Trade unions in Africa have been urged to unite in protesting the signing of Economic Partnership Agreements that worsen unemployment on the continent.

The huge unemployment deficit in Africa will be further worsened by EPAs, which the European Union is pressurising African countries and others in the Caribbean and Pacific regions to sign before the end of the year, International Trade Unions Congress-Africa secretary general Adu-Amankwah Kwasi said on Tuesday.

Already, excessive and hasty trade liberalisation has allowed cheap and heavily subsidised imports, often from Europe, to wipe out domestic production.

This has contributed to changing many African countries from being self-sufficient in food production to becoming dependent on food imports, thereby destroying many livelihoods, most of them women's, in the agricultural sector, Mr Kwasi said.

He spoke at the Panafric Hotel in Nairobi during the launch of the inaugural World Day for Decent Work whose theme is "Creating decent employment and promoting workers' rights."

Mr Kwasi said a United Nations report released last month Africa's performance under trade liberalisation shows that the continent's export market share has dropped from six per cent to three of world trade since the 1980s, the very period that trade liberalisation and structural adjustment programmes were imposed on many African countries.

He said youth unemployment was particularly grave, with young people making up over 60 per cent of the jobless in Africa.

"As the international trade union movement marks the World Day for Decent Work, ITUC-Africa calls for solidarity to save jobs in Africa and for putting employment creation at the centre of all trade and investment policies that affect Africa," he said.

ITUC-Africa was founded in November last year and represents 16 million workers in 46 African countries and has 87 national affiliates.

Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli said the new labour laws must be enforced fully without amendments in order to guarantee better work environment.

He said the proposed 12 weeks leave for working mothers was below the 14 weeks recommended by the International Labour Organization and should not be reduced at all.

"Employers are complaining about the proposed three months maternity leave and we are not going to allow any alteration of the laws. This is even against ILO's recommended period," Mr Atwoli said.

Mr Atwoli expressed concern over the large number of workers employed as casuals and called on the Government to come up with measures to structure informal employment as a way of improving the welfare of such workers.

He warned employers against outsourcing services that workers provide, terming it illegal and a veiled move to sack employees.

The unionist said there was need for a minimum wage policy so that the more than four million workers who are not unionised can get decent pay.

He called for the harmonization of labour, immigration and business laws and currency among East African community member states to facilitate free labour movement and speed up integration.

Mr Atwoli said the planned zero tax on bulk fuel would be a relief to the Kenyan workers and help save jobs that could be lost if investors closed shop and relocated to other favourable destinations. He however asked Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi to ensure that benefits are passed on to the consumers.