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Africa labour news
RSS FeedNigeria: Labour unions suspend strike
2010-11-11, Issue 504
Labour unions suspended their three-day warning strike aimed at forcing the government to enact into law and implement a national minimum wage of 18,000 naira (about $120). The strike was called off Wednesday after an emergency meeting between the Ni...
South Africa: Budget will not lean to left
2010-10-28, Issue 502
Efforts by the political left to shape the debate on a new growth path were dealt a heavy blow when cabinet’s big guns stopped far short this week of backing radical interventions in the economy. Just more than a month after Cosatu called for radical interventions – including having 'ownership' over the...
South Africa: Trade unions to march against corruption
2010-10-21, Issue 501
Members of the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) will march in Klerksdorp on Friday against corruption, Cosatu said. 'On October 22 the streets of Klerksdorp will be brought to a halt as Cosatu and Samwu mem...
South Africa: Bodies found in gold mine after shooting
2010-08-13, Issue 494
Four bodies have been found in an unused shaft of a mine run by relatives of South Africa's President Jacob Zuma and ex-leader Nelson Mandela. Police said investigations were continuing into reports that up to 20 alleged illegal miners were shot dead...
South Africa: Workers set strike deadline
2010-08-06, Issue 493
About 1.3 million South African public sector workers have penned down August 10 to stage a nationwide strike. The government raised its pay offer to civil servants on Thursday to try to avert the strike, but it was quickly rejected by the unions. "M...
South Africa: Government 'can't afford public servants' demands'
2010-07-30, Issue 492
South Africa cannot afford pay demands from thousands of public service workers and hopes a deal can be reached next week before a strike widens to nearly a million workers, a minister said on Friday. Thousands of workers from the Public Servants Ass...
Egypt: The rights of temporary workers in the wind
2010-07-08, Issue 489
The Land Centre for Human Rights has received dozens of complaints of some temporary workers in the governmental sector and the private sector, which were affected by the violation of their rights to decent work and the lack of safeguards to protect ...
South Africa: Unions drop strike threat at Eskom utility
2010-07-09, Issue 489
South African unions dropped a threat to strike at power utility Eskom this week after receiving a higher wage offer, ending concerns about electricity supplies during the soccer World Cup. Widespread power cuts could also have dented manufacturing a...
South Africa: Unions will not strike at Eskom yet
2010-06-25, Issue 487
South African unions representing thousands of workers at power utility Eskom said on Friday they were not planning an imminent strike over wages, allaying fears a labour action could hit the Soccer World Cup. State-owned Eskom and unions failed to r...
Algeria: Union headquarters shut down
Act Now!
2010-05-28, Issue 483
On 12 May 2010, Algerian authorities effectively shut down La Maison des Syndicats (2 Rue El Oued, Bach Djarrah, Algiers), the headquarters of an important coalition of independent labor unions fighting for workers rights, including the Syndicat Nati...
South Africa: Transport strike halts passenger trains
2010-05-21, Issue 482
About two million South African train commuters were left stranded as two major transport unions widened a strike which began last week. The unions have called on their members working for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) to stop wor...
Mauritania: Police, dock workers clash
2010-05-16, Issue 481
Protesting dock workers in Mauritania Thursday clashed with the riot police in Nouakchott, the nation's capital, leaving many workers injured. The Police used teargas and batons to disperse the workers, who in turn retaliated by throwing sticks and s...
South Africa: Transnet ups wage offer to avert strike
2010-05-07, Issue 480
A South African workers' union said on Friday that logistics group Transnet had improved a wage offer to its workers in a bid to avert a strike that could cripple rail, pipeline and port operations in the country. A strike at monopoly Transnet could ...
Tanzania: Dar’s 100% pay hike sparks labour-capital battle
2010-05-07, Issue 480
The Trade Unions Confederation of Tanzania has called for a nationwide strike over government’s reluctance to implement a minimum 100 per cent pay hike proposal for workers in the private sector. The government had, after a series of negotiations wit...
South Africa: Massive strike looming
2010-04-30, Issue 479
South Africa's transport system was expected to be brought to a standstill from 10 May as 50 000 Transnet workers planned to strike over a wage dispute. "This will be the biggest strike in the history of South Africa," said Chris de Vos, general secr...
Egypt: Labor movement delivers more than bread and butter
2010-04-30, Issue 479
A few days ago, 9000 workers at the Naga Hammadi aluminum factory in Upper Egypt staged a protest, demanding that the Egyptian government raise the minimum wage to LE1200, and calling for a withdrawal of confidence from their official trade union com...
Eritrea: Western mining companies and slave labor
2010-04-30, Issue 479
The gold rush in Eritrea has attracted many Western companies, among them Canada’s Nevsun Resources Ltd. and Sunridge Gold; Britain’s Andiamo Exploration and London Africa; and Australia’s South Boulder, Sub Sahara Resources, Chalice Gold Mines Ltd. ...
Kenya: Telkom workers issue strike notice
2010-04-30, Issue 479
The workers are pushing for the reinstatement of 25 members of the union sacked last week and a change of management over what they termed as physical harassment by senior managers. The employees are vowing to bring operations at Telkom-Kenya to a ha...
South Africa: NUM will oppose Eskom privatisation – Komane
2010-04-23, Issue 478
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) would not allow for the privatisation of State-owned power utility Eskom, deputy general secretary Oupa Komane has said. He was speaking at the NUM's energy mix workshop in Johannesburg. However, deputy Public ...
Tanzania: Business rejects government move to raise minimum wages
2010-04-23, Issue 478
Tanzania's business community has rejected the government's suggestion to raise minimum wages in the private sector by 100 percent, saying it is unpayable. Employment, Labour and Youth Development Minister Juma Kapuya early this week an nounced that ...
Gabon: Government ready for dialogue as oil workers begin strike
2010-04-16, Issue 477
As the indefinite strike called by Gabon's oil workers entered day two Thursday, the government has said it is willing to resume dialogue to end the strike. "The government solemnly reaffirms its preparedness to resume the dialogue," said a statement...
Angola: Building firms lay off thousands on government arrears
2010-04-01, Issue 476
Thousands of construction workers are being laid off in Angola because the government has failed to settle over $2 billion in arrears to foreign firms rebuilding the African nation, a union leader said on Thursday. Francisco Jacinto, leader of the co...
Soiuth Africa: Miners strike enters 4th day
2010-03-26, Issue 475
A strike by mineworkers at South Africa's Gold One stretched into a fourth day after workers and management failed to agree on a pay rise. About 1,000 mineworkers at the company's Modder East mine, some 30km east of Johannesburg, downed tools on Tue...
Morocco: Strike shuts down public sector
2010-03-05, Issue 472
Three major public-sector unions launched a general strike Wednesday (March 3rd) after two months of negotiations with the government reached an impasse. "We're not fans of strike action," Democratic Labour Federation general secretary Abderrahman Az...
Zimbabwe: Union leader back in hiding after police raid
2010-02-26, Issue 471
The Secretary General of the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) is back in hiding this week after police raided the union’s offices on Wednesday. Gertrude Hambira fled to safety after five men and one woman, who ide...
Algeria: Teachers vow more strikes
2010-02-26, Issue 471
Unions representing Algeria's teachers on Sunday (February 21st) rejected a proposed pay increase and called for a general strike, prompting student and parent fears that the school year will be lost entirely. CNAPEST and UNPEF will begin a prolonged...
South Africa: COSATU threatens strike over workers' rights
2010-02-19, Issue 470
South Africa's largest labour federation COSATU has threatened to call a general strike in October if the government does not take steps to improve workers' rights. The union said the use of employment agencies, mostly by foreign companies to source ...
Chad: Prices hike, teachers strike
2010-02-19, Issue 470
Teachers demanding more pay to face higher food prices entered the third day of a nationwide strike. The government has called their demands "illegal" and "unjustified", because the "high cost of living is a general problem that does not concern only...
South Africa: NUM on Nelson Mandela and "employ locals only" call
2010-02-12, Issue 469
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) adds its voice to the many in wishing its Honorary President and former President of the Republic Nelson Mandela well on the 20th anniversary of his release. Nelson Mandela whom the NUM conferred an Honorary li...
Ethiopia: AU staff want new chairperson to address workers' welfare
2010-02-05, Issue 468
Employees of the African Union (AU) have demanded that the new AU Chairperson should address outstanding demands for benefit and security. The staff urged the new AU Chair, Malawian President Bingu Wa Mutharika, who would be presiding over the 53-mem...
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