US tariffs trigger gendered supply chain shock on Lesotho garment industries

For women workers, the fallout is particularly acute, as retrenched workers queue daily at factory gates from 7 am hoping for sporadic shifts while some turn to informal jobs like laundry or street vending. Job losses have plunged households into distress, with some workers struggling to pay for food, school fees, housing, or basics thus worsening food insecurity and reliance on subsistence farming or remittances. Unions describe a gendered supply chain shock, as women face limited alternatives in a patriarchal economy with scarce formal jobs.

Once thriving under the duty-free access provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Lesotho’s garment industry exported jeans, casual wear and garments for major brands like Levi’s, Gap, Walmart, Reebok and others to the US- its main market. Annual exports to the US reached over US$230 million, representing above 45 per cent of the sector’s output and contributing around 20 per cent of Lesotho’s GDP. The industry employed 50,000 workers at peak, with 80–95 per cent women, mostly breadwinners. According to unions, the workers wages were important to a nation plagued by widespread poverty and high unemployment of over 30 per cent with youth unemployment even higher.

The tariffs initially set at 50 per cent, the highest globally at the time, caused immediate chaos. Even after negotiations reduced the rate to 15 per cent which was still higher than the 10 per cent faced by other textile producing countries like Kenya, Eswatini and Ethiopia, buyer uncertainty, order cancellations and hesitation over AGOA’s future led to widespread disruptions. AGOA expired in September and was extended by only a year to 2026. This heightened fears of permanent loss of AGOA benefits.

Factories have closed, scaled back, or shifted operations to elsewhere. The wave of closures has left Lesotho garment workers with little recourse and no safety net. For example, Ever Unison Garments, which once peaked at over 2,000 workers, shut down temporarily and reopened with just 200 workers while expanding production in lower-tariff Kenya and Eswatini. Tai Yuan Garments closed, affecting 1,500 workers. TZICC Clothing Manufacturers closed with 700 jobs lost. Precious Garments, employing about 4,000 workers and producing for brands like Reebok, Mayor and Fish, has laid off all workers amid buyer reluctance over the short-term AGOA renewal.

Other factories report heavy cuts: Quantum Apparel retrenched over 50 per cent of its workforce. Hippo Knitting which produces for Fabletics dropped from 1,200 to 400 workers. Maseru E-Textiles which manufactures for Perry Ellis placed its 1,000 workers on indefinite leave after retrenching about 200 others.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Independent Democratic Union of Lesotho (IDUL), warns that over tens of thousands of jobs are at risk potentially up to 40,000 if conditions persist in export-oriented operations. IDUL says many workers face reduced hours, partial wages some as low as one-third normal pay, no work, no pay policies and unpaid leave.

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

“As the effects of punitive tariffs on women-headed households in Lesotho take their toll, this underscores how US policy decisions can devastate jobs and distant livelihoods in the Global South, and why trade should be fair for developing countries. Without urgent intervention, Lesotho garment workers risk permanent exclusion from the formal economy.”

Deadly mud rush traps miners 800 metres underground

Mud rush traps miners

A mud rush in the early hours of 17 February sent an influx of mud and water surging through sections of the shaft, trapping miners at depths of more than 800 metres. On 20 February, minister of mineral and petroleum resources, Gwede Mantashe, visited the site and said the miners must be presumed deceased due to their prolonged exposure to extreme conditions.

Union expresses sympathy

Mosepedi Sanane, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Kimberley regional secretary, expressed sympathy:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and colleagues of the affected workers at this profoundly challenging time. We continue to hold onto the faint hope that they may yet be located alive and returned safely.”

Call for independent investigation

Whilst prioritizing rescue efforts, the NUM has urged the department of mineral resources and energy (DMRE) to initiate a thorough and independent investigation. The union insists on a transparent process to determine the causes of the disaster and whether any lapses in safety management systems or operational protocols contributed to the disaster. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) echoed similar concerns, stressing that rescue efforts should continue.

Mining’s ongoing dangers

UASA-The Union, in its statement, underscored the persistent hazards inherent in mining, emphasising that the government, mining stakeholders, social partners and employers must increase efforts towards achieving “Zero Harm”.

“Notwithstanding existing safety protocols, mining continues to represent one of the most hazardous occupations, with workers’ lives repeatedly placed at risk. Every fatality or serious injury imposes severe economic hardship on dependent families, eroding household financial security and long-term livelihoods,”

states UASA.

Stronger safety measures urged

Additionally, the unions say the mud rush underscored the need for rigorous risk assessment, enhanced geotechnical monitoring, and strict enforcement of regulatory standards to mitigate workers’ health and safety risks.

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining, said:

“This tragedy highlights ongoing structural challenges in South African mining safety, particularly in smaller diamond operations, where geological risks such as mud rushes worsened by groundwater or rainwater can lead to rapid and devastating flooding. This calls for regular inspections and adherence to mine health and safety protocols.”

Empowering African trade unions, enforcing rights with human rights due diligence

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the imperative for HRDD is especially acute given the region’s outsized role in supplying minerals critical to the energy transition, electronics and renewable energy industries. The continent holds major reserves of cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and nickel whose demand has surged amid decarbonisation efforts worldwide. Yet extraction remains beset by entrenched human-rights risks: forced community displacements, violations of workers and human rights, environmental degradation, adverse health effects on local populations and in some instances, ties to conflict financing or organized crime.

HRDD draws its foundation from the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), endorsed in 2011, which impose on companies a responsibility to respect human rights via ongoing processes of identification, prevention, mitigation and remediation of adverse impacts. Sector-specific guidance, notably the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, has proved influential for tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold in conflict zones such as Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The mining landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa presents a mixed picture. Large-scale operations often controlled by multinationals from China, Europe, Canada and elsewhere face persistent criticism over inadequate community consultation, water and soil pollution, hazardous working conditions, poverty-level wages, gender-based violence and harassment, and suppression of union activity, including breaches of freedom of association and collective bargaining. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), prevalent in countries such as the DRC, Ghana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, worsens these vulnerabilities with child labour, toxic mercury exposure and exploitation by criminal networks.

Data from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre’s Transition Minerals Tracker underscore the scale of the problem. For example, between 2010 and 2024, it recorded 178 human-rights and environmental abuses linked to transition minerals in Africa which is more than 20 per cent of the global total of 835 cases. The DRC alone accounted for over half of Africa’s allegations, mostly at cobalt and copper sites.

Unions, including IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in the DRC, Zambia and Zimbabwe, are pressing hard for rigorous HRDD implementation. Their advocacy emphasises scrutiny of corporate disclosures, risk mapping and the adoption of national action plans on business and human rights still absent in most African countries. They call for binding rules to secure fair-trade terms, greater local beneficiation, living wages and environmental stewardship.

Recent regulatory shifts are reshaping HRDD. The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), now in force, mandates HRDD for large companies operating in or exporting to the EU, including human-rights and environmental impacts throughout value chains. This compels mining firms and their Sub-Saharan suppliers to strengthen processes, undertake audits and offer remediation or face exclusion from the European market. Complementary EU measures on batteries, deforestation and conflict minerals add further layers of scrutiny to African-sourced minerals.

However, challenges remain formidable: weak governance, corruption, limited enforcement capacity and opaque supply chains all impede effective due diligence. In high-risk settings such as conflict zones or informal gold sectors in Zimbabwe, HRDD frequently falls short of eradicating harms.

At the roundtable, Kelly Fay Rodriguez of the CCHRDD announced the launch of a dedicated project in the DRC, Zambia and Zimbabwe to support mine workers in critical minerals value chains. The initiative aims to ensure that emerging international due-diligence laws and trade policies deliver gains for labour rights, with particular focus on freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Established in 2025 by UNI Global Union, IndustriALL Global Union, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Germany’s DGB trade-union confederation, the CCHRDD exists to harness HRDD frameworks in ways that reinforce workers’ rights especially the enabling rights of union organization and bargaining across global value chains.

The meeting closed on a note of cautious optimism: HRDD offers mining companies a tool for risk mitigation while presenting unions and host societies with leverage for more inclusive development.

As Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL’s mining director, put it:

“Effective implementation of HRDD supported by stronger national frameworks, active union engagement, and international accountability is essential if mineral wealth is to translate into genuine economic progress rather than perpetuating patterns of extraction without equitable returns.”

Beyond the mining deals

This year, 9 to 12 February, the two events ran in parallel at separate venues in the city. The mainstream Indaba, investor-focused and corporate-oriented, drew the usual crowd of executives pursuing partnerships and capital flows in critical minerals. By contrast, the Alternative Mining Indaba, under the theme Alternative Stories of Mining, amplified the perspectives of marginalised and Indigenous communities, trade unions, and civil-society groups insistent on mining practices that reduce poverty, narrow inequality, and foster sustainable livelihoods rather than merely extract value.

The persistent contrast of wealth generated by mines put next to persistent poverty in host communities featured prominently in discussions, as did the risk of creating so-called green sacrifice zones where the costs of the global energy transition fall disproportionately on vulnerable populations in mineral-rich regions.

Trade unions, including affiliates of IndustriALL Global Union from Australia, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, engaged actively at both forums. They pressed mining companies on workers’ rights, decent working standards, sustainable extraction, and the need for a Just Transition. During a meeting on 11 February, emphasis fell on the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) as one of the more credible mechanisms for safeguarding labour rights, community interests, and environmental protections. At the Alternative Mining Indaba, unions stressed that workers form an integral part of affected communities and are therefore equally exposed to environmental, social, and governance failures.

Critical transition minerals including cobalt, lithium, graphite, and others essential to batteries and renewable energy dominated agendas at both gatherings. Sessions explored how to harness these resources for broader economic benefit, the resurgence of resource nationalism, the scope for equitable global supply-chain partnerships, human-capital development, geopolitical dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and the role of governments. Chinese multinational corporations came under scrutiny for their close ties to host governments and workers’ rights violations in countries such as Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In a panel on corporate accountability at the AMI, IndustriALL outlined its strategy of engaging major players including Anglo American, Glencore and Rio Tinto through global company networks, structured dialogue, and collective bargaining. IndustriALL affiliates are also forging alliances with artisanal and small-scale mining associations and local communities in the DRC, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with initial cooperation centred on health and safety improvements.

As Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining observed:

“The dialogue and engagement at both the Mining Indaba and the Alternative Mining Indaba is taking place in contested spaces. However, trade unions should continue to exploit these platforms to advance the Just Transition and defend workers’ interests, particularly as global demand for transition minerals intensifies.”

MUZ wins wage deal from Lumwana, demands more for Zambian communities

The Mine Workers’ Union of Zambia (MUZ), an IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, has secured a victory in its latest round of collective bargaining with Lumwana Copper Mines, a key subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation. The parties finalized an agreement in Lusaka granting unionized workers a 13 per cent wage increase, effective for the year.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on 31 January, George Mumba, MUZ general secretary, pressed the company to go beyond wage adjustments. He advocated for the implementation of living wages to levels sufficient to support a decent standard of living for workers and their families alongside firmer commitments to environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives that deliver tangible benefits to mining affected communities.

“This agreement reflects the strength of collective bargaining and the unity of our members. We need robust provisions for occupational health and safety, comprehensive social protection, greater job security and wages that reflect the true cost of living.”

Mumba emphasized. MUZ has over 1,100 members at Lumwana. Further, he argued that sustainable mining practices, which prioritise community welfare and environmental stewardship, are essential if the industry is to contribute meaningfully to national development in Zambia rather than only extracting resources for export.

The agreement arrives at a pivotal moment for Lumwana. Barrick Gold has committed to a substantial capital outlay of US$2 billion to fund the Super Pit Expansion Project, a major initiative designed to transform the operation into a Tier One copper mine. This ambitious programme, already under way, aims to double annual copper output to approximately 240,000 tonnes through the construction of a significantly enlarged processing plant with a capacity of 50 million tonnes per annum. Such investments are being boosted by favourable global copper demand which is driven by the energy transition and electrification trends.

However, the wage deal also highlights broader challenges facing workers on the Zambian copper belt. While the 13 per cent rise represents a meaningful gain for workers translating, in some cases, to increases of between K1,100 ($56) for lower-paid workers and K2,500 ($127) for higher earners it occurs against a backdrop of inflationary pressures and rising living costs that have eroded purchasing power across the economy.

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining, said:

“In a mining industry where commodity price volatility and geopolitical uncertainties loom large, Zambia’s copper sector must pay living wages. Sustainable mining depends not only on production volumes and capital inflows, but also on fostering industrial relations that support job security and community development.”

Image: Shutterstock

Chinese-owned Zimbabwe mine dismisses women after forced HIV tests

At Xiao Honguqiu’s Famona gold mine, three women workers were compelled to undergo HIV tests and subsequently dismissed on 22 December 2025, regardless of the results, while more than 60 male colleagues faced no such requirement. The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU), an IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, condemned the practice as a form of sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination.

Zimbabwe’s Constitution and labour legislation safeguard workers’ dignity, equality before the law and protection from gender discrimination. The right to privacy, including the confidentiality of health information such as HIV status, is similarly enshrined. Employers are expressly barred from forcing disclosure of HIV status. The 2021 Cyber and Data Protection Act further criminalises unauthorised disclosure of personal health data by third parties, including online.

The dismissals reportedly followed information obtained from an online platform that exposed one worker’s HIV status. The affected worker has filed a police report at Nyathi Police Station near Bulawayo against the individual responsible for the posting. ZDAMWU has lodged a formal complaint with the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, which is now investigating the matter and weighing potential legal action against the company.

Justice Chinhema, ZDAMWU general secretary, asserted that the union is pressing for the reinstatement of the three women.

“It is unacceptable for employers to subject women to sexual harassment and flout the law with impunity,”

he said.

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

“We back ZDAMWU in seeking justice for these workers. Chinese multinational companies operating in Zimbabwe and the region must adhere to national labour laws and international standards.”

IndustriALL’s research under the project: Towards an inclusive and sustainable future for workers in Eastern and Southern Africa with the University of the Witwatersrand’s Southern Centre for Inequality Studies titled Fighting back: Labour fragmentation in and the face of capital vis-à-vis the Just Transition and eco-socialism has confirmed rampant sexual harassment and exploitation on Chinese-owned mines in Zimbabwe with supervisors preferring to hire “small Maria” instead of “big Maria.”

“Chinese management in both Zambia and Zimbabwe wanted a “small Maria” – a black female worker who was small built. The management used their positions and fear of job insecurity to exert pressure and solicit sexual favours or rape women workers. Black women workers in Zimbabwe who were employed in the mining sector, barely faced victimization and harassment,” exposes the research in its findings which will be published in April.

Mentorship programme empowers young African women to transform trade unions

The initiative, run by IndustriALL Global Union, with support from LO-Norway, seeks to promote young female leaders within affiliated unions. These women are positioned to drive reforms that promote gender equality, combat gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) and elevate the participation, visibility, and influence of young women in union structures, collective bargaining, sectoral networks and international forums. Mentees receive targeted training in leadership, organising, advocacy, feminism ideology and technical competencies essential for reshaping unions’ gender priorities and fortifying worker representation.

The seven mentors, drawn from backgrounds in union revitalisation, feminism, gender equality, and skills development, brought considerable expertise to the programme and offered sustained guidance throughout.

Among its specific objectives the mentorship project aims to empower participants to emerge as future women union leaders, build their confidence and support their pursuit of elected roles at workplace, branch, sectoral, or national levels. The project also aims to deepen young women’s involvement in union activities by integrating them into collective bargaining teams, organizing drives and advocacy efforts; to establish study circles that mobilise and educate broader cohorts of young women; and to expand female engagement in sectoral, regional and IndustriALL initiatives.

On the policy front, it advances gender equality and the eradication of GBVH in unions and workplaces by aiding mentees in crafting equality policies, response mechanisms and awareness campaigns. All participants undergo training in gender equality, GBVH prevention, and mainstreaming, aligned with ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 on ending violence and harassment in the world of work. Mentees are further encouraged to contribute actively to women’s structures and gender committees in their respective unions.

Agnes Ama Agamasu, a human-resources professional at the Ghana Gold Board and member of the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union, reflected on her experience:

“The mentorship programme allowed me to reset and become a more effective leader. It built my confidence to engage with senior government officials and offered invaluable learning and cross-learning opportunities.”

Priscilla Aboagye, an accountant at PUMA Energy and member of the Ghana Transport, Petroleum and Chemicals Workers Union (GTPCWU), added:

“I joined the programme when my baby was just four months old and learnt to balance family life with working in a male-dominated industry. It was a genuine opportunity to step into leadership. I came to realise that skills and talent alone are insufficient; guidance is essential.”

IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule-France Ndessomin, described the programme’s broader significance:

“The LO Norway mentorship initiative is more than mere capacity-building, it serves as a potent catalyst for gender transformation within Africa’s trade unions. By arming young women workers with the tools to champion inclusivity and spearhead resolute campaigns against GBVH, it not only fortifies unions in the present but also lays the foundation for a future in which every worker, irrespective of gender, enjoys equality, safety and empowerment.”

A mandate to act, a responsibility to deliver

By Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary

This past year has not been an easy one. War continues to define daily life for millions. Democratic space is shrinking in too many countries. Corporate power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few, while working people are told to accept insecurity, precarity and declining living standards as inevitable. Climate breakdown accelerates, and technological change, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) is introduced not as a tool for shared progress, but too often as a mechanism for control, surveillance and job destruction.

And yet, if there is one lesson from 2025, it is this: workers do not accept injustice quietly.
Trade unions do not retreat when the terrain becomes difficult. We organize. We negotiate. We fight, and we win.

During the year, our affiliates have shown incredible resilience and strength. In Kenya, a court ruling upheld trade union rights against intimidation and abuse, making it clear that the rule of law still matters when workers stand together.

In Italy, metalworkers secured a historic agreement after sustained mobilization, showing that collective bargaining remains one of the most powerful tools workers have to defend dignity and fair pay. In Türkiye, metalworkers also won significant gains amid record inflation, reinforcing that union strength matters across Europe and beyond.

In the United States, workers scored major victories in traditionally difficult organizing environments: after a 15-week strike, IAM union members ratified a new contract at Boeing; autoworkers achieved a historic union win at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant; and energy workers secured a groundbreaking victory with UWUA in the wind power sector, powerful reminders that collective action can overcome rooted resistance even in highly financialized and hostile contexts.

From South Africa, where NUMSA secured a wage deal while calling for industrial policy to protect the auto sector, to India, where courts ordered the regularization of contract workers and garment workers defied illegal closures, the message has been consistent: precarious work is not destiny. It is a choice, and one that can be challenged.

In Quebec, ArcelorMittal workers won a stronger collective agreement, proving that even global giants can be held accountable when unions are organized and persistent. While in Mexico more than 3,000 workers secured a hard-fought settlement after a prolonged strike at ArcelorMittal over profit-sharing and working conditions, including wage gains and the withdrawal of legal actions against workers and their union.

In Bangladesh, Pakistan, Korea, and Morocco workers won Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), regularization and recognition through strikes and negotiation alike, often in contexts where the risks are high and the space for union activity is limited.

We also saw a powerful defence of fundamental rights in Indonesia, where unions successfully challenged the regressive omnibus law, demonstrating once again that determined collective action can push back against legislative attacks aimed at undermining labour protections and bargaining rights.

In Korea, unions welcomed the decision to uphold the impeachment of President Yoon, a powerful reminder that trade unions are not only economic actors but defenders of democracy itself.

And in sectors that define the future of the global economy, shipbreaking, semiconductors, energy and automobiles, union victories this year have shown that transformation does not have to come at the expense of workers’ rights. The entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling is a milestone, decades in the making, improving safety and shifting power in one of the world’s most dangerous industries.

In Cambodia, progress was also made on wages in global supply chains, as international brands signed an agreement with IndustriALL to support collectively bargained wages in the garment, textile, footwear and travel goods sector. These legally binding commitments require brands to back factory-level collective bargaining and responsible purchasing practices, marking an important step toward improving wages and working conditions for workers in a sector that is central to the country’s economy.

These are not isolated successes. They are part of a broader pattern. They show that even in an era marked by war, inflation, climate crisis and corporate greed, organized workers can still shape outcomes.

This matters, because the challenges ahead are immense.

Beyond national struggles, 2025 also brought important progress at global level. IndustriALL renewed and strengthened global agreements with multinational companies including ASOS and the H&M Group, reinforcing commitments on freedom of association, collective bargaining and workers’ rights across complex global supply chains. These agreements matter because they move responsibility up the chain, making clear that brands cannot outsource risk while retaining profit.

Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than regulation, and too often without workers at the table. Global value chains are being reorganized in response to geopolitical tensions, with workers paying the price through job losses, outsourcing and weakened protections. Oligarch power, economic and political, is tightening its grip in many parts of the world, undermining democracy and labour rights alike. And the climate crisis is no longer a future threat; it is a present reality, already reshaping industries, regions and livelihoods.

These are not separate issues. They are deeply connected. And they all raise the same fundamental question: who decides?

At Congress, our affiliates answered that question clearly. Workers must decide. Trade unions must be central actors in shaping the future of work, industry and society. That is why the Action Plan 2025–2029 adopted in Sydney is so important.

The Action Plan is a political commitment. It sets out how we will strengthen union power, expand collective bargaining, defend democratic space, advance Just Transition, and confront corporate power across global supply chains. It reflects the lived reality of our affiliates, and it gives direction to our collective work over the next four years.

But no action plan delivers itself.

What gives meaning to this mandate is the daily work of our affiliates: the shop stewards negotiating under pressure, the organizers facing intimidation, the workers who strike knowing the risks but acting anyway, the women and young workers pushing to be heard and to lead. It is also the work of our staff and partners, supporting struggles across borders, building capacity and keeping international solidarity alive when it is most needed.

Behind these achievements are real people. Workers dealing with repeated crises, organizers facing pressure and intimidation, and unions that keep going even when progress is slow and uncertain.

This is why solidarity is essential to our movement. No affiliate stands alone, and no struggle is isolated. Victories in one place strengthen workers everywhere, and attacks on rights concern us all.

As we move into 2026, we do so with pride in what has been achieved, and with urgency about what lies ahead. The world of work will continue to be contested terrain. Capital will continue to push its interests aggressively. Governments will continue, too often, to fall short of their responsibility to protect workers and communities.

IndustriALL and affiliates will continue to respond by organizing, by bargaining, by building alliances, and by insisting that dignity, democracy and justice are non-negotiable.

Congress has given us a clear mandate. The year behind us has shown what is possible. We enter that future together, confident in our collective strength, grounded in solidarity, and committed to defending the rights and dignity of working people everywhere.

Kenyan court upholds trade union rights

The dispute began in July 2025 when Springtech management, in what the union described as a deliberate attempt to derail an organising drive, demanded that newly unionised employees resign from being members of the AUKMW. Eleven workers who refused to budge staged a brief shopfloor picket, prompting their arrest by police on charges of violence – allegations later dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions for lack of evidence. The employer simultaneously suspended the workers and halted the remittance of union dues collected through the check-off system, effectively disrupting an ongoing conciliation process. The AUKMW sought and obtained a certificate of urgency that blocked further dismissals.

In a judgment delivered on 8 December, Justice M. Mbaru of the Mombasa court ruled that employees enjoy explicit constitutional protection under Article 41 for joining or participating in lawful trade union activities, whether outside working hours or, with or without the employer’s consent. Termination of employment on such grounds, the judge held, constitutes an unfair labour practice under sections 46(c) and (d) of the Employment Act.

The court ordered Springtech to grant the union immediate access to the workplace for recruitment until it secures a simple majority of the workforce – the threshold required under Kenyan law for formal recognition – and to resume deducting and remitting dues within 30 days. The 11 suspended workers are to return to work immediately and to receive full back pay from July 15, 2025.

Welcoming the judgment, Rose Omamo, general secretary of the AUKMW and vice president of IndustriALL said:

“This is a timely reminder to employers that the rights to organise and participate in union activities without intimidation and harassment are firmly enshrined in both the constitution and labour laws.”

The ruling, she added, clears the path for the union to achieve the membership level needed for statutory recognition at the plant.

The case is the latest in a series of labour court victories for AUKMW and other unions that are strengthening organising rights in Kenya’s manufacturing and export-processing zones, where employers are resorting to unfair dismissals and other union busting tactics to thwart unionization.

African trade unions want critical minerals revenues to fund development

The declaration, by 35 trade unionists from 14 countries, was made at a colloquium to celebrate Africa Industrialization Day under the theme: “Empowering workers in the AGMS: Balancing industrialization with human rights due diligence.”

The colloquium heard that Africa sits on more than 30 per cent of the world’s reserves of the minerals that will power the energy transition: cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, copper in Zambia, nickel in Madagascar, manganese in Gabon, graphite in Mozambique, lithium in Zimbabwe and rare earths scattered from Namibia to Burundi. Yet the continent’s share of the value created from these resources has barely changed since the colonial era.

The declaration, jointly adopted by the IndustriALL Global Union Sub-Saharan Africa regional office and ITUC-Africa, shows that organized labour wants workers and communities to benefit from critical transition minerals (CTMs). “There can be no green transition without decent work,” the unions insist, demanding permanent contracts, living wages, sector-wide collective bargaining and enforceable supply-chain accountability for Western and Chinese multinational corporations.

According to McKinsey estimates meeting global net-zero targets by 2050 will require US$3.5 trillion of investment in critical minerals, with Africa potentially capturing US$1 trillion of that if it moves up the value chain. At present, the continent exports almost all its output as ore or low-grade concentrate. For instance, a smartphone battery that retails for US$50 may contain Congolese cobalt worth less than ten cents at the mine gate. The rest of the margin accrues in refineries in China, battery plants in South Korea or Germany and assembly lines in California or Shenzhen. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo earned just US$1.2 billion in cobalt royalties in 2024 despite exporting material worth over US$20 billion on world markets.

Further, the unions’ demands are that the AGMS must mandate local processing and manufacturing. For example, batteries can be manufactured in Kolwezi, cathodes in Kitwe, precursor chemicals in Johannesburg backed by binding local-content rules and social clauses in new investment packages. They insist that the strategy’s proposed 5 per cent of payroll for skills funds and 1 per cent of sales for research and development be co-governed by unions. They also demand renegotiation of existing contracts to stop profit-shifting and illicit financial flows, with revenues channelled into sovereign wealth funds rather than externalized to tax havens.

The unions want environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards to be implemented with explicit labour protections including freedom of association, occupational health and safety, and decent work.

The colloquium emphasized that Africa’s working-age population will grow by about 450 million people by 2050 but without industrial jobs on a massive scale, that demographic dividend risks becoming a social catastrophe. “Resource-for-security” deals, unions warn, risk turning mineral provinces into new arenas of proxy conflict.

“Africa is rich beneath the ground but poor above it and this must change,” said Martha Molema, ITUC-Africa president.

“Critical minerals must power African industrialization and decarbonization, support manufacturing industries and create jobs for the youth. Further, women in mining must be given licences and financial support to mine critical minerals,”

said Rose Omamo, IndustriALL vice president and ITUC-Africa deputy president.