World Federation of Trade Unions

Meeting of African Trade Union Organizations, WFTU Affiliates and Friends, Khartoum Sudan, January 14, 2008

Dear comrades and friends

The Regional Meeting of Trade Unions of Africa, will be held on January 14, 2008 in Khartoum Sudan.

The Meeting will be hosted by the Sudan Workers Trade Union Federation S.W.T.U.F. It will start at 09.00AM and will end at 20.00PM.

We live in a time when international situation is full of serious and devastating dangers for the people of Africa. Capitalist globalisation has facilitate the worlds’ monopolies and multinational companies giving them the possibility to attack against world’s working class. Everything is moving in the sense of gaining more profits for the few. Working achievements and rights are abstracted from workers in all regions. The power of multinationals is getting stronger also in the African Continent. Multinationals know well the wealth of the underground, the gold, oil and other valuable resources and they want to exploit more, to gain more. This is why imperialists show great interest for these areas and they want to preserve the colonialism. Many strange NGO’s are acting at the expense of people of Africa. The recent exemple of the NGO “L’Arche de Zoé” aiming to sell 150 children from Africa in Europe is the latest proof. And this is the role of the majority of NGO’s.

The situation for the trade-union organizations all over the world is complicated.

On our side, on the side of the working class trade union movement we must help and cooperate with our brother unions of the region and express our solidarity in action. We need to undertake initiatives and actions to support the peaceful survival of the people. People and countries have the right to self-determination and national sovereignty.

The new WFTU leadership is engaged to promote initiatives to update Trade Unions in Africa and all over the world and solidarity of the international working class to be expressed and support your efforts. We will strengthen our relations with WFTU affiliates and friends in Africa and support your struggles for trade union unity.

Looking forward to see you in Khartoum.