| National organization(s) | CSA,CGTB,UNSTB |
|---|---|
| Regulatory authority | Ministry of Labour |
| Primary legislation | Benin Labour Code |
| Global Rights Index | |
4 Systematic violations of rights | |
| International Labour Organization | |
| Benin is a member of the ILO | |
| Convention ratification | |
| Freedom of Association | 12 December 1960 |
| Right to Organise | 16 May 1968 |
Trade unions in Benin operate in relative freedom, with approximately 75% of the formal sector beingunionized.[1] There are, however, concerns expressed by theInternational Labour Organization (ILO) and theInternational Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) about the discrepancies between the government'sLabour Code and the labour practices outlined by ILO Conventions 87 (Freedom of Association) and 98 (Right to Organize) - specifically the right of unions to form without government approval, the right of seafarers to organize or strike, and restrictions on strikes.[2][3]
During theCommunist era from 1972 to 1990, the trade union movement was organized in line with the professedMarxist-Leninist principles of thePeople's Revolutionary Party of Benin (PRPB). However, with the shift to a multi-party democracy in the 1990s, the trade union movement split into various entities.
There are three mainnational trade union centers in Benin. TheNational Union of the Unions of the Workers of Benin (UNSTB) was the sole trade union organization during the rule of the PRPB, having absorbed all former trade unions in 1974.[4] TheAutonomous Trade Unions Centre (CSA) formed with the rise of the multi-party system, and amid fears that the UNSTB would be unable to separate itself from the previous political powers. The third trade union center is theGeneral Confederation of the Workers of Benin.
Although Benin has ratified a number of the ILO "core conventions", there are notable deficiencies in the application of labour practices as espoused by the labour movement. In particular a 2004 report by ITCU (previously ICFTU) draws attention to the lack ofwomen's equality in the workforce, the use ofchild labour, and the ongoing problem offorced labour.[5]
