Trade union capacity building workshop in Mali on decent work for workers in cotton and gold mining agricultural supply chains as a pathway to eliminating child labour
5 July 2024
Bamako, Mali, July 8, 2024 – The ACCEL Africa project aimed at accelerating the elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa, and the Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) organized a crucial workshop in Bamako, Mali, from July 5 to 7, 2024. This event brought together twenty focal points from the country's main trade union centers (UNTM, CSTM, CMT, CDTM), with the aim of strengthening their capacities in terms of decent work for adult workers and this, contributing to the fight against child labour in the cotton and Artisanal gold mining (AGM) sectors.
The workshop, facilitated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the Office for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV), was an opportunity for participants to learn about Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (PDFT). and brainstorm effective strategies for organizing workers at lower levels of the supply chain.
The specific objectives of the workshop included:
- Develop participants' knowledge of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW) and particularly those relating to freedom of association and collective bargaining;
- Analyze the child labour situation in the cotton and AGM sectors;
- Present national and union policies as well as action plans to combat child labour;
- Define the crucial role of trade union organizations on the issue;
- Initiate reflection on worker organization strategies;
- Operationalize the union platform to combat child labour.
During three intensive days, members of the union platform participated in interactive sessions, group work and debates, under the supervision of Malian and international experts. The workshop also made it possible to develop the work plan of the inter-union platform and to start the design of a unionization/collective organization plan for workers in the sectors mentioned above, with the aim of bringing out the voice of these workers and to promote conditions respectful of decent work.
Madam Kattia Paredes, an ACTRAV specialist based in Abidjan, welcomed the united commitment of Malian trade union centers in this crucial struggle: “Unions play an essential role in creating a working environment free from child labor. This workshop marks a significant step towards the development of concrete union strategies and effective policies to protect the rights of workers in vulnerable sectors, while broadening their representative base."
The members of the inter-union platform expressed their firm conviction that "their quest for decent work for adults and the elimination of child labour will only be possible if the basic fundamental rights of FREEDOM OF UNIONS and the RIGHT TO COLLETIVE BARGAINING are respected."
The workshop defined the different steps that will be necessary in order to implement, on the one hand, the action plan of the inter-union platform, aimed at coordinating and strengthening union influence in political and economic decisions in Mali and, on the other hand, their commitments to decent work for adults, based on their collective organization, which should lead to the elimination of child labour.
About ACCEL Africa
The ACCEL AFRICA project is funded by the Netherlands and implemented in several African countries, aiming to eliminate child labour in supply chains. In partnership with governments, employers, unions and civil society, ACCEL Africa aims to create lasting impact and improve the living conditions of agricultural and mining communities in Africa.