African unions stand in solidarity as they face the future
African union activists are facing the future together, fighting for their rights and building strong union networks at multinationals.
The feeling of solidarity and common purpose was palpable at the start of the 2nd UNI Africa conference in Hammamet, Tunisia.
“This is one of the great moments in the life of UNI Global Union and a great moment for UNI Africa,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings at the opening ceremony today.
He said that UNI is committed to Africa and he offered support to Tunisian workers facing tensions in the post, telecom and finance sectors.
“We know that we are at a very significant turning point in the history of this fragile planet of ours. We face the worst economic crisis in 50 years,” Jennings said. “This is a man-made crisis. But it was not us-- the working people and trade unions-- that caused this crisis.”
Jennings said that the union message has gotten through to the leaders of the G20—the world’s 20 biggest economies— who have pledged to make recovery plans that will help working people and and create jobs.
The conference’s opening showcased local music and dance as well as Tunisia’s strong trade union spirit.
Abdesallem Jerad, General Secretary of the Tunisian trade union centre (UGTT), said strong international union solidarity can make a real difference in workers’ lives.
“We are called on today to create a common strategy at regional and international level to fight back against the transgressions of multinationals,” he said.
He called for extra support for young people and women working in precarious employment who are often subject to exploitation. Jerad added that peace and democracy are necessary for ensuring true union rights and development.
“Union work must be based on free unions,” Jerad said. “If social dialogue and democracy are necessary today for development, then our African continent urgently needs stability and peace in order to achieve the United Nations millennium development goals.”
UNI Africa President Gabou Gueye told participants that the second UNI Africa conference was an historic event that would be an important step for the future of UNI. Africa is a rich continent, he said, and the union movement will help liberate and empower its workers.
“We know we have contributed to the union movement,” Gueye said “Future generations will be a witness to our work building unions in Africa.”
Jellali Abdelhamid, General Secretary of Tunisia’s General Banking and Insurance Federation (FGBEF), called on all unions to “unite Africa and unite our ranks within trade unionism and bring together the common interests and concerns about Africa.”
Kamel Omrane, representing the Ministry of Social Affairs, Solidarity and Tunisians Abroad, also participated in the opening ceremony and thanked UNI for choosing Tunisia to host its meeting.
For more information, see the UNI Africa blog
You can see photos here