ALRN is proud to announce its new web site, designed to provide information and services to both the public and African Labour researchers. The African Labour Researcher's Network is a group of trade union-linked researchers from all over Africa. The network was formed in the beginning of 2001 as an African-owned research initiative, which seeks to increase the regional/global coherence and profile of African Labour and policy proposals. Initially the network covered Ghana Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia but has since grown and now includes Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Angola.

Evolutionary development of the network:

• The network was formed in the beginning of 2001 as an African-owned research initiative, which seeks to increase the regional/global coherence and profile of African Labour and policy proposals.
• The network is a voluntary, informal structure. Members are brought into the ALRN by invitation from existing members, and on the basis that members have an unambiguous left perspective (seeking alternatives to neo-liberal globalisation).

The core objectives of the network are the following:

• Carrying out collaborative policy-oriented research for the African labour movement on common challenges
• Producing education materials for the labour movement
• Capacity building e.g. exchange programmes and training of ALRN members
• Expanding the network to further high quality trade union-linked research institutes
• Interacting closely with other global research and social movement networks such as the Global Policy Network and the World Social Forum.

Current Research

1.  Social Observatory
The project objectives are to assess multi-national corporations in terms of compliance with international and national codes of conduct and mechanisms of corporate accountability in Africa. Criteria developed for the assessment include severe hazards or socio-economic impacts (such as oil or chemical), levels of privatisation (including a withdrawal of the State through public-private partnerships), high levels of corporate social responsibility.

2.  Gender research workshop
The network is holding a capacity building workshop on gender research methodology. The workshop will focus on the challenges of gender research in trade unions in Africa, as well as the development of strategies to integrate gender in all research and activities undertaken by the network. An outcome of the workshop will be the development of the joint research projects on gender within the region.

LARRI is acting as the secretariat for the ALRN.

Contact Details:  Ntwala Mwilima
P.O. Box 62423, Mungunda Str, Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia
TEL: +26461 212044
FAX: +26461 217969