The United Workers Congress of Liberia (abbreviated UWC) 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 ...

. UWC was founded in 1974, after a split in the

Congress of Industrial Organizations of Liberia A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. The most important CIO union, the National Mine Workers Union, joined the UWC. Amongst the mine workers UWC organized all mines except the Mano River Mine. Other sectors organized by UWC were timber workers, truck drivers and car mechanics. Frank Walker served as the general secretary of UWC, Emett Harmon was its president and Esmael A. Sherif its executive vice-president. Harmon also served as Ambassador at Large. UWC was affiliated to the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU). UWC participated in the second OATUU congress held in Tripoli, Libya in April 1976. By 1976 UWC claimed a membership of 7,000, the National Mine Workers Union organizing 4,700 members, the Domestic and Allied Workers Union (DAWU) 1,700 members and the Wood and Timber Workers' Union 400 members. 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 ...

(LFTU) was founded, but UWC stayed out of LFTU. In 1977, following labor agitations and accusations of corruption, the NMWU Local 3 (mine workers at LAMCO) broke away from UWC and formed an independent union. In 1980 UWC and LFTU merged, forming the

Liberian Federation of Labor Unions The Liberian Federation of Labor Unions (LFLU) is a national trade union center in Liberia. It was formed in 1980 by the merging of the United Workers' Congress and the Liberian Federation of Trade Unions The Liberian Federation of Trade Union ...

(LFLU).

References

{{reflist Trade unions in Liberia 1974 establishments in Liberia Trade unions established in 1974 Trade unions disestablished in 1980