Open World Conference of Workers
In Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights
Africa Appeal For an Independent International Conference to Stop the Murderous Course Threatening the very Existence of Workers and Peoples in Africa
Adopted at the June 16th ILC Conference in Geneva
We are leaders of African workers' organisations. We have decided to
launch an Appeal For an Independent International Conference to Stop the
Murderous Course Threatening the very Existence of Workers and Peoples in
Africa.
Seven years ago, in the World Social Summit of Copenhagen, great powers
and institutions in their hands promised to reduce poverty in Africa by
half before 2015.
Three years ago, on June 19th, 1999, the G7 governments met in Cologne and
announced a spectacular plan to reduce the debt of the "most indebted
of poor countries".
Meanwhile, conferences on the massive epidemics affecting the continent
were multiplied.
There were innumerable promises. What is the situation today?
Far from getting better, the situation of African people goes on
worsening. It has reached a point where the very existence of a major part
of the populations is being threatened , because of the accelerated
implementation of the plans organising their extermination and of the
plunder of their countries' wealth and their labour force. This
overwhelming observation is corroborated by irrefutable facts
Genocide and disintegration policies go on:
The Structural adjustment plans (SAP) dictated by great power and the
institutions they control (IMF, World Bank, European Union, World Trade
Organisation, etc) are responsible for poverty, starvation, malnutrition,
deregulation. They organise the destruction of the States. 340 million
people (half of the population) are living with less than $1 per day, 58%
only have access to drinkable water.
Introducing enormous quantities of weapons into countries were poverty and
manipulations of all kinds created favourable conditions for the
development of armed conflicts, these same powers and institutions planned
ceaseless armed conflicts. This was often done under cover of the UN
troops, as in Rwanda in 1994 with the UN Mission for assistance to Rwanda
(Unmiar), the UN Mission in Occidental Sahara (Unmiso), the ECOMOG in
Liberia and Sierra Leone.
A recent study by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) shows that in
the last decades, 28 murderous conflicts were fomented in Africa,
affecting 474 million African people that is to say 61 % of the
populations. No region escaped. Eastern Africa is the most concerned with
189 million people (79 %), followed by Central Africa : 21 million (73 %);
West Africa: 144 million (64 %); North Africa: 87 million (51 %), and
Southern Africa: 33 million (29 %)
As for the so-called peace agreements imposed by these same powers and
institutions, they are but a means to develop everywhere the armed
conflicts they pretend to stop. This was the case in Burundi with the
Arusha agreement signed in Tanzania (1993), in Democratic Congo with the
Lusaka agreements signed in Zambia (1997) and in Sun City en South Africa
(April 2002), etc.
Plundering by means of the foreign debt and privatisation policies is
going on.
Our countries are being bled to death by means of the 30 billion
dollars they have to pay each year for this so-called foreign debt which
reaches the stupendous sum of 300 billion dollars, the equivalent of three
years of exportations for the whole continent.
This totally unjust foreign debt payment is imposed by multilateral
institutions (IMF, WB, EU, WTO) and foreign great powers and represents 60
to 70 % of the States' income.
The IMF and WB pushes African states to abandon their economy of their
country and sell at low price the country's patrimony most profitable
parts to multinationals, or to NGOs subsidised by great powers which
organise the destruction of public services.
The consequences of these policies are absolutely terrifying
o Concerning Healthcare:
Life expectancy fell by 20 years in the last decade in whole regions of
Africa. It generally reaches an average 48,9 years today against 77,7 in
developed countries.
Why ? The ravages of epidemics are added to those of war, and are quite
preoccupying.
o Concerning the AIDS epidemic:
In 2001, 28,1 million out of the 40 million people infected by the
HIV/AIDS throughout the world, are living in Black Africa. The Food and
Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) itself acknowledges
that : «The epidemics is reducing to nil the progress achieved these last
40 years concerning agricultural development».
This same institution underlines that although Africa's population is one
tenth of the world population, 9 out of 10 of the new cases of infection
are concentrated there.
83 % of the deaths due to AIDS are happening in Africa, where this illness
has killed human beings ten times more than war.
In nine of Black African countries, over 10 % of adult population is
infected, especially in Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe where
this rate even reaches 20 à 26 % of people between 15 and 49 years old.
In South Africa, 5 million people are infected, over 10 million will die
there in the ten years to come because of this epidemic, giving this
country the sad privilege of having over 50 % of the deceased provoked by
AIDS, the highest rate in Black Africa.
o Concerning malaria:
More than one million people die every year and research for new drugs
against that illness has stopped although new and more resistant strains
of the virus are developing.
o Concerning education:
The rate of illiteracy over 15 years old is reaching 59 %. The general
tendency is to privatise education at all levels, from kindergartens to
universities. Such are the dictates of the IMF, the WB and especially the
WTO, which consider that education should become a «market».
o Concerning employment:
A whole generation of youth is being sacrificed and left without jobs
because the SAPs have stopped recruitment in public services while
factories are forced to close down one after the other.
Because of the liquidation/privatisation of public services which is being
accelerated, States are no longer taking in charge duties such as the
payment of state employees' wages, even armies and police wages. This lead
public services to disintegration and to the collapse of the States
themselves.
Deregulation is generalised, in systematic violation of labour laws. ILO
Conventions especially are jeopardised, especially those concerning trade
union rights and collective bargaining right (Conventions n° 87 et n°
98), the ban on child labour (Convention n° 138) and the protection of
maternity rights (Convention n° 103).
Ever new concepts to impose similar plans:
In order to implement these policies of extermination and pillage,
great powers and their institutions abuse the opinion again and again with
new plans, treaties and concepts they announce as miraculous solutions.
This is the case for the concepts of «regional and sub-regional
integration», of «informal, social solidarity economy», etc. They are
all linked to the worrisome development of deregulation, of the OHADA
treaty, which organises the brutal destruction of workers rights and
gains, and new developments on the debt question which suggest that States
should declare themselves bankrupt in order to be put under the control of
a provisional manager. This would be the end of all national sovereignty.
Such is the framework for the new plan called «New partnership for Africa
development» (NEPAD), whose avowed aim is to save Africa , but in fact
aims at accelerating privatisation.
The NEPAD proclaims for instance that «it is (...) urgent to implement
reforms and programmes of considerable scope in many African countries»,and
that it «aims at increasing the amounts of foreign capital invested in
Africa to turn them into a long term essential investment(...)».
One is forced to observe that the NEPAD essential aims are to maintain the
very plans which ruined Africa : «Industrialised countries on the one
hand, and multilateral institutions on the other should be maintained
(...) especially: (...)the European Union Africa Action Plan of Cairo ;The
World Bank Strategic Partnership for Africa; The IMF Strategic Document
for the reduction of poverty ; (...) ;The American Law on Growth and Trade
in Africa (...)»
This is confirmed by Michel Camdessus, former General Director of the IMF
and French representative in the NEPAD, who declared in an interview for
International Radio France (RFI), on February 12th, 2002 that the NEPAD,
aimed at «enlarge the scope of structural adjustment» . The novelty
would be that the African States themselves should «appropriate» the
NEPAD...
Are not we forced to consider that as for «appropriation», they want to
disorganise the workers' and peoples' resistance through the integration
of their organisations, especially their trade unions which are the
pillars of the resistance to the SAPs in our countries?
Who can believe that this new programme can be supported both by the great
powers and institutions which are responsible for the ruin of Africa and
by the workers and peoples of Africa oppressed and exploited by them, who
can therefore have no interest in common with them?
As for the new concept of «Geographic determinism» , the Economic
commission for Africa (CEA), which is considered today as «quite
respectable» tries to impose it with the following explanation: «According
to Sachs (1999), if it «was true that poor people are exactly similar to
the rich although they have less money, the situation would be globally
much easier. In fact, poor people live in ecological zones which are
different, they have different health conditions, and have to surmount
agronomic limitations which are totally different from those of rich
countries. Such are often the fundamental reasons for persisting poverty».
» (Transforming Africa Economies, CEA, 2001 Report).
Are not we confronted here with the height of cynicism, hypocrisy and
racism?
«Geographic determinism» today, «Racial determinism» soon, how
will it end?
As African political and trade unionist leaders, we denounce these
considerations which are denying the very concept of unity of the human
race and which are used to cover the responsibilities of those who exploit
and oppress us!
Therefore we proclaim that the situation in Africa is not the consequence
of any «geographic determinism» or «Racial determinism», it has
nothing to do with fate, ancestral rivalries between ethnic groups unable
to live together.
We consider that one must establish clearly who is responsible for what,
on the basis of rigorously proved facts. The only ones responsible for the
situation imposed to the African peoples and workers are those denounced
in the Verdict of the International Tribunal in charge of the judgement on
the murderous course threatening the very existence of African workers and
peoples, which proclaims:
«The IMF, the World Bank and the WTO, The European Union, great powers
and especially the USA, France and Great Britain, as well as the
multinationals operating on the continent and the governments submitting
to these institutions are guilty.
o Guilty of the continued pillage and oppression perpetuated by slavery
and colonialism, by means of the situation created by the SAPs and the
foreign debt payment.
o Guilty of the systematic plunder of public funds by means of the foreign
debt payment, of the dismantling of health care, public education, of the
countries' infrastructures.
o Guilty for they organise a general deregulation beginning with Labour
Code which are being liquidated as well as the civil servants statutes
(...) »
What is the solution? Go on struggling to better organise the
resistance:
In the disastrous situation imposed to them, workers, youth, peasants
and their organisations ceaselessly resist and fight throughout Africa
where they launch harsh struggles, demonstrations and strikes to defend
their demands. These struggles allowed them to obtain important gains,
especially at the end of the eighties when they often forced great powers
and their institutions as well as the governments implementing their plans
to withdraw them (privatisation, Public services' reforms, SAPs antisocial
measures, etc).
These struggles also limited the escalation of repressive measures and
systematic violations of democratic rights.
For instance:
- In South Africa, the COSATU called for a powerful general strike against
privatisation in August 2001, at the very moment when the UN World summit
against racism and xenophobia organised in this country;
- In Algeria, the UGTA called for several powerful workers strikes against
privatisation;
- In Benin, several strikes were called between January 22 and March 12,
2002 and imposed an intermediary suspension of the implementation of the
so-called law for «merit-based career» which organises the dismantling
of Public services, and the unfreeze of wage increases. Wages have evolved
from basis 1996 to the basis 2000.
As for students, they fight relentlessly against the privatisation of the
Benin National university (UNB) while peasants are fighting against the
privatisation of agriculture inputs.
- in Burkina Faso, 7 confederations (CGT-B, CCNTB, CSB, FO/UNSL, ONSL,
UGTB, USTB) called for strike on August16, 2001 then twice in 2002, on
April 23-24 and May 28-29 to demand that public firms' privatisation be
stopped, wage increases, and satisfaction of all their demands;
- in Burundi, teachers are on strike since the beginning of the school
year 2001-2002. In June 2002, they obtained satisfaction of some of their
demands;
- In Côte d'Ivoire, Power workers mobilised on the call of their trade
union the SYNASEG, on May 14 and 15, 2002, and obtained substantial wage
increases;
- In the 11 member States of Air Afrique company, workers are mobilising
against this multinational, striking and demonstrating since 2001 to
oppose its liquidation dictated by the IMF and the World Bank and defend
their rights;
- In Senegal, workers went on strike in 2001, to oppose the privatisation
of public firms, especially in the power company (SENELEC). They forced
the State to denounce the electricity privatisation contract signed with a
French company;
- In Zimbabwe, peasants never stopped fighting for their legitimate
rightly to take back the land which colonisation robbed from them;
- etc.
In all these struggles, we are confronted to the need to find means to
organise more efficiently to stop the murderous drift organised against
African peoples and workers.
We declare that the SAPs, military foreign interventions, NOGs and
NEPAD interventions, are false "solutions".
We declare that the only solution to stop this catastrophic policy is the
united fight of workers and their organisations, supported by workers and
peoples the world over.
Therefore we must go on fighting and take new initiatives to demand :
o Immediate cancellation without condition of the foreign debt. State
funds must be used to pay wages, pensions, student allowances, and develop
the infrastructures our countries need for developing;
o No privatisation ;
o Full trade union rights and genuine democratic rights;
o Ratification and implementation of the ILO conventions;
o Defence and development of the independent organisation of workers ;
o Denunciation of the NEPAD. Organisations claiming to defend workers and
peoples must refuse it and maintain their independence ;
o Satisfaction of Workers and Peoples demands, social justice and peace;
o etc.
Let us organise to prepare the independent international conference to
stop the murderous course imposed to peoples and workers in Africa:
Many of us participated in the following initiatives :
-Tribunal to judge those responsible for the murderous course imposed to
the workers and peoples of Africa, February 5-6, 2000, Los Angeles, United
States.
- Special Session of the Tribunal on Africa in Côte d'Ivoire, held in
Paris (France), January 21, 2001;
- Independent conference organised by the International Liaison Committee
of Workers and Peoples, at the occasion of the World Summit against Racism
and Xenophobia (August 2001) in Durban, South Africa;
- International Conference international against deregulation of the
workers rights, February 21-24, 2002, in Berlin, Germany.
Considering the seriousness of the situation crated today by the
extraordinary acceleration of the extermination plans against African
peoples, we decide to call with the Internatio-nal Liaison committee of
Workers and Peoples to an International independent conference to stop the
murderous course imposed to workers and peoples in Africa, in the first
half of 2003, in a place we will decide upon together.
We propose to set up a preparatory committee in each country, which will
be in charge of:
- 1°) broadly inform on the basis of precise facts rigorously established
on the seriousness of the situation imposed to all countries in Africa ;
- 2°) Establish what is the situation in each country by collecting
information on the disastrous consequences of the plans implemented by
governments following the dictates of international great powers and
institutions serving them (IMF, WB, OMC, European Union, etc.) ;
- 3°) to prepare a pre-conference in each country or sub-region, in order
to discuss on this basis of the best means to organise resistance ;
- 4°) to collect the necessary funds to achieve al these initiatives and
insure their independence.
Leaders who participated in the discussion of this draft appeal:
Algeria : TADJOUKT Amar (UGTA) ; Benin : AZOUA K. Gaston (CSTB) ;
Burkina Faso : NAMA MAMADOU (USTB), TOLE Sagnon (CGT-B) ; Central Africa :
SONNY COLE Théophile (USTC) ; Côte d'Ivoire : ETTE Marcel (FESACI), YAO
Kouadio François (SYNASEG) ; Gabon : MEBIAME EVOUNG Léon (CSD), MOMBO
MOUELET Camille (FLEEMA/CGSL) ; Guinea : FOFANA Ibrahima (USTG) ; Senegal
: SOW Bayla (CNTS-FC), DIOUF Bakhao Ndiongue (CNTS-FC) ; Togo : GBIKPI
BENISSAN Tétévi Norbert (UNSIT), AMEGANVI Claude (Workers Party), LAWSON
Messan (Workers Party).
********************
Appeal to International SolidarityWith the Employees of the
Multinational Air Company, Air Afrique
The multinational air company Air Afrique has been put in liquidation,
following a dictate of the World Bank ratified by the governments of the
member States.
The 4,000 employees of that company have been living since a most dramatic
situation.
Their wages unpaid for over one year, a majority of them are living in
destitution, especially those who had been working in other countries than
their native country for professional reasons.
This is especially true for those who are working in the company's offices
in Abidjan city, in Côte d'Ivoire :
- They have been driven out of their lodgings because they could not pay
their rents in arrears;
- Some of them are forced to live in the company's offices in Abidjan,
while the members of their families (wives and children) are dispersed
among friends living in town;
- Their children have been dismissed from school for they could not pay
the school expenses;`
- Their dismissal payment have not been paid, and could stay unpaid,
because of the implementation of the new OHADA treaty on corporation laws.
Therefore we launch an appeal to international solidarity, to demand that
the Air Afrique company management and member States' governments,
… Take in charge the return home with their families of the Air Afrique
employees who wish to do so;
… The instalment of their dismissal payment for all employees.
Send telegrams and support declarations to:
- Mr Gbagbo Laurent, president of the Republic of Cote-d'Ivoire
Fax : (225) 20-31-44-54
- Mr Appiah Kabran, minister of Transports - Fax : (225) 20-22-10-62
- M. Gnassingbe Eyadema, president of the Republic of Togo
- Fax : (228) 221-32-04
Me Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal
Fax : (221) 823 17 02
Mrs Justine Agnimel, Official receiver of Air Afrique
Mr Edouard Messou, Trustee in bankructy of Air Afrique
s/c General Direction - Air Afrique - Abidjan
Fax : (225) 20-20-30-08
Send a copy to International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
Fax : (33 1) 48 01 88 36
********************
Appeal to International Solidarity For the Immediate and Unconditional
Liberation
Of the Senegal Trade Unionists Thrown in Jail
A serious crisis inside the Senegal trade union movement, the National
Confederation of Senegalese workers (CNTS), led to the setting up of a new
confederation: the National Confederation of Senegalese workers - Forces
for change (CNTS-FC)
This crisis was marked by various events, and confrontations occurred
which led to the death of man.
Although no real inquiry was led on these events, trade union leaders and
a member of one of their families were arrested, in spite of controversy
on these events:
The leaders arrested are:
- 1. Cheikh Diop, General Secretary of the CNTS-FC
- 2. Matar Sèye, Deputy General Secretary of the CNTS-FC
- 3. Dame Lô, Deputy General Secretary of the CNTS-FC
- 4. Doudou Fall Niang, Confederation Secretary of the CNTS-FC
- 5. Fallou Samb, Confederation secretary.
- 6. Amadou Sarr (Son of the first Deputy General Secretary).
The matter has been referred to the Senegal court of justice.
Although they don't take a stand on the reasons and consequences of this
crisis, the endorsers of this appeal, in the name of the principle of the
benefit of doubt, ask:
That the CNTS-FC leaders be put on bail,
While waiting for Senegalese justice to do its work.
Telegrams and declarations of support to be sent to:
_ Me Abdoulaye WADE _ Mrs MAMANE Madior Boye
President of the Republic of Senegal Prime minister of Senegal
Presidential Palace Primature House
Dakar (Senegal) Dakar (Senegal)
Fax : (221) 823 17 02 Fax : (221) 849 18 49