Survey finds it’s difficult to be a trade unionist in Africa
The difficulties for trade union activities are far from being reduced in Africa in 2010, as trade union rights continue to be flouted, according to the Annual Survey of violations of trade union rights in the world.
The report published by the International Trade Union Confederation said the implementation of labour laws, where they existed, remained problematic.
More than 2,500 people were arrested this year while more than 1,000 lost their jobs on account of their trade union activities, it added.
The report cited Swaziland as one of the most repressive countries for trade union rights, citing the state of emergency, which had been in place since 1973 and constitutional freedoms that had been suspended.
It said for example, trade union gatherings, particularly during the May Day celebrations, were often brutally repressed, sometimes resulting in deaths.
The report also mentioned Zimbabwe as undoubtedly the most dangerous African country for trade unionists.
“Robert Mugabe’s regime systematically violates and represses trade union rights. Arrests, detentions, violence and torture are the sad daily reality for trade unionists,” it said.
On 6 June, for example, Harare police chiefs forbade the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions – ZCTU from commemorating Hwange Colliery, the 1973 mining disaster which killed 427 miners.
In Djibouti, the International Labour Organisation expressed its deep concern at the government’s complete lack of goodwill to settle cases of trade union rights’ violations.
In South Africa, trade unions had to contend with severe repression and police violence throughout the year. Some demonstrations in Zambia, Mauritania and Algeria were suppressed using live bullets.
The report noted that joining a trade union in Africa was not easy.
In Sudan, the Labour Code does not recognise trade union freedoms and there is only one State-controlled trade union.
Judicial restrictions impede independent trade union organising, particularly in Botswana and Lesotho.
The report said when trade unions could organise freely, the proliferation of trade unions could be problematic and cited the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where employers and the government encouraged the formation of hundreds of trade unions which had weakened the trade union movement.
The formation of “yellow” trade unions, favourable to employers in Burundi and Ethiopia, has also been denounced in the survey.
It noted that certain trade union organisations were excluded from tripartite structures (for example in Mali or Mauritania).
“Furthermore, the protocols and tripartite decisions are not respected (in Namibia, Benin, Togo and Malawi).
“Strikes are therefore the last resort to force negotiations, when these strikes are not repressed with force and violence (arrests, harassment and dismissals).”
The non-respect of social dialogue and collective bargaining in addition to difficulties joining a union in the export processing zones are big challenges to overcome.
In Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique and Togo, many employers refuse to recognise trade unions and unionised workers are often victims of abuse and harassment.
Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said: “Despite all of these difficulties, millions of women and men in Africa maintain their commitment to trade union action or are discovering its benefits. Everything possible must be done to ensure that the fundamental trade union rights of African workers are respected.”
Source: GNA