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Cosatu to march against retrenchments, corruption in Durban

  • Delegates at COSATU's 14th National Congress, Midrand, September 26, 2022.
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Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) President Zingiswa Losi is expected to lead a march by the trade union federation in Durban on Friday.

The march is part of Cosatu’s nationwide protest against retrenchments and high levels of corruption.

Last week, the federation held a national conference where Losi was re-elected as president. 

Cosatu’s march aims to highlight among other things, the outsourcing of work in companies such as the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa and the alleged looming retrenchments at the oil refinery Sapref in Isipingo south of Durban.

Cosatu is also calling for the filling of vacant posts in KwaZulu-Natal provincial departments. High levels of corruption are among the concerns expected to be highlighted.

Trade federation’s Cosatu and Saftu march in Polokwane as part of a national shutdown

In late August, Cosatu, along with the South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary, Solly Mapaila led a march by the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) in Polokwane, Limpopo.

Workers were demanding that government comes up with a plan to resolve the high unemployment rate and high cost of living among others. The march was part of a nationwide shutdown.

Hundreds of workers affiliated with Cosatu and Saftu marched from SABC Park in Polokwane to the office of the Premier, Eskom offices, and the Department of Minerals. Workers said the high unemployment rate, petrol price hike, cost of electricity and low salaries have been affecting their lives.

During the march, several shops were closed in Polokwane CBD. Workers explain the impact of the high cost of living on them.

“It is affecting me a lot because now I don’t have a source of income. Secondly, the salaries are being reduced at the companies so in terms of traveling the prices are going up, in most of the households you find out that some of the things are burned because of this load shedding, the electricity gets off without any notice,” a worker explains.

VIDEO | In August, SAFTU and COSATU marched against rising fuel and food prices:

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