Africa
Trade unions take the initiative to Social Dialogue in Africa

afrol.com, 8 September - "Given that the other social partners (government and employers) have failed to create the necessary conditions for social dialogue, the trade unions will have to take the initiative". That is the message that emerges from the "Casablanca Declaration" adopted by trade unionists from 40 African countries meeting for three days in the Moroccan city at the invitation of the African Regional Organisation of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU-AFRO).

The trade unions were severely critical of a situation in which all attempts at dialogue were confronted not only with civil war but with corruption, economic and social instability and the failure of governments to create an enabling environment for social dialogue.

Among the conditions necessary for dialogue, the trade unions stressed the importance of democracy, good governance and the respect of human and trade union rights. During the trade unionists' discussions it emerged that the arrest and imprisonment of trade unionists occurs more frequently in the African continent than in any other region of the world. They pointedly denounced the persistence of such practices in Morocco itself, where the Moroccan Labour Union (Union marocaine du travial - UMT), which hosted the conference, is targeted by both the authorities and the employers because of its adherence to independent trade unionism.

In the "Casablanca Declaration" the trade union organisations urge African governments to create "an enabling environment for dialogue" and "independent and representative social and economic councils" to enable civil so society to its views and concerns.

While underlining the importance of the role, at the regional level, of the Organisation for African Unity and the International Labour Organisation in this process, the trade unions also invited the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to engage the trade unions in meaningful dialogue and include them in consultations on the elaboration and implementation of their programmes.

During the conference, the trade unionists said that most governments were reluctant to involve them in discussions with donors, and Eddy Laurijssen, the ICFTU's Assistant General Secretary, regretted that efforts by the international financial institutions to persuade governments to include the trade unions were "all too often cosmetic". 

"What they promised in Washington has yet to be carried out in practice" he noted.

Finally, the trade unionists pledged to strengthen their own capacity for campaigning and mobilising, including networking with like-minded organisations in civil society.

"We are not the enemies of new ideas, we were founded on the belief that every human being has the right to a decent life. What we are asking for is a fair share of the wealth produced by workers, and for those who for reasons beyond their control are unable to earn enough to ensure a decent standard of living can do so thanks to a system of social protection" recalled Andrew Kailembo, General Secretary of the ICFTU-AFRO in his closing address to the Casablanca conference.

The ICFTU 123 million trade unionists from 216 national trade union centres in 145 countries. Its African Regional Organisation, AFRO, represents 15 million workers in 50 African countries.

Source: ICFTU

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