The African Regional Organisation of the International Trades Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) on the occasion of the 2013 World Day for Decent Work (WDDW) celebrations salutes working people in Africa for their continued sacrifices and services toward family, community and national progress.

The World Day for Decent Work is a day when working people, their unions and their supporters across the world mobilize for decent jobs for all, with respect for workers’ rights.

As workers worldwide commemorate this year’s WDDW under the theme Building workers’ power, ITUC-Africa recognizes that an increased, strong and united workers’ organisations can contribute more effectively to the actualisation of the decent work agenda. African workers and their trade union organisations must therefore strive through aggressive organizing to dismantle the hurdles that have been erected to keep millions of workers out of the union.
We reiterate that the World Day for Decent Work is a great opportunity to spread the union message far and wide, to reach out to others to help them join the union and to support global solidarity actions for working people.

Importantly, special attention should be devoted to making the trade unions more attractive and protective for working women, young workers, domestic and migrant workers as well as those in the informal economy. We must ensure that no worker is left behind!
Finally, ITUC-Africa congratulates the many who have mobilized around their countries to commemorate this year’s World Day for Decent Work event. We must continue to organise, mobilize and take collective actions to bring about better and more jobs, social protection coverage, respect for rights at work and the enduring space for social dialogue as part of the changes we want.

Happy World Day for Decent Work celebrations to all workers!

Kwasi Adu-Amankwah

General Secretary