Tripartite Alliance member Cosatu has voiced its opposition to the DA's policies and emphasised the importance of maintaining labour rights.

Listen to this article 6 min Listen to this article 6 min Despite Cosatu being an ally of the African National Congress (ANC) and campaigning for the party since 1994, the federation says it was never "consulted" or asked to contribute to the formation of the government of national unity (GNU).

Instead, it was "briefed" on the plan to form a government and the resulting Statement of Intent.

Cosatu's first deputy president, Michael Shingange, said, "In the instance of the GNU, the ANC has chosen to be clear about the independence of each one of us."

The labour federation briefed the media on Monday on the outcomes of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting held last week. The federation also reflected on the results of the recent general elections, the formation of the GNU and the soon-to-be-appointed Cabinet.

Cosatu, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the ANC form the Tripartite Alliance.

"We had hoped to be consulted because the Statement of Intent and things that need to be contained in the body [of the document] should have taken into consideration the interest of all concerned, ourselves included," said Shingange.

"Sadly, it's a Statement of Intent for political parties who...