Trade unions in Ethiopia
Encyclopedia
The trade union
s of Ethiopia
have a total membership of approximately 300,000. Over 203,000 are members of the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions
(CETU).
Ethiopia has also ratified ILO
conventions 29
(in 2003), 87
(1963), 98
(1963), 100
(1999), 105
(1999), 111
(1966), 138
(1999), and 182
(2003).
Although the 1955 constitution
guaranteed the right to form workers' associations, it was not until 1962 that the Ethiopian government issued the Labor Relations Decree, which authorized trade unions. In April 1963, the imperial authorities recognized the Confederation of Ethiopian Labor Unions
(CELU), which represented twenty-two industrial labor groups. By 1973 CELU had 167 affiliates with approximately 80,000 members, which represented only about 30 percent of all eligible workers. The CELU drew its membership from not only the railway workers, but included workers at the Addis Ababa Fiber Mills, Indo-Ethiopian Textiles, Wonji Sugar Plantation, Ethiopian Airlines
and General Ethiopian Transport (also known as the Anbassa Bus Company).
CELU never evolved into a national federation of unions. Instead, it remained an association of labor groups organized at the local level. The absence of a national constituency, coupled with other problems such as corruption, embezzlement, election fraud, ethnic and regional discrimination, and inadequate finances, prevented CELU from challenging the status quo in the industrial sector. Further, both management and government officials treated the unions with contempt. As Keller notes, "The government was slow to revise archaic labor laws such as those which dealt with child labor
and the minimum wage
. Union leaders were harassed, and when unions threatened to strike, they were 'locked out.'" CELU had organized general strikes in 1964, and 1970, but each time failed to attract necessary widespread support. After 1972 CELU became more militant as drought and famine caused the death of up to 200,000 people. The government responded by using force to crush labor protests, strikes, and demonstrations. This militancy peaked with the successful general strike of 7–11 March 1975, which not only led to salary and pension increases, but played an important role in the Ethiopian Revolution and helped to discredit the regime of Emperor Haile Selassie.
Although many of its members supported the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie, the CELU came to ally itself with the radical intelligentsia in pressuring the Derg
to share power. The CELU also demanded shop-floor control over production. Despite numerous strikes in and around Addis Ababa
, which sometimes ended in bloody confrontations, on May 19, 1975, the Derg
temporarily closed CELU headquarters on the grounds that the union needed to be reorganized. The military authorities also demanded that workers should elect their future leaders according to the aims and objectives of Ethiopian socialism. This order ostensibly did not rescind traditional workers' rights
, such as the right to organize freely, to strike, and to bargain collectively over wages and working conditions. Instead, the intent was to control the political activities of the CELU leadership. As expected, CELU rejected these actions and continued to demand democratic changes and civilian rights. After battling one another for most of the year, the Derg at last decreed a curfew and martial law
on 30 September, and arrested 1,500 union members; although the CELU responded with a general strike, it failed to gather support in the main industrial sectors. As Rene Lafort concludes, "The CELU was dead. The Labour Code promulgated on 6 December 1975 was its obituary."
On 8 January 1977, the Derg replaced the CELU (abolished December 1975) with the All-Ethiopia Trade Union (AETU). The AETU had 1,341 local chapters, known as workers' associations, with a total membership of 287,000, or twice as large as CELU had been. The government maintained that the AETU's purpose was to educate workers about the need to contribute their share to national development by increasing productivity and building socialism.
In 1978 the Derg replaced the AETU executive committee after charging it with political sabotage, abuse of authority, and failure to abide by the rules of democratic centralism
. In 1982 a further restructuring of the AETU occurred when Addis Ababa issued the Trade Unions' Organization Proclamation. An uncompromising Marxist-Leninist document, this proclamation emphasized the need "to enable workers to discharge their historical responsibility in building the national economy by handling with care the instruments of production as their produce, and by enhancing the production and proper distribution of goods and services." A series of meetings and elections culminated in a national congress in June 1982, at which the government replaced the leadership of the AETU. In 1986 the government renamed the AETU the Ethiopia Trade Union (ETU).
In 1983/84 the AETU claimed a membership of 313,434. The organization included nine industrial groups, the largest of which was manufacturing
, which had accounted for 29.2 percent of the membership in 1982/83, followed by agriculture
, forestry
, and fishing
with 26.6 percent, services with 15.1 percent, transportation with 8.1 percent, construction with 8.0 percent, trade with 6.2 percent, utilities with 3.7 percent, finance with 2.4 percent, and mining with 0.7 percent. A total of 35.6 percent of the members lived in Addis Ababa and another 18.0 percent in Shewa
. Eritrea
and Tigray
accounted for no more than 7.5 percent of the total membership. By the late 1980s, the AETU had failed to regain the activist reputation its predecessors had won in the 1970s. According to one observer, this political quiescence probably indicated that the government had successfully co-opted the trade unions.
During 2008, the top management of the state-owned Bole Printing Enterprise disagreed with its union over issues of worker compensation and unlawful termination. In late December a labor advisory board, composed of state ministers, representatives of the employees, the CETU, and Bole Printing Enterprise management, found that both sides were at fault and decided to reinstate the unlawful terminations of employees. The employees were expected to resume their duties.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
have a total membership of approximately 300,000. Over 203,000 are members of the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions
Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions
The Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions is an alliance of trade unions in Ethiopia. As of December 2007, this group had 203,560 members. The CETU is affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions. The CETU has been described as being controlled by the government.CETU was founded in...
(CETU).
Ethiopia has also ratified ILO
Ilo
Ilo is a port city in southern Peru, with some 58,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the Moquegua Region and capital of the province of Ilo.-History:...
conventions 29
Forced Labour Convention, 1930
The Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour or Forced Labour Convention is an International Labour Organization Convention. It is one of 8 ILO fundamental conventions...
(in 2003), 87
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948
The Convention concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise or Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention is an International Labour Organization Convention...
(1963), 98
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949
The Convention concerning the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively or Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention is an International Labour Organization Convention. It is one of 8 ILO fundamental conventions.- Ratifications:-External...
(1963), 100
Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951
The Convention concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, or Equal Remuneration Convention is the 100th International Labour Organization Convention aimed at equal remuneration for work of equal value for men and women...
(1999), 105
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 is an International Labour Organization Convention, aimed at the abolishment of certain forms of forced labour still allowed under the Forced Labour Convention of 1930 like punishment for strikes and as a punishment for holding certain political views.In...
(1999), 111
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958
The Convention concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation or Discrimination Convention is an International Labour Organization Convention. It is one of 8 ILO fundamental conventions...
(1966), 138
Minimum Age Convention, 1973
The Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, is an Convention adopted in 1973 by the International Labour Organization. It requires ratifying states to pursue a national policy designed to ensure the effective abolition of child labour and to raise progressively the minimum...
(1999), and 182
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999
The Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, known in short as the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, was adopted by the International Labour Organization in 1999 as ILO Convention No 182. It is one of 8 ILO fundamental...
(2003).
History
An organized labor movement came late to Ethiopia. This was due, in part, to the small size of its industrial working force (which was estimated to number 15,583 in 1957), but more importantly because the Ethiopian government viewed any type of organized protest as a form of insurrection.Although the 1955 constitution
1955 Constitution of Ethiopia
Emperor Haile Selassie proclaimed a revised constitution in November 1955 of the Empire of Ethiopia. This constitution was prompted, like its 1931 predecessor, by a concern with international opinion...
guaranteed the right to form workers' associations, it was not until 1962 that the Ethiopian government issued the Labor Relations Decree, which authorized trade unions. In April 1963, the imperial authorities recognized the Confederation of Ethiopian Labor Unions
Confederation of Ethiopian Labor Unions
The Confederation of Ethiopian Labor Unions was an umbrella organization that represented a number of labor unions and employee self-help associations in Ethiopia...
(CELU), which represented twenty-two industrial labor groups. By 1973 CELU had 167 affiliates with approximately 80,000 members, which represented only about 30 percent of all eligible workers. The CELU drew its membership from not only the railway workers, but included workers at the Addis Ababa Fiber Mills, Indo-Ethiopian Textiles, Wonji Sugar Plantation, Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines , formerly Ethiopian Air Lines, often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It serves as the country's flag carrier, and is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia...
and General Ethiopian Transport (also known as the Anbassa Bus Company).
CELU never evolved into a national federation of unions. Instead, it remained an association of labor groups organized at the local level. The absence of a national constituency, coupled with other problems such as corruption, embezzlement, election fraud, ethnic and regional discrimination, and inadequate finances, prevented CELU from challenging the status quo in the industrial sector. Further, both management and government officials treated the unions with contempt. As Keller notes, "The government was slow to revise archaic labor laws such as those which dealt with child labor
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
and the minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
. Union leaders were harassed, and when unions threatened to strike, they were 'locked out.'" CELU had organized general strikes in 1964, and 1970, but each time failed to attract necessary widespread support. After 1972 CELU became more militant as drought and famine caused the death of up to 200,000 people. The government responded by using force to crush labor protests, strikes, and demonstrations. This militancy peaked with the successful general strike of 7–11 March 1975, which not only led to salary and pension increases, but played an important role in the Ethiopian Revolution and helped to discredit the regime of Emperor Haile Selassie.
Although many of its members supported the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie, the CELU came to ally itself with the radical intelligentsia in pressuring the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
to share power. The CELU also demanded shop-floor control over production. Despite numerous strikes in and around Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, which sometimes ended in bloody confrontations, on May 19, 1975, the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
temporarily closed CELU headquarters on the grounds that the union needed to be reorganized. The military authorities also demanded that workers should elect their future leaders according to the aims and objectives of Ethiopian socialism. This order ostensibly did not rescind traditional workers' rights
Labor rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are a group of legal rights and claimed human rights having to do with labor relations between workers and their employers, usually obtained under labor and employment law. In general, these rights' debates have to do with negotiating workers' pay, benefits, and safe...
, such as the right to organize freely, to strike, and to bargain collectively over wages and working conditions. Instead, the intent was to control the political activities of the CELU leadership. As expected, CELU rejected these actions and continued to demand democratic changes and civilian rights. After battling one another for most of the year, the Derg at last decreed a curfew and martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
on 30 September, and arrested 1,500 union members; although the CELU responded with a general strike, it failed to gather support in the main industrial sectors. As Rene Lafort concludes, "The CELU was dead. The Labour Code promulgated on 6 December 1975 was its obituary."
On 8 January 1977, the Derg replaced the CELU (abolished December 1975) with the All-Ethiopia Trade Union (AETU). The AETU had 1,341 local chapters, known as workers' associations, with a total membership of 287,000, or twice as large as CELU had been. The government maintained that the AETU's purpose was to educate workers about the need to contribute their share to national development by increasing productivity and building socialism.
In 1978 the Derg replaced the AETU executive committee after charging it with political sabotage, abuse of authority, and failure to abide by the rules of democratic centralism
Democratic centralism
Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties, and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist policy inside a political party...
. In 1982 a further restructuring of the AETU occurred when Addis Ababa issued the Trade Unions' Organization Proclamation. An uncompromising Marxist-Leninist document, this proclamation emphasized the need "to enable workers to discharge their historical responsibility in building the national economy by handling with care the instruments of production as their produce, and by enhancing the production and proper distribution of goods and services." A series of meetings and elections culminated in a national congress in June 1982, at which the government replaced the leadership of the AETU. In 1986 the government renamed the AETU the Ethiopia Trade Union (ETU).
In 1983/84 the AETU claimed a membership of 313,434. The organization included nine industrial groups, the largest of which was manufacturing
Manufacturing in Ethiopia
Manufacturing in Ethiopia was, before 1957, dominated bycottage and handicraft industries which met most of the population's needs for manufactured goods such as clothes, ceramics, machine tools, and leather goods...
, which had accounted for 29.2 percent of the membership in 1982/83, followed by agriculture
Agriculture in Ethiopia
Agriculture in Ethiopia is the foundation of the country's economy, accounting for half of gross domestic product , 83.9% of exports, and 80% of total employment....
, forestry
Forestry in Ethiopia
In the late nineteenth century, about 30% of Ethiopia was covered with forest. The clearing of land for agricultural use and the cutting of trees for fuel gradually changed the scene, and today forest areas have dwindled to less than 4% of Ethiopia's total land. The northern parts of the highlands...
, and fishing
Fishing in Ethiopia
Ethiopia has many lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. However, fishing contributed less than 1 percent of the Gross domestic product in 1987. Further, a study reported that only 15,389 tonnes were actually caught in 2001, 30% of an estimated potential of 51,481 tonnes....
with 26.6 percent, services with 15.1 percent, transportation with 8.1 percent, construction with 8.0 percent, trade with 6.2 percent, utilities with 3.7 percent, finance with 2.4 percent, and mining with 0.7 percent. A total of 35.6 percent of the members lived in Addis Ababa and another 18.0 percent in Shewa
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
. Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
and Tigray
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...
accounted for no more than 7.5 percent of the total membership. By the late 1980s, the AETU had failed to regain the activist reputation its predecessors had won in the 1970s. According to one observer, this political quiescence probably indicated that the government had successfully co-opted the trade unions.
Current status
In 2000 a private company dissolved its labor union after a disagreement between management and the workers. A total of 586 workers were expelled from the company, including union leaders. The Ethiopian government attempted to mediate the dispute, but the employer refused to cooperate; the case was expected to be referred to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs later that year.During 2008, the top management of the state-owned Bole Printing Enterprise disagreed with its union over issues of worker compensation and unlawful termination. In late December a labor advisory board, composed of state ministers, representatives of the employees, the CETU, and Bole Printing Enterprise management, found that both sides were at fault and decided to reinstate the unlawful terminations of employees. The employees were expected to resume their duties.