| Country: | Republic of the Congo |
| Union Percentage1 Title: | Union density |
| Ituc-Gri: | 3 |
| Ilomember: | Yes |
| Ilo-87Date: | 1960 |
| Ilo-98Date: | 1999 |
There are four main trade union centers in the Republic of the Congo (Congo).[1]
The ITUC ranked the Republic of the Congo a score of 3 on the Global Rights Index in 2024, due its regular repression of trade union leaders including arrests, union busting and restrictions on strikes.[2] [3]
Congo was colonized by France as part of the larger French Equatorial Africa until 1960. Trade unions developed during colonialism. After Congo became independent, three trade union confederations formed:
In 1960, leaders of the communist CGAT were arrested for attempting to form a revolutionary party. The first president of Congo, Fulbert Youlou wanted a single trade union confederation that was aligned with his political party. When Youlou declined the trade union confederations' suggestion of a Trade Union Merger Committee as an interim solution, the trade unions organized a 3-day general strike in August 1963, leading to the downfall of the Youlou government. The provisional government of Alphonse Massamba-Débat carried out the original plan, merging the political parties into the MNR and consolidating the confederations into the provisional Congolese Trade Union Confederation (CSC;). After Débat was elected president, leaders of CATC and CGAT were given prominent political posts in the MNR party.[4]
Shortly before the inaugural congress of the CSC, CATC dropped out and subsequently was not represented on the executive. The executive consisted of 3 representatives from CGAT, 3 from CCSL, 1 from the civil servant association and 1 from the postal workers' federation. The CATC president was imprisoned and its general secretary went into exile.