Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in partnership with Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) are excited to launch a new and improved joint call centre that aims to assist workers resolve their challenges.
COSATU has been running a call centre since April 2023. Now with a substantial investment from RMA, the joint initiative is set to expand its reach using state-of-art technology to better serve the interests of workers in their moments of need.
Housed at COSATU’s headquarters in Braamfontein, the joint call centre will assist members of trade unions affiliated to COSATU, as well as non-unionised workers in line with the Federation’s policy of fighting for and defending the rights of all workers.
The overarching goal of the joint call centre is to be a one-stop shop that helps workers with a variety of issues including non-compliant employers who do not pay third-party dues such as pension fund and UIF contributions; to iron out hurdles workers encounter while claiming benefits from UIF and the Compensation Fund; and to mediate where workers feel the service they receive from their trade union is unsatisfactory. The call centre will also serve as a point of connection for workers who want to join a union.
In business for more than 130 years, RMA holds the licence to administer claims for occupational injuries and diseases as per the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA). It assists workers in mining, iron, steel, metal and related industries who are injured on duty, ill or pass away and leave family behind. The call centre set-up is such that operators will be able to transfer calls seeking RMA’s expertise directly to its main call centre and vice versa for calls requiring assistance from COSATU.
The days of having workers sent from pillar to post when attempting to claim their rightful benefits should be a thing of the past once the call centre is fully operational. Among its tasks will be to direct workers to the correct entities to have specific queries resolved. The long-term plan is to have dedicated individuals at the UIF and CCMA attend to calls directly from the joint call centre to ensure speedy resolution of workers’ queries.
Speaking about the launch of this new call centre, Thulani Sibeko, RMA’s Group Executive: Social Insurance, said: “This call centre will enhance access to RMA’s services for workers facing distressing situations. Whether it is a workplace injury or incident, or the need for an RMA product, COSATU-affiliated workers will now be assisted more efficiently and effectively. This initiative is not just about technology—it is about human dignity, about ensuring that workers receive the care and assistance they deserve without unnecessary delays”.
This partnership is the first of its kind. We hope it is long and productive as we hope to do more to improve the lives of workers. The joint call centre was launched on 25 February 2025, at COSATU House.