The International Labour Organization and African trade unions
Tripartite fantasies and enduring struggles
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11904080 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nick Bernards (0000-0003-4576-6555, McMaster University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 153 |
| Publication date | 2017-06-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Review of African Political Economy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-6244 • E-ISSN: 1740-1720 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03056244.2017.1318359 |
| OpenAlex | W2625127575 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 25 |
This article examines the complex and contradictory history of interactions between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and trade unions in Africa from 1960 to the present. The paper focuses in particular on ILO efforts to deliver technical assistance to trade unions. I highlight the tensions raised by the mismatch between ILO’s adherence to a particular view of industrial unionism rooted in northern European experience, which I label the ‘tripartite fantasy’ and the political and economic realities of labour in Africa. The article draws on original archival and interview evidence to trace out the subtle conflicts raised by these tensions. It focuses in particular on the difficulty in balancing the principle of freedom of association with efforts to promote ‘unity’ among African unions. These tensions played out most clearly in efforts to organise assistance to unions under apartheid. The article concludes by reflecting on the difficult position of the ILO in contemporary African politics
Economics · International trade · Political economy · Political science · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · International Labor and Employment Law · Labor Movements and Unions
Social Upgrading and Labour in Global Production Networks
Human Rights, Development and Decolonization
Decolonization and African Society
The internationalization of labour politics in Africa
The International Labour Organization and the ambivalent politics of financial inclusion in West Africa
Freedom of association
From the shop floor to the kitchen table
Rebellion of the poor
Assessing South Africa's New Growth Path
Changing perspective on South African trade unions
Marikana, turning point in South African history
Violence and democracy in South Africa's community protests
South Africa
Organised labour and the politics of class formation in post-apartheid South Africa
The Zuma Affair, Labour and the Future of Democracy in South Africa
The Trade Union Movement in Africa
Tripartism in Comparative and Historical Perspective
The ending of southern Africa's tripartite dream
Labor and hegemony
Debt, Uneven Development and Capitalist Crisis in South Africa
The ILO
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,86 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2025 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |