Building union power in Africa
UNI Africa builds union power and influence in the workplace to ensure that all skills and services employees are organized into strong unions and protected by collective agreements. We do this by working closely with UNI sectors and affiliated trade unions to:
- Expand trade union rights and decent work. This commitment has helped grow workers’ voice throughout the region, for example leading to the first ever unions at DHL in Tunisia and Nigeria and at Orange in Guinea.
- Strengthen the organizing capacity of affiliates. UNI Africa provides support for unions continent-wide. From Casablanca to Cape Town, UNI Africa’s staff has helped workers form new unions and existing unions grow their membership. The region has also launched a training academy at in December 2021.
- Exert political and regulatory influence. UNI Africa is at the forefront of campaigning for the adoption and implementation policy and regulatory frameworks on behalf of working people. Most recently, it has campaigned for the ratification of Convention 190 against violence and harassment at work.
- Build strategic alliances. UNI Africa works in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), ITUC-Africa, other global union federations and civil society organizations on regional and global issues to build sustainable, democratic and just economies and societies.
With offices throughout the continent, the UNI Africa secretariat is based in Johannesburg. The office is led by Regional Secretary Keith Jacobs who was elected at its 5th Regional Conference in 2021.
