Regional trade-union leaders from East, South, and West Africa gathered in Addis Ababa for the Trilateral Experience Sharing and Exchange Meeting on Labour Migration, Social Dialogue and Free Movement of Persons, a gathering aimed at reinforcing cooperation across regions to promote regular labour migration, social dialogue, and continental integration. 

The workshop was hosted by the Horn of Africa Confederation of Trade Unions (HACTU), with support from the ILO, under the European-Union funded Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region (FMPT-II) project, phase II. Participants included major regional and continental trade-union partners: Southern Africa Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC), Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA), ITUC Africa (the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation), as well as representatives of the African Union (AU) and other stakeholder organisations. 

In his opening remarks, Ephrem Getnet, Chief Technical Advisor of the FMPT-II project, speaking on behalf of the ILO Director, emphasized the central role of regional trade unions: 

“Our regional trade union organizations are playing a vital role, championing workers’ rights, strengthening social dialogue, and shaping Africa’s integration agenda, and we must ensure that social partners, especially trade unions, are at the very centre of policy development and implementation at the regional level.” 

Echoing this view, Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the ITUC, underlined the need for stronger coordination among regional trade-union bodies to create improved opportunities for migrant workers, both in their countries of origin and destination, ensuring dignity, protection and decent work throughout their migration journeys. 

This trilateral exchange embodies that vision, strengthening cooperation, deepening solidarity and advancing a united trade-union voice for: 

• Regular labour migration and fair recruitment
• Social dialogue and migrant-centric policy
• Continental integration and free movement
• Solidarity and shared experience