Ongoing education is key to active union members

In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 20 offices of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) undertake programmes in over 30 countries to strengthen trade unions as agents of power for workers and the working class.

The Trade Union Competence Centre of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES TUCC), based in Johannesburg, South Africa, plays a special role supporting trade unions and advocacy groups representing workers’ interests in Sub-Saharan Africa, through formal and informal education programmes.

Bastian Schulz heads the FES TUCC. His team took the time to present for readers their distinctive work on education as a continuous and critical element of support programmes for trade unions in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

For almost a century now since its founding, FES has worked as an adult education institution to further political education, in Germany and abroad. Workers’ education has been part of this historic mission to this date. How is FES TUCC part of this tradition?

Worker education is a continuous and critical part of the support programmes we provide to trade unions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our work is mostly of African international nature. It involves co-operation with worldwide trade union structures such as the Global Union Federations, sub-regional trade union structures like the East Africa Trade Union Council (EATUC), and regional structures like the International Trade Union Council (ITUC) Africa.  

"Sharing research findings to inform and educate participants on the companies they deal with is the foundation to planning how to organize and prepare for collective bargaining to fight the race to the bottom on the continent."

For example, we’ve supported Global Union Federations (GUFs) to bring together worker representatives and trade union officials operating within multinational corporations in different countries on the continent. At annual network meetings that are convened around the work of multinationals, like Shoprite—the continent’s largest retailer—we share research findings to inform and educate participants on the companies they deal with. This is the foundation to planning how to organize and prepare for collective bargaining to fight the race to the bottom, i.e. the fight for the lowest wages, on the continent.

With our support, regional trade union organizations have built worker education programmes to better prepare union members to participate and influence also the resolution of emerging challenges we face as a society. For example, through our worker’s education programme on climate change, members of unions affiliated with ITUC have been part of national and regional discussions on climate change, allowing them to think about how the future will look for workers and how to mitigate the effects of climate change.

What is the role of continuing education for workers’ organizing, trade union operations and for a successful labour movement overall?

Let me illustrate with an example. One of the most important developments in Africa in recent years has been the growing involvement of China in Africa’s economy. Chinese corporations invest heavily and implement infrastructure projects in Africa such as power stations, dams, roads, bridges, railway lines, etc. These projects involve thousands of workers in the construction work. Trade unions affiliated with the Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) have undertaken huge organizing and collective bargaining programmes within these Chinese projects.

"The model pursued by the FES TUCC and BWI in organizing within the Chinese investment projects has worked very well and is likely to be exported to other regions where BWI and FES cooperate."

In cooperation with BWI, we supported the construction unions in their work, using research, strategic planning workshops, and publications, to foster a strong and vibrant labour movement in the Chinese-supported infrastructure projects in Africa. Through exchanges of information and strategies and joint planning, the network members have built a union membership of 43,000, signed 74 collective bargaining agreements and undertaken 66 strikes, ensuring better wages and working conditions for workers in the Chinese-supported projects. Significantly, the achievements were made without the signing of a Global Framework Agreements (GFA) and without any support from their Chinese counterparts, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU). African affiliates have mostly depended on their capacity for strategic thinking and action for the amazing organizing and collective bargaining outcomes.

The model pursued by the FES TUCC and BWI in organizing within the Chinese investment projects has worked very well and is likely to be exported to other regions where BWI and FES cooperate.