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▶ IFWEA SECRETARIAT NEWS
Greetings from the Secretariat. As we reach the end of the first quarter, I hope that 2016 is going well thus far for your organisation. Here in Cape Town, Secretariat staff have been highly motivated by the 22nd General Conference in Lima in December 2015. In opening the Lima conference, IFWEA's President described our current context as follows:
“We meet today at a time when the world looks very much like it looked when our movement for workers education was founded. When all over the world, workers are under threat, where they are forced to move from country to country, without welcome in many cases, because our fellow members of the working class do not understand the reason for this movement - do not understand the source, its roots in neoliberal economics around the globe, and for over 100 years the task of workers' education has been to provide workers with the knowledge to confront this problem.”
Armed with a renewed mandate from the 22nd GC, our strategic plan for IFWEA for the next four years is to put all our resources and effort into Building A Global Knowledge Community.
We intend to improve and increase co-operation between our worker educators so as to advance the frontiers of knowledge, education methodology and practises of democratic worker organisations promoting freedom, justice and equality for all.
The starting point for our action will be the vast resource of experience and knowledge of IFWEA worker educators. Programme action initiated by the Secretariat, whether networking, education or research, will involve grassroots practitioners and evolve from praxis. We also plan on dialoguing with our worker educators in developing a resilient theoretical framework to guide their educational practices, and to assist our educators to develop resources which encourage their target groups to do the same. Our Strategic Plan aims to:
- Strengthen IFWEA organisationally improving networking and collaboration between member organisation,
- Increase the educational and research capacity and services of our affiliate members.
- Provide resources online which builds knowledge and capacity within the global labour movement.
- Dialogue and agree on a common set of values and ethics informing the pedagogy of workers education
In this e-bulletin:
- INTRODUCING: New IFWEA Affiliate Members / La introducción de nueva FIAET Miembro Afiliado - Access Trust, Association for Fairness In Trade (AFiT), Escuela Nacional Syndical (ENS)
- GET TO KNOW: ◼︎IFWEA's new Executive Committee ◼︎ IFWEA's Programme Manager Saliem Patel
▶ AFFILIATE NEWS: HIGHLIGHTS
▷ ASIA:
◼︎ Khalid Mahmood Director Labour Education Foundation (LEF) writes that "Progressive Forces Must Unite Against Extremism and Militancy in Pakistan"
◼︎ CLASS Nepal, LEF and Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) Meeting - by Khalid Mahmood of LEF and Tilak Jang Khadka of CLASS Nepal
▷ AFRICA:
◼︎ EGYPT: Center for Trade Union and Workers' Services (CTUWS) "In Defense of the Freedom, Democracy and Independence of Union Work.. Independent Unions Take a Number of Steps in Addressing Public Opinion and Members of Parliament"
▷ AMERICAS:
◼︎ USA: UALE CONFERENCE 2016 "Connecting the Dots: Race, Labor, Community and Education", Washington DC April 13-16 2016
▷EUROPE:
◼︎BELGIUM: SOLIDAR Editorial by Conny Reuter, SOLIDAR Secretary General "The day after…"
◼︎ SWEDEN: ABF's "Ordet Fritt"
▶ SOLIDARITY IN ACTION: RESEARCH, REPORTS AND CAMPAIGNS
▷ Check out the research, reports and campaigns focussing on precarious workers, organising, worker education and global solidarity - download resources and take online action featuring Clean Clothes Campaign, International Labor Rights Forum, Education International with Justice For Colombia
▶ CALL FOR PAPERS - WIEGO with Indiana University and Cornell University "Informality and Development" A Conference in Honor of Elinor Ostrom
▶ CONTACT IFWEA - keep in touch with the Secretariat
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▷ SOUTH AFRICA: Access Trust
Director Helga Jansen-Daugbjerg: "The challenges faced by youth are not unique to South Africa. It is an almost universal challenge in regions in both the global south, and global north, as migrant and first generation populations grow in the North. As an organisation developing networks with labour, vocational and progressive civil society organisations across regions will strengthen the work we do, and contribute to building global solidarity for the issues facing youth workers."
▹ read more on Access Trust, join their Facebook group here https://ifwea-org/AccessTrust#.
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▷ SOUTH AFRICA Association for Fairness In Trade (AFIT)
AFIT Management Committee: "AFIT Contributes to workers education by developing and running participatory workshops and training events for farm workers. The training we do is based on the pedagogy of Paulo Freire and we have recently been working with the pedagogy of Augusto Boal who uses theatre as an education tool.
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We also support exchange visits between farms and it is workers at our AGM who area asked to provide input and direction to the organisations education focus. We see our meetings as important spaces for learning as well and we use meetings to build workers skills and knowledge."
▹ read more on AFIT, join their Facebook group here https://ifwea-org/AFIT#
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▷ COLOMBIA: La introducción de nueva FIAET Miembro Afiliado
ENS (Escuela Nacional Sindical)
"La ENS es una organización de la sociedad civil, no gubernamental, establecida legalmente como corporación sin ánimo de lucro. Es una entidad de investigación, educación, promoción y asesoría que contribuye a que trabajadoras y trabajadores, organizados colectivamente y como líderes individuales, se asuman como ciudadanos y ciudadanas y como actores sociales protagónicos en los procesos democráticos del país. ..."
▹ https://ifwea-org/ENS
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▷IFWEA's EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Click on the link for pictures and biographies of the international members http://www.ifwea.org/about-ifwea/ifwea-executive-committee#
from left to right: Juan Carlos Vargas from Peru, Conny Reuter from Belgium, Katri Soder from Finland (new), Namrata Bali from India, Helen Pettersson from Sweden, Susan Schurman from USA, Sahra Ryklief from South Africa, Sibailly Maximilien Douhoure from Ivory Coast (new), Trenton Elsley from South Africa, Stefan Svensson from Sweden, missing is Alana Dave from UK. All members except the two new members, were re-elected.
A Vote of Thanks was given to: the outgoing members especially, Kari Antilla & Rey Rasing for their contributions to IFWEA for the past years, Annikka Nillson for her able support and competent advice while serving on the Executive Committee as an Internal Auditor, the outgoing Strategic Committee Members (Susan Schurman, Conny Reuter, Alana Dave, Helen Pettersson) for their assistance and advice.
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▷IFWEA's Programme Manager Saliem Patel
Saliem Patel is fulltime Programme Manager at IFWEA overseeing the activities of IFWEA projects including the Online Labour Academy, Study Circles Project and Youth Globalisationa Awareness Programmes (YGAPs).
▹ read the biography and input on plans for this year https://ifwea-org/SaliemPatel
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▶ AFFILIATE NEWS: HIGHLIGHTS
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▷ ASIA:
◼︎ Khalid Mahmood Director Labour Education Foundation (LEF) writes that "Progressive Forces Must Unite Against Extremism and Militancy in Pakistan"
'Trade unions, student unions, women rights NGOs, people’s movements have to come together to save our society. All the progressive, secular and democratic forces must stand together, under the banner of radical peace, justice and equality for all.'
▹ read further https://ifwea-org/Pakistan
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▷ ASIA: NEPAL, PAKISTAN and HONG KONG affiliates CLASS Nepal, Labour Education Foundation (LEF) and Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) Meeting
▹ read the report by Director of LEF Khalid Mahmood and Executive Secretary of CLASS Nepal Tilak Jang Khadka on this regional meeting here https://ifwea-org/AsiaMeetNepal
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▷ AFRICA:
◼︎ EGYPT: CTUWS "In Defense of the Freedom, Democracy and Independence of Union Work.. Independent Unions Take a Number of Steps in Addressing Public Opinion and Members of Parliament"
''A number of independent unions and labour leaders met ... Friday 18th 2016, according to an invitation from The Center for Trade Union and Worker Services in its offices in 88, Kasr Al Eini Street. The attendees came from Cairo, Helwan, Alexandria, Al Mahala, Al Sadat, Suez, Ismailia and Port Said and represented various sectors. They discussed the recently circulated laws about labour organizations especially the draft law that had been attributed to the “official” Egyptian Union of Syndicates.'
▹ read the entire report here http://www.ifwea.org/CTUWS#
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◼︎BELGIUM: SOLIDAR Editorial by Conny Reuter, SOLIDAR Secretary General "The day after…"
"All of us are still shocked by yesterday’s terrible terrorist attacks at Brussels International Airport and at the Maelbeek metro station, places where we (Belgians and Europeans) could have been – as we cross these places on a daily basis - on the wrong moment. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. Our thoughts also go to those fire worker, policemen and –women, doctors, nurses and other staff who were immediately at the scene to help, support and save lives. The trauma will last longer than the headlines in the media. And again many questions will remain unsolved."
▹ read more http://www.solidar.org/Editorial-by-Conny-Reuter-SOLIDAR
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▷EUROPE:
◼︎ SWEDEN: ABF's "Ordet Fritt"
'From 26th to 30th May 2016 ABF (the Workers’ Educational Association) in Sweden will organise a conference, Ordet Fritt in Göteborg.Ordet Fritt is intended to offer an inspirational forum for circle leaders, elected officials, staff of the ABF and representatives from our member and co-operation organisations for knowledge, exchange and skills development."
▹ read more on the meeting http://ordetfritt2016.se
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◼︎ USA: UALE CONFERENCE 2016 "Connecting the Dots: Race, Labor, Community and Education
"The United Association for Labor Education (UALE) invites labor educators, community organizers, organizers based in worker centers, and others committed to worker education to join together in Washington, D.C. for a conference that strives to address the complex challenges facing working people. UALE seeks proposals on how labor education can connect race, labor, and community to promote empowerment through education."
IFWEA's President and General Secretary will be attending the Conference.
▹ read more about the Conference http://uale.org/conference
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▷ CAMBODIA / GLOBAL: TAKE ACTION AND SIGN NOW!
"We, the signatories of this statement, strongly urge that you, as influential brands sourcing from Cambodia, publicly support freedom of association and independent unions in Cambodia. We call upon you, representatives for H&M, Inditex, C&A, Levi Strauss, Marks & Spencer, Tchibo, Primark and other brands to widely disseminate a public support statement, for a Trade Union Law which fully complies with ILO Conventions 87 and 98 as a condition for future sourcing from the country.
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Such a statement from your side will show that you take your due diligence responsibility seriously and would be a clear signal to the Cambodian Government to ensure the basic rights of unions and their members."
▹ sign the statement http://www.cleanclothes.org/open-letter-to-all-brands-sourcing-from-cambodia
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▷ PERU: via International Labor Rights Forum
"On March 18th the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a report confirming widespread violations of fundamental labor rights in key Peruvian export sectors that supply the U.S. market with billions of dollars of goods annually. The report was issued six months after the ILRF and Peruvian unions filed a complaint under the U.S. – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) asking the U.S. Government to investigate pervasive labor abuses taking place in Peru’s export garment, textile, and agro-industrial sectors."
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▷ COLOMBIA: with Educational International and Justice for Colombia
"In partnership with the Education International, a global union federation of 396 associations and unions in 171 countries and territories, representing some 32.5 million educators and support professionals, and Justice for Colombia, a British NGO that campaigns for human rights, workers' rights and the search for peace with social justice in Colombia. JFC was established in 2002 by the British trade union movement."
▹ sign the petition online here http://www.labourstart
campaignsColombia
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"Dr Beltrán was first arrested in May 2009 on charges of rebellion and conspiracy. Despite being cleared of all charges in 2011, he was removed from his position at the National University of Colombia and still suffers a politically-motivated ban preventing him from serving at any public universities in Colombia. Education International (EI) calls on you to urge the government and judicial authorities of the Republic of Colombia to urgently review the judicial case.., and to authorise his immediate release."
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GLOBAL - WIEGO with Indiana University and Cornell University "Informality and Development" A Conference in Honor of Elinor Ostrom"
'The object of this conference is to honor the memory and the legacy of Elinor Ostrom by exploring Informality from both economics and interdisciplinary perspectives. The organizers invite submissions of completed papers or substantive abstracts (7‐10 pages). The topics can cover the broad range of analytical and policy issues which fall under the rubric of informality. The disciplines covered can range from economics to the broader social sciences to the humanities.'
▹ read more http:/CallForPapers
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