Safety-first unionism: the case of Zambian mine unions

This article examines how Zambian unions deal with their weakening in the wake of the implementation of economic liberalisation and privatisation of the mines. It shows that Zambian mine unions have gone through four different but related stages: the period of militancy with internal divisions (1949–1964), initial taming (1965–1974), revival (1974–1990) and the second taming (1991 to date). This article argues that the second taming created the necessary conditions for the emergence of safety-first unionism as a strategic tool for the weak and divided union with a much-reduced membership to secure some gains for their members. Safety-first unionism is rooted in conflict avoidance, investments, and upscaling membership services. The article draws upon the author’s personal experiences as a trade unionist, and long-term ethnographic work among trade unions between 2003 and 2023.