Unity Incorporation (Unity), founded in 1992, is the investment arm of a group of six trade unions affiliated to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU), South Africa’s biggest trade union confederations. COMANCO is wholly-owned by Unity.
Unity ensures that SRI values and ESG factors are present in the investment decision-making process. They conduct active, extensive research on selected listed companies, ensuring that the labour movement is represented and that the resulting portfolios comprise SRI best-practice companies. In addition, with the establishment of Unity Incorporation, pension fund members could now play an active role in influencing transformation within South Africa’s major corporations and the broader economy.
We conduct active, extensive research on selected listed companies focusing on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. During this process, both employees (union members) and company management are involved to ensure objectivity. We also do comprehensive SRI research, and have developed strict screening criteria.
Changes in retirement fund legislation and practices have highlighted the importance of well-trained and professional retirement fund trustees who are able to act in the best interests of members. Unity Incorporation provides training to trustees, keeping them up to date with the latest regulatory matters, fiduciary duties and investment trends. The training is both in-house and outsourced to external service providers whose courses are accredited by the Insurance SETA.
Companies within our universe of shares are constantly engaged on social issues such as job creation, skills development, empowerment, corporate governance, and others. This helps us to monitor and contribute towards their progress in these areas.
