workers continue to face unemployment, poverty and inequality while economic growth remains weak. The federation says companies are continuing to retrench workers despite what it describes as a severe employment crisis.
Employers targeted over retrenchments
One of the companies in Cosatu’s sights is Sun International, which is undergoing a Section 189 consultation process that could result in job cuts at some of its casinos.
Business Day reported that Cosatu and its affiliate, the South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu), plan to march to Sun City in North West and GrandWest in the Western Cape to oppose the proposed retrenchments.
Cosatu says the planned job cuts are difficult to justify given the company’s recent financial performance. Sun International’s land-based casino business returned to growth, with income rising to about R3.4 billion in the first half of 2026, TimesLIVE reported.
Cosatu has called on provincial gambling and gaming boards to investigate whether the company is complying with employment and public-interest commitments attached to its gaming licences.
The federation is also taking its campaign to Massmart, demanding the reinstatement of nearly 600 Makro workers dismissed after participating in a protected strike in 2021.
Sabela said Cosatu and Saccawu would deliver memorandums to Massmart, arguing that the workers should be reinstated following a legal victory involving the union.
Broader concerns over workers’ rights
The protest is not limited to retrenchments. Cosatu is also highlighting concerns over the erosion of collective bargaining, the growth of casual employment and inadequate social protection and retirement provisions.
Polity reported that Cosatu’s action is being conducted under Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act, which provides legal protection for qualifying protest action over socio-economic issues.
The protest action is scheduled to run from 09:00 to 16:30, with marches and pickets planned in major towns and cities.
Polity, citing Labourwise, noted that employees participating in protected protest action are generally protected from disciplinary action, although employers may apply the “no work, no pay” principle. Essential and maintenance-service workers are subject to different rules.
The protests come at a politically significant time, with South Africa’s municipal elections scheduled for 4 November. In Mpumalanga, Cosatu’s municipal workers’ affiliate is expected to use the action to raise concerns about poor service delivery, corruption, wasteful expenditure and shortages of skilled personnel in local government.
Cosatu’s action therefore places jobs and workers’ rights firmly on the national agenda, while putting pressure on government and employers to strengthen labour-law enforcement, protect employment and address the cost-of-living pressures facing households.
The federation’s message is clear: economic growth alone will not be enough if workers continue to lose jobs, earn below legally prescribed wages or work without adequate social protection.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram
Picture: X/@_cosatu
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
