Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi has warned workers not to allow themselves to be used to protect those charged with corruption.

Losi was speaking in Pretoria outside the offices of Treasury on Tuesday during the labour federation's national strike in which hundreds of workers delivered a memorandum to three departments.

"We are not going to be mobilised as workers on certain cases of certain individuals where it's said we should do vigils at courts, we shouldn't allow that comrades," Losi said.

She called on those facing corruption allegations to go and have their day in court to defend themselves there and not make allegations of there being conspiracies against them.

"We cannot allow ourselves to be mobilised as there's many other battles we are facing as workers, we cannot allow that," Losi said.

The workers embarked on a national strike in protest over job losses, corruption and unemployment, among others.

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula and labour and employment minister Thulas Nxesi accepted the memorandum and apologised for finance minister Tito Mboweni and his deputy who couldn't make it as they were at a cabinet lekgotla which was discussing the budget.