Government is certain it will reach agreement with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on the minimum wage and other issues, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.

He was addressing hundreds of African National Congress supporters at the old Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo, as part of the ANC’s 104th anniversary celebrations.

In his speech, cut short by audio problems due to the rainy weather, Ramaphosa said Cosatu should continue to be “militant and a true champion of workers”.

“We will continue to work with Cosatu, whenever we have challenges; whenever we have issues such as taxation issues, we will work together and find solutions,” he said.

“Now we are working with Cosatu on the minimum wage issue; we are negotiating and we are certain that we are going to find answers.”

Ramaphosa said Cosatu would remain the biggest trade union federation in the country and plans to establish another federation would not affect the ANC’s relationship with Cosatu.

The ANC had helped Cosatu resolve problems it had faced would continue to support the federation.

Cosatu has been riven with internal strife, which eventually saw its former general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa expelled from the federation, followed by threats from other unions to leave Cosatu as well.