Trade unions in Senegal

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Trade unions in Senegal
National organization(s) CNTS, UDTS, UNSAS
Density 22% (2015) [1]
Global Rights Index
4 Systematic violations of rights
International Labour Organization
Senegal is a member of the ILO
Convention ratification
Freedom of Association 4 November 1960
Right to Organise 28 July 1961

Trade unionism is a powerful force in the politics, economy, and culture of Senegal, and was one of the earliest trades union movements to form in Francophone West Africa.

West Africa Westernmost region of the African continent

West Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, as well as the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The population of West Africa is estimated at about 362 million people as of 2016, and at 381,981,000 as of 2017, of which 189,672,000 are female and 192,309,000 male.

Contents

History of Trade unionism in Senegal

Senegal has a long history of Trade Union activism, and was one of the first centers of the African trade union movement, with small unions forming under French colonial rule in the 1920s. During the 1930s Popular Front government of France, limited union legalisation was extended to French subjects in West Africa. Senegal was also the home to the Four Communes, the only areas of French West Africa to afford residents (Originaires) French citizenship. [2]

French West Africa colonial federation (1895–1958)

French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan, French Guinea, Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, Dahomey and Niger. The capital of the federation was Dakar. The federation existed from 1895 until 1960.

The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing movements, including the communist French Section of the Communist International, the socialist French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and the progressive Radical-Socialist Republican Party, during the interwar period. Three months after the victory of the Spanish Popular Front, the Popular Front won the May 1936 legislative elections, leading to the formation of a government first headed by SFIO leader Léon Blum and exclusively composed of republican and SFIO ministers.

The "Four Communes" of Senegal were the four oldest colonial towns in French West Africa. In 1848, the Second Republic extended the rights of full French citizenship to the inhabitants of Saint-Louis, Dakar, Gorée, and Rufisque. While those who were born in these towns could technically enjoy all the rights of native French citizens, substantial legal and social barriers prevented the full exercise of these rights, especially by those seen by authorities as 'full blooded' Africans. Most of the African population of these towns were termed originaires: those Africans born into the commune, but who retained recourse to African and/or Islamic law. Those few Africans from the four communes who were able to pursue higher education and were willing to renounce their legal protections could 'rise' to be termed Évolués ('Evolved') and were nominally granted full French citizenship. Despite this legal framework, Évolués still faced substantial discrimination in Africa and the Metropole alike.

In the year and a half after limited unionisation rights were granted to colonial subjects and residents of the Four Communes alike (from May to November 1937), 42 professional unions had been created in Senegal. This rapid development included the creation of an all-African trade union confederation for the Dakar area in 1938. [3]

Dakar Capital and largest city of Senegal

Dakar is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 2.45 million.

In 1947 railroad workers went on a several-month strike on the Dakar-Niger Railway to obtain the same rights as the French railwaymen. The successful strike was celebrated as a turning point in the anti-colonial struggle by Senegalese writer Ousmane Sembène in his 1960 novel Les bouts de bois de Dieu .

Strike action Work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work

Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage, caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the Industrial Revolution, when mass labor became important in factories and mines. In most countries, strike actions were quickly made illegal, as factory owners had far more power than workers. Most Western countries partially legalized striking in the late 19th or early 20th centuries.

Ousmane Sembène Senegalese film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and author

Ousmane Sembène, often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer. The Los Angeles Times considered him one of the greatest authors of Africa and he has often been called the "father of African film". Descended from a Serer family through his mother from the line of Matar Sène, Ousmane Sembène was particularly drawn to Serer religious festivals especially the Tuur festival.

Contemporary union movement

Senegal's fundamental labor legislation is based on the French overseas labor code of 1952, which provides for collective agreements between employers and trade unions, for the fixing of basic minimum wages by the government on recommendation of advisory committees. The code also provides for paid annual leave and for child allowances. The right to strike is recognized by law, and there are special labor courts.

The largest trade union organization is the National Confederation of Senegalese Workers, which since 1970 has been the official union affiliated with the ruling PS. Its major rival is the National Union of Autonomous Labor Unions of Senegal. The industrial workforce is almost totally unionized. Although the relative number of union members is small, they have considerable political power due to their control of vital segments of the economy.

National Confederation of Senegalese Workers

The National Confederation of Senegalese Workers (CNTS) is a national trade union center in Senegal, It was founded in 1969 and has a membership of 60,000.

The minimum working age is 16, when minors may work in apprenticeships. The prohibition of child labor is strictly enforced in the formal sector, but somewhat less so in the informal and traditional economies. The labor law provides for a workweek of 40 to 48 hours and minimum occupational and safety and health regulations. However, these labor regulations are not effectively enforced outside of the formal economy. The minimum wage was $0.37 in 2001.

Principal Trade Union and Confederations

The Democratic Union of Senegalese Workers (UDTS) is a trade union in Senegal. It is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation.

Dakar Dem Dikk Workers Democratic Union is a trade union of employees of Dakar Dem Dikk. The general secretary of UDT-3D is Mamadou Goudiaby, another important leader and negotiator of the union is Christian Salvy. UDT-3D is affiliated to CNTS/FC.

The National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Senegal (UNSAS) is a national trade union center in Senegal. It is a federation which includes member unions in electrical, telecommunication, hospital, railroad and sugar workers, and teaching sectors.

Historic unions

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Union Sénégalaise des Travailleurs was a trade union federation in Senegal formed in 1962. The founders of UST included members of the erstwhile 'orthodox' faction of UGTAN. The UST was however divided. In October 1964, one wing of UST merged into UNTS. The following month, the remainder of UST founded the Confederation sénégalaise du travail (CST).

The Congress of Democratic Trade Unions is a national trade union centre in Quebec formed on 8 June 1972 in response to a split within the Confederation of National Trade Unions Confédération des syndicats nationaux, CSN). It is the smallest of the four labour centres in Quebec, with about 4% of the union membership in the province.

Confédération générale du travail du Burkina is a revolutionary national trade union centre in Burkina Faso. Bassolma Bazié the general secretary of CGT-B.

The Confédération générale des travailleurs africains was a trade union centre in French West Africa, in existence from 1956 to 1957.

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Women in Senegal

Women in Senegal have a traditional social status as shaped by local custom and religion. According to 2005 survey, the female genital mutilation prevalence rate stands at 28% of all women in Senegal aged between 15 and 49.

Confédération africaine des syndicats libres, initially 'Confédération africaine des syndicats libres-Force ouvrière, was an Africa confederation of trade unions. CASL-FO was founded in February 1958 as the African sections of the French trade union centre CGT-Force Ouvrière separated themselves from their mother organization. The new union confederation was founded at a conference in Abidjan February 8–9, 1958, with participation of the CGT-FO branches of Senegal, French Soudan, Upper Volta, Niger, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Moyen-Congo and Ubangui-Shari. At the time of the founding of CASL-FO, the relationship of the new structure with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and CGT-FO, was debated. In the end the conference resolved that CASL-FO and CGT-FO should have membership of ICFTU on equal footing.

The General Union of Negro African Workers, more widely known by its French name Union générale des travailleurs d'Afrique noire, was a pan-African trade union organization. Ahmed Sékou Touré was the main leader of the organization. In its heyday, around 90% of the trade unions in Francophone West Africa were affiliated to UGTAN.

The Confédération africaine des travailleurs croyants was a trade union confederation in French West Africa and Togo. C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo was founded in Ouagadougou July 8–15, 1956 by the West African branches of the French trade union centre C.F.T.C. David Soumah became the first president of C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo.

The Trade Union International of Workers in Commerce was a trade union international affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions.

Eugénie Beeckmans was a trade unionist and women's rights advocate. In 1913, she was appointed to the Conseil supérieur de l'enseignement technique for the French Republic. She was one of the delegates to the Inter-Allied Women's Conference, a parallel congress to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference and participated in the 18 March presentation to the Labour Commission of the Peace Conference regarding working conditions faced by women labourers. She served as the inaugural president of the Fédération des Syndicats professionnels du Vêtement of the Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens (CFTC) from its founding in 1921 until 1937. In 1921, she represented the Syndicat de l’Abbaye at the Second CFTC Congress. She was elected as a member of the Confederal Bureau of the General Confederation of Labour in 1921 and re-elected in 1925, and from 1922 to 1924 served on their national council. In 1923, together with Maria Bardot, she successfully negotiated the first collective labour agreement for female garment workers, providing a basis for better wages and for expanding union membership. In the period between the two world wars, as an influential member of the CFTC, she is considered to be among the most striking representatives of women's Christian militarism in France.

References

  1. ↑ "Statistics on union membership". Geneva: International Labour Organisation. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  2. ↑ SENEGAL, The State of Social Dialogue: Report of Trade Union participation in Senegal’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper: The World Bank.
  3. ↑ SENEGAL, The State of Social Dialogue: Report of Trade Union participation in Senegal’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper: The World Bank.

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