| National organization(s) | SLLC |
|---|---|
| Regulatory authority | Ministry of Labour and Social Security |
| Primary legislation | Employment Act 2023 |
| Total union membership | 354,747 (2022)[1] |
| Trade union density | 13% (2022)[1] |
| Global Rights Index | |
4 Systematic violations of rights | |
| International Labour Organization | |
| Sierra Leone is a member of the ILO | |
| Convention ratification | |
| Freedom of Association | 15 June 1961 |
| Right to Organise | 13 June 1961 |
Trade unions in Sierra Leone first emerged in the period around World War I, with reports indicating that civil servants organised unions as early as 1912.[2] The Railway Workers Union was founded in 1919.[3] In the late 1930s, trade unions affiliated to the Youth League formed the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to coordinate actions within the labour movement.[4] In 1940, trade unions were legalised.[5] In 1946 tripartite bargaining councils were established that incorporated trade unions for minimum wage and sectoral bargaining with employers.[6] The Sierra Leone Labour Congress (SLLC) was founded in 1976. Although the country's civil war at the end of the 20th Century had a devastating effect on the labour movement,[7] unions played an important role in nonviolent resistance, launching a national strike in the immediate aftermath of the 1997 coup by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council.[8] Since the end of the civil war, trade unionism in the informal sector has grown.[9]
- ^ a b DTDA 2023, p. 7.
- ^ Orr 1966, p. 66.
- ^ Amolo 1979, p. 37.
- ^ Conway 1968, p. 61.
- ^ Hotchkiss 1979, p. 439.
- ^ Luke 1985a, p. 439.
- ^ Stirling 2013, p. 536.
- ^ Press 2015, pp. 105–148.
- ^ McDermott 2023.
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