The Cosatu strike takes place on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, when the federation and its affiliates hold marches and pickets in all nine provinces to mark World Day for Decent Work.
According to Cosatu, workers will take to the streets with nationwide marches and pickets to highlight the plight of workers. Employer guidance from Global Business Solutions says the action runs from 09:00 to 16:30, and that shift workers who miss a full shift covering most of those hours are treated as absent.
What is the Cosatu strike about?
The action is a protected protest, which the Labour Relations Act allows under section 77(1)(d) once NEDLAC has considered the issue and workers have been given at least 14 days’ notice.
It comes as official unemployment stands at 33.6% for the second quarter of 2026, and Cosatu’s central demand is stronger enforcement of the National Minimum Wage. Its statement said:
“COSATU calls for stronger enforcement of the NMW and other labour rights and for government to expedite the recruitment of 10 000 additional labour inspectors announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the State of the Nation Address.”
Where will the Cosatu strike marches take place?
Marches in Johannesburg and Tshwane will target government departments and Massmart. In KwaZulu-Natal, nurses’ union DENOSA will march in Durban, with pickets at Richards Bay Minerals. Limpopo has demonstrations at Jumbo Stores in Polokwane, the Free State will hold a provincial march in Bloemfontein, and the Western Cape action is at GrandWest.
In Gauteng, Cosatu is pressing Massmart over dismissals that followed a 2021 strike, which the company said broke picketing rules, and Massmart has sued SACCAWU for R9.4 million over alleged property damage. The statement said:
“COSATU Gauteng marches in Johannesburg and Tshwane will deliver memorandums to Massmart, demanding the reinstatement of the nearly 600 workers dismissed by Makro, for participating in a legal, protected strike in 2021.”
What are the Cosatu strike demands for workers?
Sun International plans job cuts at several casinos through a section 189 process, the consultation procedure a company must follow before retrenchments, even though revenue reached R3.4 billion in the six months to the end of June. Cosatu and SACCAWU reject the cuts. DENOSA wants funded nursing vacancies filled, and workers also want safer transport for early and late shifts.
Beyond sector disputes, Cosatu ties the action to household pressure, and the October 2026 fuel price increase lifts inland petrol 95 by R3.33 a litre to R30.25 from Wednesday, 7 October 2026. The statement said:
“The demonstrations will also highlight the escalating cost of living given the high cost of electricity and rising fuel price due to the ongoing war in the Persian Gulf.”
What employers and commuters should expect
Employers are advised to communicate clearly with staff and handle attendance fairly. Whether absent workers are paid must be assessed against the applicable legal requirements, and march routes had not been published for most provinces by Tuesday evening.
Cosatu sits in the governing alliance, and has declined to back either side in the dispute between the ANC and the SACP before the November local elections. It also held a national strike on 7 October in 2024.
Sources
- Mediadon, COSATU to take to the streets to demand decent work on 7 October
- Mediadon, COSATU to mark WFTU's 81st anniversary with nationwide worker activities
- Mediadon, COSATU KwaZulu-Natal statement on the WFTU anniversary and International Decent Work Day
- Global Business Solutions, COSATU protest action on 7 October 2026: what employers and HR practitioners need to know
- Bizcommunity, Cosatu protest: Why saving South African jobs must begin long before retrenchment notices arrive
- Swisher Post, October 2026 fuel price increase: How much a litre costs
- Swisher Post, SACP 2026 elections bid defies ANC ultimatum as alliance frays
- Swisher Post, Cosatu national strike: Roads to avoid in South Africa on Monday, 7 October 2024
