TUC reaction to the Report of the Commission for Africa

TUC reaction to the Report of the Commission for Africa

• The TUC welcomes the recognition by the Commission for Africa of the role of trade unions in Africa’s development and regards the Report as a significant contribution to the debate. As we said in our submission to the Commission, a strong civil society in which trade unions are allowed to exercise their legitimate rights without interference from the state is a prerequisite for good governance and we are pleased that the Report stresses the need for accountability and transparency - themes that trade unionists attach great importance to.

• The emphasis on the direct action for creating employment opportunities, especially for young people and women, is indeed welcome.

• We are particularly pleased with the emphasis on human development in Africa and very much support the call for free primary education and for substantial resources for improvements in health and social protection in Africa.

· We support the innovative proposals for raising funds to combat HIV and AIDS in Africa and in particular the support for the International Finance Facility.

• The TUC agrees with many of the recommendations of the Commission, especially those on key themes that the British trade union movement has long campaigned on. We have consistently opposed moves by industrialised nations to impose trade liberalisation prematurely on developing countries; we have supported the campaign in favour of total cancellation of unpayable debt; we have advocated a substantial increase in aid.

• The TUC supports the call for an end to protection by developed nations so that the countries in Africa can enjoy fair trading opportunities. We hope that the WTO Ministerial Conference this year will give serious consideration to the Commission’ s recommendations on trade.

• We believe that the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund is a proposition worthy of serious consideration. We hope it will go a long way towards solving chronic unemployment on the Continent.

• From our point of view, the Report is fairly comprehensive in its coverage of issues and its recommendation point in the right direction. Moreover, the Report is well balanced in that it calls for shared responsibility for the Continent’s development, stressing the need for rooting out corruption.