The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) (
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
: Organisation de L'Unité Syndicale Africaine; OUSA) is an independent
regional union federation aimed at unifying
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
centres in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. This organisation was founded in April, 1973 as a successor to two previously competing labour union organisations in Africa: the
All-African Trade Union Federation
The All-African Trade Union Federation (AATUF) was a Pan-African trade union organisation, formed in November 1959 on the initiative of president Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. The secretary of AATUF was Amadou N'diaye. The assistant secretary general ...
(AATUF) and the
African Trade Union Confederation
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
(ATUC). The process to unify a Pan-African labour union organisation also involved international labour organisations as decision-making stakeholders like the
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
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 ...
(ICFTU) and the
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation of ...
(WFTU). Finally, also with the help of the
Organisation of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...
(OAU), the AATUF and the ATUC merged to form the OATUU. The driving factors for this unification and the creation of the OATUU was to advance
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
,
economic justice
Justice in economics is a subcategory of welfare economics. It is a "set of moral and ethical principles for building economic institutions". Economic justice aims to create opportunities for every person to have a dignified, productive and creativ ...
, and
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...
throughout African workplaces.
As of 2022, the OATUU has been collaborating with the
International Labor organisation (ILO) to be an exclusive, overarching organisation representing African workers' interests. The OATUU has four regional sub-organisations:
The Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA);
Organisation of Trade Unions of Central Africa (OTUCA);
Southern Africa Trade Union Coordinating Council
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
(SATUCC); and the
Organisation of Trade Unions of Arab Maghreb (OTUAM). Together, they represent a total of 73 national labour union affiliates, totalling at approximately 25 million individual members.
The OATUU strives to promote "social and economic justice" in Africa
through projects that combat
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
, fund
women empowerment
Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...
in the workplace, and support
democratisation
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic Regime, political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an Authoritarianism, auth ...
efforts in African nations. The OATUU receives financial support from the ILO to directly fund these projects as well as
lobbying
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agency, regulatory agencie ...
efforts that favour policies conducive to
economic development
In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...
in Africa.
History
Prior to the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity
![Kwame_Nkrumah_(JFKWHP-AR6409-A)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Kwame_Nkrumah_%28JFKWHP-AR6409-A%29.jpg)
The first Pan-African trade union organisation, the
All-African Trade Union Federation
The All-African Trade Union Federation (AATUF) was a Pan-African trade union organisation, formed in November 1959 on the initiative of president Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. The secretary of AATUF was Amadou N'diaye. The assistant secretary general ...
(AATUF), was founded in
Casablanca, Morocco
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
in 1961.
The AATUF was born out of the resolutions from the first
All-African People’s Conference (AAPC) held in 1958 at
Accra, Ghana
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
headed by prominent Pan-Africanists like
Tom Mboya
Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya (15August 19305July 1969) was a Kenyan trade unionist, educator, Pan-Africanist, author, independence activist, and statesman. He was one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Kenya.Kenya Human Rights Commissio ...
and
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...
.
The AATUF aimed at promoting
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
and being an independent federation of labour unions that prioritized the interests of all African workers throughout the continent.
![Tom_Mboya_1962_(cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Tom_Mboya_1962_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Following the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, African workers under colonial rule were split and led to the formation of various independent trade unions across the continent.
And after
Decolonization of Africa
The decolonisation of Africa was a process that took place in the Scramble for Africa, mid-to-late 1950s to 1975 during the Cold War, with radical government changes on the continent as Colonialism, colonial governments made the transition to So ...
in the 1950s, many regional African trade unions maintained close relations with their respective imperial centres.
Following independence, early attempts at Pan-Africanism via union federation were further complicated by
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
ideological differences. As African nations subscribed to combinations of anti-colonial
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
, pro-Western
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...
, as well as series of
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
and
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
alignments within the
Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
, ideological differences from the 1950s to 1970s obstructed attempts at unity.
While the AATUF was initially successful in remaining non-partisan and free from foreign intervention during the 1960s, the newly created
African Trade Union Confederation
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
(ATUC) supported by the
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
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 ...
(ICFTU) was beginning to grow and destabilize AATUF's resolution to be the sole representative for a Pan-African workers'
trade union federation
A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...
. This led to a partitioning of African trade unions along ideological lines
and the AATUF began to align with the
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation of ...
(WFTU) in response to the ATUC’s creation in 1962.
The several trade union federation organisations in Africa clashed and interfered with each other and provoked internal conflicts throughout the 1960s.
Rise of the OATUU
The open split between the two unions (AATUF and the ATUC) brought in the involvement of the newly formed
Organisation of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...
(OAU) as a mediator for disputes in African trade union affairs.
Beginning in 1964, both the AATUF and ATUC sent delegations to OAU summits to gain exclusive recognition as the sole representative of African workers’ interests. This led to the court of
African Labour Ministers, who gathered from 1966 to 1967, to discuss what role trade unions should play in Africa’s development and how to achieve unity between them. In 1967, the OAU’s Administrative Secretary-General called all national trade union centres to attend a conference aimed at reconciling AATUF and ATUC conflicts and aspirations.
This conference was called the organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) held in November, 1972 in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
.
In collaboration with the
International Labor Organisation (ILO) in organizing the conference, the OAU Secretary General presented unity as a core principle to all trade union centres in Africa.
Under the auspices of
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
, an agreement was finally brokered in April, 1973 formally establishing the OATUU.
The OATUU’s creation meant the absorption of the AATUF, ATUC, the
Pan-African Congress
The Pan-African Congress was a series of eight meetings, held in 1919 in Paris (1st Pan-African Congress), 1921 in London, Brussels and Paris (2nd Pan-African Congress), 1923 in London (3rd Pan-African Congress), 1927 in New York City (4th Pan-Afr ...
, as well as other smaller workers’ organisations across Africa.
History of General Secretaries
:1973:
Dennis Akumu Dennis Akumu (1934-2016) was a Kenyan politician, trade unionist and independence freedom fighter. He was the first secretary general of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU).
Early life
James Dennis "JD" Obong Akumu (7 August 193 ...
:1980:
Ibrahim Ghandour
Ibrahim Ghandour ( ar, إبراهيم غندور; born 6 December 1952) was the Foreign Minister of Sudan from 9 June 2015 to 19 April 2018 and the former head of the ruling National Congress Party.
Ghandour, whose background is in academia as o ...
:1986:
Hassan Sunmonu
Hassan Adebayo Sunmonu is a Nigerian trade unionist who was president of the Nigerian Labour Congress from 1978 to 1984. He is a former General-Secretary of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity.
Life
Sunmonu was born in the village of Aki ...
:2012:
Owei Lakemfa
:2015:
Mezhoud Arezki
The OATUU Today
The OATUU acted first as a partner, then as a successor to
ILO
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...
responsibilities in Africa. One of their most notable activities is aiding
national liberation movements
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
across Africa, such as advocating for workers’ rights during the
Apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
in South Africa.
In addition to sharing mandates, the ILO supports and funds “extensive worker education programmes (WED)” which the OATUU offers at the national, regional, and continental levels.
As noted, The OATUU strives to promote "social and economic justice" in Africa
dealing with problems like
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
,
women empowerment
Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...
in the workplace, and
democratisation
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic Regime, political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an Authoritarianism, auth ...
in African nations. The OATUU receives financial support from the ILO to directly fund these social projects, and more critically, supports
lobbying
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agency, regulatory agencie ...
efforts that would be favourable to union workers across Africa.
List of OATUU Conferences and Notable Events
Key Activities and Functions
While there has been much coverage for the history and the formation of the OATUU, the details of their current duties and activities have not been covered as extensively by secondary publications.
As of 2022 there are 73 affiliates to The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, 33 from former
Francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
nations, 28 from former
Anglophone
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
nations, and 12 semi-regional trade unions who operate out of the OATUU's four regional sub-organisations:
The Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA);
Organisation of Trade Unions of Central Africa (OTUCA);
Southern Africa Trade Union Coordinating Council
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
(SATUCC); and the
Organisation of Trade Unions of Arab Maghreb (OTUAM).
Their key vision is to represent workers from all African countries for the “realization of social and economic justice for all”.
The OATUU has 12 listed official goals
all striving to strengthen the relationship and coordination of economic activities between their affiliate members. The OATUU carries out a variety of education, training, research and advisory tasks across various areas in the Africa:
national defense
National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military attac ...
,
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
,
women empowerment
Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...
,
entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
,
health and safety
Occupational safety and health (OSH), also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), occupational health, or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at wor ...
, actions against
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
, African
economic integration
Economic integration is the unification of economic policies between different states, through the partial or full abolition of tariff and Non-tariff barriers to trade, non-tariff restrictions on trade.
The trade-stimulation effects intended b ...
, and
trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...
.
Upholding the rights of African trade unions are also a big part of their mandate, and the OATUU will do so by assisting labour unions navigate the complicated bureaucratic processes of international organisations, such as filing the paperwork for labor claims with the ILO.
The OATUU acts as an agent representing the economic interests of African governments in international organisations, namely pushing back against
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
(IMF),
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
, and
World Trade Organisation
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
(WTO) policies that harm African domestic industry and labor standards.
By also working with the
African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...
(AU), the OATUU attempts to continually strengthen the political, social, and economic integration throughout the continent.
Together, the OATUU, the ILO, and the AU, in consultation with the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
(UN) have strived to strengthen the
African Economic Community
The African Economic Community (AEC) is an organization of African Union states establishing grounds for mutual economic development among the majority of African states. The stated goals of the organization include the creation of free trade ...
(AEC), promote African alternative frameworks to
Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP), and push for
debt-cancellation across Africa.
Affiliates
Francophone Affiliates
Anglophone Affiliates
Criticisms
Corruption
The OATUU’s 4th Congress in 1985 held in
Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
collapsed as a number of unions accused the secretariat of misusing funds and manipulating votes.
The OATUU’s Secretary General refused to resign and a thus Provisional Coordinating Committee was established within the OATUU.
In 1985, the
Workers Education Programme
The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the Pooling (resource management), pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single types of companies, company or ...
(WED) canceled a project funded by the
Danish International Development Agency
Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is the brand used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark when it provides humanitarian aid and development assistance to other countries, with focus on developing countries. There is no dist ...
(DANIDA) and the ILO citing for concerns of foreign influence and the misappropriation of funds by the organisation's leadership.
Thus, divides within the OATUU ensued, further jeopardizing the OATUU's official mandate of promoting
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
and unity.
Lack of Finances
The OATUU has had difficulty in establishing their own fundraising capacities, and so the basis for the OATUU has always been under significant threat; the OATUU still persists today mostly because of its ability to continue to leverage resources through the
ILO
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...
.
The financial problems the OATUU experienced in their early years of establishment meant that educational programmes had to be funded by external donor participants.
The financial hardships led to the OATUU becoming greatly dependent on, and beholden to the interests of other governments and political groups. For example, Libyans from the
National Union of Libyan Workers
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
(NULW) were compelled to accept substantial sources of funding from “the
Palestine Liberation Organisation
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and s ...
(PLO), the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, and several other African governments” regardless of its conditionality throughout the 1990s.
Illiteracy
At the "Democracy and Popular Participation for African Trade Union Leaders" seminar held in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
in April of 1994, trade union representatives identified mass
illiteracy
Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...
among the African population as an issue that was negatively impacting the growth of
democratisation
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic Regime, political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an Authoritarianism, auth ...
,
a fundamental tenet of the OATUU's mission in Africa. Many felt that the
socio-economic conditions had been negatively impacted by
Structural Adjustment Programs
Structural adjustment programs (SAPs) consist of loans (structural adjustment loans; SALs) provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) to countries that experience economic crises. Their purpose is to adjust the coun ...
(SAPs) supported by the
IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
and the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
, ultimately reducing the capabilities for democratic developments in the continent.
Representatives decided that in order to increase the level of democratisation within the continent, trade unions needed to increase levels of education and training programmes, not just for representative members but also their surrounding communities.
The hope was this would put pressure on African governments to create more employment, focus on education, and promote social values.
See also
*
List of federations of trade unions
This is a list of federations of trade unions currently in existence. Those federations listed under each country are also known as national trade union centres and are organizations formed by trade unions which operate, in most cases, at the ...
*
(ITUC)
*
Organisation of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...
(OAU)
*
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
*
All-African People’s Conference (AAPC)
*
All-African Trade Union Federation
The All-African Trade Union Federation (AATUF) was a Pan-African trade union organisation, formed in November 1959 on the initiative of president Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. The secretary of AATUF was Amadou N'diaye. The assistant secretary general ...
(AATUF)
References
Footnotes
Trade unions established in 1973
Bibliography
* Bernards, Nick. "The International Labour Organization and African Trade Unions: Tripartite Fantasies and Enduring Struggles." ''Review of African Political Economy'' 44, no. 153 (2017): 399–414.
* International Centre for Trade Union Rights.''Trade Unions of the World''. 6th ed. London: John Harper Publishing, 2005.
* Kalusopa, Trywell. "Whither African Trade Union Movement? Lessons for Restitution and Reform." In ''Labour Questions in the Global South'', edited by Praveen Jha, Walter Chambati, and Lyn Ossome, 123-146. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021. {{ISBN, 978-981-334-635-2.
* Martens, George. "Unity Eludes Africa's Trade Unions." ''Industrial Relations Journal'' 16, no. 4 (1985): 85–97.
* OATUU. “About Us.” The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, May 28, 2021. https://oatuu.org/about-us/.
* OATUU. “Affiliates.” The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, May 28, 2021. https://oatuu.org/affilates/.
* OATUU, ILO, and ECA.
Seminar on Democracy and Popular Participation for African Trade Union Leaders: Seminar Report" Paper presented at the 13th Popular Participation Workshop Series by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April, 1994.
* Zeleza, Tiyambe. "Pan-African Trade Unionism: Unity and Discord." ''Transafrican Journal of History'' 15, (1986): 164–190.
External Links
OATUU Official WebsiteOATUU FacebookOATUU TwitterOATUU LinkedInThe Guardian News Coverage African trade union federations
International and regional union federations