Reem Leila finds out that poverty, unskilled labour and weak unions are behind Africa's frail workforce At the International Labour Conference in Geneva earlier this month, Egypt was blacklisted for violating the rights of labour unions and labourer freedoms. It was joined by other African countries such as Zimbabwe, Sudan, Zambia and Uganda. In response, the Egyptian Labour Union (ELU) invited African labour unions to a three-day conference on 23 June in Alexandria to discuss labour problems. The gathering was in preparation for the meeting held during the African summit convening in Sharm El-Sheikh this week. Africa's labour force generally lacks secondary education and proper job training, which explains why much of the younger workforce cannot expect high pay. Despite higher rates of school enrolment, illiteracy is still high on the continent and estimated at 35 per cent for men and 58 per cent for women. The education sector remains overburdened and understaffed, Hassan Semono, secretary-general of the African Trade Unions Organisation (ATUO), and shortages in technical skills are viewed as a major impediment to business operations. In Egypt, poverty and illiteracy are among the main hurdles facing local labourers, and it has a history of child labour problems. ELU Chairman Hussein Megawer argued that poverty has driven many children younger than the minimum working age of 14 to join the labour force. Official estimates indicate that children under the age of 14 make up 1.5 per cent of the total workforce. "The number, however, is believed to be much higher, and it remains difficult to gauge the real extent of the child labour problem," noted Megawer. "The majority of working children, 78 per cent, work in agriculture." Children are also employed in craft shops, as domestic servants and in the construction industry. The problem of child labour is worsened by poor enforcement of the law and the inadequacy of the education system, Megawer added. Labour experts stressed the fact that African workers are generally underpaid and are usually forced to work in overcrowded and often unsafe conditions. Government health and safety standards are rarely enforced, resulting in many workers seeking extra income through a second job or work in the informal sector, perhaps as street vendors. An estimated 36,000 people toil under harsh conditions in Sudan. Hired on short-term contracts, workers strive to fulfil production quotas --often without maternity or sick leave. Workers there put in long hours just to earn enough to get by and nobody can leave the workplace for whatever reason before fulfilling their quotas. Ibrahim El-Ghandour, head of the Sudanese Labour Federation (SLF), conveyed that the major problem with his country is the lack of respect for and observance of basic human rights. "The first thing is to respect the rights of humans who are the primary instruments driving the global economy," El-Ghandour stated. "Sudan is a signatory to international human rights laws which recognise the right of all to work and decent income. The income should help people achieve their needs, not increase poverty." Workers usually work between eight and 12 hours daily, with only a 45-minute break in between, in order to fulfil the quota set by the supervisors. "Their daily pay is between $1.9 and $2.2, but a percentage is deducted ostensibly for social security or hospital insurance contributions, which rarely benefit them," complained El-Ghandour. Other problems are witnessed by many female workers in some southern African countries, in particular sexual harassment including rape and beatings. "They are usually ordered to go upstairs [to the supervisor's offices]," revealed Semono, "if they refuse, they are fired; if they accept, they could be raped and the next day the story will be told to all the colleagues." Human rights experts blame the abuse of workers' right on weak trade unions. Defending the government, the head of ELU pointed out that Egypt has ratified all agreements pertaining to the main principles of adequate employment. Megawer added that it is committed to ensuring equality, improved employment policies, as well as training to meet labour needs domestically and abroad. He further lauded that the government is invested in promoting respect for basic labour principles and rights, encouraging the participation of women and the private sector in productive activities. "Labour laws in Egypt provide for adequate employment, social protection, safety and occupational health security for women, ultimately seeking to integrate them in the country's social and economic development plans," exalted Megawer. It remains, however, that the reality of chronic unemployment in Africa is a key concern of the continent's labour unions. "No African country will be able to overcome the problem of unemployment alone," warned El-Ghandour, stressing that a unified effort should be made by countries to deal with this problem. The average unemployment rate on the continent reached 14 per cent this year, according to a recent study conducted by the ILO. The study also reported that women's participation in the economy was still less than it was in other regions of the world. Already, Africa faces major challenges imposed by the current globalised world order, the fundamentals of which lack integrity and justice, stated Semono. This negatively impacts African countries in terms of employment shortages and the widening gap between the North and South. ATUO members are calling for the adoption of a series of policies which help raise standards of living, and guarantee minimum wage that ensures a reasonable standard of life. This, in addition to expanding social security scopes to provide a basic income for the impoverished. Other issues addressed during the Alexandria conference included safeguarding the rights of African workers travelling to other African countries through brokers. "I am looking forward to greater inter-African cooperation in the field of labour in all its dimensions, as an integral part of joint African action," stated Semono. This, he hoped, would achieve African integration similar to that attained by other regional blocs, such as the European Union. "We seek to promote the social aspects which would make the dream of an African common market within reach," he added, "by unrestricting the movement of commodities, services, capital and labour between African countries."
