Paper short abstract:

Industrial relations are made of institutions and rules but in colonial Africa there were no Labour organisations. The Angolan experience shows how, why and when this set of practices became outdated. Based on it this paper intends to stress the results of the rank-and-file African experience.

Paper long abstract:

Industrial relations are usually defined as a set of institutions and rules. The European labour experience and the theories that later were build upon it stressed the "the network of rules which govern workplace and the work community". In Africa, the demand of labour during most of the colonial period occurred in a different social environment: forced labour and the interdiction of Labour organisations were widespread. Thus, the work experience combined a framework of formal organisations (the capitalist corporations and colonial labour institutions) and informal worker's groups. But how long could it last? The Angolan experience shows when this set of practices started to conflict with profitability. Sooner or later some sort of unionisation was welcomed by all, labour and… capital. The role of Unions as key factors for social consensus (and capital accumulation) is well known in post-colonial Africa. But is the split of official Unions and the proliferation of independent Unions the only way for African workers to make claims? This paper intends to show that it may be worth reviewing the results of the rank-and-file African experience during colonial times.