The ''Confédération générale des travailleurs africains'' ('General Confederation of African Workers', CGTA) was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

centre in

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

, in existence from 1956 to 1957.

History

A leader of the French

Confédération générale du travail The General Confederation of Labour (, , CGT) is a national trade union center, founded in 1895 in the city of Limoges. It is the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions. It is the largest in terms of votes in the Labour C ...

(CGT) in West Africa, Bassirou Guèye, had begun to promote the idea that African trade unionists should make themselves independent from the French centres. At a meeting of the

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

branch of CGT, held in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

November 11-November 12, 1955, the majority of delegates voted for separation from the French CGT and the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established on October 3, 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the Int ...

. After the break with CGT, these unions formed CGT-Autonome. A conference was held in Saint-Louis on January 14-January 15, 1956 during which CGT-Autonome and the

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

n branch of CGT formed the CGTA.

Sékou Touré Sekou, also spelled Sékou or Seku, is a given name from the Fula language. It is equivalent to the Arabic ''Sheikh''. People with this name include: People * Sekou (singer), British singer Given name * Seku Amadu (1776–1845), also known as S� ...

and Seydou Diallo became leaders of CGTA.Agyeman, Opoku.
The Failure of Grassroots Pan-Africanism: The Case of the All-African Trade Union Federation
'. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2003. pp. 98-99 CGTA held its first federal bureau meeting in

Conakry Conakry ( , ; ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973. The current population of C ...

, November 1956. The meeting was attended by representatives from Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania,

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

, Upper Volta and

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

. The meeting decided that CGTA would remain unaffiliated to any French federation. The question on international affiliation was postponed to be decided later.Chafer, Tony.
The End of Empire in French West Africa: France's Successful Decolonization?
' Oxford: Berg, 2002. p. 124 CGTA rejected the notion of

class struggle In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...

in the African context, arguing that antagonistic classes were not present in African societies. CGTA had approximately 55,000 members, slightly smaller than the CGT (which still had around 60,000 members in the region).Meynaud, Jean, and Anisse Salah Bey.
Trade Unionism in Africa
'. Lond: Methuen, 1967. p. 59 CGT responded to the launching of CGTA by calling for an African trade unionist unity conference. CGTA agreed in principle, but wanted to delay the holding the conference (seeking to enlarge its own ranks first, to get a better negotiating position ahead of the unity conference). There were some unions, such as the railway workers' union, that remained unaffiliated to any central. CGTA hoped that such unions would join CGTA before a unity process. The railway workers' union did however not agree to join CGTA. Instead, they called for the foundation of a single independent union federation. CGTA and CGT both agreed to the proposal, and on January 16, 1957 they (and other major union formations in French West Africa) merged to form Union générale des Travailleurs d'Afrique noire (UGTAN).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Confederation generale des travailleurs africains Trade unions in Guinea Trade unions in Senegal Trade unions in Mauritania Trade unions in Niger Trade unions in Burkina Faso Trade unions in Ivory Coast 1956 establishments in French West Africa 1957 disestablishments in French West Africa Defunct trade unions of Africa Trade unions established in 1956 Trade unions disestablished in 1957