COTM #10 AUTUMN 2014

Into and Out of Africa

...we are nothing and we should be everything...
this is the call of the millions
in this issue: nigeria and the world economy p2; post-socialist sweatshops p4;
millions in action p6; book review p7; international women p10
Nigeria: Land of Opportunity
!he third o" the so-called #$%!
economies& %igeria is a slumbering
economic giant %ow the second biggest
economy on the '"rican continent& it
en(oys a rich bounty o" minerals& especially
oil& and plenti"ul agriculture 'ctual
industrial development has proved more
elusive ) despite a long-standing
commitment to the glories o" *"ree
enterprise* +ocial development - in
particular the establishment o" rising living
standards and access to health& education
and housing "or all ) is more scarce
,conomic growth partnered rising income
ine-uality all too o"ten !oo good an
investment opportunity to miss.
Trade unions in Africa
/abour organisation in '"rica is a
challenge !he 2010 '1/-2$3 +olidarity
2enter survey o" unions across the
continent picks out a number o" themes:-
casualisation; growth o" the in"ormal
economy 4reducing the si5e o" the "ormal
sector where unions are at their strongest6;
legal protection o" workers rights lack
en"orcement; hostile governments;
"eminisation o" the work"orce 4o"ten
dispersed at individual household level6;
the need "or unions to gain a political voice
and help push workers rights up national
political agendas
$n %igeria unions do have a relatively
"avourable climate "or their operations and
are a si5eable "orce: the two labour
"ederations 4the %igerian /abour 2ongress&
%/2& and the !rades 7nion 2ongress& !726
have around 68 million members in total
!hey have a good record o" political 9
policy work around the minimum wage&
access to health care and social security
!he 2012 campaign on "uel subsidy
reductions was a highpoint o" this political
work ) co-operating with civil society
groups and the local 3ccupy movement to
limit price rises
+igni"icant obstacles remain :iolations o"
workers legal rights regularly go
unpunished 4with the government a ma(or
o""ender6; unions are under"unded and
resourced - e;isting sta"" are spread too
thinly over increasing workloads; and
collection o" dues "rom a""iliated
organisations is a pressing issue
Current concerns
' review o" labour activity in %igeria over
the last year paints a busy picture 1irst
thing to note is the sheer scale o" union
activity across the economy !eachers&
health workers& oil workers and the wider
energy sector& (udicial labour; all have
seen signi"icant action !here*s plenty
going on& though we hear little o" it in
<estern media +o& "or e;ample:
$n the state o" 3gun& health workers came
together in =une 2014 and took (oint action
in protest at their conditions 3ne
particular bone o" contention was over a
year*s salary arrears owed to hospital sta""
't the same time the %ational 'ssociation
o" >esident ?octors 4%'>?6 was getting its
own three day strike action underway&
again demanding back pay and allowances
'nd within this more general action&
workers at the /agos 7niversity !eaching
@ospital& began an inde"inite walkout& having
"ailed to move management in negotiations

!hings then took a more serious turn $n
>ivers state& a primary health care workers
strike begun in =uly rolled on through the
summer !he union argued their demands
were not being met by management&
especially over salaries and unpaid
allowances >atcheting up the tension the
Aresident o" %igeria intervened and
declared he was sacking all the country*s
resident doctors 4some 16&000 people6 "or
their continuing protests
,ven at sea& %igerian workers aren*t
e;empt "rom poor treatment $n late 2010
the #aritime <orkers union was "orced
into protest a"ter its members "ell eight
months behind with their wages #ore
serious still was the situation un"olding in
,do state around the same time ' strike
called by the state council o" the %igerian
/abour congress 4%/26 and the !72 came
up against government- sponsored attack&
with union members "acing beatings&
bullets and tear gas
Miniu !age
$n +eptember 2010 the government
announced its intention to scrap "ederal
wage levels and let each %igerian state set
its own rate 7nion bodies were -uick to
oppose this %/2 and !72 called a day o"
action involving 60 a""iliates
!he !72 drew a telling& and pretty
"amiliar& comparison:
"We are surprised that in one breath, the
senate proposed decentralization of
minimum wage against the people of
Nigeria eroding the earning power of
vulnerable workers while they voted for life
pension for the leadership of the Senate.
!he ma(or concern is that this "ree-"or-all
will inevitably lead to lower wages and
more e;ploitation o" the %igerian
work"orce& especially in the private sector
Black Gold
3il remains the mainspring o" the %igerian
economy& putting this group o" workers in
the industrial relations "ront line 3" great
concern to unions in the industry is the
desire o" the state to privatise "our oil
re"ineries 'longside this the ma(or unions
in the sector 4A,%B'++'% and %7A,%B6
have raised concerns over !%2 divestment;
the pension "und gap; introduction o" a
new payroll system; casualisation and the
*turn around maintenance* o" the
re"ineries Cy +eptember this year& the lack
o" progress over these issues led to a "ive
day strike& halted only a"ter the country*s
president intervened demanding that the
workers concerns be addressed
I think what we can say in the face of all
of this is that the Nigerian workers are no
pushover and are proving well able to
defend their rights, from hostile
employers and governments. Investors
beware
#ost $ %ocia&ist %'eats(ops
We normally associate sweatshops in
the garment industry with Asia. atest
research from the !lean !lothes
!ampaign "!!!# shows that the sweat
pours far closer to home $ currently
%near&sourced% from 'urkey, %post&
socialist% areas of (astern (urope
"Bulgaria, parts of )ugoslavia# as well as
regions of the old *oviet +nion "Georgia,
,oldova, +kraine#. 'his is the -cheap
labour sewing backyard for Western
(uropean fashion brands and retailers.,
where / million garment workers face
tough times.
0istorical !onte1t

!he growth o" the industry here re"lects
its signi"icant *competitive advantages* -
wages are lower than in some 'sian states;
labour regulation sparse; industry know
how still e;ists 4despite the collapse o" the
home garment sector6; and close pro;imity
to the ,uropean market& "or which it is
now a ma(or supplier
1rom the deindustrialised wasteland o"
the old +oviet style economy since 1DED&
new small scale producers& subcontractors
"or <estern brands& have come to
prominence !aking advantage o"
capitalism*s economic turbulence and
insecurity& they have attracted masses o"
desperate workers 4mainly women6 to
their in"ormalised economic practices&
making the garment sector an important
5one o" their overall economies
Wages, 0ours and !ontracts
!he ma(or concern that the 222 research
raises is the miserly pay received by
garment workers in this region& as brands
and governments play o"" their *+urvival o"
the 2heapest* strategies regardless o" the
human cost /egal minimum wages "ail to
cover the basic needs o" workers and their
dependants& though they may not even get
this much 'nd some are now lower than
their 'sian counterparts& which e;plains
why the brands have relocated here #any
garment workers are "orced to try
additional survival strategies: debt&
overtime& and a "all back on subsistence
agriculture !he last option then counts as
an attraction "or employers to lower their
wage levels even "urtherF
3vertime is endemic across the sector&
with low-paid workers "inding it di""icult to
re"use& "urther *encouraged* by their
employer $n #oldova a researcher reports
that G!he worker has to ask permission not
to work overtime and give evidence& eg a
certi"icate "rom a doctorH 3vertime pay
is o"ten below the standard rate& and may
be paid in cash to avoid employer social
insurance contributions
,;cept "or Beorgia& all countries in the
research area have "ormal labour
contracts !hese regulations are regularly
violated and disregarded& leading to a
plethora o" in"ormal working practices
+hort-term contracts& labour agencies&
workers "orced into sel" employment 4again
to reduce employer contribution costs6& or
made to work "rom home: all these
practices make up an in"ormal economy
that covers 80 ) 66I o" the overall garment
industry 222 reckon 2 out o" the 0 million
workers in the garment sector are in a
vulnerable position

Wage 'heft and Women Workers
'nd there*s more: the 222 "ound
numerous scams used by employers to
deprive workers o" their entitlements
<ages le"t unpaid when "actories close is
common practice; spurious *apprentice
schemes* e;ist "or new employees paid at a
reduced rate; obstructions to workers
taking their yearly -uota o" leave; cash in
hand payments and arbitrary deductions
4eg taking too long on the toilet6 Aay
discrimination is a "avourite tactic used
against minority and migrant workers 4such
as >oma& Jurds& +yrian re"ugees6& who are
more easily e;ploitable

<hilst women make up the vast bulk o"
the garment work"orce& this research
shows there are gender di""erentials on
pay !he women sewers et al are located
at the very bottom o" the industry*s supply
chains& in sweatshops or at home #en are
paid more and have more o" the *skilled*
(obs +ome women reported that their
main reason "or working here was to gain
access to health "or their "amilies& rather
than the wage they bring home
!he "emale work"orce also "aces se;ual
harassment ) signing contracts with *no
pregnancy* clauses $t is their very
vulnerability that management e;ploits&
pressurising them to accept poor labour
conditions& which have a detrimental
impact on their health
'rade +nions
Given all that& what have unions been
doing. !he sector is di""icult terrain "or
them 'nti-union legislation in some
countries is making representation more
di""icult 4eg >omania6 1i;ed term
contracts and in"ormal work practices are
substantial barriers to organising %ot
surprisingly& little collective bargaining
e;ists across the sector at the moment
>esearchers "ound many workers were
too "ear"ul to take part in this pro(ect&
"earing management reprisals and their
threats o" "actory relocation 2roatian
respondents suggested their unions were so
busy trying to reclaim unpaid wages and
stopping other unlaw"ul practices& that
they had no time to campaign "or wage
rises !here are however organisations in
!urkey and 2roatia that do try to support
garment workers
As for the !!!, they are calling for2
3 A push by the governments of the
region to raise their legal minimum wage
to 456 of the national average wage
"e1cluding overtime and bonuses
7 Governments to make 'N!s
accountable for their actions throughout
their supply chains8 to ensure brands and
retailers respect human and workers
rights
/ 'he ultimate creation of a living wage
for garment workers based on the Asia
9loor Wage Alliance%s 35 point roadmap
As they say2 -A living wage is a human
right, for all people all over the world..
t(e i&&ions in action $ fast food
protests %epte)er 4 2014*

+oo, re-ie' $ .an /a&&in %o&idarity

Power is not demonstrated by the ability
to call 24 hour strikes. Power is
demonstrated when the capitalists lose
control over the state.
Power is not generated by adding together
superstructures...Numbers mean nothing if
there is no political thought and political
will.....A renewal of the trade union movement
has to come from the membership. t implies
the mobilisation and participation of the
membership

*tirring stuff. (specially from e1&
labour bureaucrat, :an Gallin once of
the I+9 global federation, now heading
up the Global abour Institute. *olidarity
is a collection of his essays covering half
a century of activity in the international
labour movement. 'hey range across
political pieces on world events, through
broad analyses of the new conte1t facing
trade unions, to specific discussions on
current issues like informal work and
international framework agreements
"I9As#. 9or our purposes here we%ll focus
on the second and third strands.
'he !risis of the abour ,ovement
Ballin re"ers to this theme in many o"
the essays& identi"ying its causes&
conse-uences and their implications o"
trade unions !he list o" precipitating
"actors is long:-
the historical legacy o" +talinism;
the collapse o" social democracy
into neo-liberalism;
globalisation and the spatial
reordering o" the world economy;
new structures o" production& with
their reorganisation o" work and
workers identities;
subcontracting 9 outsourcing and
the e;plosion o" in"ormal work;
the low level o" trade union
organisation across the world

#ost o" these are -uite "amiliar 3thers he
mentions are less so& especially what he
re"ers to as the loss o" the movement*s
*periphery*& its network o" au;iliary
organisations covering those aspects o"
social li"e relating to education& culture&
social protection and human wel"are
!aken as a whole& all this signals a
dramatic shi"t in "undamental power
relationships& towards the pole o" a
resurgent transnational capital and its
political allies !he labour movement now
"aces a crisis o" its identity& orientation and
purpose: Gwe are losing the struggle "or
societyH 'nd capital has a clear intention
to wipe out our movement as an e""ective
"orce
<hat is to be done. Ballin*s answer is
e-ually broad& and de"initely not more o"
the same narrow *business unionism* or
*social partnership* !hat is the wrong a;is
on which to build solidarity $nstead labour
needs to work hori5ontally& "orging
connections between workers across
borders and with other progressive "orces
in society& to build a Blobal =ustice
#ovement: Gwe need to rebuild power
relationships in our "avourH 4!he book
contains a long critique o" one modern
"orm o" *social partnership*& that o" 'ndy
+tern*s +,$76
<e need to accept that our old allies )
the political organisations o" +ocial
?emocracy ) are at present no longer
active members o" the labour movement&
leaving unions to "ight political battles "or
their members 'nd crucially we must
rebuild the identity o" workers as a class&
"rom their current state o" "ragmentation&
4where casual 9 in"ormal working patterns
abound6 and lack o" organisation ) around
D0I o" the world*s labour "orce is not
organised
!o do all this we will need an e-ually
broad and inspiring vision plus a set o"
goals to mobilise around Ballin considers
that attempts to go "orward on the
political basis o" a *lowest common
denominator* approach have "ailed
<e need another politics& something much
bigger and bolder ) an alternative
e;planation o" the world& alternative goals
based on human wel"are& and a realistic
programme to get us there ) i" we are to
challenge transnational capitalism as a
system

!he labour movement must lead and
inspire society& realising that it is not an
end in itsel" Cy doing so we can "orge
links to other progressive "orces and
generate larger mobilisations ) single issue
protest groups "ighting aspects o" global
capitalism& or organising women and
youth& those "ighting "or the environment -
we cannot go on working as if we were each
of us alone in our world.

;eorganising the abour ,ovement
!rade unions "ace a daunting challenge
given their low levels o" coverage over the
world economy 3rganising the
unorganised is vital; but this depends on
an internal shi"t in how our own
organisations "unction: G<e are in an
argument about power !he -uestion is
there"ore one o" organisationH Ballin
argues "or a decisive break "rom the sterile
dialogues with !%2s& international
"inancial institutions or intergovernmental
bodies& towards a mass organising agenda
!his alternative cannot remain within
the hori5on o" national borders:

!here can no longer be any effective
trade union policy" even at the national level"
that is not global in concept and
international in organisation....A trade union
approach must deal with the company as a
world wide structure" and must have the
ob#ective of organising the company
wherever it operates. New forms of company
organisation re$uire new forms of union
organisation.
!he particular "orm o" union organising
needs to recognise corporations are now
*coordinators o" production* carried out on
their behal" by others& especially the
growing numbers o" in"ormal workers in
ever-widening supply chains <orking here
will re-uire unions to display political skills
and create alliances with others 4women*s
organisations primarily& since women tend
to be over-represented in the in"ormal
sector6 $t also must be based on the
recognition that all workers are open to
organisation& whether waged or sel"
employed& day labourers& casual sta""&
landless peasants

Ballin has e-ually strong views on the role
o" union bodies $nternationally what is
needed here is a dramatic shi"t o"
perspective "rom a "ocus on dialogue&
structures and procedures& to organising&
struggle and political vision& with the
complementary redeployment o" resources
to organising beyond the <estern 5one
!hough the B71s have done some good
work& much more is needed he says 'nd at
the national level there are still some
countries with "ar too many union bodies to
e""ectively concentrate and coordinate
their "inite resources 41rance& Breece and
the 7+' are named6
!urrent Issues
+olidarity also contains a set o" pieces on
speci"ic aspects o" trade union activity
$n relation to organising& he applauds the
recent e""orts o" domestic workers to
"orm their own $nternational ?omestic
<omens 1ederation in 2010 /ong hidden
"rom view& these *atypical* labourers have
shown us Gthere is no such thing as
*unorganisable* workersH& and then gone on
to "ound the "irst international union
"ederation run entirely by women ) a
massive achievement !his power"ully
demonstrates one way to rebuild the
labour movement "rom today*s diverse
working populations& restoring their
identity as a class

!he informal economy remains our
biggest challenge Ballin provides a history
o" in"ormal workers organisation and their
relations to the rest o" the labour
movement 1irst though we must register
the spread o" in"ormal labour in recent
times& its links to globalisation and the
reorganisation o" production $t has not
proved to be an archaic remnant destined
to be swept away by capitalist
development; and is now threatening the
<estern bastions o" "ormal employment&
where workers rights on pay and
conditions were upheld& leaving unions
"acing a world where unregulated work
predominates
!he labour movement can only tackle this
situation through organising "rom below
@owever& as Ballin shows& there has been
strong opposition to accepting *atypical*
labour as workers "rom within unions
themselves
$n the case o" $ndia*s +el" ,mployed
<orkers 'ssociation 4+,<'6 ) made up o"
women tailors& cart-pullers& used garment
dealers ) both national and international
bodies raised ob(ections& seeing this as a
*womens %B3* without real workers& that
could not a""iliate 3nly "ar-sighted organs
like the $!B/<1 and $71 took a di""erent
view and welcomed +,<'
Bradually the case "or in"ormal workers as
workers& due union protection and
support& made its way through the labour
movement bureaucracies& via the "ounding
o" new organisations like @ome %et
$nternational and <$,B3& to gain
recognition "rom the $/3 and $!72 !oday
+,<' has around 10 million members
3ne other issue worth mentioning is the
potential o" international framework
agreements "I9As# Ballin covers their
history leading up to the "irst agreement in
the 1DE0s @e says that $1's were not
originally the principal ob(ective o"
negotiations with !%2s !he goal o" early
B71 action was to build union strength at
!%2 level to achieve a wide range o" aims&
making their action more e""ective through
international coordination
!hough $1's are distinct "rom 4and
pre"erable to6 corporate codes o" conduct&
in their involvement o" trade unions& the
main point o" the $1' o"ten gets
overlooked Ballin stresses that $1's
"unction best as organising tools& allowing
unions to begin challenging the sway o"
capital and "undamental power
relationships through globally organising
"or workers rights !hat challenge remains
massive "or sure
------------------------------------------------------
t(e e0tras
1or more on %igerian labour see the
e;cellent coverage by /abourstart and the
publications o" the '1/-2$3 +olidarity
2enter on '"rica& "ound at
http:99wwwsolidaritycenterorg9contenta
sp.plK407LslK407LcontentidK421
!he 2lean 2lothes 2ampaigns report on the
,astern ,uropean garment industry is here:
http:99wwwcleanclothesorg9livingwage9
stitched-up
?an Ballin*s book *+olidarity* is available
"rom /abourstart
1or the activities o" <$!+3B see the report
by the '1/-2$3 +olidarity 2enter at
http:99wwwsolidaritycenterorg9contenta
sp.contentidK1ED4

internationa& 'oen $ !IT%O1
'he coe1istence of massive oil wealth
and widespread poverty in Nigeria is well
known. 'he response of Nigeria%s women
in the Niger delta region to this is
something more unusual...
<$!+3= ) <omens $nitiative "or
!ransparency and +ocial =ustice ) "ormed
in 2007 as a grass-roots coalition o" union
and community activists $t aimed to
mobilise women in urban and rural
communities& empowering them to
demand social (ustice in a region blighted
by human rights abuses& environmental
degradation and the siphoning o"" o" vast
oil wealth
!he combining o" union and community
"orces is recognised as central to its
success 7nion involvement adds
credibility to <$!+3=& bringing it closer to
communities and accepted as their
legitimate representative
<$!+3=*s work centres on grass-roots
education "or women&teaching them about
democratic rights& and encouraging their
activity in local communities 1rom here
women have become involved in decision-
making processes that a""ect their lives&
encouraged voter registration and
campaigned "or vital local resources
<e train women because they are Gthe
most vulnerable and on the receiving end
o" social in(usticeH - ?r =enni"er +pi""
<$!+3=

'n e;cellent e;ample o" this is its work in
the town o" 3yigbo in >ivers state @ere
<$!+3= "ound no "unctioning health clinic&
leaving local people at a loss and the town
in breach o" the state*s own health policy
$ts grass-roots training "ocused on this
breach& encouraging local women to
redress this situation 'nd that they did
' march to the local council building led to
dialogue with local leaders and the
upgrade o" 3yigbo*s clinic& "ollowed later
by e;tra "acilities across >ivers state
<ithout this action& local women "aced
lengthy and dangerous (ourneys to their
nearest clinic& o"ten too e;pensive to
attempt $n an area where maternal
mortality is high& improvements like that
inspired by <$!+3= can make a massive
di""erence

2lean water has (ustly been described as
the most important medicine o" all $n the
Boya(a region <$!+3= worked with the
local women o" Jpor on a pro(ect to
achieve access to clean water Areviously
local authorities had been indi""erent to
the calls "or action "rom local residents
1ollowing <$!+3= workshops& women in the
community got together and travelled to
Aort @arcourt& the state capital& to push
their demands on the powers that be 'nd
last year they achieved their aim when two
boreholes were sunk in Jpor
<$!+3= now is hoping to e;tend its work
throughout the %iger ?elta region o" the
country and get more women involved in
the provision o" community services and
over decisions that a""ect their lives
!ransparency and government
accountability were the original building
blocks o" <$!+3=*s work; now health and
education provision are centre stage
<e wish them well