Opening Remarks by the COSATU General Secretary, Solly Phetoe,at the ACTRAV Regional Workshop on Technological Change, Digital Transformation and AI

Director, ILO-ACTRAV - Ms. Maria Helena Andre

ILO DWT/CO-Pretoria, Alexio Musindo,

Programme Director, Hilma Mote
Comrades and friends,
Fellow workers from across our beloved continent,
Representatives from the ILO, ACTRAV, and sister federations,

On behalf of the over 1.5 million members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU, I bring you revolutionary greetings and extend a warm welcome to Johannesburg. It is a great honour to open this important regional workshop.

We are proud to host this ACTRAV gathering, especially with so many African trade union leaders present. It is a powerful reminder that our struggle is not isolated, it is shared, continental, and global.

Comrades, we are meeting at a critical moment. Across workplaces, sectors and countries, the world of work is being transformed by technology, digital platforms and artificial intelligence. And while these changes promise progress, they also pose deep threats to workers' rights, job security, and equality, especially in the Global South.

Let us be clear: COSATU is not afraid of technology. We are not stuck in the past. Workers have always adapted to change, we built the factories, the railways, the mines, and the fibre networks. What we reject is a future where workers are sacrificed in the name of progress. What we reject is a digital economy without justice.

Comrades, already we are seeing automation in banking and logistics leading to mass retrenchments. Workers are being displaced by machines, with no retraining, no compensation, and no say. Platform workers, like e-hailing drivers and delivery riders-are treated as invisible, denied basic rights and protections.

Artificial Intelligence is being used to replace human decision-making, to monitor workers without consent, and to break unions through surveillance. In the name of efficiency, workers are being dehumanised.

And yet, at the same time, millions of our people remain excluded from any digital economy. Young workers without access to data or devices. Women trapped in low-paid, informal digital work. Rural communities still waiting for basic connectivity.

This is the contradiction we must confront:A digital economy that excludes the many and empowers the few.

And that is why this workshop matters. Because trade unions must not be passive observers to technological change. We must be actors. We must be organisers, regulators, and visionaries. The future of work cannot be left to tech companies, billionaires, or consultants. It must be shaped by workers, for workers.

COSATU believes that we need a strong, coordinated, Pan-African response. One rooted in justice and solidarity. Let me briefly share five key principles we believe should guide us:

1. Technology must be people-centred, not profit-centred.
   It must improve the quality of work, not destroy jobs. It must serve human dignity, not strip it away.
2. Workers must have a voice in how technology is introduced.
   That means social dialogue, strong collective bargaining, and legislation that protects jobs and rights.
3. Platform workers must be recognised as workers.
   No more pretending they are "independent contractors." They are employees and must enjoy the same rights, minimum wage, social protection, and union representation.
4. Skills and training must be prioritised.
   We cannot allow a digital elite to emerge while the majority are left behind. Governments must invest in mass upskilling and digital inclusion.
5. Trade unions must modernise and organise.
   We need to build power in the digital economy. That means new organising strategies, digital tools for mobilisation, and regional cooperation among unions.

Comrades, the ILO and ACTRAV have a critical role in helping workers navigate this transformation. But we must also hold our governments accountable. Industrial policies, education systems, labour laws, they must all adapt to protect workers in this new era.

We also call on the African Union, SADC, and national governments to work with trade unions to develop a continental framework on just digital transformation, one that promotes decent work, public digital infrastructure, and African digital sovereignty.

Let us not wait until our members are jobless. Let us not wait until AI writes the rules without us. Let us lead now.

In conclusion, comrades, this workshop is not just about presentations. It must be about planning and power-building. We must leave here with a common voice, a shared strategy, and a fighting spirit.

Let us say it clearly:
Technology must work for workers, not the other way around.
No transformation without justice.
No innovation without negotiation.
No future without trade unions.Forward to a digital future rooted in workers' rights!
Forward to African solidarity in the digital economy!
Aluta continua! Viva workers' power, viva!