Training to end workplace digital divide in Africa

The IndustriALL SSA office has been training unions in information communication technology (ICT) and digitalization since 2021. The aim is to train unions in using digital technologies in protecting workers’ rights, union organizing, collective bargaining, and social dialogue. The hybrid training was facilitated by International Federation of Worker Education Associations (IFWEA) and included participants from Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.  

Secretary at Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metal Workers (AUKMW), Tracy Adhiambo, uses the acquired skills in digital organizing, campaigns, collective bargaining, alliance building and social dialogue. Through the training she has started to convert paper files into digital files for the union. The union has also developed an app. 

“The AUKMW app makes it easy for workers to join. After receiving the information we follow up and refer workers to their nearest branch. Informal sector artisans who work in areas away from union offices can download the app on their smartphones,”

says Tracey. 

Abigail Moyo, UASA spokesperson, who participated in the first training workshop in Cape Town in 2021, writes in an International Women’s Day statement: 

“We need to consider the rapid evolution of the world of work with digitalization and automation, especially the impact of the digital gender gap, which will continue to widen gender-based inequalities in society.”

Saliem Patel, IFWEA programme manager, explains: 

“The strategic partnership between IFWEA and IndustriALL’s regional office has resulted in positive gains for youth and women trade union activists. Participants have been involved in online education, the development of online trade union recruitment tools, and the pioneering of cloud-based databases of collective bargaining agreements. This has placed youth and women in core trade union work, and they are now bringing innovation and rejuvenation into the labour movement through their commitment to unity and workers’ power.”

“If fully utilised by trade unions, digital skills can play an important role in closing the gender pay gap, ending gender discrimination, and in campaigns to ratify ILO Convention 190 to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work. Further, the marginalization of women and youth can be ended as they are the most active group on digital platforms including social media. The regional office will continue to assist unions with ICT support to enable them to transition to paperless offices,”

says Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for SSA.

The partners supporting the training are the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Trade Union Competence Centre for Sub Saharan Africa and Union to Union. IFWEA is the technical partner.

AfCFTA International labour standards deficit must be addressed

The theme was African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and migration: Issues and challenges. In the past the school covered topics that included regional integration, sustainable development, and trade union renewal and unity. 

Trade unions want standards that include the decent work agenda: creation of decent jobs, respect of fundamental rights at work, social dialogue, and social protection. They were clear that they want the decent work agenda and international standards on labour migration to be incorporated as clauses in the protocols when the agreement is up for review. 

According to the agreement, the AfCFTA, which started trading in 2021, will be reviewed after five years. Researchers at the school recommended tways for unions to engage with policy makers through social dialogue at national level.

In 2022, the AfCFTA launched the Guided Trade Initiative as a pilot on how trade can be conducted in eight countries – Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Tunisia – and some goods that include batteries, rubber, ceramic tiles, and some food items have been traded. 

Further, the Africa Union, has declared 2023 as the “Year of the AfCFTA” with a focus on implementation of the agreement in tourism, transport, communication, financial, and other services. 

However, unions also want the trade agreement to help facilitate the transition from informal to formal economies, and to contribute to economic development, regional integration, and the industrialization of the continent. Further, they want the agreement to promote youth and women employment to reverse their marginalization and exclusion from economic activities. 

Only Mali, Rwanda, Niger, and Sao Tome and Principe have ratified the African Union Free Movement Protocol, the expected threshold of 15 countries is required for implementation to begin. Unions say this will impede labour mobility. This pales in comparison to 48 out of 54 African countries, with only the exception of Eritrea, who have ratified the AfCFTA. Unions question how there can be trade without the movement of labour.

Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, ITUC Africa general secretary reiterated that:

“The states must commit to changing the protocols to protect workers’ rights, and the trade union movement must demand comprehensive provisions on labour that should become part of the protocols. This must happen through negotiations and social dialogue.”

Speaking at the school, Rose Omamo, IndustriALL vice president explained that: 

“When discussing the AfCFTA and labour mobility we must always consider the plight of migrant women workers who are employed under precarious conditions. They face gender-based violence and harassment which is caused by unequal power relations. The women are vulnerable as they seek ways to get out of poverty through employment in neighbouring countries or abroad. We need law reforms, labour migration policies, and fair recruitment processes that protect migrant women workers.”

Global Reporting Initiative draft sector standard for mining released for comment

The release of its draft sector standard for mining for public comment is an important milestone. IndustriALL was involved in the development of the sector specific mining standard as part of the working group.

The draft sector standard for mining was released on 7 February, coinciding with the Investment in Africa Mining Indaba and the Alternative Mining Indaba, in Cape Town, South Africa. There was a workshop on the draft sector standard at the Alternative Mining Indaba, an important forum for collecting feedback on the standard’s contents to kickstart the public comment period, which ends 30 April. 
 

“We welcome the release but are aware that the increasing number of reporting standards risk having an unintended consequence of fatigue reporting burden. To the extent that the reporting of impacts will be transparent and mitigation effective, it will require the involvement and participation of workers and communities, to whom mining companies are ultimately accountable to,” 

says, Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director and OHS lead. 

The draft standard is comprehensive with content topics covering the whole environmental, social and governance spectrum with workers’ issues ranging from tailings, closure and rehabilitation, employment practices, critical incident management, occupational health and safety, child labour, forced and modern slavery, freedom of association and collective bargaining, non-discrimination and equal opportunity and for communities’ issues such as rights of indigenous communities, security practices, local communities, water and sewages, waste, land and resource rights and artisanal and small-scale mining which is an issue also of interest to trade unions.
 
Although the GRI standard is an important addition to existing voluntary mining standards, it is not a performance standard that will require third party independent audits like the initiative for responsible mining and assurance (IRMA). This will require workers, trade unions and communities to step up and hold mining companies accountable, by using the GRI sector report for mining-by-mining companies and comparing against their actual reality, particularly at this critical moment of the demand for low carbon transition minerals required to mitigate climate change. 
 
Glen Mpufane says, 

“The mining standard is an additional resource to call out the greenwashing by mining companies. We urge our affiliates in the mining sector to get involved and comment on the exposure draft during the comment period that closes on 30 April which has an online comment form.”

Changing the narrative on poverty in mineral rich African countries

Even where artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is formalized through national laws and policies, implementation remains weak. This has resulted in life threatening working conditions with limited health and safety adherence. The miners do not get value for their minerals and continue to live in poverty while digging for high value minerals.

An IndustriALL Global Union panel at the Mining Indaba on 8 February, Artisanal and small-scale mining and stakeholder convergence of interests to mitigate ESG impacts on miners – policy challenges and approaches to formalization, discussed how formalization can benefit the ASM sector and the role that unions play in organizing the miners.

The DRC, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are some of the countries with the minerals needed for the transition to renewable energy. About ten per cent of the cobalt mined in the DRC is from ASM, counting about 200,000 miners, according to PACT DRC.

“ASM is important for the global mineral supply and local job creation. But natural resources governance must improve. The DRC ranks low on Human Development Index with low life expectancy, poverty, sexual exploitation, human rights violations, modern slavery and debt bondage. A country rich in mineral resources with millions living in poverty is unacceptable,”

said Luc Asosa, programme director, PACT DRC.

“ASM can be a game changer, and this means adopting ILO Recommendation 204 on the transition from informal to formal economy. That would allow the sector to deal with environmental, social issues, human rights, decent work, and other deficits,”

said Abdul-Moomin Gbana, Ghana Mine Workers Union general secretary.
 
Fletcher Mushimbwa, Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) national coordinator, said:

“Although artisanal and small-scale miners are illegal, the union sees them as workers creating employment and livelihoods for communities, thus contributing to local economies. We advocate for formalization and have started building union power by organizing the miners.”

Gender expert Bashiratu Kamal explained that the sector’s many women are invisible.

“Although women are involved in buying and processing the ore, there are no bathrooms and water at mine sites, no contracts or fair wages, no maternity protection, no access to newer technologies, no social protection, or laws to protect women. Formalization can help redress this situation.”

“With over nine million ASM miners supporting 54 million people, this is an important sector for job creation and improvement of livelihoods on the continent. Formalization of the sector will further facilitate the organizing of these workers into unions,”

said Tendai Makanza, IndustriALL regional officer and panel chair.

This, and an earlier panel discussion on beyond climate, puts IndustriALL on the global stage with an influential audience that normally lacks access to real experiences of workers, thus opening spaces for further dialogue and collaboration.  

IndustriALL panel at mining indaba demands decent work during energy transition

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining, chaired the panel, “A conversation with the unions – beyond climate change, what are the other drivers of the impact in the world of work in the current transition, and trade union proposals for a mitigation pathway”, with presenters from IndustriALL affiliates; Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU), National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), and UASA – the Union.

IndustriALL emphasized the important role that labour plays in sustainable mining and environmental, social and governance strategies. The panels are a culmination of the recognition that unions have gained at the mining indaba through IndustriALL engagement with mining companies and conference organizers to recognize labour as a key stakeholder in the mining industry.
 
Phestus Motshabi, NUMSA shop steward said:

“Workers are deeply concerned about the transition. There are fears that mines will be closed because of decarbonization. We demand a Just Transition that is based on decent work and respect for fundamental rights at work in the International Labour Organization conventions. We want a conversation with mining companies where they are transparent and share their plans and strategies. The plans should cover the whole value chain.”

Tebogo Moepeng, NUM shop steward, added:

“The future of decent jobs is dire because precarious unsustainable jobs are expected to replace permanent jobs. But as unions we will continue to stand for decent, permanent jobs.”

Kitso Phiri, BMWU executive secretary, said social dialogue that includes key stakeholders is important.

“Social dialogue fosters consensus among stakeholders and can be used as a risk mitigation tool. To be effective it needs strong workers’ voices. In Botswana there are gaps in the social dialogue processes as workers voices are missing, especially in the high-level consultative forum at sectoral level where decisions are made. Workers are only participating at enterprise level.”

Towards Sustainable Mining – a global standard for sustainability in the mining sector – was mentioned as one of the tools that can be used to promote social dialogue in Botswana.
 
Melanie Roy, research manager for NUMSA’s economic research and policy unit emphasized:

“Union demands must address the dual nature of jobs – job creation and retraining/reskilling for new jobs. The transitioning of jobs in the automotive, energy, and mining sectors, policy cohesion, equity and diversity should be considered. For example, in the automotive sector, workers must acquire skills to produce electric vehicles.”

Franz Stehling, UASA divisional manager, said resources must be made by government to support retraining of workers for future jobs.

“In the case of South Africa, Just Transition should be discussed in the National Economic Development and Labour Council and resources for reskilling can be drawn from the Sector Education and Training Authorities.”

Glen Mpufane, said:

“Labour market sustainability is important in discussions on where the decent jobs will be created. Today's discussions resonated with the recommendations of the ILO Global Commission on the future of work which must be our reference point when we discuss a Just Transition. The commission’s recommendations respond to technological innovations, environmental and climate change, demographic shifts, global inequalities, and other factors.”

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining

The mining indaba was officially opened by the presidents of South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cyril Ramaphosa and Tshisekedi who emphasized on the importance of minerals to socio-economic development in the two countries and cooperation through trade. The countries have minerals that are used in the manufacture of electric vehicles that include cobalt, lithium, manganese, nickel, and other rare earth metals.

Calls for justice for slain Eswatini human rights defender

The speakers reiterated calls made earlier by various continental and global organizations including the UN Human Rights, the Commission on Human and People’s Rights – African Union, ITUC-Africa, and other pan African and global organizations.

Maseko, who was the chairperson of the multistakeholder forum for the democratization of Eswatini – a coalition working on democratic reforms through dialogue – and a member of the Lawyers for Human Rights Swaziland, was assassinated by unknown gunmen at his home in Manzini on 21 January in front of his wife and two young sons.

“Comrade Thulani was a person that we would go to for legal advice on labour rights on a regular basis especially as employers are notorious for dragging unions to court. We had a good working relationship with him that was characterised by mutual respect for our roles as leaders,”

says Wander Mkhonza, Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA) secretary general.

Maseko also successfully represented the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), to which ATUSWA and Swaziland Electricity Supply Maintenance and Allied Workers Union (SESMAWU) belong, when it was deregistered and managed to get the federation reregistered.
 
The demands made in the unions petition to the Eswatini Embassy resonate with the IndustriALL Global Union resolution on the demands for democratic reforms in Eswatini which stresses that human and workers’ rights must be protected in Africa’s last absolute monarchy.

“We commit ourselves to support the people of Eswatini as they continue to fight for democratic reforms, and demand respect and protection of human rights including the right to life, rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, and the rule of law,”

reads part of the resolution adopted at the IndustriALL Congress in 2021. In that respect IndustriALL calls for an investigation into the assassination as it is the responsibility of the government of Eswatini to guarantee the safety and security of its citizens.
 
Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary says:

“The killing of comrade Thulani Maseko is a dastardly act that comes at a time when it is urgent for the government of Eswatini and all stakeholders to commit to dialogue. IndustriALL reiterates our call for dialogue and demand an official investigation into the murder and prosecution of the perpetrators,”

ATUSWA and SESMAWU are affiliated to IndustriALL.
 

Unions condemn anti-strike laws in Zimbabwe

The Health Services Amendment Act and the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Amendment Bill) violate the Constitution of Zimbabwe and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions that the country has ratified. The conventions include Convention 87 (freedom of association and protection of the right to organize) and Convention 98 (the right to organize and collective bargaining). The ILO sent a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe last year after receiving numerous reports on labour violations.

The Health Services Amendment Act state that strikes in the public health sector, which is described as an essential service must not go beyond 72 hours. If unions fail to adhere to this limited time, the organizers will be fined and sentenced to three years in prison.

According to a government gazette the Criminal Law amendment will make it legal to arrest and prosecute the country’s populace for wilfully injuring the state sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe – a clause that legal experts say has wide interpretation that can lead to arbitrary arrests of human rights and trade union activists.

Joseph Tanyanyiwa, the chairperson of the Zimbabwe IndustriALL national coordinating council says: 

“Workers’ rights are human rights that should neither be constrained nor compromised. What is even more worrisome to us is the criminalization of freedom of expression. The laws will have far-reaching negative impacts that will narrow our rights as protected in the country’s constitution and ILO conventions, which were ratified by the government. We are imploring the government to urgently amend or repeal the laws which will instil fear in trade unions and their members. These laws will weaken the workers struggle for better working conditions.” 

With inflation reportedly at 229.8 percent in January 2023 and the highest in the world, Zimbabwean workers, whose average wages are US $62 per month, are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Health-care, energy, and mineworkers went on strike last year to demand living wages and the timely payment of wages. At Vumbachikwe gold mine in Gwanda, workers went on strike after non-payment of wages for over three months.   

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

“It is oppressive to pass laws that prohibit strikes amid a cost-of-living crisis, wage theft, and low wages. We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to respect the country’s laws and the fundamental rights at work as defined by the ILO.”

IndustriALL affiliates in Zimbabwe are the National Union of the Clothing Industry (NUCI), National Union of Metal and Allied Industries of Zimbabwe (NUMAIZ), Zimbabwe Chemical, Plastics and Allied Workers Union (ZCPAWU), Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU), Zimbabwe Energy Workers Union (ZEWU), Zimbabwe Leather Shoe and Allied Workers Union (ZLSAWU) and Zimbabwe Textile Workers Union (ZTWU).

African unions demand strong labour provisions in AfCFTA 

This conference focused on African continental free trade area, industrialisation and the decent work agenda. This event was part of IndustriALL’s continuous campaign for Africa industrialization. 

Phase I of negotiations, which focuses on trade in goods and services and dispute settlement were completed. While Phase II negotiations on investment, competition and protecting intellectual property are expected to be ratified in February. Phase III negotiations will look at e-commerce, including digital trade, women and youth.  
 
In response to union’s concerns, Willie Shumba, a senior expert, and advisor for customs, said one of the objectives of the AfCFTA is to:

“achieve a comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement among the Member States of the African Union.” 

He urged trade unions to engage the governments on the labour provisions.
 
The trade unions further proposed that the AfCFTA should have a trade union forum that discussed labour interests and would also like to engage the African Union (AU), the African Development Bank (ADB), and other continental institutions on sustainable trade and industrial policies. Unions also discussed strategies that they can use to engage on sustainable trade and industrialization issues at national, regional, and continental levels.
 
Sector presentations focused on industries that had shown potential for growth with examples drawn from the garment industries in Ethiopia, the automotive sector, and the mining industry as well as their respective value chains. The unions said they will engage with Latin American and European countries on textile, garment, shoe, and leather sector value chains, to learn from their experiences. Unions said training workshops on the African mining vision were important to trade and industrialization. 

Ghana-based Third World Network Africa emphasized the importance of an inclusive AfCFTA that catered for the interests of small-scale enterprises.
 
Johann Ivanov, FES-Ghana director said: 

“The AfCFTA has huge potential for the continent and, if implemented correctly, it will have significant employment effects and will create decent jobs. It can lead to the much-needed industrialization, to jobs in more innovative and sustainable sectors. However, social dialogue, the active involvement of trade unions in the formulation of trade and industrial policies, is key to ensuring that workers are not left behind and actually gain from free trade.”

Eric Manzi, ITUC deputy general secretary stressed the significance of the AfCFTA as an instrument of regional integration that will address unemployment through sustainable economic development and the creation of decent jobs. 

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said: 

“The Covid-19 pandemic, high public debt, and limited investments have had an adverse effect on trade and the economies of Sub-Saharan Africa. To reverse this, unions must campaign for a new social contract and multilateralism that amplifies working class voices. This contract should include the Just Transition and climate change on workers terms and must be included in the AfCFTA.”

According to AfCFTA official documents, the agreement will bring together 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product of US$3.4 trillion and will create a single market for the continent’s 1.4 billion people. Furthermore, the agreement is expected to facilitate the expansion of intra-African trade and to integrate regional economic communities as well as improve competitiveness of African economies through increasing production scales. National, regional, and continental value chains are also expected to be developed. Experts also say the trade agreement has potential to contribute towards the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

This conference was organized in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). 

Battery manufacturing pact stimulant for decent jobs in Africa

The agreement, signed late last year, is to promote the development of an electric vehicle value chain from mining, refinery, battery cell and battery pack manufacturing, up to the end user. Signatories will conduct feasibility studies, provide technical assistance, and the US will promote the initiative among the US private sector and investors.
 
Unions say the agreement is aligned to union campaigns for mineral resources to be used for industrialization and economic development which comes with opportunities for the creation of decent jobs. Through the African industrialization campaigns and mining network meetings, unions have repeatedly emphasized the need for the domestication of the African Mining Vision which calls for: “Transparent, equitable, and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic development.”
 
The DRC produces over 70 per cent of the world’s cobalt, while Zambia is Africa’s second largest producer. In the DRC, cobalt is mined by large scale mining companies as well as artisanal small-scale miners. Other minerals found in the two countries that can be used in electric vehicle battery manufacturing include copper, lithium, manganese, and nickel.
 
The agreement aims to promote the “development of a cross-border integrated value chain for the production of EV batteries, leading to increased awareness of investment opportunities and the identification of potential co-financing opportunities for electric vehicle value chain-related investments.” 
 
Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining says: 

“This agreement speaks to some of the envisaged decarbonisation pathways as the world shifts from fossil fuels to renewable energy. However, trade union demands on decent work remain. We want decent jobs to be created in the electric vehicle supply chain. Additionally, the rights at work must be protected according to international labour standards, and there must be social protection and social dialogue. The cooperation must include a human rights due diligence approach and the promotion of gender equality in the supply chain.”

 
The agreement promotes the development of the clean energy sector through reduction of carbon emissions and supports the Paris Agreement goal to keep global warming below 2 degrees. Further, the agreement commits to adhere to UN conventions against corruption as well as domestic laws and international standards.
 
At a meeting on battery supply chains in Johannesburg in 2022, unions from Botswana, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, and Zambia agreed to map companies that were part of the electric vehicle value chain in their countries as one of the ways to build union capacity on organizing and recruitment in this sector. 

Difficult circumstances – IndustriALL meets with family of unfairly jailed unionist in Madagascar

Sento is 25 years old and had been working at E-Toile S.A for six years when he was sentenced to jail over reporting on union elections, the poor food quality at the company, as well as workers’ rights to holidays and sick leave. His union, SVS, says Sento is a wrongly and unjustly imprisoned shop steward, whose rights to freedom of opinion, expression and association have been seriously violated.

Sento’s parents-in-law told IndustriALL about how they have had to indebt themselves to be able to hire a lawyer. Despite regular visits to the court, this has yet to result in any positive news on Sento’s urgently awaited release. The family describes his time in prison as very difficult, with Sento feeling deceived and disappointed.  

 

The family, including his children 3-year-old Alvin and 12-month-old Aticia, try to visit Sento in prison once a week, bringing much needed food. According to an overview of the world’s toughest prisons, the Antanimora prison, a correction facility with a horrible reputation has been found to provide only one meal per day of only boiled cassava, leading to chronic malnutrition for many prisoners.

During IndustriALL’s visit to Sento’s family. SVS handed over a food package to the family to alleviate some of the difficulties.

The day before the meeting with the family, SVS and IndustriALL tried to see Sento’s wife, who has been working at the same company for five years. However, the company informed that she could not come out during lunch time as she was busy.

SVS has appealed to the Ministry of Labour and the Prime Minister in Madagascar, reporting a clear violation of ILO Conventions 87 and 98. Many other organisations, including IndustriALL, ITUC and ITUC Africa and the ILO have approached the Malagasy government for Sento Chang’s unconditional release, so far without success.

Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary says:

“We are appalled by this conviction and jailing of a trade unionist for reporting to co-workers about discussions at a meeting with management. This is unacceptable, and we would like to remind E-Toile management and the government of Madagascar that they must respect national and international labour standards on freedom of association and trade union rights. The employer and the government should engage in social dialogue with trade unions instead of intimidating workers with trumped up charges and imprisonment.”