Atwoli re-elected deputy president of Commonwealth Trade Union Group
Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has been re-elected for his second term as Deputy President of the Commonwealth Trade Union Group (CTUG).
In a post on Monday, June 9, 2025, Atwoli announced his re-election during the CTUG meeting in Brussels, Belgium, stating, “I am deeply honoured and humbled to have been unanimously re-elected, this morning, as the Deputy President of the Commonwealth Trade Union Group (CTUG).”
Commonwealth Trade Union
The CTUG, representing over 70 million workers across more than 40 countries, operates under the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in Brussels, where Atwoli serves as Vice President, having secured his fourth term at the ITUC’s 5th Congress in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2022.
At that congress, Atwoli was elected to the ITUC’s Seven-Member Credentials Committee, responsible for verifying delegate eligibility
Reflecting on his ITUC role, Atwoli said, “The position you have just bestowed on me this morning isn’t an easy one, you are sending me to war, to fight for working men and women wherever they are in the world, I am only your soldier whose actions will always come from you, the commanders, and I will stand for your interests and put up my life for you always”.
Established in 1979 as the Commonwealth Trade Union Council and renamed in 2004, CTUG holds a seat at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, influencing labour policies. At its October 2024 meeting in Apia, Samoa, CTUG shaped key labour decisions adopted by heads of state.
COTU leadership role
Atwoli, who has led COTU since 2001, serves his sixth term as its secretary-general. COTU, founded in 1965, is Kenya’s largest trade union federation, representing over 2 million workers through 44 affiliated unions.
It engages with government and employers to advocate for workers’ rights, better wages, and improved working conditions.
Broader labor influence
Atwoli has been president of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) since 2014 and a member of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Governing Body in Geneva since 2008.
During the same election on June 9, 2025, Toni Moore of Barbados was elected CTUG president. Atwoli congratulated her, saying, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to my sister and comrade, Toni Moore of Barbados, on her election as president.”
Atwoli and Moore are expected to collaborate on advancing labour policies across the Commonwealth.
