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19 April, 2010
ICEM energy and mining affiliates in West Africa set ambitious priorities and work commitments in Dakar, Senegal, on 7-8 April. In workshops sponsored by the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation (FES) of Germany, unions of the region focused on specific growth strategies, the increasing threat of use of casual labour by multinational enterprises, and the necessity of West African nations to ratify ILO Convention 176, the Health and Safety in Mines Convention.
Representatives from 13 trade unions in 11 countries participated in the two-day forum. The workshops were unique in that individual unions stepped forward and pledged to lead cross-union efforts in specific areas.
"The entire resolve coming from the workshops underpins the commitment by ICEM West African affiliates to build strong and democratic unions in which to challenge multinational companies," said ICEM Sub-Saharan Representative Fabian Nkomo. "We have committed to challenge the exploitation of workers that leaves both communities and countries very poor.
Fabian Nkomo
"It is a commitment to help democratic countries improve the lives of ordinary people, but also a challenge to non-democratic governments to democratise," added Nkomo. "In short, it is a call for better lives for all citizens in West African countries."
All ICEM trade union affiliates of the region will consolidate their three- and four-year plans on growth strategies with each other. Those plans will center on leadership accountability to trade union members, and ownership of trade union structures by rank-and-file members.
With West Africa fast becoming a hub of upstream oil and gas production, the Nigerian trade unions, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, took on responsibility to lead a campaign against casualisation, or the growing use of Contract and Agency Labour (CAL). The two unions will lead a mobilisation to build formidable trade unions in oil- and gas-producing nations of West Africa.
The Ghana Mine Workers' Union (GMWU) will lead the push for adoption of ILO Convention 176 in West African nations, as well as to develop and mobilise a cross-region campaign toward that end.
A further commitment was made by participating trade unions to propose a Social Charter to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). That charter will specifically include adherence to all core ILO labour standards. ICEM Sub-Saharan African CAL Coordinator Joseph Toe and Ayikoue Teve of CSTT in Togo will head that effort.
Finally, West African trade unions promised to spread training and education activities throughout their unions, and not to limit such opportunities only to individual leaders.
The ICEM is grateful to FES for sponsoring the workshops; a forum that ICEM believes can be a turning point in trade union development in West Africa.