CASL-FO was founded in February 1958 as the African sections of the French trade union centre CGT-Force Ouvrière separated themselves from their mother organization.
[1][2] The new union confederation was founded at a conference in Abidjan February 8–9, 1958, with participation of the CGT-FO branches of Senegal, French Soudan, Upper Volta, Niger, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Moyen-Congo and Ubangui-Shari.
At the time of the founding of CASL-FO, the relationship of the new structure with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and CGT-FO, was debated.
[1][2] The launching of CASL-FO followed the creation of two other pan-African trade union bodies in French Africa, UGTAN and CATC.
[3] CGT-FO had opposed the formation of independent African unions, reluctantly accepting this development by 1958.