VZCZCXRO0361
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #2059/01 3611611
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271611Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9628
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 002059 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, DRL FOR TDANG, AF SE WILLIAMSON 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
NAIROBI FOR RFLEITMAN 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
DEPT PLS PASS USDOL FOR SHALEY, RSHEPARD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SOCI AU UNSC ECON ELAB SU
SUBJECT: SUDANESE LABOR UNIONS: THEATRICS OR REAL PROGRESS? 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Meetings with the Sudan Workers Trade Union 
Federation (SWTUF) and an independent Sudanese labor and human 
rights lawyer paint two different pictures of the Sudanese labor 
environment.  On the one hand, the SWTUF claims that unions operate 
freely at the state and national levels and real progress has been 
made over the last few years by labor unions in concert with the GNU 
and employers to improve workers' living and working conditions.  On 
the other hand, an independent Sudanese labor expert claims that the 
national labor federation acts only as an arm of the ruling National 
Congress Party (NCP) and is no more than a political mouthpiece. 
From this perspective, it pretends to lobby on behalf of its workers 
to achieve gains, when in reality all labor-related change is 
controlled by the GNU.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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A CHECKERED PAST FOR THE SUDANESE LABOR MOVEMENT 
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¶2. (U) Sudanese political history has greatly restricted the 
organization and activity of trade unions.  It was only during the 
brief period of democracy in the mid-80s that unions flourished and 
the Sudanese labor movement gained traction.  Strikes, first banned 
by the government in May 1969, were legalized in 1985.  The 1989 
coup, however, brought a swift end to the labor movement.  The 
National Salvation Revolution Command Council (RCC), led by 
President Al-Bashir, abolished labor unions and prohibited strikes 
by decree on 30 June 1989. The right to organize and join a union 
has since been restored under Al-Bashir's rule, but the Sudanese 
government dominates the leadership of all unions and tightly 
controls their activities. 
 
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IT MAY BE A MOUTHPIECE, BUT WITH REAL PROGRESS 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
¶3. (U) On 23 December, poloffs met with Ibrahim Ghandour, prominent 
NCP member and President of the only labor federation in Sudan, the 
SWTUF. Ghandour described the Sudanese federation as one of the 
oldest Arab-African trade unions.  The federation is headquartered 
in Khartoum and consists of 25 state unions (one representing each 
state) and 22 industry unions and represents approximately 1.5 
million workers in the formal and informal sectors.  The state 
unions, according to Ghandour, are fully authorized to operate 
within their states.  The Sudanese government does not financially 
support the federation; instead, each member pays USD 0.75 in union 
dues annually.  Ghandour said that the federation has a good 
relationship with the GNU, especially at the level of the 
Presidency.  He indicated that when industrial disputes occur, the 
office of the Presidency acts quickly to resolve them and generally 
sides with the unionists. 
 
¶4. (U) Ghandour claimed that SWTUF has made vast improvements in 
workers' conditions over the past several years.  The biggest 
accomplishment to date has been in wages.  In 1990, the minimum wage 
was USD26 per month; in 2007 the minimum wage is USD60 per month. 
The largest wage improvement by industry has been in general 
education.  Ghandour told poloffs that before 2004, teachers used to 
look for education jobs outside of Sudan, particularly in Oman and 
Yemen, because the pay was less than USD100 per month.  In 2004, 
there was an improvement of over 100% in general education wages and 
many Sudanese educators returned to take up jobs in Sudan.  In 
addition, Ghandour said that the federation has improved access to 
land for its workers.  "Before 1994", stated Ghandour, "it was a 
dream for a worker to own land."  Now, 250,000 workers have acquired 
land for housing through a jointly-negotiated plan between the state 
governments and unions.  Lastly, Ghandour pointed to improvements in 
the labor laws, which he characterized as labor-friendly.  Revised 
labor laws have lavished new gains in social security and health 
benefits on workers.  As a result of a new amendment, workers will 
receive 80 percent of their salary as pension, employer-funded. 
Ghandour attributed these improvements to the strong support for the 
SWTUF in the National Assembly (where many unionists sit) and at the 
Office of the Presidency. 
 
¶5. (U) Ghandour lamented that one of the biggest problems in the 
workplace is occupational health and safety.  The responsibility for 
this falls under the Ministry of Health, which is doing nothing to 
mitigate accidents or encourage awareness.  SWTUF is trying to 
compensate for this by training its own members to teach its workers 
about petrochemical safety and other hazards.  Despite this, 
Ghandour claimed that compensation for industrial accidents is "very 
good."  Ghandour stated that labor disputes are settled in labor 
courts, which he said function well.  He described the current labor 
environment as one in which workers are winning against employers. 
Because workers often cannot afford legal support, SWTUF is trying 
to offer it at no cost to its workers; however this will take time 
 
KHARTOUM 00002059  002 OF 002 
 
 
and money to institute. 
 
¶6. (SBU) On the issue of foreign labor, SWTUF claims that there has 
been a recent influx of foreign workers into Sudan from China, 
Ethiopia, Thailand and Bangladesh.  According to SWTUF, the Ministry 
of Labor estimates the number of foreign laborers in Sudan at 
15,000, while Sudanese immigration officials estimate it at 100,000. 
 Such laborers are willing to work cheaply, "do not make a fuss" 
over conditions or wages, and are non-associated.  Ghandour stated 
that Chinese laborers will work for less than the Sudanese minimum 
wage.  He said that a Foreign Labor Act has been drafted by the 
tripartite committee and is now with the Cabinet for approval.  The 
act will specify that companies operating in Sudan must employ a 
certain percentage of Sudanese workers. 
 
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SWTUF - NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE? 
--------------------------------------- 
¶7. (SBU) A meeting with Omar Hassan Shumena, a Sudanese labor and 
human rights lawyer who received his Masters of Law in London, told 
a different story about labor union movement in Sudan.  Shumena, who 
previously worked as a legal advisor to the Government of Sudan and 
for the ILO in Geneva, described the trade union movement in Sudan 
as a "sham."  He stated that unions have no effective leadership. 
He further stated that their members do not have a good grasp of 
union duties and rights, and claimed unions do not adhere to 
democratic practices.  The union movement is a "cog in the machine 
of the (Sudanese) political system", declared Shumena.  Because 
there is only one federation of unions, it can be "easily 
manipulated and controlled" by the GNU.  The SWTUF is "not genuine", 
stated Shumena, "it is theatrical."  Shumena stated that Sudanese 
minimum wages are not at all in sync with current inflation. 
Furthermore, unions seldom use their right to strike.  Shumena 
criticized the fact that Sudanese trade union law states that 
workers may only associate within their enterprise, saying that the 
workers would have a stronger voice if they were able to associate 
within their industries. He stated that union activists are lobbying 
for this change while the NCP is resisting it. 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT:  While there have been amendments to the Sudanese 
labor law over the past several years which have served to benefit 
workers, unions in Sudan do not operate independently of the GNU. 
This is evident in the streamlined organizational structure of the 
union system in Sudan and the fact that the head of SWTUF is a 
well-known NCP figure.  Although Sudan is a signatory to ILO 
convention 98 which allows workers the right to associate and 
bargain collectively, all bargaining is done by the SWTUF in a 
government-run tripartite committee.  The SWTUF feigns to be a 
powerful, independent force that reckons with the government and 
employers in order to effect change on behalf of workers.  Although 
some progress has been achieved to improve workers' conditions, 
workers' rights still remain extremely limited. Union activity takes 
place under the microscope of the Sudanese government. A true labor 
movement cannot take root until the GNU allows labor unions to form 
and operate freely.  The 2009 election cycle may provide an 
opportunity for independent unions to form, but not if the ruling 
coalition that results from the election continues to restrict the 
free association of labor groups. 
 
POWERS