Tunis declaration calls for inclusion of labour provisions in the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement

The declaration was made at the ITUC-Africa Trade Union Continental Forum on the AfCFTA which was held under the theme: Ensuring decent work in the framework of the AfCFTA implementation – towards the inclusion of the positions of the trade unions in the AfCFTA processes.

According to the declaration a

“space for social dialogue must be created at the national, regional and continental level for African citizens, and their socio-economic groupings — that is workers including those of the informal economy, farmers, traders, producers, enterprises, civil society, private sector – to participate effectively in a democratic and transparent process and ensure the reflection of their concerns and views in the negotiations.”

Further, the unions want information on the AfCFTA processes to be made available to workers “in a timely and accessible manner.” They argue that this is necessary to enable effective participation.
 
Noureddine Taboubi, Générale des Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT) secretary general says:

“The AfCFTA creates possibilities for decent work that will stop irregular migration and modern slavery, and provide an opportunity to transform Africa’s precarious economies, and end poverty.”

Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, ITUC-Africa secretary general says:

“We want an appropriate space for non-state actors in the AfCFTA to canvas for social dialogue at national and continental levels. Trade unions should be in this space to advance workers’ rights and interests, and to support trade and regional integration in Africa.”

“The AfCFTA is an important agreement for the continent with potential to create decent jobs and revive industrialization in the manufacturing sectors through increased intra-African trade. But this opportunity will be lost if workers and trade unions are excluded from the negotiations,”

emphasizes Rose Omamo, IndustriALL vice president, who participated in the forum.
 
The AfCFTA, which started trading in 2021, aims to promote intra-African trade, value added manufacturing and sustainable development. Additionally, it is expected to double trade and increase the integration of regional economic communities – Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and Arab Maghreb Union (UMA).

The forum comprised 90 delegates, from ITUC-Africa affiliates, sub regional trade union organizations, trade union support organizations, and civil society organizations, including those from IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Tunisia, Madagascar, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.

The forum, which was held with support from SASK and the Labour Research Service, received research reports from Chad, Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, Tunisia, and Zambia on possible national impacts of the AfCFTA. Other presentations were made by ILO-ACTRAV, SASK and Third World Network Africa.

Glencore must be consistent in respecting workers and human rights globally

Glencore is amongst the multinational companies that are benefiting from the commodities boom linked to decarbonization. With operations in 35 countries, Glencore trades in over 60 commodities, including metals and minerals like copper, cobalt, zinc, and nickel that are in high demand for use in the manufacturing of electric vehicles. Glencore also has coal mines which are facing closure as part of climate change mitigation to reduce carbon emissions.
 
In South Africa, the commodity trading multinational, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange, has the ferroalloys division, which mines and markets chrome ore, ferrochrome, manganese alloys and vanadium. The coal division produces thermal coal for domestic power generation and export.
 
The unions, part of the IndustriALL Glencore network, met to discuss the battery supply chain and just transition, and scrutinized Glencore’s policies on human rights, responsible sourcing, and the environment. The meeting recommended a gender responsive approach to just transition.

The roles of voluntary standards and assurance in the mining sector were discussed with a special recognition given to the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) for including workers’ rights.
 
Speaking at the meeting, Japie Fullard, Glencore FerroAlloys South Africa chief executive officer, said the company is involved in youth and women empowerment and provides support for enterprise development and financed community infrastructure. He said Glencore is committed to the implementation of the national strategic plan to end gender-based violence and femicide, and over 13,000 sanitary pads were distributed to girls in communities where it operates. Glencore is developing a just transition plan for its alloys and coal divisions.
 
The National Union of Mineworkers, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, and UASA, all affiliated to IndustriALL, commended Glencore for the initiatives, but said the company should also implement the same policies in the coal division. The unions said Glencore’s policies are inconsistent as they differ between operations and countries. They argued that this led to doubts on its commitment and called upon the company to change its corporate behaviour through social dialogue.
 
Although Glencore has reporting systems in place, unions said workers were victimized after reporting discrimination, creating an environment of fear as workers were not protected after lodging complaints. Instead, they were charged with “misconduct.” Unions stressed on the need for better industrial relations at Glencore as the human resources departments were hostile to workers.
 
In Latin America, IndustriALL affiliate Sintracarbon is advocating for an integrated just transition plan that protects workers, communities, and the environment.

Glencore’s Colombian coal mine Cerrejón, one of the largest open-cast coal mines in the world, is slated to close in 2034, yet the mandatory mine closure plan is not in place. Based on the experience of Glencore’s recently relinquished Prodeco mines, workers and communities fear they will be left with a legacy of unresolved social and environmental problems.
 
Laura Carter, IndustriALL assistant regional secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, says:

“Sintracarbon continues to fight to defend the rights of workers at the Glencore mines that face a litany of ongoing violations. These include mass dismissals because of unilaterally imposed shift changes, health and safety problems, and anti-union behaviour.”

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director says:

“Glencore must respect workers and human rights globally and implement environment, social, governance due diligence measures. A gender responsive approach by the company will end the precarious working conditions for women from subcontracted companies.”

The meeting was attended by 20 participants and held with support from the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Trade Union Competency Centre for Sub Saharan Africa.

Photo: members of Sintracarbon at the Cerrejón mine, Colombia.

A worker from Madagascar who is part of global efforts to save endangered species

One such environmental worker is Hajanirina Rakotondrainibe whose special responsibilities include looking after endangered plants and wildlife at Ambatovy’s Moramanga mining site. Ambatovy, which mines nickel and cobalt, is said to be the country’s largest ever foreign investment.
 
Haja, as he is affectionately known by his workmates, takes pride and beams when he talks about being part of the national and global efforts to protect the endangered species, the lemur, and other wildlife in Madagascar whose habitats are threatened by mining activities.

“I am a wildlife veterinarian mainly responsible for fauna management. As the mine cuts down forests to carry out mining activities; we are at the same time developing wildlife conservation programmes to restore the vegetation that is destroyed.

“In these forests you have species like lemurs, an endemic primate found only in Madagascar. We have about 120 species of lemurs ranging from 40 grammes to about 7 kgs, and each species is specific to a region and type of forest habitat.

“Lemurs are attracting global interest and many researchers come to Moramanga for information on these primates. Sometimes I accompany the researchers to many forests across the island, and this gives me the opportunity to travel to other parts of the country and learn more about my work.”

 

Besides protecting the lemurs and the plants, Haja is a staunch trade unionist and a member of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, SVS:

“I have worked at Ambatovy for ten years, and I am active in my union, which I have represented in the enterprise committees.”

Haja is one of the participants who discussed the inclusion of workers’ rights, women’s rights, health and safety as well as environmental protection in the revised mining code at a meeting in Antananarivo 25-26 August.
 
Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining says:

“When we talk about sustainable mining, it is also about environmental conservation, sustainable ecosystems that includes communities and biodiversity, and calls for mining companies to adhere to environmental protection practices. The work that Haja is doing at Ambatovy confirms that workers are playing a crucial role in protecting endangered species in Madagascar.”

According to experts, lemurs are important because they are the world’s oldest living primates and are only found in Madagascar. Lemurs also disperse seeds and help in pollination that is essential to forests.
 
Scientists argue that lemurs, whose DNA is over 90 per cent like that of humans, could have originated from the same ancestor as the human family.
 
Scientists consider Madagascar as a biodiversity hotspot, with some species of wildlife only found on the island. To protect them from extinction, these species habitats must be saved, hence calls for sustainable mining. Thus, environmental protection must be included in Madagascar’s mining code say unions.

Kenya glass workers win after strike for living wages and safety gear

According to the collective agreement the company will pay the minimum wages of 15201 Kenyan Shillings (US$125) as announced by the government and provide work suits and safety boots. In May, the minimum wages were increased by twelve per cent, which the workers say is not enough to cater for living expenses. However, in addition to the twelve per cent, the employer agrees to further increases of five per cent per year in the next two years, and that the workers will receive housing allowances.
 
KGWU said one of the clauses in the collective agreement stresses that in the case of an injury caused by an accident at work, an employee will be entitled to compensation in accordance with the provisions of the Work Injury and Benefit Act (2007). Further, personal protective equipment that includes uniforms and overalls and safety boots will be provided free of charge to workers. The agreement also includes clauses to protect workers’ rights to maternity and paternity leave as well as retirement.
 
The agreement also establishes an occupational health and safety committee made up of the employer and union representative as per the labour laws. On HIV and AIDS, workers are protected against discrimination by the employer that is based on their HIV status. Further, awareness campaigns will be carried out on HIV and AIDS.
 
Maurice Okoth, general secretary of the KGWU says:

“Most of the workers at FEAC are casual workers, and the union is recruiting and organizing them. We are demanding that the casual workers be given permanent jobs so that they can enjoy job security and the other benefits that we negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement.”

“With the rising cost of living in Kenya, wages must also be increased to enable workers to look after their families. We commend KGWU for demanding better wages. Additionally, implementing occupational health and safety at work standards at FEAC is important for accident prevention and a safe working environment,”

says Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa.
 
FEAC is a Nairobi based Chinese owned company that manufactures aluminium and glass products for the construction industry.
 

Unions campaign for decent work in artisanal and small-scale mining

A union delegation that is part of an international exchange programme, witnessed the harsh conditions in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) when they visited some open cast mines in Tarkwa District, Ghana on 30 August and resolved to continue campaigns for better conditions.

The delegation from IndustriALL Global Union affiliates, Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU) and Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) was accompanied to the mining sites by members of the Ghana Small Scale Miners Association.

 

They visited three types of mines: those owned and operated by a company and employing about 320 workers, those belonging to a concession, and those owned by communities and supported by the government. However, at all the sites the unions saw the poor working conditions of the miners who did not even have personal protective equipment.
 
Kwarko Mensah Gyakari chairperson of the GMWU said:

“We continue to call upon the government of Ghana to ratify ILO Convention 176 and adopt measures from Recommendation 183 on safety and health in mines as these are important to ASM.”

”We will discuss the inclusion of artisanal small-scale miners in our constitution at the next national congress later this year. This is aimed at promoting decent work in the informal sector and building union power which are part of the objectives of the ILO Recommendation 204 on the transition from informal to formal economy,”

added George Mumba, MUZ general secretary.
 
Paule France Ndessomin IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa said:

“We welcome the campaigns by the GMWU and MUZ for a better ASM sector. This sector can contribute to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG8 on decent work and economic growth. It is important for the governments to continue providing concrete support for the growth and formalization of ASM.”

The exchange visit is part of the activities of the union transformation innovative project which promotes formalization of ASM in Ghana and Zambia. The project is supported by Union to Union, Sweden.

 

Madagascar’s revised mining code must include workers’ and human rights

During consultative meetings on the code, the unions had presented their expectations, which included the protection of workers’ rights and the rights of women in the mining sector, improved working conditions including curbing long working hours, ensuring health and safety in the mines, and paying living wages that catered for the cost of living.

Unions want the mining code to include artisanal and small-scale mining, protection of community interests, and for mining resources to contribute to local development. Amendments to the mining code is an opportunity to adopt and domesticate the recommendations from the African Mining Vision (AMV), which argues that mineral resources can be used for economic development and industrialization.

“The unions want a mining policy framework that benefits the Malagasy people. Without a sound policy and legal framework, it is impossible for the mining sector to support sustainable development. The mining code must promote better mineral governance that benefits the Malagasy citizens and protect the environment. The AMV, to which Madagascar subscribes as an African Union member state, highlights the critical role that can be played by policies that maximize the benefits from mineral resources,”

says Remi Henri Botoudi, IndustriALL Madagascar chairperson.

20 participants from IndustriALL affiliates participated at the meeting in Antananarivo on 25-26 August

To build trade union capacity and a labour perspective on the mining code, the IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa regional office commissioned a study by two experts Mutuso Dhliwayo, from the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association and Toky Ravoavy, an independent consultant, to help unions develop a deeper understanding and learning of the provisions of the mining code and what it means for workers.

The experts presented their findings at the meeting after analysing the 14 chapters of the mining code and concurred on the issues raised by the unions, as well as on the critical importance of collective bargaining agreements, inclusion of civil society organizations and local communities in policy making, and the AMV. Additionally, the meeting heard that mining companies must include environmental protection in their operations. 

“Madagascar is rich in minerals that can be exploited for the development of the island, and these minerals are mined by workers. The union demands for decent work guarantees in the mining code must be supported. While recognizing that mining is a male-dominated sector, it is important to stress that women miners should not be discriminated through exclusion from the mining code. The code should address women miners’ concerns including those on gender-based violence and harassment,”

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

20 participants from IndustriALL Global Union affiliates, Federation des Syndicats Travailleurs des Entreprises Franches et Textiles (FISEMA/SEMPIZOF), and Sendika Kristanina Malagasy (SEKRIMA), and Syndicalisme et Vie des Societes (SVS) attended the meeting in Antananarivo on 25-26 August, which was held with support from ACV-BIE Belgium. The regional office study was conducted in cooperation with Union to Union, Sweden.
 

Workers in South Africa strike for living wages

According to Statistics South Africa, annual inflation reached a 13-year high at 7.8 per cent in July and the prices of food, electricity, fuels, and medicine have gone up. Average households need about R5000 (US$294) for food. Unions says the national minimum wage of R3500 (US$206) needs review, and that the government should introduce a basic income grant of R1500 (US$88) to reduce financial pressure on workers who look after unemployed family members.

Unions are concerned by the high unemployment levels at 34.4 per cent, while the extended rate that includes discouraged job seekers is 44.4 per cent. According to official figures, seven million people are unemployed.

 

The strike, in which civil society and community-based organizations participated, was organized by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), to which IndustriALL Global Union affiliates also belong.

A miner from the National Union of Mineworkers, who marches in Pretoria, said:

“The union movement is exercising the right to protest and calling upon the government to address socio-economic issues. We want this strike to make an impact so that workers’ demands are addressed, and action taken towards improving livelihoods for workers and their families.’’

“We are striking to defend our rights to living wages as we do not have enough money to pay for our daily expenses. Unemployment is high, and our wages are not enough to cover the basics. Through this strike we are hoping that the government will get the message and act on our grievances,’’

added a garment worker from the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU).

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

“South African workers are feeling squeezed by the increasing cost of living, yet wages are not catching up. Hence unions are calling for above inflation increases to improve wages as seen in the recent wage negotiations in most industrial sectors. We support this strike and the continuation of social dialogue to create jobs and reduce the high unemployment, especially among young people.”

Conference discusses feminist ideas on building union power in Africa

The issues discussed included how to develop a feminist trade union agenda, building alliances and networks with other feminists and civil society organizations, ending toxic hierarchies that block women’s participation, and abandoning patriarchy and gender oppression structures including unequal power relations.

Rose Omamo, IndustriALL vice president, said:

“Union work is not detached from the feminist fight for equality. Unions must build alliances with women’s rights organisations to challenge oppressive systems. Gender quality underpins many problems including the lack of adequate health care, education, decent work deficits, and promoting gender equality and social inclusion.”

The conference discussed how feminism can be used to promote social justice and sustainable development. These issues were identified as key to developing a network of gender champions at workplaces and in communities as part of a trade union transformative agenda. The conference stressed the ratification of International Labour Organization Convention 190 to eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work. Storytelling sessions discussed experiences of sexual harassment at workplaces, body shaming, harmful cultural practices, and how these can be fought by trade unions.

Margaret Ndagile, from IndustriALL affiliate Tanzania Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers (TUICO) said:

“In the union, we usually talk of gender, but feminism promotes more action. However, we need more awareness and education at the factory level on how we can use feminist thinking in ways that include both genders.”

Neema Lugangira, a Tanzanian member of parliament, said the conference discussions were relevant to her work in championing for land rights for women, child support, and guaranteeing decent work in the oil and gas and mining sectors.

Bärbel Kofler, the German deputy minister for economic cooperation and development, and a trade unionist highlighted Germany’s feminist development policy, which focuses on rights, resources, and representation, and the importance of young women activism in fighting for workers’ rights. She was accompanied by Tina Rudolph and Dagmar Schmidt, both members of the German parliament, and Emilio Rossetti, head of political section EU delegation in Tanzania.

A feminist approach is one of the ways that unions can use for dealing with the violence of the patriarchy’s supremacy and impunity, which leads to gender-based violence and harassment, argued Patricia McFadden, an expert on feminism from Eswatini.

“The systems of gender oppression that are rooted in patriarchy must be rejected in homes and workplace,”

said Bashiratu Kamal, a gender and labour specialist from Ghana.

“The conference has been a valuable space to address the many ways that patriarchy works in the trade unions to maintain existing power structures. Feminism is a powerful tool to push for the needed transformative change in the labour movement,”

said Kathrin Meissner, director of the FES Trade Union Competence Centre (FES-TUCC) for Sub Saharan Africa.
 
About 30 participants from IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Sub Saharan Africa, civil society organizations, and Members of parliament from Germany and Tanzania, attended the conference. The regional feminist conference drew participants from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The meeting was held with support from the FES TUCC, and the IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa Regional Office.

Sexual harassment blocks young women’s training in Kenya’s automotive industry

“As a young woman you have the urge to acquire skills, and you are eager to learn, as you are new to the field. However, the opportunities for the artisan training are found in the established garages in the informal sector where most male trainers demand sex from young women as a condition for undergoing training. This causes most young women to change from one workplace to another in search of a suitable place for their learnerships where they can obtain skills and knowledge without being sexually harassed. Imagine you are lying on your back fixing a car, and a man starts groping you anyhow. This dampens your learning experience,” narrated Wambui at the workshop attended by 30 participants including 11 women.

“At one garage I worked for months without touching a spanner: without being given skills learning opportunities. I ended up washing cars simply because no one was willing to mentor me as a trainee. Obviously, I was being punished for refusing sexual advances. In other instances, the male technicians will try to lure you with money by giving you large sums of money for doing minor repairs. But when you reject their advances; they start ignoring you.”

“Women are vulnerable during the beginning of their careers in the auto sector as most of them are not paid wages when undergoing training. What is worse is that there are no support mechanisms for young women who enter the industry, and in most cases, they are on their own. It is only after joining the Amalgamated Union of Kenyan Metal Workers (AUKMW) that I realised that unions could offer support to the young women artisans.”

Wambui says sexual harassment is common in the male dominated informal sector known locally as Jua Kali “hot sun” in Swahili as most of the auto repairs are done in the open roadside garages and workshops.  
 

Rose Omamo, general secretary of the AUKMW and IndustriALL Global Union vice president says:

“Shop stewards must lead on the dialogue on gender-based violence and harassment in the automotive sector and the Jua Kali. The union must advocate for the ratification of Convention 190 to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in the world of work and for the implementation of Recommendation 206 so that gaps in the current laws are closed. All workers – women and men – should be sensitized on GBVH.” 

Explained Paule France Ndessomin IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa who participated at the meeting.

“Our mindsets must change as unionists if we are to effectively deal with gender-based violence and harassment. Workers must know their rights and existing mechanisms to stop GBVH and must reports violations and act against the perpetrators.”

The AUKMW, an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, and the IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa regional office, organized the workshop. The AUKMW which organizes workers in the automotive sector, has formed partnerships with the Jua Kali automobile sector to protect workers’ rights.

 

South African mineworkers discuss strategies to prevent injuries and deaths from mine accidents

The campaigns and strategies are aimed at accident prevention in the mining industries and other workplaces that the union organizes. One of the strategies discussed at the meeting is to demand an effective labour inspectorate in the national department of mineral resources and energy. The NUM says the labour inspectors are not consulting with the union therefore making unilateral decisions on Section 54 notices of the Mine Health and Safety Act which stop operations at mines for health and safety reasons. In some cases, inspections are not done, accident reports are not issued as prescribed in the law, and the inspectors have not been seen in some mines for long periods of time.
 

The NUM strategies empower and strengthen the capacity of occupational health and safety and trade union committees at workplaces to play essential roles in reporting accidents and emphasising on the right to stop dangerous work. Further, the union wants the government, and mining companies to provide more labour inspection services.
 

The provision of suitable personal protective equipment for women miners continues to be an outstanding issue. Additionally, the union says heat stress management is being used as an excuse to retrench some women miners and want this unfair labour practice to be stopped.
 

Masibulele Naki, the NUM national secretary for health and safety said:

“Despite the challenges, we are joyful in that the fatalities related to the fall of ground are getting less. This makes us confident that achieving zero harm and zero fatalities is possible. We continue with our campaigns and training on health and safety and so far, we have trained 500 workers, in addition to the regular training that we provide to the health and safety shop stewards.”

Falls of ground – rockfalls, rock bursts and strain bursts – have caused most of the death of mineworkers in South Africa. According to the Minerals Council of South Africa there have been no fall of ground accidents in the first seven months of this year.
 

Speaking at the meeting, Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining and occupational health and safety lead said:

“The NUM must not lose sight of the gains it has made in making South African mines safer for mineworkers. The union’s success stories are a global model for the mining industry. Importantly, the union must continue to protect the lives of workers through health and safety campaigns that help to prevent fatal accidents and emphasize on health and safety as a fundamental right at work. Mining companies must always be reminded to adhere to mine safety standards and ILO conventions.”

He cited Convention 155 (Occupational Health and Safety Convention), Convention 176 (Safety and Health in Mines), and related recommendations.
 

The IndustriALL regional office for Sub Saharan Africa has set up a platform to address the health and safety deficits on the continent. With most African economies relying on the lucrative export of minerals, there are more occupational health and safety challenges in the mining sector where fatal accidents are common and largely unchecked with some mining companies not having accident prevention policies. Although health and safety laws exist, implementation and enforcement remain a challenge. In some countries failure to enforce the legislative framework is often attributed to lack of financial resources to employ enough labour inspectors.