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| União Geral dos Trabalhadores de Cabo Verde | |
|---|---|
| Name | União Geral dos Trabalhadores de Cabo Verde |
| Native name | União Geral dos Trabalhadores de Cabo Verde |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Location country | Cape Verde |
| Headquarters | Praia |
| Key people | José Barreto, Maria da Luz Almeida |
| Affiliation | International Trade Union Confederation, African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation |
| Members | 10,000 (est.) |
União Geral dos Trabalhadores de Cabo Verde is a national trade union center based in Cape Verde founded in the early 1990s as part of post-authoritarian labor reorganization following party liberalization and multiparty transitions. It operates primarily from Praia and engages with national institutions such as the National Assembly (Cape Verde), ministries, and municipal councils while interacting with regional actors like the Economic Community of West African States and international bodies including the International Labour Organization and International Trade Union Confederation.
Formed amid the transition from one-party rule associated with the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde toward multiparty politics exemplified by the Movement for Democracy (Cape Verde), the union traces origins to labor movements influenced by earlier anticolonial struggles tied to Amílcar Cabral and post-independence debates about social policy. Early negotiations involved figures from the Ministry of Social Affairs (Cape Verde) and representatives linked to public sector unions from Espargos and Mindelo. The 1990s context included economic reforms paralleling programs by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, prompting industrial disputes in fisheries around São Vicente and transport in Santiago, Cape Verde. Throughout the 2000s the organization engaged with legal reforms related to the Labour Code (Cape Verde) and social dialogue platforms associated with the Presidency of Cape Verde.
The center is structured with a national congress, executive secretariat, regional committees in municipalities such as Santa Catarina (Cape Verde), and sectoral federations for sectors including fisheries, public administration, and tourism concentrated in Boa Vista, Cape Verde. Leadership posts have been held by activists who previously worked with unions in Portugal and NGOs such as Caritas Internationalis and the International Trade Union Confederation. Administrative functions liaise with the Ministry of Finance (Cape Verde), the Bank of Cape Verde, and municipal labor offices, while legal counsel engages lawyers from firms active in Praia and academics at the University of Cape Verde.
Membership includes affiliate unions from public sector bodies like the National Police of Cape Verde's civilian staff, maritime workers from organizations in Mindelo, and tourism workers on Sal (island). Affiliates have engaged with professional associations such as the Bar Association of Cape Verde on labor law cases and with cooperative groups rooted in associations from Santiago (island). Cross-affiliations have connected members to regional federations within the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation and to European partners in Portugal and Spain.
The union has organized collective bargaining campaigns, strikes, and public demonstrations in central locations like Praia's Avenida Cidade de Lisboa and held negotiations with employers including fishing conglomerates operating out of São Vicente ports. Campaigns have targeted issues addressed by the International Labour Organization such as decent work, child labor in artisanal fisheries, and occupational safety in tourism resorts on Sal (island). Training programs have been run in collaboration with organizations like the European Trade Union Confederation and NGOs active in labor rights in West Africa, and advocacy has been mounted around social protection policies debated in the National Assembly (Cape Verde).
The center has influenced policy debates involving the Ministry of Health (Cape Verde) on workplace health standards, the Ministry of Education and Family (Cape Verde) on vocational training, and municipal administrations in Praia and Santa Catarina (Cape Verde). It has engaged in tripartite dialogues alongside employer federations such as the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Verde and international donors like the European Union and United Nations Development Programme on labor-market programs. Its leaders have participated in presidential advisory forums and have been cited in national media outlets including A Semana (Cape Verde) and Expresso das Ilhas.
Affiliations include the International Trade Union Confederation and contacts with the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity and European unions in Portugal and Spain. The center has taken part in regional conferences under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States and has cooperated with UN agencies such as the International Labour Organization and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on capacity building. Bilateral exchanges have occurred with trade union centers in Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal.
Critics have accused the organization of political alignment with parties dating from the post-independence period, citing links to factions associated with the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde and tensions during electoral cycles involving the Movement for Democracy (Cape Verde). Allegations have been made in media outlets like A Semana (Cape Verde) about financial transparency and internal governance disputes involving regional committee elections in São Vicente and Santiago (island). Disputes with employer federations such as the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Verde and clashes during industrial actions in the fisheries sector led to legal cases brought before labor tribunals and commentary from international observers including representatives from the International Trade Union Confederation.
Category:Trade unions in Cape Verde Category:Organizations established in 1993