More than 40 delegates representing unions in 11 Asecna (Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar) countries who attended the third ordinary congress of the Festa (Federation of Workers’ Unions of Asecna) in Cotonou, Benin took steps to strengthen the organisation’s future.
The congress, which ended on 11 March, drew participants from Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin, Congo Brazzaville, Cameroon and the Central African Republic.
ITF civil aviation secretary Gabriel Mocho said: “We need a successful recovery of the Festa so that it is an effective tool for dialogue and better promotes the interests of workers in Asecna. This congress was an important start, laying the foundations for Festa’s future management and strategic direction.”
ITF representatives joined colleagues from the general directorate of Asecna and the secretary general of the Confederation Autonomous Trade Unions of Benin (CSA-Benin) at the opening ceremony, which was chaired by Benin’s Minister's Representative for Public Works and Transport.
The congress discussed some of the most pressing challenges facing today’s civil aviation industry, including the impact of deregulation and privatisation. It elected as Festa secretary general for three years Richard Almeida, secretary general of Synatramac Benin (National Union of Meteorology and Civil Aviation Workers) and a member of the civil aviation section of ITF’s executive committee. A new, 17-member federal executive committee was also elected.
