Declining membership levels in industrialised and emerging economies have generated debate about the role and potential impact of trade unions and the most appropriate strategies for union renewal. In post-conflict countries within Africa, a re-evaluation of the trade union role is particularly pressing, given the impact of privatisation and restructuring on employment and the large informal sector workforce. Strategies for renewal in advanced economies include the organising model and community unionism, but to what extent are these strategies of value in emerging economies? This article draws on exploratory research in Mozambique to examine union change and development in the context of adversity and the possibilities of, and progress towards, union renewal. Findings reveal some progress on employment rights and engagement with the informal sector. However, future prospects rely on broader economic and institutional changes: improvements in infrastructure; better enforcement of employment legislation; and transition from informal to formal sector work.
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