Mozambique: CDD accuses government of refusing to legalize Union of Agricultural Extension Workers

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Mozambique: CDD accuses government of refusing to legalize Union of Agricultural Extension Workers

8:19 CAT | 18 Sep 2025

File photo: RTP Africa

A prominent Mozambican NGO, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), has accused the government of refusing to legalize the Union of Agricultural Extension Workers (SNEA) after it submitted a registration request two years ago to the Ministry of State Administration.

In a statement, the CDD claims “this administrative silence violates the Law on Unionization in the Public Service and disrespects the constitutional principles of freedom of association, enshrined in the Constitution.”

“The lack of any decision from the government constitutes a violation of the duty to decide, a structuring principle of administrative law also provided for in the Administrative Procedure Law”, it said.

The law also establishes that the freedom to form unions in the public service must respect principles of constitutionality, dialogue, continuity, ethics, independence, and democracy”, reads the CDD note.

According to the document, the government’s inaction for two years contradicts all democratic principles, compromising the effectiveness of a right that the State is obliged to protect.

“Freedom of association is a fundamental right, enshrined in the Constitution and in international conventions ratified by Mozambique, such as Convention No. 87 of the International Labor Organization. The administration is undermining the exercise of this right, creating obstacles to the ability of employees to organize and legitimately represent themselves”, reads the statement.

According to the CDD note, the two-year delay undermines workers’ trust and the principle of good administration, which requires swift, transparent, and well-founded decisions.

“These are rules the observation of which is mandatory and cannot be ignored by the very State that enacted them. It is imperative that the Ministry immediately issue a decision on the SNEA registration process. Continued omission means two years of denial of fundamental rights and flagrant non-compliance with the law”, reads the document.

Source: AIM