Action of the Ethiopian Railway Workers’ Union (1946-1977)
Anti-colonialism, Social Struggles and Defence of Workers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51185/journals/rhca.2024.060706Keywords:
Ethiopia, Nationalism, Ethio-French Railway, Discrimination, StrikeAbstract
In 1946, Ethiopian railway workers at the Franco-Ethiopian Railway Company mobilised against workplace discrimination. They formed the country’s first trade union, which initially collaborated with the Ethiopian government in support of a nationalist project. However, this common ground did not last, and tensions peaked after the nationalisation of the company in 1960, until both the company and the union disappeared at the end of the 1970s. During its thirty years of existence, the Ethiopian Railwaymen’s Union combined collective action – sometimes violent – with daily efforts to defend individual employees. Their examination offers insight into the way trade unionism was perceived in Post-World War II African society.
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