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AFRICA TUNISIA : The second round of national dialogue on the initiative of the UGTT, scheduled for early May, comes nearly eight months after the first stage of the same Congress which was held on October 16. The first step took place in a particular climate marked in particular by the legal and political controversy that prevailed on the national political scene on "the end of the electoral legitimacy on 23 October 2012". — TUNISIA : The Secretary General of UGTT, the General Union of Tunisian Workers, claims to have submitted a report highlighting "the extent of the damage that targeted the UGTT in the events of December 4, 2012 "to the head of government. After the meeting, the prime minister told the representatives of the national press that the commission of inquiry into the events of December 4 failed to reach a common and consensual conclusion between union representatives and those of government, which has given rise to two separate reports instead of one. — CONGO - KINSHASA : Professors at the University of Lubumbashi (UNILU) that launched an indefinite strike from Monday, April 29, announced Saturday that "Classes will resume as soon as they receive the balance of their salaries for February and March 2013. " — MOROCCO : “Trade union unity for dignity, freedom and social justice" is the theme chosen by the Democratic Federation of Labour to celebrate the May Day this year. The Moroccan working class will celebrate this occasion in a confused situation, marked by a series of failures of government which could not implement the operationalization of the Constitution and promises made when taking office. — WORLD CANADA : After weeks of events across Quebec, tens of thousands of Quebecers gathered at “La Fontaine Park”, “la place du Canada” and at the “Guy-Favreau Complex” in Montreal for a day of protest against the sacking of EI (Employment Insurance). This event is held on the occasion of the celebrations of the International Day of workers’ May 1. Initiated by the Quebec unions and two major organizations defending the rights of the unemployed, the Quebec Coalition against the reform of EI took a scale rarely seen now bringing together now a wide range of trade unions, Quebec municipalities, producers and farmers, students and many economic, social and artistic community of Quebec organizations.

THIRD DAY OF ITUC-AFRICA’S NEW YEAR SCHOOL

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The third day of ITUC-Africa’s New Year School was, like the previous day, marked by several presentations on very pertinent themes for the future of the African trade union movement.

The first presentation on ‘UNCTAD Report: Main issues for African trade unions’ was presented by Hilma Mote. In her presentation, the researcher presented the history of industrialization in Africa and explained the term industrialization and its importance for Africa. The ensuing debates focused on the problems of the agreements reached with the colonisers and on technology in Africa.

The second presentation was made by Kwabena Otoo on the Doha development agenda and its prospects in Africa. He questioned the WTO decisions, the partnership agreements between African countries and WTO and the implementation of WTO policies. The ensuing debates focused on the political role that African trade unions should play and the lack of confidence of Africans in themselves.

Kingsle Ofei-Nkansah also presented a paper on the challenges of the partnership agreements for Africa and the development challenges lying ahead. The presentation on the ‘ACP/EU Economic partnership agreements: Main issues for Africa’ led to a reflection on the need for political will and a change of mentality among Africans.

In the afternoon, Brother Simeon Dossou made a presentation on Social protection in Africa. After briefly defining the concept of social protection, he mentioned the similarities between social protection and social security. He gave the examples of some African countries to buttress his explanations. The participants discussed the impact of the structural adjustment programmes on social protection, the lack of vision among African leaders, the management of the national Social Security Funds where they exist and the mechanisms to put in place to cover all those who are operating in the informal economy. Participants also proposed to the ITUC-Africa to fund research on social protection.

At the end of the day, Raquel Gonzales of ITUC-Geneva also made a presentation on some agenda items of the International Labour Conference as well as of the ILO Governing Body. Her presentation focused mainly on ILO’s role vis-à-vis trade unions. ILO promotes international labour standards, freedom of association, collective bargaining, formal employment and social dialogue.

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ITUC-Africa / CSI-Afrique, Route internationale d’Atakpamé, Centre FOPADESC Agoè-Zongo Téléphone: +228 22 25 07 10 Fax: +228 22 25 61 13 Email : info ituc-africa.org