22 November, 2012With the support of IndustriALL, TUMEC held its first conference in November 2012 in the mining capital town of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Conference was a success as it was able to agree on the policy issues which will shape how the union will build itself, contest and win shop-steward elections and hold a congress in 2014,
reports Kenny Mogane, Project Coordinator for IndustriALL.
Le Syndicat du Travailleurs Unis des Mines, Metallurgie, Energie, Chimie et Industries Connexes (TUMEC) is a relatively new union in the mining, energy, chemicals and industrial sectors. Recently formed by a group of worker leaders wishing to build a stronger union of united workers, TUMEC promotes worker participation in decision making and seeks to confront trade union challenges in its sectors.
The conference was attended by 62 delegates from around the country, who worked on how to mobilize members to participate in shop-steward elections in 2013 and the National Congress in 2014. The conference also dealt with constitutional matters and discussed financial autonomy.
The conference adopted a road map for the election campaign and a strategy to target large workplaces to popularize the union in various branches and mines.