Trade Union Front Charter

Preamble

We, the elected leaders of Sudanese trade unions and professional associations — representing workers, engineers, doctors, teachers, lawyers, journalists, and all organized sectors of Sudanese civil society — announce the establishment of the Sudanese Professionals and Syndicates Coordination (SPSC).

We are rooted in 116 years of Sudanese labour history, from the 1908 forest sawmill strikes to the glorious December Revolution of 2018–2019, which demonstrated that an organized civil front can bring about fundamental change through peaceful, popular struggle.

We establish this coordination at a moment of existential crisis for our country. The war that erupted on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated our communities, displaced millions, and threatens the very social fabric of Sudan.

We believe that workers and professionals — organized, united, and principled — are the most powerful force for achieving a just peace, a democratic transition, and the construction of a civil state grounded in the rule of law.

Principles

The Coordination is founded on five core principles:

1. Independence. We operate independently of all armed parties, political parties, and external financial actors. Our legitimacy derives solely from our member unions and the workers they represent.
2. Democratic mandate. All Coordination bodies are elected by their constituent organizations on the basis of proportional representation. Decisions are made collectively and transparently.
3. Non-violence. We reject all forms of violence as a means of political change. We commit to peaceful, organized civic action as the only legitimate path to transformation.
4. Inclusivity. We welcome all legitimate trade unions, professional associations, resistance committees, civil society organizations, and diaspora bodies that share our principles and commit to our charter.
5. Accountability. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of organizational transparency, financial accountability, and respect for the rights of all members, regardless of gender, region, religion, or ethnicity.

Objectives

The Coordination works toward the following objectives:

1. Immediate cessation of hostilities. We call for an unconditional, permanent ceasefire between the SAF and RSF, and the withdrawal of all armed forces from civilian areas.
2. Protection of civilians. We demand full accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law, including attacks on hospitals, schools, and civilian infrastructure.
3. Restoration of civil governance. We reject military rule in all its forms and call for the transfer of full executive authority to a civilian-led transitional government.
4. Defence of workers' rights. We commit to documenting and opposing all violations of trade union rights, including the dissolution of elected union bodies, interference in union affairs, and suppression of the right to strike and organize.
5. Economic justice. We advocate for policies that protect workers' wages, ensure fair conditions, and rebuild the productive base of the Sudanese economy on equitable foundations.
6. Democratic transition. We support a genuine transitional process leading to free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, and a permanent constitution drafted through broad civic participation.
7. Regional and international solidarity. We build and maintain relationships with the international labour movement, human rights organizations, and democratic governments to amplify the voice of Sudanese workers on the world stage.

Signed by the founding member organizations of the Sudanese Professionals and Syndicates Coordination.
1 April 2024 — Khartoum / Cairo / London / Nairobi