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This is one of the resolutions reached at a project review workshop held in Johannesburg 21 - 22 April between CWU, UNI and Solidarity Centre.

The three partners reviewed and extended to 2014 the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) whose objective is to support CWU's membership drive in the two multinational companies.

The participants recommended the development of new recruitment strategies attractive to young workers, setting up shop stewards committees in mobile companies, banning labour brokers and improving the union’s membership database system.

Hanad Mohamud from the Solidarity Centre told the 18 participants at the workshop that mobile telecom companies were expanding rapidly across Africa and confronting unionisation efforts.

“If we don’t tackle the lack of union density in South Africa we have no hope of organising the mobile telecoms sector in the rest of Africa. The rest of Africa is looking up to you to take the lead.”

He said the MoU was a product of the partnership with the Communications Workers of America who are offering solidarity to CWU to organise workers in the rapidly-expanding mobile telecoms sector.

CWU 1^st Deputy President Karthi Pillay said labour brokers were an obstacle to unionisation and called for global solidarity as mobile companies such as MTN expand in Africa and the Middle East.

And UNI Africa Communications Officer John Musonda urged CWU to grow their membership so that they can exert influence in the workplace and promote decent work.

He said UNI now has dedicated resources for organising through the new Strategic Campaigns, Organising and Research department (SCORE) which would be used to assist affiliates organise workers.

Last year, the UNI MTN Union Alliance resolved to support CWU to organise workers in MTN South Africa. MTN operates in 21 countries and has recognised unions in Cameroun, Swaziland and Zambia.

Vodacom operates in five African countries and is a joint venture between Telkom South Africa and Vodafone UK.

CWU has 500 members in MTN and 600 members in Vodacom. The two companies have about 4,000 full time workers each. The South African Labour Relations Act requires at least a 30 per cent threshold for a company to grant recognition to a union.