Confédération africaine des travailleurs croyants (French West Africa)

The Confédération africaine des travailleurs croyants ('African Confederation of Believing Workers', abbreviated C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo) was a trade union confederation in French West Africa and Togo. C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo was founded in Ouagadougou July 8–15, 1956 by the West African branches of the French trade union centre C.F.T.C. David Soumah became the first president of C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo.

When adopting the name of the new, autonomous organization the word 'Christians' (used in the C.F.T.C name) was changed into the 'Believers', seeking to accommodate Muslim workers. However, C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo continued to be funded by the Catholic Church and became an affiliate of the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions.

C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo had its headquarters in Dakar. The movement had its main strongholds in Togo, Dahomey and Upper Volta. C.A.T.C. was the dominant union movement in Upper Volta.Joseph Ouédraogo was the leader of the C.A.T.C branch in Upper Volta.Maurice Yaméogo, who later became the president of Upper Volta, had been active in C.A.T.C.

C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo participated in the conference held in Cotonou on January 16, 1957, which founded the U.G.T.A.N trade union centre. C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo abstained from participating in the election to the provisional executive of U.G.T.A.N, claiming that they wished to confer with their member organizations on affiliation to the new pan-African organization. In the end C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo remained outside of U.G.T.A.N, as they wished to maintain their profile as a non-political union organization. Whilst U.G.T.A.N became the dominant force in the Francophone West African labour movement, with around 90% of the organized unions affiliated to it, C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo organized the majority of the non-U.G.T.A.N unions.

...
Wikipedia