Job losses wreck livelihoods in Ethiopia’s garment industry

IFTLGWU, affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, said 11 workers were killed and factories bombed during the war in Tigray in the north. The Pretoria agreement that ended the war was signed in November 2022.

The Ethiopian government estimates that millions of jobs were lost when the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) benefits were withdrawn over “failure to defend internationally recognised human rights” during the war. Further, garment brands that included H&M, PVH, and others stopped manufacturing and sourcing garments for the same reasons.

IndustriALL talked to seven workers who lost jobs at the Epic Group, Best International Garments, and Quadrant Apparel Group factories in Hawassa industrial park on 1 September.

“I came to work as usual but got the shock of my life when I received a termination letter at the end of the shift. I had been laid off. I have a family to look after but it is difficult when you have no money,”

said Weyneshet Wendimoget.

The workers said some retrenchments were unlawful as employers did not follow the procedures in the labour laws. The union says employers did this to avoid paying terminal benefits. However, the dismissals were challenged in court and workers won.

Even highly skilled workers like Desbele Birmay were not spared:

“After receiving design training through the EPIC Group in Viet Nam, I came back to Ethiopia and worked in the cut department before being retrenched. The war was a double tragedy for me because I am from Tigray and could not go home after losing my job because of the conflict. So, I remained in Hawassa surviving on piece jobs and handouts from friends. But you only get temporary jobs for less than 60 days because employers are not interested in giving you a permanent contract.”

Workers who remained at work faced job insecurity and poor wages as export orders declined forcing factories to cut production.

“With inflation high (28.8 per cent in July) it is difficult to make sense of how workers are surviving on the low wages. Living wages should be at least 10,000 Birr (US$181). But it is worse for the retrenched,”

said the workers who mentioned that machine operators were paid 2,200 – 2,800 Birr (US$40-51).

The Ethiopian government has approved plans to reduce income tax and will also introduce minimum wages and set up a wages board after unions threated to go on strike.

Angesom Gebre Yohannes, president of the IFTGLWTU said:

“The suspension of AGOA affected many factories at Adama, Bole Lemi, Hawassa, and Kombolcha industrial parks. In instances, factories that jointly worked on orders that were exported duty free to the US found themselves with now work to do. Hence, we would like the suspension to be lifted to bring back jobs, and investment.”

Said Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary:

“With dialogue and reconciliation taking place, we hope that the resumption of trade will restore and create decent jobs especially for women and the youth. We hope for a recovery of the trade union membership which was eroded by retrenchments and are in solidarity with the IFTGLWTU in its efforts to build the union.”

Kenyan court orders Proto Energy to pay union dues

On 5 July, the court ruled that Proto Energy must remit the dues of 722 workers to the union. The court also ordered the company to sign a recognition agreement with the union in accordance with section 54 of the Labour Relations Act, 2007.

KPOWU organized the workers in 2021 and sent check-off forms and a recognition agreement to the company which they refused to sign. Proto Energy, which employs about 1,000 workers, also ignored written reminders from the union to sign the agreement.

The union asked the Kenyan government to intervene and declared a dispute with the employer. After the matter went for conciliation, Proto Energy started intimidating unionized workers. To stop the intimidation, KPOWU went to the courts.

George Okoth, KPOWU general secretary, said:

“Before going to court we tried to engage with the employer through written reminders and social dialogue. After declaring a trade dispute, we went for conciliation, but the employer ignored the recommendations. The union eventually sought legal action after realizing that there was no commitment to resolving the dispute amicably.”

Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub-Saharan Africa, said:

“We praise KPOWU for standing up for workers’ rights at Proto Energy. Kenyan workers have a right to join a union and the union has organizing and collective bargaining rights. Employers must comply with the national labour laws and international labour standards and must stop practices that undermine trade union activities and workers’ rights.”

Freedom of association and collective bargaining are protected by Kenya’s Constitution which states that workers have a right to fair labour relations including the right to join and participate in trade union activities. The Labour Relations Act also protects trade union rights and regulates dispute resolution.

Proto Energy, a subsidiary of Africa Oil and Gas Limited, supplies liquified petroleum gas for domestic and industrial use.

Ugandan unions sign MOU on social dialogue

This memorandum will make improvements to workers’ lives, currently there is an industriALL East African Union Building project (IEAUBP)with affiliates in Uganda which focusses on more systematic social dialogue. It improves labour market framework conditions, increases gender equality and equity, and just transition to climate change and environment friendly production.

Before the signing, there were restrictions on trade union rights on freedom of association and collective bargaining, which allowed many employers to not recognize trade unions.

Moving forward the team, who consists of national council members, general secretaries, facilitators and chairpersons will meet in September to develop a road map on how to move forward.

Other clauses in the memorandum include promoting good industrial relations and economic and social justices.

“The MOU is an important breakthrough which we have been waiting for quite some time. If implemented well, it will reduce the restriction of trade union rights in Uganda creating decent work and the promotion of workplace social dialogue,”

says the general secretary of Uganda Printers, Paper,Polyfibre and Allied Workers Union (UPPPAWU).

IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary Paule Ndessomin says,

“creating social dialogue between employers and unions is fundamental to achieving better conditions for workers. We applaud our affiliates for their continuous fight for workers’ rights.”

The four Ugandan IndustriALL affiliates include Uganda Chemical Petroleum and Allied Workers Union (UCPAWU), Uganda Textile, Garment, Leather and Allied Workers Union (UTGLAWU), Hotels Tourism, Supermarket and allied Workers Union (HTS-U) and Uganda Printers, Paper, Polyfirbre and Allied Workers Union (UPPPAWU)

Uganda ratifies ILO Convention 190

Together with other unions in Uganda, IndustriALL affiliates have been active in campaigning for the ratification of C190, participating in the official consultative committee and working directly with the relevant ministries.

Unions organized a stakeholder meeting with the National organization of trade unions (NOTU) and the Central organization of free trade unions (COFTU), civil society, members of parliament, workers, union leaders, and the ministry of labour.

Posters and other campaign materials were developed to stress the message Ratify and domesticate ILO C190 on violence and harassment in the world of work in Uganda.

Involving women and youth in the campaign was crucial as they are the most affected by violence and harassment in the world of work. To raise awareness on the importance of the Convention among the public, the unions organized several press conferences, involving the Uganda Broadcasting corporation.

"The Convention will foster a safe and respectful workplace environment for both female and male workers once it is domesticated. However,we will not sit back until C190 is domesticated,"

says Irene Faith Lanyero, chairperson of IndustriALL National Women Committee-Uganda and assistant national treasureer of Uganda Textile,Garment Leather and Allied Workers Union (UTGLAWU).

“ILO C190 is key for a workplace without violence and harassment, and we applaud our affiliates’ campaigning which have been instrumental in Uganda ratifying the Convention,”

says Paule Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary.

Convention 190 is the first international labour standard to address violence and harassment in the world of work. Together with Recommendation 206, it provides a common framework for action and a unique opportunity to shape a future of work based on dignity and respect.

Niger: unions call for democracy, peace, stability and security

On 30 July the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued an ultimatum and threat to intervene with military force to restore the deposed president back to power if the presidential guard did not release the president. The bloc’s defence chiefs have agreed on a possible military action plan, including when and where to strike if the country’s detained leader is not released and reinstated by this Sunday.

IndustriALL affiliates Syndicat National des Travailleurs de l'Industrie du Niger (SNTIN) and Syndicat National des Travailleurs des Mines du Niger who belong to one of the trade union centers Union de Syndicates des Travailleurs du Niger USTN, have condemned this military coup and calls on the population to ban any act of violence on people and their property.

Unions have called on the so-called National Council for Safeguarding the Fatherland (CNSP), to make all efforts to store peace and stability for all in the region. Unions said that they will fight any situation that does not consider the general interests of workers and the Nigerien people. Unions demand that CNSP do everything possible to alleviate the suffering of workers through compliance with the commitments made by previous government.

In the past years, the security in the Sahel region which includes countries Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal has become severely unstable.

Extremists, terrorists and insurgents continue to pose real threats to lives and livelihoods. Thousands of people have been killed, children kidnapped, schools destroyed, and farmers have been forced to quit their farms. These attacks partly account for why the countries in the Sahel region have high rates of poverty, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), out-of-school children and violent civilian deaths.

The action plan adopted by the 2021 Congress says: “IndustriALL Global Union and its affiliates are firmly against all attempted coup d’état or anti-democratic interventions against the free will and vote of the people. We defend genuine democracy on the basis of respect for human rights and stand united with people in those countries affected”.

Rose Omamo, IndustriALL’s Vice-President for Sub-Saharan Africa says:

“If ECOWAS reacts with military intervention, it will greatly affect the working class and poor people who are already in a vulnerable position. We call on ECOWAS, to find diplomatic and concrete ways to resolve this political catastrophe which does not include mobilizing for military deployment. We also encourage ECOWAS and the African Union to take careful necessary steps to coordinate a platform to discuss security and challenges threatening the socio-economic and political stability of the Sahel region and the continent.”
“Workers need democracy, peace, stability and security and deploying the military will not provide that.”

Nigerian unions protest anti-poor policies

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) called this mass action. The labour federations have since met with the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, to engage on the unions’ demands such as the adoption of economic policy measures that protect workers and the poor, and to reduce government spending.

The unions say that the current socio-economic conditions of high inflation, unemployment, poverty, and the increasing national debt, are causing a cost-of-living crisis which is worsened by the removal of the fuel subsidy. Additionally, taxes are increasing, tuition fees have been introduced at public universities, workers will pay more in school fees for their children, teaching hospitals and federal medical centres are being privatised while government spending is increasing. The unions are concerned that these anti-poor policies will push workers and the populace deeper into poverty.

Lai Brown, Automobile, Boatyards, Transport, Equipment & Allied Senior Staff Association (AUTOBATE), general secretary says:

“In the last two months, we have witnessed a series of socio-economic attacks on the workers including an astronomical hike in petrol, arbitrary increases in tuition fees at public institutions, and the devaluation of the naira. These events have caused untold hardships to members of AUTOBATE. The labour movement must keep up pressure until the government meets the legitimate demands of the workers that include a monthly living wage of 200 000 naira ($264).”

IndustriALL’s regional co-chair for Sub-Saharan Africa, John Adaji, says:

“IndustriALL affiliates in Nigeria participated in the protests against anti-people policies of the new administration and call for meaningful negotiations with organized labour to address the unions' demands that include the discontent over the removal of the fuel subsidy.”

“We call upon the Federal Government of Nigeria to meaningfully engage with workers on their demands and to find sustainable solutions to the socio-economic crisis. Effective pro-poor policymaking and social dialogue are needed to improve the livelihoods of the workers in Nigeria,”

says Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

IndustriALL affiliated unions in Nigeria are the Automobile, Boatyards, Transport, Equipment & Allied Senior Staff Association (AUTOBATE), Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Senior Staff Association (CANMPSSAN), National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber leather and Non Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), National Union of Petroleum & Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers (NUTGTW), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), and Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN).

Global summit praises Lesotho GBVH agreements

The summit participants concurred that the Lesotho agreements were a model for Southern Africa. Agreements were signed in 2019 between three global garment brands – Levi Strauss & Co., Kontoor Brands (Lee and Wrangler Jeans), and Children’s Place – and trade unions and women’s organizations to stop gender-based violence and harassment at Nien Hsing textile factory, which employed over 10 000 workers.

These agreements were reached after an investigation, by the Workers’ Rights Consortium (WRC), exposed shocking accounts of gender-based violence and sexual harassment at Nien Hsing’s five factories. The factory managers and supervisors were the perpetrators. To end this, the agreements recommended corrective programmes to stop GBVH that included reporting mechanisms, disciplinary action against harassers including termination of contracts, and GBVH awareness, training, and education programmes. Participants said since the anti-GBVH programme implementation began in 2021, cases at the factory have declined and they wanted the agreement to be extended to other factories.

In his special remarks the Kingdom of Lesotho’s Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel Matakane, said:

“Lesotho upholds the workers’ rights that are protected in the constitution and in ILO conventions which include Convention 190. The government promotes a workplace environment free from violence and harassment and is finalizing guidelines to stop sexual exploitation.”

The event was supported by several organizations that included the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Federation of Women Lawyers in Lesotho (FIDA), International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), ITUC, ITUC-Africa, WRC, Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Education Trust (WLSA), and Workers Rights Watch.

The unions present at the event, which are signatories to the agreements, were the Independent Democratic Union of Lesotho (IDUL) which is affiliated to IndustriALL, United Textile Employees (UNITE), and National Clothing Textile and Allied Workers Union (NACTWU).

Shawna Bader-Blau, executive director, Solidarity Center said:

“After years of struggle by unions and especially women workers around the world to advance workplaces free from gender-based violence and harassment, it is heartening to see pro-labour governments within the M-POWER initiative speaking with one voice that violence and harassment at work is an unacceptable form of abuse that must end if workers are going to be able to realize just and fair workplaces.”

“Unions and women’s rights organizations in Lesotho have shown it’s possible to negotiate binding agreements within the global garment supply chain to protect fundamental workers’ rights.”

The M-POWER programme was also launched in Zambia earlier this year under the theme: “Amplifying the voices of workers to safeguard democracy in Africa.”

Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub-Saharan Africa said:

“Developing mechanisms and anti-GBVH programmes are important steps in the implementation of Convention 190 to end violence and harassment in the world of work as well as adopting workplace policies as explained in Recommendation 206. Importantly, these programmes are more effective if all stakeholders including unions are involved as is the case with Lesotho. We hope the M-POWER programme will be extended to other countries in Southern Africa.”

The summit’s co-hosts were the Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment and Rights (M-POWER), Lesotho Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU), and Lesotho Labour Council (LLC).

Lesotho is the seventh country in Sub-Saharan Africa to ratify Convention 190 after the Central Africa Republic, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Africa.

Promoting C190 implementation in Nigeria's Textile Sector

The two- day training in Lagos hosted by IndustriALL affiliate NUTGTWN, aims to strengthen the capacity of women leaders to push against GBVH. The union said the capacity building programme is aimed at providing information, raising awareness, promoting learning, knowledge building, and skills needed to advance gender equality at the workplace. This training focuses on assisting the establishment of a union network of activists who advocate for gender equality at work. The activists will also fight against social, cultural, and traditional norms that continue to oppress working women.

Representatives from FES Nigeria, ILO-ACTRAV, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Solidarity Centre, emphasized the importance of using C190 and Recommendation 206 as tools to address grievances related to GBVH and recognize domestic violence as a workplace issue.

Nigeria ratified the Convention in 2022. Discussion topics included dealing with grievances and disputes on GBVH timely; the recognition of domestic violence as a workplace issue; creating gender-responsive workplace mechanisms to protect whistleblowers and victims; and involving shop stewards and occupational health and safety committees in supporting victims.

The workshop made recommendations towards better representation of women in leadership positions at local and national levels, identifying women’s priorities, supporting mentorship programmes, creating dedicated spaces for women workers and the inclusion of women in negotiating teams. Furthermore, the inclusion of childcare and other support services was highlighted to facilitate increased women's participation in the workplace.

Remi Ihejirika, FES Nigeria programme manager said,

"building unions is about inclusiveness. This is why it is important to address gender equality. GBVH is about the abuse of power which adversely affects women and sometimes this leads to suicides. GBVH should not be condoned as many women suffer in silence."

"Unions can adopt feminist strategies to promote equal rights for women workers. Some of the strategies are diversity, respect, tolerance, understanding, voice and agency,"

said Bashiratu Kamal a gender and labour expert from Ghana.

Medinat Balogun, gender desk officer for NUTGWN and committee member of the IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regional women’s committee said:

"Women trade unionists have made progress to ensure non-discrimination at work, equal pay for work of equal value, and adherence to ILO conventions ratified by Nigeria. However, women need to be increasingly aware of their rights at work and must fight against GBVH to ensure safe workplaces."

John Adaji, IndustriALL regional co-chair for Sub-Saharan Africa said:

"Over the years and with IndustriALL’s support, unions have carried out programmes to integrate women workers’ issues through the creation of structures, affirmative action, and support given to organizing activities. But we need men to be part of the discussions on ending GBVH as they have been identified by research as the main perpetrators."

Supported by FES Nigeria, the workshop serves as a follow-up to the recommendations made at the Sub-Saharan Africa feminist conference in Cape Town in June, with the FES Trade Union Competence Centre for Sub-Saharan Africa providing valuable support. The strides taken by Nigeria's textile and garment sector towards gender equality through C190 training mark a significant step in creating safer and more inclusive workplaces.

Malagasy unionists arrested over QMM protests must be released!

QMM, owned 20 per cent by the Malagasy state and the remaining 80 per cent by Rio Tinto, mines ilmenite which is used to make titanium dioxide used in paints, inks, fabrics, plastics, paper, and other products. The community says it has lost means of livelihood from the forests which include food, water, shelter, and medicines, amongst other benefits. Further, it is now exceedingly difficult to catch fish in the lagoon because of the mining activities.

The United Steelworkers (USW), which represent 850,000 members in Canada and the United States, and has close partnerships with Malagasy unions, the Syndicalisme et Vie des Societes (SVS) Anosy and Sendika Kristanina Malagasy (SEKRIMA) that represent workers at QMM, said the protests, “follow on from other episodes of civil unrest in the past, fuelled by what is perceived as a lack of effort by Rio Tinto to engage in meaningful consultation or dialogue with the affected communities.”

“Our union strongly condemns what we consider targeted attacks against union activists, and therefore on the freedom of association and the right to protest. The actions of the Malagasy police send a clear message of fear and intimidation to workers who wish to exercise their rights in a context which was already dire for organizers,"

says Marty Warren, USW national director for Canada.

The USW also wants the government to drop the arrest warrants against Eugène Chrétien and Laurent Manjary, and instead “open channels of communications with the protesters in order to find a peaceful, lasting resolution to this ongoing conflict.”

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director, says:

“We reiterate calls for peaceful and non-adversarial approaches to addressing genuine concerns of the community and trade unions at QMM over the adverse effects of mining in Fort Dauphin. Engagement in social dialogue is necessary for the stakeholders to find an amicable solution. However, intimidation, arrests, and imprisonment, are detrimental to resolving community and industrial disputes.”

The partnership between USW and the unions in Madagascar is anchored by a project to strengthen the Malagasy unions’ internal capacity on organizing strategies, training, workers and human rights, and effective trade unionism. The USW and SEKRIMA are affiliated to IndustriALL.

Malagasy trade unionist seeks justice

In an interview with IndustriALL Global Union:

“On 27 August 2022 when I was on annual leave, the gendarmerie came looking for me at my old address. When they could not find me, they went to the factory and got my phone number from co-workers. I then received a text message that I should report to the nearest police station, to which I did the following day, and was arrested after being informed that I had disclosed sensitive information about E-Toile on social media.”

“I had posted the results of elections of the staff representative, responses by management on workers complaints about poor meals that were provided by the employer, existence of training provided to staff and union representatives by the labour inspectorate, and workers concerns on unpaid overtime.”

Sento was invited to the meeting as an assistant union representative from SVS which is affiliated to IndustriALL. The trial took place on 1 September, and he was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment with a fine of 400 000 Ariary which he never paid. After serving nine months he was given a presidential pardon of three months.

“Although I appealed against the conviction and sentence for violating confidential information, the appeal was only granted after the prison sentence.”

Antanimora in Antananarivo, where he served the sentence, is amongst the worst prisons in the world, overcrowded, and in a deplorable state according to UN agencies.

Zotiakobanjinina Fanja Marcel Sento Chang (26)

"Life in prison was difficult. The cells were opened at 6 am. Prison guards counted the inmates and handed over to guards taking over for the next shift. I was in a cell with over 130 inmates, and the numbers kept going up as a new prisoners came every day. We slept on makeshift beds of planks that accommodated up to three prisoners, and only one meal per day of boiled cassava was served at 3 pm. Unless your family brought in extra food, you would starve most of the time. At 6 pm we were back in the cells.”

With a young family; a partner, toddler and infant, Sento hopes to get his old job back.

“I want my job back so that I can provide for my family.”

His family has found a lawyer to represent him during the appeal process.

“I would like to thank IndustriALL, SVS and other organizations for their support during my imprisonment. This support gave me strength and I felt that I was not alone in the workers struggle.”

After SVS, ITUC and IndustriALL took the matter to the International Labour Conference, the Committee of Experts on the Applications of Standards recommended that the Government of Madagascar must “immediately and unconditionally quash the conviction” of Sento and “refrain from using the criminal law to target trade unions.”

But the Alsico Group to which E-Toile SA is a subsidiary continues to maintain that:

“It is not up to us to comment on the decisions of judges or to command or pressure the judiciary, nor is it our role to comment on Malagasy law. We are all fighting the same battle, each at our level.”

Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary said:

“We will continue to support justice for Sento and for the criminal record to be expunged. Trade unionists are not criminals but activists for the internationally recognized freedom of association and the protection of fundamental rights at work.”