Working for development with Not State Actors

Two examples from Iscos-Cisl

• Project in developing country: “Strengthening civil society participation to promote and defend workers’ rights in Pakistan”

• Project in EU: “Decent Work for Decent Life”

Iscos is the NGO set up by the Italian

Confederation CISL with the aims of:

• Supporting workers organisations in poorer countries

• Raising awareness amongst Italian workers about working and living conditions all around the world

Strengthening civil society participation to promote and defend workers’ rights in Pakistan

Project duration: 3 years

Non State Actors involved in the project (partners):

Pakistani Trade Union

5 Pakistani NGOs active in the field of community social

development

Objective 1: to build/strengthen capacities of Pakistani trade unions

Objective 2: to build awareness of NGOs on workers rights

Overall aim: to create a mutual understanding and to build a

confident environment between TU and NGOs in order to have a major impact on social development of

Pakistani society

During the 3 years period, Educational Trainings were provided in the following areas:

• Organising the Un-organised.• Collective bargaining / Tripartite Institutions and

social dialogue.• Gender awareness • HIV – Aids & Family Planning• Economic literacy• Trade Union Finance• Workers grievance, dismissal/ termination • Occupational safety, health and environment

Methodology:

• Training of Trainers

• Training of Paralegals

Some topics covered with partners NGO

• Labour: Definitions, Basic Concepts and Laws, Situation analysis of Formal & Informal Sectors in Pakistan

• ILO and International Labour Standards• Situation analysis of the Agricultural Sector with a focus

on the working conditions and problems of the Farming communities in Sindh

• Field visit to the Bangle Industry to study the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) related issues of the child & women workers in Hyderabad

• Role of the Civil Society Organizations in promotion and defence of the Workers’ Rights in Pakistan

Iscos campaigning in Europe: Decent Work for Decent Life

Starting point: the disillusion of

globalisation

Globalisation affects labour conditions in

North and South of the

world

Globalisation effects

In the North:• re-location of

enterprises looking for maximizing profits where labour costs are cheaper

• diminishing protection for workers: short term contracts, no collective agreements, division within workers in the same enterprise

In the South: • maximization of

workers exploitation and worsening of working conditions

• Increasing of informal – unprotected – labour

• Creation of free exporting zones, where even national laws are suspended

Project partners

- Italian Universities

- CISL industry federations (metalwork, chemical, textile, construction, agriculture)

- Turkish, Pakistan, Mozambique and Romanian Trade Unions

- Other Italian NGOs

Campaigning tools

• Website • Didactic material• Awareness raising materials

(screening of movies, photo exhibition, distribution of leaflets, posters, photo book)

• Testimonials from Mozambique, Pakistan, Romania and Turkey

Main activities

Seminars, courses and meetings: • seminars with students of

Economics and Politics• training courses for trade unions

leaders• meetings with workers

Testimonial from Pakistan at TU Leader training course in Italy

Website:

• Documents on: Workers Rights, Corporate Social Responsibility, Codes of conduct, International Framework Agreements, Decent Work, Gender workers issues

• News: a selection of the main articles from relevant websites (Human rights groups, International Trade Union Federations, Global Unions, etc.) and foreign newspaper

• Calendar of project activities: dates and location of seminars, screening of films, photo exhibition, etc.

Didactic Materials:

folder with 10 brochures, addressed to students and trade unionists, covering:

• Core Labour Standards• Social Clauses• Decent Work• Codes of Conduct and CSR• International Framework Agreement• The international role of Trade Unions• Case of Study: Mozambique, Pakistan,

Romania and Turkey

Didactic Materials 2

Folder with 10 leaflets, addressed to workers, on:• Freedom of association and collective bargaining• Forced labour• Child labour• Discrimination at workplace• Decent work• Working conditions in textile sector• Working conditions in chemical and metalwork

sectors• Working conditions in agriculture and building

sectors• Working conditions in private services sector• What you can do