This chapter considers employment relations in Africa, focusing on southern African countries. Broadly rooted in the political economy tradition, this chapter is founded on comparative institutional analysis. The early part of the chapter provides comparative discussion of economic context and levels of human development, and highlights the importance of institutional legacies and the consequences of structural adjustment. It then evaluates fluctuations in union strength and strategic challenges, including relations with transnational organisations, engagement with political parties and tripartite experiments. The chapter then turns to assess unions’ ability to mobilise members and their willingness and capacity for the effective representation of particularly vulnerable categories of labour, including the large number of informal sector workers.