The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has submitted a petition demanding a people-centred African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with a stand-alone protocol on labour and social clauses.
The petition, addressed to the Secretary-General of AfCFTA, Wamkele Mene, the ITUC-Africa, the Ghana Trades Union Congress, and allied civil society organisations, was handed down at a gathering in Accra, together with trade union centres from across Africa representing workers in all regions of the continent.
The petitioners admitted that the AfCFTA is one of the continent’s most ambitious initiatives, with the potential to transform Africa’s economies, generate employment, and drive industrialisation.
However, it observed that without deliberate safeguards, trade liberalisation risks exacerbating inequality, fuelling precarious work, and excluding women, youth, informal workers and other vulnerable groups from its benefits.
According to them, to fulfil the promise of Agenda 2063, AfCFTA must balance trade expansion with social justice, decent work and inclusive development.
It then demanded the adoption of a stand-alone AfCFTA Protocol on Labour and Social Clauses.
“AfCFTA must enshrine labour and social protections in a dedicated, enforceable protocol. This protocol should commit State Parties to uphold ILO core conventions, collective bargaining rights, minimum social protection floors, and safeguards for vulnerable groups, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities,” it said.
The regional labour body also demanded a guarantee of union participation in AfCFTA governance. It maintained that trade unions must be formally represented in National Implementation Committees and AfCFTA technical bodies.
It added that the ITUC-Africa should be granted observer status and formally invited to all trade-related negotiations and policy forums at the continental level.
To ensure monitoring, enforcement, and accountability, ITUC-Africa said an independent labour and social rights oversight mechanism should be created within the AfCFTA.
According to the body, this must be empowered to receive complaints, review compliance, and recommend corrective measures against non-adherence.
It insisted that the measures are not obstacles but enablers of inclusive growth, saying, “A stand-alone protocol would align AfCFTA with global best practices, prevent a race to the bottom in wages and conditions, and instead encourage a race to the top in labour standards.
“It will also guarantee that Africa’s integration project becomes a driver of decent jobs, fair wages, equity, and dignity for all workers. We respectfully request that your office receive this petition and act swiftly to convene inclusive consultations towards the drafting and adoption of this Protocol.”
The petition was signed by the ITUC-Africa and Ghana TUC on behalf of continental trade union centres and allied civil society organisations.
