View source for Organisation of African Trade Union Unity


{{Infobox trade union
| name                = Organisation of African Trade Union Unity
| formation           = {{Start date and age|1973|4||df=yes}}
| logo                =
| logo_caption        = ''Logo''
| abbreviation        = OATUU or OUSA
| type                = [[List of federations of trade unions|Regional Union Federation]]
| purpose             = Promote [[Pan-Africanism]] while protecting African [[workers' rights]] through the promotion of [[social justice]] and [[economic justice]] throughout African workplaces.
| headquarters        = [[Accra, Ghana]]
| coordinates         = {{Coord|5|37|19|N|0|11|10|W|display=inline,title}}
| region              = [[Africa]]
| membership          = 25 million members
| leader_title        = General Secretary
| leader_name         = [[Mezhoud Arezki]]
| leader_title2       = Assistant Secretary General
| leader_name2        = [[Nzunda Titus Emmanuel]] and [[Udeh Okechukwu Valentine]]
| leader_title4       = Treasurer General
| leader_name4        = [[Ibrahim Abrar Ibrahim]]
| affiliations        = 73 Trade Union Affiliates
| website             = {{URL|https://oatuuousa.org/|oatuuousa.org}}
}}
The '''Organisation of African Trade Union Unity''' ('''OATUU''') ([[French language|French]]: '''Organisation de L'Unité Syndicale Africaine'''; '''OUSA''') is an independent [[List of federations of trade unions|regional union federation]] aimed at unifying [[trade union]] centres in [[Africa]]. This organisation was founded in April, 1973 as a successor to two previously competing labour union organisations in Africa: the [[All-African Trade Union Federation]] (AATUF) and the [[African Trade Union Confederation]] (ATUC). The process to unify a Pan-African labour union organisation also involved international labour organisations as decision-making stakeholders like the [[International Confederation of Free Trade Unions]] (ICFTU) and the [[World Federation of Trade Unions]] (WFTU). Finally, also with the help of the [[Organisation of African Unity]] (OAU), the AATUF and the ATUC merged to form the OATUU. The driving factors for this unification and the creation of the OATUU was to advance [[Pan-Africanism]], [[economic justice]], and [[social justice]] throughout African workplaces.
As of 2022, the OATUU has been collaborating with the [[International Labour Organization|International Labor organisation]] (ILO) to be an exclusive, overarching organisation representing African workers' interests. The OATUU has four regional sub-organisations: [[Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa|The Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa]] (OTUWA); [[Organization of Trade Unions of Central Africa|Organisation of Trade Unions of Central Africa]] (OTUCA); [[Southern Africa Trade Union Coordinating Council]] (SATUCC); and the [[Organization of Trade Unions of Arab Maghreb|Organisation of Trade Unions of Arab Maghreb]] (OTUAM). Together, they represent a total of 73 national labour union affiliates, totalling at approximately 25 million individual members.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=OATUU |date=2021 |title=OATUU About Us |url=https://oatuu.org/about-us/ |access-date=March 15, 2022 |website=The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity}}</ref> The OATUU strives to promote "social and economic justice" in Africa<ref name=":6" /> through projects that combat [[HIV/AIDS]], fund [[Women's empowerment|women empowerment]] in the workplace, and support [[Democratization|democratisation]] efforts in African nations. The OATUU receives financial support from the ILO to directly fund these projects as well as [[lobbying]] efforts that favour policies conducive to [[economic development]] in Africa.
== History ==
=== Prior to the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity ===
[[File:Kwame_Nkrumah_(JFKWHP-AR6409-A).jpg|thumb|180px|[[Kwame Nkrumah]], Head of the [[All-African Peoples' Conference|AAPC]] in 1958, and prominent Pan-Africanist<ref>{{Citation |last=Rowe |first=Abbie |title=Kwame Nkrumah during a state visit to the United States |date=1961-03-08 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kwame_Nkrumah_(JFKWHP-AR6409-A).jpg |access-date=2022-03-17}}</ref>.]]
The first Pan-African trade union organisation, the [[All-African Trade Union Federation]] (AATUF), was founded in [[Casablanca, Morocco]] in 1961.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=International Centre for Trade Union Rights |title=Trade Unions of the World 6th Edition |publisher=John Harper Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=0-9543811-5-7 |location=London |language=English}}</ref> The AATUF was born out of the resolutions from the first [[All-African Peoples' Conference|All-African People’s Conference]] (AAPC) held in 1958 at [[Accra, Ghana]] headed by prominent Pan-Africanists like [[Tom Mboya]] and [[Kwame Nkrumah]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Zeleza |first=Tiyambe |date=1986 |title=Pan-African Trade Unionism: Unity and Discord |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24328613 |format=PDF |journal=Transafrican Journal of History |volume=15 |pages=164–9|jstor=24328613 }}</ref> The AATUF aimed at promoting [[Pan-Africanism]] and being an independent federation of labour unions that prioritized the interests of all African workers throughout the continent.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:Tom_Mboya_1962_(cropped).jpg|thumb|180px|[[Tom Mboya]] in 1962, one of the original founders of the [[All-African Trade Union Federation|AATUF]].<ref>{{Citation |last=photographer |first=Israeli GPO |title=English: Secretary General of the Kenya Federation of Labor, Tom Mboya and his wife Pamela, during their honeymoon in Israel. |date=1962-01-22|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Mboya_1962_(cropped).jpg |access-date=2022-03-17}}</ref>]]
Following the [[World War II|Second World War]], African workers under colonial rule were split and led to the formation of various independent trade unions across the continent.<ref name=":1" /> And after [[Decolonisation of Africa|Decolonization of Africa]] in the 1950s, many regional African trade unions maintained close relations with their respective imperial centres.<ref name=":1" /> Following independence, early attempts at Pan-Africanism via union federation were further complicated by [[Cold War]] ideological differences. As African nations subscribed to combinations of anti-colonial [[nationalism]], pro-Western [[capitalism]], as well as series of [[Marxism|Marxist]] and [[Socialism|socialist]] alignments within the [[Eastern Bloc]], ideological differences from the 1950s to 1970s obstructed attempts at unity.<ref name=":1" />
While the AATUF was initially successful in remaining non-partisan and free from foreign intervention during the 1960s, the newly created [[African Trade Union Confederation]] (ATUC) supported by the [[International Confederation of Free Trade Unions]] (ICFTU) was beginning to grow and destabilize AATUF's resolution to be the sole representative for a Pan-African workers' [[List of federations of trade unions|trade union federation]]. This led to a partitioning of African trade unions along ideological lines<ref name=":1" /> and the AATUF began to align with the [[World Federation of Trade Unions]] (WFTU) in response to the ATUC’s creation in 1962.<ref name=":1" /> The several trade union federation organisations in Africa clashed and interfered with each other and provoked internal conflicts throughout the 1960s.<ref name=":1" />
=== Rise of the OATUU ===
The open split between the two unions (AATUF and the ATUC) brought in the involvement of the newly formed [[Organisation of African Unity]] (OAU) as a mediator for disputes in African trade union affairs.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last=Zeleza |first=Tiyambe |date=1986 |title=Pan-African Trade Unionism: Unity and Discord |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24328613 |format=PDF |journal=Transafrican Journal of History |volume=15 |pages=178–9|jstor=24328613 }}</ref> Beginning in 1964, both the AATUF and ATUC sent delegations to OAU summits to gain exclusive recognition as the sole representative of African workers’ interests. This led to the court of [[African Labour Ministers]], who gathered from 1966 to 1967, to discuss what role trade unions should play in Africa’s development and how to achieve unity between them. In 1967, the OAU’s Administrative Secretary-General called all national trade union centres to attend a conference aimed at reconciling AATUF and ATUC conflicts and aspirations.<ref name=":12" /> This conference was called the organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) held in November, 1972 in [[Addis Ababa, Ethiopia]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Bernards |first=Nick |date=2017 |title=The International Labour Organization and African Trade Unions: Tripartite Fantasies and Enduring Struggles |journal=Review of African Political Economy |volume=44 |issue=153 |pages=404–5 |doi=10.1080/03056244.2017.1318359|s2cid=149187027 |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/101993/1/WRAP-ILO-African-Trade-Unions-tripartite-fantasies-enduring-struggles-Bernards-2017.pdf }}</ref> In collaboration with the [[International Labour Organization|International Labor Organisation]] (ILO) in organizing the conference, the OAU Secretary General presented unity as a core principle to all trade union centres in Africa.<ref name=":2" /> Under the auspices of [[Pan-Africanism]], an agreement was finally brokered in April, 1973 formally establishing the OATUU.<ref name=":12" /> The OATUU’s creation meant the absorption of the AATUF, ATUC, the [[Pan-African Congress]], as well as other smaller workers’ organisations across Africa.<ref name=":62">{{Cite web |last=OATUU |date=2021 |title=OATUU About Us |url=https://oatuu.org/about-us/ |access-date=March 15, 2022 |website=The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity}}</ref>
=== History of General Secretaries ===
:1973: [[Dennis Akumu]]
:1980: [[Ibrahim Ghandour]]
:1986: [[Hassan Sunmonu]]
:2012: [[Owei Lakemfa]]
:2015: [[Mezhoud Arezki]]
== The OATUU Today ==
The OATUU acted first as a partner, then as a successor to [[International Labour Organization|ILO]] responsibilities in Africa. One of their most notable activities is aiding [[Liberation movement|national liberation movements]] across Africa, such as advocating for workers’ rights during the [[Apartheid]] in South Africa.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last=Bernards |first=Nick |date=2017 |title=The International Labour Organization and African Trade Unions: Tripartite Fantasies and Enduring Struggles |journal=Review of African Political Economy |volume=44 |issue=153 |pages=406–10 |doi=10.1080/03056244.2017.1318359|s2cid=149187027 |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/101993/1/WRAP-ILO-African-Trade-Unions-tripartite-fantasies-enduring-struggles-Bernards-2017.pdf }}</ref> In addition to sharing mandates, the ILO supports and funds “extensive worker education programmes (WED)” which the OATUU offers at the national, regional, and continental levels.<ref name=":22" /> As noted, The OATUU strives to promote "social and economic justice" in Africa<ref name=":6" /> dealing with problems like [[HIV/AIDS]], [[Women's empowerment|women empowerment]] in the workplace, and [[Democratization|democratisation]] in African nations. The OATUU receives financial support from the ILO to directly fund these social projects, and more critically, supports [[lobbying]] efforts that would be favourable to union workers across Africa.<ref name=":8" />
=== List of OATUU Conferences and Notable Events ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 85%;"
! style="width:15%"| Date
! Conference
! style="width:18%"| Location
! Notable Features
|-
|April 1973
|The OATUU inaugural conference
|[[Addis Ababa, Ethiopia]]
|The OATUU first formed.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal |last=Zeleza |first=Tiyambe |date=1986 |title=Pan-African Trade Unionism: Unity and Discord |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24328613 |format=PDF |journal=Transafrican Journal of History |volume=15 |pages=179|jstor=24328613 }}</ref>
|-
|March 18th-20th, 1975
|First OATUU General Council Meeting
|[[Accra, Ghana]]
|All national trade union centers in Africa achieve membership in OATUU.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Martens |first=George |date=1985 |title=Unity Eludes Africa's Trade Unions |journal=Industrial Relations Journal |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=90–91 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-2338.1985.tb00869.x}}</ref>
|-
|April 20th-23rd, 1976
|Second OATUU General Council Meeting
|[[Tripoli, Libya]]
|It was decided that research should be conducted on how [[Multinational corporation|transnational companies]] could enhance the development of Africa.<ref name=":3" />
|-
|1978
|[[International Labour Organization|ILO]]’s first conference for National Liberation Movements
|[[Lusaka, Zambia]]
|Emphasized the need for collaboration of trade union organisations such as the OATUU with governments to achieve independence.<ref name=":23">{{Cite journal |last=Bernards |first=Nick |date=2017 |title=The International Labour Organization and African Trade Unions: Tripartite Fantasies and Enduring Struggles |journal=Review of African Political Economy |volume=44 |issue=153 |pages=405 |doi=10.1080/03056244.2017.1318359|s2cid=149187027 |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/101993/1/WRAP-ILO-African-Trade-Unions-tripartite-fantasies-enduring-struggles-Bernards-2017.pdf }}</ref>
|-
|1980
|Third OATUU General Council Meeting
|[[Mogadishu, Somalia]]
|Highlighting and attempting to unify the ideological and financial divides within the OATUU.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Kalusopa |first=Trywell |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1239962735 |title=Labour Questions in the Global South |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |others=Editors Praveen K. Jha, Walter Chambati, Lyn Ossome |year=2021 |isbn=978-981-334-635-2 |location=Singapore |pages=133 |chapter=Whither African Trade Union Movement? Lessons for Restitution and Reform |oclc=1239962735}}</ref>
|-
|1985
|Fourth OATUU General Council Meeting
|[[Lagos, Nigeria]]
|The conference set out to elect a new chairman, yet no conclusive election of officers took place. Controversies regarding corruption and the general effectiveness of the organisation ensued.<ref name=":3" />
|-
|April 12th-14th, 1994
|OATUU/[[United Nations Economic Commission for Africa|ECA]]/ILO Seminar on Democracy and Popular Participation for African Trade Union Leaders
|[[Addis Ababa, Ethiopia]]
|Established the "Programme of Action to Sustain Democracy and Popular Participation in Development".<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=OATUU, ILO, and ECA |date=April 1994 |title=Seminar on Democracy and Popular Participation for African Trade Union Leaders: Seminar Report |url=https://repository.uneca.org/handle/10855/15216 |journal=United Nations Economic Commission for Africa |volume=13 |pages=21}}</ref>
|}
=== Key Activities and Functions ===
While there has been much coverage for the history and the formation of the OATUU, the details of their current duties and activities have not been covered as extensively by secondary publications.
As of 2022 there are 73 affiliates to The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, 33 from former [[Geographical distribution of French speakers|Francophone]] nations, 28 from former [[English-speaking world|Anglophone]] nations, and 12 semi-regional trade unions who operate out of the OATUU's four regional sub-organisations: [[Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa|The Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa]] (OTUWA); [[Organization of Trade Unions of Central Africa|Organisation of Trade Unions of Central Africa]] (OTUCA); [[Southern Africa Trade Union Coordinating Council]] (SATUCC); and the [[Organization of Trade Unions of Arab Maghreb|Organisation of Trade Unions of Arab Maghreb]] (OTUAM).<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=OATUU |date=2021 |title=OATUU Affiliates |url=https://oatuu.org/affilates/. |access-date=March 15, 2022 |website=The Organization of African Trade Union Unity}}</ref>
Their key vision is to represent workers from all African countries for the “realization of social and economic justice for all”.<ref name=":63">{{Cite web |last=OATUU |date=2021 |title=OATUU About Us |url=https://oatuu.org/about-us/ |access-date=March 15, 2022 |website=The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity}}</ref> The OATUU has 12 listed official goals<ref name=":63" /> all striving to strengthen the relationship and coordination of economic activities between their affiliate members. The OATUU carries out a variety of education, training, research and advisory tasks across various areas in the Africa: [[National security|national defense]], [[democracy]], [[Women's empowerment|women empowerment]], [[entrepreneurship]], [[Occupational safety and health|health and safety]], actions against [[HIV/AIDS]], African [[economic integration]], and [[trade]].<ref name=":63" /> Upholding the rights of African trade unions are also a big part of their mandate, and the OATUU will do so by assisting labour unions navigate the complicated bureaucratic processes of international organisations, such as filing the paperwork for labor claims with the ILO.<ref name=":63" />
The OATUU acts as an agent representing the economic interests of African governments in international organisations, namely pushing back against [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF), [[World Bank]], and [[World Trade Organization|World Trade Organisation]] (WTO) policies that harm African domestic industry and labor standards.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=International Centre for Trade Union Rights |title=Trade Unions of the World 6th Edition |publisher=John Harper Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=0-9543811-5-7 |location=London |pages=409 |language=English}}</ref> By also working with the [[African Union]] (AU), the OATUU attempts to continually strengthen the political, social, and economic integration throughout the continent.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1239962735 |title=Labour questions in the Global South |date=2021 |others=Praveen K. Jha, Walter Chambati, Lyn Ossome |isbn=978-981-334-635-2 |location=Singapore |oclc=1239962735}}</ref> Together, the OATUU, the ILO, and the AU, in consultation with the [[United Nations]] (UN) have strived to strengthen the [[African Economic Community]] (AEC), promote African alternative frameworks to [[Structural adjustment programme|Structural Adjustment Programmes]] (SAP), and push for [[Debt cancellation|debt-cancellation]] across Africa.<ref name=":7" />
=== Affiliates ===
==== Francophone Affiliates ====
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 55%;"
! style="width:30%"| Country
! Trade Union
! style="width:10%;"| Acronym
|-
|[[Algeria]]
|[[General Union of Algerian Workers]]
|UGTA
|-
|[[Angola]]
|[[National Union of Angolan Workers|Union Nationale des Travailleurs d’Angola]]
|UNTA
|-
|[[Benin]]
|[[National Union of the Unions of the Workers of Benin|Union Nationale Des Syndicats des Travailleurs du Benin]]
|UNSTB
|-
|[[Burkina Faso]]
|[[Confédération Syndicale du Burkina Faso]]
|CSB
|-
|Burkina Faso
|[[National Confederation of Workers of Burkina|Confédération Nationale des Travailleurs Burkinabé]]
|CNTB
|-
|Burkina Faso
|[[National Organisations of Free Trade Unions|Organisation Nationale des Syndicats Libres]]
|ONSL
|-
|Burkina Faso
|[[Union Syndicale des Travailleurs du Burkina Faso]]
|USTB
|-
|[[Burundi]]
|[[Trade Union Confederation of Burundi|Confédération des Syndicats du Burundi]]
|CSB
|-
|[[French Cameroon|Cameroon]]
|[[Confédération Syndicale des Travailleurs du Cameroun]]
|CSTC
|-
|[[Cape Verde]]
|[[Union Nationale des Travailleurs du Cap-Vert]]
|UNTC-CS
|-
|[[Central African Republic]]
|[[Confédération Syndicale des Travailleurs de Centrafrique|Union Syndicale des Travailleurs de Centrafrique]]
|USTC
|-
|[[Chad]]
|[[Union of Trade Unions of Chad|Union des Syndicats du Tchad]]
|UST
|-
|[[Comoros]]
|[[Union des Syndicats des Travailleurs des Comores]]
|USTC
|-
|[[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Republic of Congo]]
|[[Confédération Syndicale Congolaise]]
|CSC
|-
|Democratic Republic of Congo
|[[National Union of Congolese Workers|Union Nationale des Travailleurs du Congo]]
|UNTC
|-
|[[Djibouti]]
|[[General Union of Djibouti Workers|Union Générale des Travailleurs Djiboutiens]]
|UGTD
|-
|[[Equatorial Guinea]]
|[[Union Nationale des Travailleurs de la Guinée Equatoriale]]
|UNTG
|-
|[[Gabon]]
|[[Gabonese Trade Union Confederation|Confédération Syndical Gabonaise]]
|COSYGA
|-
|[[Guinea-Bissau|Guinea Bissau]]
|[[Union Nationale des Syndicats de Guinée Bissau]]
|UNSGB
|-
|[[Guinea|Guinea Conakry]]
|[[National Confederation of Guinean Workers|Confédération Nationale des Travailleurs Guinée]]
|CNTG
|-
|[[Ivory Coast]]
|[[General Workers Union in Ivory Coast|Union Générale des Travailleurs de Cote d’Ivoire]]
|UGTCI
|-
|[[Madagascar]]
|[[Fédération des Syndicats des Travailleurs de Madagascar]]
|FISEMA
|-
|[[Mali]]
|[[National Workers' Union of Mali|Union Nationale des Travailleurs du Mali]]
|UNTM
|-
|[[Mauritania]]
|[[Union of Mauritanian Workers|Union des Travailleurs Mauritanie]]
|UTM
|-
|[[Morocco]]
|[[General Union of Moroccan Workers|Union Générale des Travailleurs du Maroc]]
|UGTM
|-
|Morocco
|[[Democratic Confederation of Labour (Morocco)|Confédération Démocratique du Travail]]
|CDT
|-
|[[Niger]]
|[[Union of Workers' Trade Unions of Niger|Union des Syndicats des Travailleurs du Niger]]
|USTN
|-
|[[Rwanda]]
|[[Trade Union Centre of Workers of Rwanda|Centrale des Syndicats des Travailleurs du Rwanda]]
|CESTRAR
|-
|[[Senegal]]
|[[Union sénégalaise des travailleurs|Union des Travailleurs du Sénégal]]
|UTS
|-
|Senegal
|[[Democratic Union of Senegalese Workers|Union Démocratique des Travailleurs du Senegal]]
|UDTS
|-
|Senegal
|[[National Confederation of Senegalese Workers|Confédération Nationale des Travailleurs du Senegal]]
|CNTS
|-
|[[Togo]]
|[[National Confederation of Togolese Workers|Confédération Nationale des Travailleurs du Togo]]
|CNTT
|-
|[[Tunisia]]
|[[Tunisian General Labour Union|Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail]]
|UGTT
|}
==== Anglophone Affiliates ====
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 55%;"
! style="width:30%"| Country
! Trade Union
! style="width:10%"| Acronym
|-
|[[Botswana]]
|[[Botswana Federation of Trade Unions]]
|BFTU
|-
|[[Egypt]]
|[[Egyptian Trade Union Federation]]
|ETUF
|-
|[[Eritrea]]
|[[National Confederation of Eritrean Workers]]
|NCEW
|-
|[[Ethiopia]]
|[[Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions]]
|CETU
|-
|[[The Gambia|Gambia]]
|[[Gambia Workers Congress]]
|GWC
|-
|Gambia
|[[Gambia Labour Congress]]
|GLC
|-
|[[Ghana]]
|[[Ghana Trades Union Congress|Ghana Trade Unions Congress]]
|GTUC
|-
|[[Kenya]]
|[[Central Organization of Trade Unions (Kenya)|Central Organisation of Trade Unions]]
|COTU-K
|-
|[[Lesotho]]
|[[Lesotho Trade Union Congress]]
|LTUC
|-
|[[Liberia]]
|[[Liberia Labour Congress]]
|LLC
|-
|[[Libya]]
|[[National Union of Libyan Workers]]
|NULW
|-
|[[Malawi]]
|[[Malawi Congress of Trade Unions]]
|MCTU
|-
|[[Mauritius]]
|[[Mauritius Labour Congress]]
|MLC
|-
|[[Mozambique]]
|[[Mozambique Workers' Organization|Mozambique Workers' Organisation]] (Organização dos Trabalhadores de Moçambique)
|OTM
|-
|[[Namibia]]
|[[National Union of Namibian Workers|Namibia Union of Namibian Workers]]
|NUNW
|-
|[[Nigeria]]
|[[Nigeria Labour Congress]]
|NLC
|-
|[[Seychelles]]
|[[Seychelles Federation of Workers' Unions|Seychelles Federation of Workers Union]]
|SFWU
|-
|[[Sierra Leone]]
|[[Sierra Leone Labour Congress]]
|SLLC
|-
|[[Somalia]]
|[[Federation of Somali Trade Unions]]
|FESTU
|-
|[[South Africa]]
|[[Congress of South African Trade Unions]]
|COSATU
|-
|South Africa
|[[National Council of Trade Unions]]
|NACTU
|-
|[[Eswatini|Swaziland]]
|[[Trade Union Congress of Eswatini]]
|TUCOSWA
|-
|[[Sudan]]
|[[Sudanese Workers' Trade Union Federation|Sudan Workers’ Trade Unions Federation]]
|SWTUF
|-
|Sudan
|[[South Sudan Workers’ Trade Unions Federation]]
|SSWTF
|-
|[[Tanzania]]
|[[Trade Union Congress of Tanzania]]
|TUCTA
|-
|[[Uganda]]
|[[National Organization of Trade Unions|National Organisation of Trade Unions]]
|NOTU
|-
|[[Zambia]]
|[[Zambia Congress of Trade Unions]]
|ZCTU
|-
|[[Zimbabwe]]
|[[Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions]]
|ZCTU
|}
== Criticisms ==
=== Corruption ===
The OATUU’s 4th Congress in 1985 held in [[Lagos, Nigeria]] collapsed as a number of unions accused the secretariat of misusing funds and manipulating votes.<ref name=":24">{{Cite journal |last=Bernards |first=Nick |date=2017 |title=The International Labour Organization and African Trade Unions: Tripartite Fantasies and Enduring Struggles |journal=Review of African Political Economy |volume=44 |issue=153 |pages=404–7 |doi=10.1080/03056244.2017.1318359|s2cid=149187027 |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/101993/1/WRAP-ILO-African-Trade-Unions-tripartite-fantasies-enduring-struggles-Bernards-2017.pdf }}</ref> The OATUU’s Secretary General refused to resign and a  thus Provisional Coordinating Committee was established within the OATUU.<ref name=":24" /> In 1985, the [[Workers Education Programme]] (WED) canceled a project funded by the [[Danish International Development Agency]] (DANIDA) and the ILO citing for concerns of foreign influence and the misappropriation of funds by the organisation's leadership.<ref name=":24" /> Thus, divides within the OATUU ensued, further jeopardizing the OATUU's official mandate of promoting [[Pan-Africanism]] and unity.<ref name=":24" />
=== Lack of Finances ===
The OATUU has had difficulty in establishing their own fundraising capacities, and so the basis for the OATUU has always been under significant threat; the OATUU still persists today mostly because of its ability to continue to leverage resources through the [[International Labour Organization|ILO]].<ref name=":24" /> The financial problems the OATUU experienced in their early years of establishment meant that educational programmes had to be funded by external donor participants.<ref name=":32">{{Cite journal |last=Martens |first=George |date=1985 |title=Unity Eludes Africa's Trade Unions |journal=Industrial Relations Journal |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=90–2 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-2338.1985.tb00869.x}}</ref> The financial hardships led to the OATUU becoming greatly dependent on, and beholden to the interests of other governments and political groups. For example, Libyans from the [[National Union of Libyan Workers]] (NULW) were compelled to accept substantial sources of funding from “the [[Palestine Liberation Organization|Palestine Liberation Organisation]] (PLO), the [[Soviet Union]], and several other African governments” regardless of its conditionality throughout the 1990s.<ref name=":32" />
=== Illiteracy ===
At the "Democracy and Popular Participation for African Trade Union Leaders" seminar held in [[Addis Ababa, Ethiopia]] in April of 1994, trade union representatives identified mass [[Literacy|illiteracy]] among the African population as an issue that was negatively impacting the growth of [[Democratization|democratisation]],<ref name=":42">{{Cite journal |last=OATUU, ILO, and ECA |date=April 1994 |title=Seminar on Democracy and Popular Participation for African Trade Union Leaders: Seminar Report |url=https://repository.uneca.org/handle/10855/15216 |journal=United Nations Economic Commission for Africa |volume=13 |pages=23–4}}</ref> a fundamental tenet of the OATUU's mission in Africa. Many felt that the [[Socioeconomic status|socio-economic conditions]] had been negatively impacted by [[Structural Adjustment Programs]] (SAPs) supported by the [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]] and the [[World Bank]], ultimately reducing the capabilities for democratic developments in the continent.<ref name=":42" />  Representatives decided that in order to increase the level of democratisation within the continent, trade unions needed to increase levels of education and training programmes, not just for representative members but also their surrounding communities.<ref name=":42" /> The hope was this would put pressure on African governments to create more employment, focus on education, and promote social values.<ref name=":42" />
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== See also ==
* [[List of federations of trade unions]]
* [[African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation]] (ITUC)
* [[Organisation of African Unity]] (OAU)
* [[Pan-Africanism]]
* [[All-African Peoples' Conference|All-African People’s Conference]] (AAPC)
* [[All-African Trade Union Federation]] (AATUF)
== References ==
=== Footnotes ===
<references />
=== Bibliography ===
* Bernards, Nick. "The International Labour Organization and African Trade Unions: Tripartite Fantasies and Enduring Struggles." ''Review of African Political Economy'' 44, no. 153 (2017): 399–414.
* International Centre for Trade Union Rights.''Trade Unions of the World''. 6th ed. London: John Harper Publishing, 2005. {{ISBN|0-9543811-5-7}}
* Kalusopa, Trywell. "Whither African Trade Union Movement? Lessons for Restitution and Reform." In ''Labour Questions in the Global South'', edited by Praveen Jha, Walter Chambati, and Lyn Ossome, 123-146. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.  {{ISBN|978-981-334-635-2}}.
* Martens, George. "Unity Eludes Africa's Trade Unions." ''Industrial Relations Journal'' 16, no. 4 (1985): 85–97.
* OATUU. “About Us.” The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, May 28, 2021. https://oatuu.org/about-us/.
* OATUU. “Affiliates.” The Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, May 28, 2021. https://oatuu.org/affilates/.
* OATUU, ILO, and ECA. "[https://repository.uneca.org/handle/10855/15216 Seminar on Democracy and Popular Participation for African Trade Union Leaders: Seminar Report]." Paper presented at the 13th Popular Participation Workshop Series by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa,  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April, 1994.
* Zeleza, Tiyambe. "Pan-African Trade Unionism: Unity and Discord." ''Transafrican Journal of History'' 15, (1986): 164–190.
== External links ==
* [https://oatuuousa.org/ OATUU Official Website]
* [https://www.facebook.com/oatuu4africa OATUU Facebook]
* [https://twitter.com/oatuu4africa OATUU Twitter]
* [https://gh.linkedin.com/company/the-organization-of-african-trade-union-unity OATUU LinkedIn]
* [https://guardian.ng/tag/oatuu/ The Guardian News Coverage]
[[Category:Organisation of African Trade Union Unity| ]]
[[Category:Trade unions established in 1973]]
[[Category:African trade union federations]]
[[Category:International and regional union federations]]