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Greetings from the IFWEA Secretariat and General Secretary:
"Registration for the IFWEA 22nd General Conference in Lima Peru, 5 – 7 December 2015 is now open.
The theme of the Conference is “Precarity or Solidarity? The role of workers’ education in building the 21st Century global labor movement.” The 22nd General Conference theme flows directly from the theme of our 21st Global Conference in 2011 which was titled “Facing Flexibility”, and takes us to the next level of discussion.
We open our gathering with an International Labour History Workshop on Saturday 5 December 2015, entitled “Education and emancipation: towards a global history of workers’ education.” The workshop will inform a special IFWEA issue of the International Labor & Working Class History journal in 2016, on "Workers' Education and Education for Workers".
▷Click here for the programme: http://www.ifwea22generalconference.org/ILHWprogramme#
On 6th December, we will elect our new executive, entertain motions and adopt our strategic programme for the next four years. Our programme will direct us in developing a renewed layer of global leadership in the field of worker education that is grounded in solidarity values, pioneering theories and participative practice.
Full member organisations of IFWEA may submit nominations for the election of the President, the General Secretary, and the Executive Committee and motions for discussion and resolution at General Conference through the 22nd General Conference Website. These must be submitted by the 6 August 2015.
▷Click here for nominations: http://www.ifwea22generalconference.org/call-for-nominations#
▷ Click here for motions:http://www.ifwea22generalconference.org/call-for-motions#
The 7th December, is devoted to our agenda setting International Workshops which unfolds the elements of the 2016 – 2019 IFWEA programme, viz.
1) Agreement on our common values which underpin the pedagogy of workers education;
2) Improving the online provision of education, educational aids and resources on the methods, models, modes and activities of trade unions and member based organizations addressing work informalization in the labour market;
3) Developing a Foundations Skills for Social Change education programme through the Online Labor Academy for grassroots leaders of trade unions and member based organisations and worker educators in the labour movement.
▷ Click here to register: http://www.ifwea22generalconference.org/register-workshops#
I urge you to register and make travel arrangements as soon as possible.
See you in Lima, Sahra Ryklief
In this e-bulletin:
▶ Affiliate News: Interviews and Highlights
◘ NEPAL: "CLASS Nepal Report: The Post Earthquake Program and Impact on Workers" with TJ Khadka, Secretary General
◘ SWEDEN / PALESTINE: "ABF Sweden Report: Solidarity Trip to Gaza, Palestine" with Niklas Skeppar, International President
◘ GLOBAL / via Street Net: "International Labour Organization adopts historical labour standard to tackle the Informal Economy" by Sharon Pillay
◘ EUROPE / via Solidar "Solidar elects a new Board"
▶ Notice: Call For Papers - International Conference: "Transnational Labour Rights Activism across Asia and Beyond"
▶ Project News from IFWEA :
◘ Online Labour Academy (OLA)
◘ Workers Education for Social Justice - Study Circles
▶ Solidarity in Action - find links to global campaigns and petitions than can make a difference
▶ see some interesting analysis in the Opinion section
▶ details to Contact IFWEA Secretariat - email the office, view the website and join the Facebook group
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▶ Affiliate News: Interviews and Highlights
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◘ NEPAL: "CLASS Nepal Report - The Post Earthquake Program and Impact on Workers"
with TJ Khadka, Secretary General
"How has affected workers in Nepal after the earthquake? People lost their homes/shelters and family members. They lost all their property and food stocks. They are in very vulnerable condition. Developmental activities are now slowed down, this also means physical development i.e. construction work is now under threat. There is a new ordinance from government that no one can build home/house/building more than 2 stories. So now there is slowdown of the construction related to building and wood work. Kathmandu is impacted more by the Earthquake as 4 million people lived there. Now migrant working class people have still not returned to Kathmandu for work for several reasons... just for example there is no place to live safely.
How have these developments impacted on the work of CLASS Nepal?
Since the day after the earthquake CLASS Nepal has postponed its regular trainings, workshops and research works because of the uncertainty. Directly and indirectly, we were all affected, especially psychologically.So we are engaged in relief activities - distributing goods, and soon we will be launching socio-psychological counselling session for our members and our work constituencies that are in the world of work (members of trade unions)."
▷ read the entire interview at https://ifwea-org/NepalReport#
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◘ GLOBAL / via Street Net: "International Labour Organization adopts historical labour standard to tackle the Informal Economy" by Sharon Pillay
''The International Labour Organization (ILO) has adopted a new international labour standard that is expected to help hundreds of millions of workers and economic units move out of informality and into the formal economy. The Recommendation – the first ever-international labour standard specifically aimed at tackling the informal economy – was passed by 484 votes in favour and garnered outstanding support from the ILO’s tripartite constituents. Pat Horn who has been working with the delegates said that in 2014 and 2015, StreetNet has been playing a key role in the ILC discussions for a new ILO Recommendation on “transitions from the informal to the formal economy”. This recommendation can potentially become an effective tool in improving the lives of street vendors and informal traders around the world.'
▷view the full article at https://ifwea-org/GlobalLabour#
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▶ Notice: Call for Papers
International Conference: "Transnational Labour Rights Activism across Asia and Beyond"
'The Institute for Social Movements at the Ruhr-University Bochum will host the international conference “Transnational Labour Rights Activism across Asia and Beyond” from September 17th to 18th 2015, with speakers from Asia, the US and across Europe.
The conference aims to bring together a group of international renowned researchers as well as early stage career scientists to discuss and bring forward a highly policy-relevant research theme that has not received sufficient attention in current scholarship: transnational labour rights activism.
We see the following characteristics as core features of transnational labour rights activism:
(a) coordination and conflict between trade unions and NGOs;
(b) combination of insider and outsider strategies (institutionalized and non-institutionalized politics);
(c) multiple targets and complex boomerang patterns.
While there are many conferences and publications on the governance of global supply chains, transnational private regulation or cross border trade unions cooperation, there is no systematic overview on how different types of labor rights organizations (trade unions and NGOs) coordinate and struggle across Asian and non-Asian countries for improving working conditions in Asian suppliers.
We invite papers which present the latest results on, and innovative thinking around, the emergence, development and outcomes of transnational labour rights activism across Asia and other countries.'
▷contact Saida Ressel
▷download Call for Papers
▷read all about the Conference http://isb.rub.de/forschung-conference-labour-rights-activism#
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◘ Online Labour Academy (OLA)
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PERU: Informal traders in their workplaces, in the classroom doing OLA course activities © PLADES
◘ During the period 2012 to 2014 the Online Labour Academy worked with 8 partners around the globe: for example PLADES in Peru ran a number of courses on the OLA platform: including “Advocacy and Communication for Workers in Informal Economy / Comunicación para la Incidencia”, "Sostenibilidad y recaudación de fondos para líderes de organizaciones de base / Sustainability and fundraising for Grassroots Leaders", "Collective Bargaining / Negociación Colectiva", "Saber para negociar / Skills for Negotiation". The ITF ran various courses including: “Climate Change and Transport Workers”, "Climate Change for Young Workers", "Introduction to Climate Change for Urban Transport Unions", and "Women Bus Drivers Driving To Equality".
◘ If you are interested in using the Online Labour Academy for your organisation's education work, feel free to contact Saliem Patel at saliem@lrs.org.za on how to get involved.
▷ read more about the OLA partners and activities https://ifwea-org.directo.fi/ifwea-online-labour-academy-ola/
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◘ Workers' Education for Social Justice - Study Circles
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◘ On 16th June 2015 the Study circles participants came together on the occasion of Youth Day in South Africa and International Domestic Workers' Day: Youth community gardeners, domestic workers, waste pickers, contract workers, the unemployed: all people with an interest in learning and organising came together today. The domestic workers' study circle performed a drama showing their organisers socialising and handing out pamphlets to migrant workers. They discussed workers rights and the importance of unity. The study circle groups shared what they want to learn this year, and their ideas for activity.
Regular sessions have begun for study circles participants. This year participants will form new circles based on their community needs, others will renew the activities of older study circles like the domestic workers' choir for example. ABF Sweden came to visit and attend the sessions during this time.
▷ check out all the Study Circles Project Activity here https://ifwea-org/workers-education-for-social-jus#
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◘ MALAYSIA in partnership with Global Union Federation: "Malaysia: Stop union busting in SFI"
'The Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), owned and operated by Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT), part of the Avantha group, has been refusing to recognise the Sabah Timber Industry Employees Union (STIEU). ...the union calls on SFI to allow its workers to have the right to form a trade union of their own choosing as enshrined in ILO convention 87 and embedded as a mandatory requirement in forest certification systems and performance standards of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which financially supports SFI.'
▷ sign the online petition here http://www.labourstartcampaigns/Malaysia#
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◘ HONG KONG in partnership with Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) "China: Stop police violence against workers fighting for their rights"
' According to the IHLO (the Hong Kong Liaison Office of the international trade union movement), there are still at least 7 labour activists in prison, including those who were sentenced to either life or long-term imprisonment due to their alleged involvement in labour organizing in 1989.
Meanwhile, the draft Foreign NGOs Management Law and the National Security Law will be reviewed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 2015, aiming to block mainland workers' rights defenders from building connections to and receiving support from overseas. '
▷ sign the online petition here http://www.labourstartcampaigns/China#
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▶ Opinion / Global Labour Column
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▶ AFRICA: "Chinese investments, Marange diamonds and ‘militarised capitalism’ in Zimbabwe" by Crispen Chinguno, Taurai Mereki and Nunurayi Mutyanda
'For the past two decades, China has undergone a massive global economic expansion and a continued search for resources to keep up its high growth targets. This converged with Zimbabwe’s adoption of a look East economic policy in 2003, following a fall out with the West. As a result there have been massive Chinese investments in various Zimbabwean sectors including mining, telecommunications, infrastructure development, agriculture and retail. This paper examines the experience of workers in Chinese investments, drawing from Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe.'
▷ read the entire paper here http://column.global-labour-university./chinese-investments#
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▶ SOUTH AMERICA: BRAZIL "Freedom of Association and the Right To Strike" by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
'The main premise of freedom of association is that each sector – workers and employers – organizes itself as it wishes and none of the parties can interfere in the others’ organization – particularly the State. Thus, it is unnecessary for this standard to authorize trade unions to hold meetings, collect dues or publish bulletins, amongst other things. It is implicit that Convention 87 guarantees workers’ right to take collective, independent decisions, including the right to hold strikes. '
▷ read the entire article http://column.global-labour-university.org/freedom-of-association-and-right#
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