Unions warn against ANC-DA coalition, say workers’ rights at stake

If the ANC partners with the Democratic Alliance to form a coalition government, it will be a betrayal of workers’ struggles, says the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).

While coalition talks are not yet finalised, the ANC’s tripartite alliance partner, Cosatu, has stated it would reject a coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Cosatu against coalition that ‘abandons our labour laws’

Cosatu deputy general secretary Solly Phetoe emphasised that the trade union federation was vehemently against any coalition government that “abandons our labour laws and workers’ hard-won rights”.

“We will discourage and object to the possible coalition with the DA. We will never agree to any coalition the ANC is going to form with a political party that undermines the rights of the workers.

“We know we need to put the country and service delivery first and while we do not have a say in which political party the ANC forms a coalition with, we also have a responsibility to the trade union federation to defend the rights of the workers,” he said.

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DA wanted to scrap national minimum wage

The DA stirred up controversy during its election campaign by saying it wanted to effectively scrap the national minimum wage. It argued that high minimum wages lock people out of jobs, prioritise the interests of unions above the unemployed and protect uncompetitive local industries.

According to the DA proposal, it would not scrap the national minimum wage but it would not increase it, allowing inflation to erode its value over time.

Phetoe said: “This is the same party that in their manifesto went public and said when they’re in power they are going to reduce the public servant workforce. They are going to reduce the salary of the public servant.

“They are going to make sure that labour relations are reduced to nothing. Because they’ve been arguing that workers have too many rights.

“What rights are they talking about?

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“There’s still a lot for us to improve in the conditions of service of workers and also labour relations still have to be improved,” Phetoe said.

Meting to engage on the matter

While he refused to outline which parties the federation believed were ideal for the ANC to form a government with, he said they would be meeting to engage on the matter.

“We’re still consulting on which parties can and cannot be worked with. We must get a promise that whatever agreement is achieved, it is based on progressive principles.”

National spokesperson for the SA Federation of Trade Unions Trevor Shaku said an ANC-DA coalition will bring about economic doomsday for workers.

“Even if the ANC successfully prevents the repeal of the national minimum wage, it will be a coalition based on a neoliberal macro-economic framework,” Shaku said.

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“The ANC is implementing such policy frameworks anyway.

“Hence, DA leader John Steenhuisen said after the budget speeches in 2023 and 2024, that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana copied the fiscal measures from the economic playbook of the DA.

“So such a combination will be market liberalist at the expense of workers and the poor.

“It will propose privatisation, fiscal and monetary austerity and other structural reforms that favour the capitalist class.”

Ideologically DA-ANC coalition unlikely to work out

But political analyst Dr Bernard Sebake said that, at an ideological and practical level, a coalition between the two parties was unlikely to work out.

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“When we look ahead to the 2026 local elections and the 2029 national elections, this partnership will not be a political governance of choice because the two parties stand for different ideologies and principles.”