Spech by the delegate of COSATU to the 14th BRICS Trade Union Forum 23 April, 2025 − Brasilia, Brazil
Chairperson of the Session
Leadership of the Brazilian Trade Unions as the host
Esteemed delegates
Trade union leaders, and fellow workers from across our BRICS nations
Warm revolutionary greetings from the Congress of South African Trade Unions, a fighting voice of the South African working class. We bring with us the solidarity and hopes of millions of workers from our townships, factories, farms, mines, hospitals, and informal settlements, workers who continue to struggle not only for bread, but for dignity, justice, and freedom.
We take this opportunity to extend our sincere appreciation to the workers and people of the Brazil for hosting the 14th BRICS Trade Union Forum in this beautiful city of Brasilia under the theme “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance.”
This Forum comes at a time when the world faces what we deem to be abnormal. The old order, which was built on domination, extraction and hierarchy, is crumbling, but its demise is not quiet. It is accompanied by violence, both physical and economic, and has visited upon those of us in the Global South who have dared to imagine an alternative. BRICS, and this Forum in particular, are part of that imagination. They are platforms of resistance, but most importantly, they are platforms of construction: the construction of new power, of new economic systems, and of new solidarities that are no longer dependent on the former colonial masters.
Based on this it become more critical that we confront the geopolitics of this moment. The world is not only witnessing increased volatility in military and diplomatic terms, but we are also seeing the consolidation of economic warfare as a tool of control. The United States, faced with a shifting global balance of forces, has intensified its use of trade measures and weaponised them into trades wars, tariffs, financial sanctions, and institutional manipulation in order to preserve its strategic advantage.
These are not neutral acts, they are deliberate strategies to suppress the rise of the Global South and frustrate any movement toward sovereign developmental paths. This has become especially clear in the recent decision by the United States to unilaterally withdraw USAID from South Africa and several other African countries. This move is not about inefficiencies or programme reviews. It is a direct response to our political independence, particularly our growing alignment with BRICS and our insistence on supporting just struggles such as that of the people of Palestine.
It must be said without fear: aid that comes with chains is not assistance, it is extortion. And so, this moment reinforces what many of us have known for some time, that we must urgently move to build alternative systems of finance, trade, and cooperation. South Africa therefore strongly supports the BRICS process of developing a Reserve Contingency Arrangement that can act as a safeguard against financial aggression. We also believe that the de-dollarisation of trade and investment flows is no longer just desirable, it is essential at this point in time. We cannot speak of sustainable governance while allowing a single currency to dominate the global economy and dictate the terms of development for the rest of the world.
Comrades, while these global battles go on, our domestic struggles continue. The South African working class remains trapped in a structural crisis of poverty, inequality, and unemployment. Despite our democratic gains, economic challenges still persist. Our country remains one of the most unequal in the world. The Gini coefficient sits at a staggering 0.67. The top ten percent of our population commands over 70 percent of the nation’s income, while more than half of our people live below the poverty line.
The official unemployment rate stands at 32.3 percent, and among young people, it exceeds 49.19 percent. These are not mere statistics, they represent broken dreams, fractured families, and a daily struggle to survive in a system that refuses to value Black and working-class life.
The minimum wage, which was recently adjusted remains far from a living wage. Workers in the agricultural, domestic, and retail sectors continue to be exploited with impunity. And yet, even in this bleak landscape, the South African labour movement has not surrendered. In our communities, we are fighting for more than just decent wages. We are demanding a Universal Basic Income Grant to address chronic poverty. We are pushing for the finalisation of the National Health Insurance, because healthcare cannot remain a privilege for the wealthy. We are mobilising for reliable, accessible, and affordable public transport for workers in the townships and rural areas who walk kilometres each day just to report to work and for their day to day activities.
Energy insecurity continues to affect workers and industry alike. The frequent blackouts and instability at Eskom have left factories idle, livelihoods destroyed, and communities in darkness. But we say this very clearly: the transition to renewable energy must not be a transition to unemployment. We demand a Just Transition that protects workers, invests in retraining, and creates decent green jobs.
At the same time, we are entering deeper into the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Automation, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms are transforming the world of work. But for many in the Global South, the 4IR also poses threats as well. In South Africa, digitisation is leading to job losses in key sectors such as banking, retail, and telecommunications. Workers are being displaced without plans, protections, or pathways to new employment.
We are therefore calling for a BRICS Framework on 4IR that is based on decent work and ensures digital transformation does not exacerbate inequality. It must include massive public investment in digital skills training and prioritise localisation of technologies within our regions.
In addition, we must begin to speak seriously about the informal economy. In South Africa, more than five million people survive through informal trade, domestic work, and unregulated services. These workers are excluded from labour rights, social protections, and collective bargaining. Yet, they are the ones who hold our communities together. If we are to talk about inclusive governance, then informal workers must be seen, must be heard, and must be protected. We call for a BTUF Declaration on the Rights of Informal Workers, as a first step in this direction.
Comrades, we would be remiss not to account for our commitments made at the 13th BRICS Trade Union Forum in Russia. South Africa reaffirms its commitment to the resolutions adopted. However, we must be honest that progress has been uneven.
- The proposal for a Permanent Secretariat has yet to be fully operationalised. In this regard, we propose that an Interim Secretariat for the period 2025 to 2026 must be set up by the current host working closely with the host for next year, and we propose that a comprehensive framework be tabled by December of this year.
- Likewise, we are actively engaging the trade union movement in Africa with the intentions to convene the inaugural BRICS Africa Labour Dialogue Forum in the year 2026.
- The establishment of the Solidarity and Technical Fund has stalled. We propose that a feasibility working group be convened before the next Forum to define the structure, scope, and governance of such a fund, including its focus on youth, climate resilience, and gender equity.
Comrades, as we chart a path forward from this Forum, it is critical that we establish clear mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the progress of our collective commitments. Without accountability, our resolutions risk becoming rhetoric. COSATU therefore supports the development of a simple, people-centred monitoring and evaluation framework to be coordinated by the proposed Interim Secretariat. This framework should track the implementation of key Forum resolutions, such as the operationalisation of the BRICS Labour Secretariat, the convening of the BRICS–Africa Labour Dialogue, and the advancement of informal worker rights and the Just Transition agenda. It must allow us to measure impact not only in reports, but in the lived realities of workers across our nations. Let us ensure that our words here translate into action on the ground.
Finally, we must remember that BRICS is not just an economic project. It is a political intervention. It is a platform through which we assert the dignity and sovereignty of our nations and our people. As South African trade unions, we reiterate our unconditional solidarity with the people of Palestine. We demand that the Forum adopt a position of clear support for their right to self-determination, free from occupation and apartheid.
Comrades, we are not victims of history, we are its makers. The future belongs to those who organise, to those who build, and to those who fight for justice.
Let us leave this Forum with more than resolutions. Let us leave with a renewed commitment to action, to unity, and to the belief that a different world is not only necessary, it is possible.
Amandla!
Viva the BRICS Trade Union Forum!
Viva international working-class solidarity!
Viva the future we are building together!