The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) will undertake mass protest action this week with several demands for its workers.

The one-day national protected strike will take place during this year’s International Decent Work Day on Friday 7 October.

COSATU is fighting for the following causes:

• To demand for the total banning of the labour brokers and casualisation
• To demand for the scrapping of the e-tolling system including the expensive toll gates
• To fight for the defence our jobs and against retrenchments
• To demand for the full implementation of the legislated National Minimum Wage
• To fight to defend and protect our bargaining agreements
• To fight for immediate implementation of National Health Insurance

While this is a protected protest actioan, any employee engaged in an essential service may not participate in the protest action.

COSATU members in Mpumalanga will take part in a march from Lynville stadium in Witbank to the Mpumalanga Department of Labour office to hand over a memorandum.

The trade union reports that a number of its central executive committee members will participate in the march, including COSATU Deputy General Secretary Solly Phethoe, NUM President Thamsanqa Matosa and General Secretary David Spunzi and CEPPWAWU 1st President Lucas Mashego. At this stage no other trade unions have indicated that they will join the strike action.