Roundtable and Writers’ Workshop on Trade Unions and Labour Issues in Africa

The Roundtable and Writers' Workshop are by invitation only.

The ASC established its ‘Trade Unions and Labour Issues in Africa’ research group in January 2013. It currently consists of ASC staff members and researchers connected to the Institute for Work and Society (HIVA) at the University of Leuven but it intends to explore possible cooperation with other European and African scholars and research institutes as well.

In light of Africa’s booming economies and, according to IMF figures, with seven out of ten of the world’s fastest-growing economies being in Africa in 2011, it has become increasingly urgent to consider such growth from a labour perspective. Trade unions are important and active players in the development arena and are significant contributors to the development effectiveness debate, as has been illustrated by the creation of the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN) in 2008 and the adoption of the Trade Union Principles and Guidelines on Development Effectiveness in 2011. But what do all these numbers, rankings, GDP figures and spectacular growth rates mean for African workers? Will they be better off? To what extent are labour movements and labour-oriented institutions (including social dialogue) playing an instrumental role in this?

Although the Decent Work agenda is gaining importance, questions about the extent to which labour can benefit from the current economic boom in Africa remain largely unanswered. The ASC’s above-mentioned research collaborative was set up to bring together experts in the field to exchange and discuss ideas on this subject. By doing so, we hope to fill the gap in current knowledge and to establish a research network on the subject. In terms of output, the research collaborative will put together an edited volume on ‘Trade Unions and Labour Issues in Africa Today’ that will be co-edited by Mayke Kaag and André Leliveld.

More information: Zjos Vlaminck