Between the 1950s and 1970s, trade unions in Eritrea had significant nationalist factions, which caused conflicts with the Ethiopian government.
In the 1970s, escalating conflict with the newly installed Derg regime caused a large number of Eritrean workers to join the armed struggle for independence.
NUEW was founded as trade union wing of EPLF, which had become the main Eritrean fighting force, in November 1979 at a convention in Sahel.
[3][4] Eritrea became an independent country in 1991, with EPLF forming the government in its new guise - People's Front for Democracy and Justice.
NUEW, while still led by its war-time leadership, changed focus to organizing workers into trade unions with a view to supporting the reconstruction of its war-torn country.