In recent months, the strikes have multiplied on the continent. Now, employers must deal with the social partners become unavoidable.
Christophe Le Bec Jeune Afrique (July 19, 2010) - By announcing early April, the sale of its fuel distribution network in Africa, Shell has created a pan-African union coalition that he would have gone well. Tunisia, Ghana, employees of 1,500 service stations in the group rallied as one man. The protests have spread internet. On Facebook, the 1331 group members "Shell people are not for sale" ("The Shell employees are not for sale") allow unlimited their anger. In parallel, the staff delegates hold weekly teleconferences to coordinate their actions.
Quickly, the opposition movement is spreading: stoppages in service stations in Guinea boycott of consultation meetings in Morocco, Tunisia notice of strike, strike in Senegal ... To date, employees have been promised they would retain their contractual benefits, and that the network operates in 21 states would not be dismantled by country, but sold to one or two major groups.
a demonstration led by the chairman of the UGTA, Lyes Merabet in the health sector. © JA (Note: Error "Jeune Afrique " The Merbat is not the president of the UGTA!)
Elsewhere on the continent, the bad blood in other multinationals. At Friah, Guinea, workers in the aluminum companies RUSAL have blocked the plant for sixteen days in late April, before obtaining a wage increase of 31%. The leader Arcelor Mittal Steel has faced a series of strikes at its plant in Annaba, Algeria, in January and June, at the instigation of unionist protest Smaïn Kouadria . Although the work has since resumed at the plant, the atmosphere is electric.
For unions, weigh against multinationals has become a major issue. Since the privatization policies of structural adjustment, they saw their influence diminish in the public sector. Meanwhile, international groups have taken control of most strategic sectors, with weak African states often find themselves in a position of strength. In response, the unions want to install a power-cons and give voice to address these global giants.
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Concerted actions
In the traditional strongholds of trade unions - industry, mining, transport, telecoms and oil - the bosses can no longer ignore weight. In the extraction of crude, the standoff unions-business is a particularly muscular, Gabon, the National Organization of Oil Employees (ONEP) sector threat of another strike in July if it did not obtain satisfaction in a list of 25 demands. "The unions have become indispensable partners, and this is a good thing: I now clearly identified partners," said Alassane Diallo, DG Chemical Industries of Senegal, the Indian subsidiary of IFFCO.
"While in America North and Europe, the spearhead of unionism is the public service in Africa and South America, the multinationals are now the first vectors of social movements, "says Marc-Antonin Hennebert, professor at HEC Montreal specialist subject. For while in Europe the status of civil servant is envied in Africa as an employee of a multinational it is preferred: the salaries are paid on time and are often higher than average. Employees jealously guard to protect their jobs and their salaries compare with their foreign colleagues. Specificities conducive to trade union action.
Within these companies, present in North and South, the international trade union cooperation is strengthened and concerted actions to succeed. In March 2006, the Yves Rocher cosmetics group had to reinstate the 133 employees it had fired its plant in Burkina Faso The Galician, following a mobilization of union in Europe. An action that has since school: in March 2009, an international campaign was launched to reinstate a staff representative from Total Burkina Yacouba Ouédraogo, who had been dismissed.
Collaboration is also increasing among African trade unionists. In telecoms, the Union of Workers of Sonatel (Sytse, Senegal) participated in the creation of cells in the new entities in Cameroon and Madagascar Orange and Tigo Senegal. This solidarity is also evident financially, even if union money remains a taboo. Within the multinational African trade unionists, who have few resources, are supported by "solidarity fund", especially from the rich central Scandinavian, German and Dutch, which allows them to move and form in the North.
Because unions are becoming better coordinated internationally. In 2006, the creation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has allowed the union of the two major alliances, the World Confederation of Labour (WCL, after the Christian trade union) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU-social tendencies Democrat). In Africa, only the union of Egypt and Sudan (agreed with the WFTU, Marxist) have not joined the Unitarian movement. At the regional level, the ITUC Africa is headed by Ghanaian Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, who has the ear of the African Union through its "army" of 15 million members.
Next to the CSI, there are ten trade associations that promote trade union in various sectors and led to the signing of 83 IFAs with branches of multinationals. Companies such as Lafarge, ArcelorMittal, Accor, AngloGold and Lukoil have signed these agreements apply to all employees of the same group. "Certainly they are not legally legislation, but they are in the right direction and allow the creation of a genuine trade union network within a multinational, "says Mamadou Diallo, responsible for cooperation with the ISC.
The Chinese do not discuss
Companies are adopting several strategies. Some say they are open to dialogue with the unions. Laurent Zylberberg, Director of Social Affairs of France Telecom, asserts that "it can not be global growth of the company without global social dialogue". But the multinationals often want to confine the dialogue at local level: "The unions want to make international comparisons. But our position is clear: we must give our teams competitive salaries locally, "explains Jean-Marc Dufour, HR Nestle West Africa, however, which states that" it is important to provide staff representatives of elements understanding of the overall strategy. " Other companies prefer dialogue with company unions, less contentious, as the Orange Sytse Senegal. Like Renault, Caterpillar and Volkswagen, the France Telecom-Orange has already signed with the telecom union federation (UNI) the creation of a "committee group world" with 33 members, including 7 Africans to act on international issues. Some company managements refuse any contact instead: "This is particularly true in the mines, where decisions are highly centralized and leaders of the seat inaccessible," said Mamadou Diallo.
If European companies are generally more open to negotiation, U.S. firms are culturally more restive. As for Chinese companies, they are downright hostile: "At the National Chinese Petroleum Corporation, the Chinese managers have no concern for social protections under Chadian law and are never punished for this, as the authorities close their eyes," explained end 2009 Jean-Marie, a former employee of the company.
Another obstacle to the growth of unions, their difficulty in entering new areas. On the niche call center, which has developed over the past ten years on the continent, they face a high turnover that prevents mobilization. Other traditionally unionized sectors such as textiles, have been mechanized and unionism are definitely lost his place. Regardless, he found a new battle cry: tackling the informal economy, which occupies nearly 80% of African assets.
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