IN A STRONGLY worded open letter addressed to Nigerian-born British Conservative Member of Parliament, Mrs Kemi Badenoch, the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has issued a sweeping condemnation of the United Kingdom’s diplomatic posture regarding historical injustices, demanding accountability for what it describes as the “full continuum of exploitation” spanning centuries.
The letter, sent to Mrs Badenoch, MP for North West Essex, comes in response to her recent opposition to a United Nations resolution on slavery and reparations.
While the UK abstained from the vote, Badenoch had reportedly argued that the country should have rejected the resolution altogether, citing Britain’s historical role in leading the fight to end the slave trade.
ITUC-Africa rejected that narrative as a “selective reading of history” that ignores the enduring structural inequalities borne from colonialism and neo-colonial economic systems.
Signed by Akhator Joel Odigie, ITUC-Africa’s General Secretary, and dated 30th March 2026, the letter takes particular issue with the framing of reparations as an unjust burden on British taxpayers. “Without embellishment, reparations are not about punishment – they are about acknowledgement, repair, and transformation,” the letter states. “They constitute a moral imperative for addressing historical injustices and their present-day consequences, including underdevelopment, inequality, and systemic injustice.”
The union argues that the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, while historically significant, did not mark the end of exploitation but rather a transition into formal colonial domination.
During that period, the letter contends, African lands, labour, and resources were systematically extracted to fuel European industrialisation, often under conditions that replicated and extended earlier systems of coercion.
These economic and social consequences, the letter argues, remain deeply embedded in the precarious work, suppressed wages, and weakened public systems that millions of African workers continue to face today.
Beyond colonialism, the letter points to contemporary global economic arrangements as evidence of persistent neo-colonial patterns.
The letter also cited unfair trade systems, extractive value chains, debt dependency, and the marginalisation of African economies within global governance structures as ongoing manifestations of a historical imbalance that has never been adequately addressed.
The union did not mince words in expressing its disappointment with the UK’s diplomatic stance. “If, as you assert, the United Kingdom played a role in ending slavery, then it should have been among the first to proudly support a resolution aimed at ensuring that such crimes against humanity are never repeated,” the letter reads, adding that “Supporting the resolution would have signalled moral leadership, consistency, and a genuine commitment to human rights.”
ITUC-Africa described UK’s abstention vote as “unfortunate and appalling,” as it called on the British government to lead efforts toward restitution rather than act with indifference.
The open letter keys into the intensifying global debate over reparatory justice, with a growing number of Caribbean and African nations pushing for formal dialogue on restitution for slavery and colonialism. While European governments have largely resisted such calls, the ITUC-Africa’s intervention signals increasing pressure from organised labour, framing reparations not merely as a historical reckoning but as a contemporary economic and workers’ rights issue.
