Trade Unions and poverty alleviation in Africa

The ILO has bee a pioneer of international action against poverty ever since its creation in 1919. The preambule to the Constitution adopted in 1919 mandates the ILO to pursue social justice, and the 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia states '...poverty anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere...' In his first Report of the Director General to the International Labour Conference in 1999, Juan Somavia brought new impetus by introducing the 'decent work' agenda as the 'promotion of opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. In translating the concept of decent work into a policy framework for poverty reduction, the ILO has adopted four broad and interconnected components, namely (i) Standards and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work; (ii) Employment; (iii) Social Protection; and (iv) Social Dialogue. These provide the ILO with a framework to adopt and implement integrated strategies for poverty reduction. The Bureau for Worker's Activities of the ILO endorsed in the interest for the labour movement in Africa to hold a high level workshop in Nairobi in December 2001. The workshop provided a forum for participants not only to exchange views and experiences but also deliberate on how trade unions can strategically plan actions that will shape and guide their organisations towards enhanced participation in the processes of poverty alleviation. Through the workshop the ILO and the trade unions gained critical information on innovative and good practices adopted by worker's organisations at the national, sectoral, and enterprise level. It also highlighted the environment within which social dialogue takes place, the conditions that influence its effectiveness and the lessons that trade unions can learn from each other with respect to alleviating poverty.