The Labor Congress of Liberia (abbreviated LCL) was a trade union centre in
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
. It was one of the precursors of the Liberian Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU).
1951 foundation and 1954 re-foundation
LCL was founded as the first trade union centre in the country in 1951, but the organization soon became defunct. LCL was re-founded in February 1954, with Leroy Francis, a West Indian, playing a leading role. As of mid-1955 LCL had five affiliates: the General Workers' Union, the Dock Workers' Union, the Mine Workers' Union, the Railroad Workers' Union, and the Rubber Workers' Union. LCL claimed to have 50,000 members, although more conservative estimates put the number of due-paying members at around 1,000. Outside of Monrovia LCL established branches at Greenville, Sinoe County and
Bomi Hills Bomi may refer to:
* Yoon Bo-mi, an idol singer in the South Korean group A Pink
* Bomi County, county in Liberia
* Tubmanburg, also known as Bomi, capital of Bomi County in Liberia
* Bomi, Sierra Leone
* Bomi County, Tibet, county in Tibet
* Bomi ...
.
1955 strikes
In 1955 the LCL-affiliated GWU organized a strike of road construction workers, demanding increase in wages. Negotiations lasted for 8 weeks. The Liberian government took part in facilitating negotiations with the road construction company. Another 1955 strike, a strike at the Bomi Hills Mining Company, was put down by military police. The union leaders were jailed, and LCL went defunct.
1958 re-foundation
LCL was once again re-founded in 1958 by T. Dupigny-Leigh (Social Secretary in the Liberian government). Like the previous Labor Union of Liberia, LCL under Dupigny-Leigh was backed up by the Liberian government. LCL was led by
William V.S. Tubman, Jr.
William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman Jr. is a Liberian politician and member of the Reformed United Liberia Party (RULP). He is the son of William Tubman, who was President of Liberia from 1943 to 1971,William Tubman. Union fees of LCL went directly to the governing True Whig Party. LCL was affiliated to
ICFTU
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 when ...
.
1959 split
In 1959 LCL underwent a split, and the break-away
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...
was formed. The split begun when the independent-minded Monrovia mechanics union moved away from the pro-government LCL. LCL was divided into the Leigh group (favoring close relations with the government) and the McGill group (favoring independent unions).
Later period
LCL became largely defunct after the split. CIO overtook the membership in ICFTU. As of 1964 LCL was estimated to have around 1,000 members. As of the mid-1960s LCL reportedly had only one affiliated union, maintaining a presence amongst dock workers.
In 1977 President
William R. Tolbert Jr.
William Richard Tolbert Jr. (13 May 1913 – 12 April 1980) was a Liberian politician who served as the 20th president of Liberia from 1971 until 1980.
Tolbert was an Americo-Liberian and trained as a civil servant before entering the House ...
urged the different trade union centres to unite into a single body. The
Liberian Federation of Trade Unions The Liberian Federation of Trade Unions (abbreviated LFTU) was a trade union centre in Liberia.
In 1977 the Liberian president William R. Tolbert Jr. had urged the different trade union centres to unite into a single body. Thus the Liberian Federat ...