Baba Aye's

during the paper presentation, after group work on the topic INTRODUCTION I wish to start by expressing my utmost appreciation to the Friedrich Ebert Stfiftung in Cotonu and Abuja for the invitation to present this paper. It is a great opportunity to discuss with young men and women from a diverse array of trade unions in the West African sub-region, on pertinent issues that the working class faces, at this critical juncture in human history. Similarly, I must particularly commend the FES Republic of Benin Office for its consistency in organising the Summer University, which I had the pleasure of attending several years back, as a youth. I must say that the school is a very intensive one with rich discourse, and presents an opportunity for young trade unionists to establish or consolidate networks of friends and comrades that would be of immense value in themselves, and for our work as emerging trade union leaders. This, I say from practical experience. The theme of thi

INTRODUCTION I wish to start by expressing my pleasure at the continued commitment of Social Action to organising camps such as these for young women and men, many of whom have become activists only in recent times. These started in 2008 and have become interlaced with a network of study centres in Benin, Port Harcourt and Calabar. And over the cause of these past few years, I have noticed significant developments in the arguments and politics of many a youth associated with this process. For this, I do commend Social Action. We face two interrelated problems at the historic point where we now stand. On one hand, after decades of economic, political and ideological attacks by the bosses on the working people, has resulted in a “poverty of philosophy” indeed a drought of living revolutionary alternatives (in terms of both ideas and organisation) for young activists coming into political life. On the other hand, we are living through the most earth-shaking crisis of the capitali