The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) was launched in December 1985 after four years of unity talks between unions opposed to apartheid and committed to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa. At our launch we represented less than half a million workers organised in 33 unions. We currently have more than two million workers, of whom at least 1.8 million are paid up. Even by international standards we have been among the fastest growing trade union movements in the world. Today when most trade unions are facing a decline in membership, we have continued to grow.

Our main broad strategic objectives have always been:

To improve material conditions of our members and of the working people as a whole.

To organise the unorganised

To ensure worker participation in the struggle for peace and democracy Principles

From its inception, the federation is based on the following core principles: