Accra, May 5, GNA- Leaders of the three main trade union federations in Africa are meeting in Accra to strengthen bonds of solidarity to enable them contribute meaningfully to the struggle to improve the fortunes of African workers.

The three-day conference which is under the theme: "Strengthening Trade Union Solidarity in Africa", seeks to consolidate gains made since the three federations began co-operating, engage and clarify perspectives on the current global political economy and its relation to Africa and its workers. It also seeks to identify new areas for cooperation between affiliates of the three federations and to develop a new, bold and comprehensive programme to propel the alliance to new heights.

Mr. Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the GTUC, said Africa had always been at the periphery of the global economy, participating most as a raw material supplier for advanced economies.

He said it is now becoming apparent that the EU was scheming to get African countries to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which have dire consequences on jobs in our countries, requiring trade unions on the continent in solidarity, to form alliances with other progress forces in grappling with the challenges of the EPA.

Mr. Asamoah said the timing of the Accra conference was apt "considering that the challenges to workers unity and solidarity have been never greater".

"We are referring to the negative structural effects of globalization on working people in the developing world and in particular the continuing effects of the world financial crisis that struck the heartland of the developed capitalist worlds and which their governments are struggling with". He said the effects of this crisis on African countries and lack of effective program of job creation, the increasing mass of the unemployed people particularly the youth, poor wages and general insecurity of employment raises to the fore the question of workers unity and solidarity. "Indeed without unity and solidarity the workers movement is ineffective and becomes an easy prey to all and sundry", he said.

"An important weapon that we need to harness and give a new and urgent meaning to in the era of globalization is active international working class solidarity. It goes without saying that, the strength of trade unions lies in our unity and solidarity"

He thus called on the participants to use the forum to discuss African trade union unity and solidarity. Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, president of the NLC expressed optimism that the trilateral conference would consolidate gains made over the years and called on the federations to harness experiences of previous interactions to develop deeper relations to chart an effective roadmap to a strategic engagement with other trade unions on the continent and the rest of the world.

Mr. Hassan Sunmonu, Secretary-General of Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU), called on African Trade Union leaders to increase the pace of the struggle to overcome the challenges facing African workers and trade unions.

"Nobody will develop Africa except Africans themselves. Friends of Africa may, and can assist Africans, but we Africans have to be on the driving seat".

The Accra Trilateral Conference is seen as an important segment in the quest of the African trade union movements to address squarely the challenges of basic human and trade union rights, employment and decent work, social protection, social dialogue and sustainable development that the African workers face.

The conference is a result of almost a decade-long negotiation between the Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) to strengthen common bonds to enhance peace, democracy and development on the continent, given the strategic positions of these trade union federations in the African labour movement. 5