BWI pushes for strengthening business and human rights in Africa

The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner in Brussels, Belgium on 10 September 2024 hosted a workshop which carried the theme "International Workshop on Business and Human Rights in Africa: Advancing Responsible Business Conduct within an International Context." Representing the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) was Boitumelo Tsotetsi, Gender and Project Coordinator for Africa and the Middle East. 

The workshop explored key topics including the current state of due diligence compliance in Africa, the continent’s perspectives on existing frameworks and tools for improving business operations, and the necessary steps to enhance business relations across the region. BWI contributed valuable insights on behalf of African workers, emphasising the need for coherent, collaborative, and aligned approaches to business and human rights. BWI highlighted trade union concerns such as the broad scope of interpretation by member states and businesses in engaging with trade unions or workers' councils, the frequent inaccuracies in company reports regarding human, labour, and environmental rights violations, and the lack of consistency in business and human rights enforcement. 

In response to these challenges, BWI proposed several measures to ensure the protection of labour rights across the continent. Her recommendations included making trade unions key stakeholders in the enforcement, monitoring, and reporting processes, introducing back-to-back clauses that identify and safeguard fundamental labour rights, producing shadow reports by trade unions, and promoting business-driven capacity building for trade unions on Business and Human Rights (BHR) pillars and concepts.

The participation of trade unions in this workshop marks a significant step forward in integrating them into global BHR discussions. This opportunity was made possible through the collaboration of Professor Damilola Olawuyi, Chair of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s (FES) African Union Office.

As BWI continues to champion a worker-friendly business environment in Africa, the organisation encourages its affiliates to explore BWI’s six-part video module on business and human rights, launched on World Day for Decent Work. The module highlights the crucial role of trade unions in holding companies accountable for their business and human rights obligations.