IFWEA’s new project on workers’ education and workers’ media is to be launched at an international workshop in Cape Town on 4-7 April 2006. The workshop will exchange IFWEA members’ experiences in the use of radio, video, print, ‘new media’ etc, and explore the potential for working co-operatively in the production and distribution of workers’ education media. For further details, contact Martin Jansen (martin@wwrp.org.za).

There will be an Africa Regional Meeting of IFWEA members in Cape Town on 8 April. Further details from mikechungu@yahoo.com.

IFWEA’s Executive Committee will meet in Cape Town on 8-9 April.  Further details from dave.spooner@ifwea.org.

The Global Network Co-ordinators will meet in Cape Town on 10 April,  Further details from ian@solidar.org.

 

Spain-Morocco International Study Circle

An International Study Circle for Andalusian and North Moroccan textile workers was launched in January in the coastal town of Martil, near Tetuán, Morocco. The study circle is the result of a collaboration between the Spanish union-based NGO, Fundacion Paz y Solidaridad Andalucia (set up by the regional branch of IFWEA member CC.OO.), and the Moroccan central union Confederation Democratique du Travail (CDT). Three groups of six to ten textile workers in the North of Morocco, and three similar groups in Andalusia are taking part. The different groups, working with the same materials, will be able to interact through a specially designed web page, coordinated by an international moderator. The central theme will be the core labour rights. For more information: Carlos Aristu, Project Coordinator, caristu@and.ccoo.es, or visit http://www.pazysolidaridadandalucia.org

 

International development & workers’ rights study circle project

A new project is being launched to support workers’ education programmes in new member states of the EU around international development and workers’ rights. Co-financed by the EU, the project is being organised by ISCOS, the trade union institute for development established by CISL (Italian Confederation of Trade Unions), in partnership with Solidar and IFWEA. The project will be working with IFWEA member organisations in Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, Malta, the Czech Republic and Cyprus. For further details, contact Joe Holly at the Secretariat (joe.holly@ifwea.org ).

 

Workers’ Education meeting in New York

During the ‘Global Companies – Global Unions – Global Research – Global Campaigns’ conference organised in New York by Cornell University on February 9-10, a meeting was organised for participants concerned with workers’ education. The meeting, attended by both trade unionists and academics, including IFWEA members, agreed to develop a network with an interest in developing a vision for union education, a repository for union education materials, the "political" objectives of why we educate and the context of our programmes, a more dynamic relationship between the academia and workers education institutes, and other common interests. Further details available from Gino Govender, Executive Director of Ditsela (Gino@ditsela.org.za).

 

Uniting Humanity project meets in Sofia

IFWEA and partner organisations involved in the ‘Uniting Humanity’ project have been holding their first meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria. The project, co-ordinated by the Scarman Trust (www.thescarmantrust.org), will be providing training opportunities for the development of programmes on global issues, through a mixture of trans-European residential courses and distance learning. For further information, contact Joe Holly  (joe.holly@ifwea.org ).

 

 Informal Economy Seminar and Workshop – Malawi, 3-5 May 2006

The first regional seminar of the ‘Southern & East Africa Organising in the Informal Economy Project’ will be held in Lilongwe, Malawi on 3-5 May 2006, to be attended by representatives of IFWEA affiliates, global union federations, the ILO, relevant NGOs and development
agencies. The seminar will launch the project, share experience and knowledge between the organisations involved, and strengthen the partnerships between the national and international bodies. The seminar will be followed by a training workshop for national co-ordinators responsible for the local delivery of activities (Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe), alongside activists from Mozambique, Kenya, and Uganda. For further details, contact Mike Chungu at mikechungu@yahoo.com.

 

StreetNet leader deported from Zimbabwe

Pat Horn, StreetNet International Co-ordinator was deported from Zimbabwe on March 2, having been detained at Harare airport en route to a trade union school, invited by the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA) and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). More details are available at www.streetnet.org.za.

 

What next in Palestine?

As everyone will know, there have been major political upheavals in Palestine in recent weeks, following the election success of Hamas. Hasan Barghouthi, Director of the Democracy & Workers’ Rights Centre in Ramallah and Regional Secretary for IFWEA in Arab-speaking Countries (IFWEA-AC), has produced a thoughtful and illuminating analysis of the political situation in Palestine, and the possible scenarios for the future. For a copy of the paper, contact Hasan at extr@dwrc.org.

 

Masters Programme on 'Labour Policies and Globalization'

A number of scholarships are available for the 2006/07 Masters Programme on Labour Policies and Globalisation, taught in Germany by the Global Labour University network, with the support of the ILO. The course language is English. Further information and the application form are available at www.global-labour-university.org. The final date for applications is 20 March 2006.

 

ILO Labour Education Questionnaire

Do you receive the ILO’s ‘Labour Education’ journal? If so, you are requested to complete a questionnaire designed to improve the quality and usefulness of the publication - http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/actrav/publ/137/quest.pdf. If you do not yet receive it, and would like to be placed on the mailing list, contact pubvente@ilo.org.

 

ITF Education Projects

The ITF web site now has extensive information about their current education projects. For information on their global projects visit www.itfglobal.org/education/Global.cfm; for African projects visit www.itfglobal.org/education/Africa-Projects.cfm; and for Asia-Pacific projects visit www.itfglobal.org/education/AP-Projects.cfm. Details of their Latin America programme to be available soon. For further information, or to join the ITF Education mailing list, contact Christine Ascott at the ITF (ascott_christine@itf.org.uk)

 

2006 Silver Rose Award Nominations

Nominations are invited for individuals and organisations who have made a particularly important contribution to the fight for social justice. To nominate, further information and forms are available at www.solidar.org, or email silverrose@solidar.org. The deadline for nominations is 31 May 2006.

 

Giampi Alhadeff leaves Solidar

Giampiero Alhadeff, Secretary General of Solidar, has announced that he will be leaving the organisation to become the General Secretary of the European Parliamentary Labour Party. Ian Derry will be Acting General Secretary until a new appointment is made in May. Giampi has been an Executive Committee member of IFWEA for several years, and has worked tirelessly to support the Global Network project jointly organised by Solidar and IFWEA. We wish him every success in his new post.

 

Jack Taylor
It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Jack Taylor, IFWEA General Secretary from 1977-86. IFWEA will be represented at his funeral, to be held on March 17 in Eltham, London. Should you wish to send messages of condolence, personal memories etc, please send to dave.spooner@ifwea.org.

 

Changes at the Secretariat

Due to continuing major financial constraints, we have been obliged to make significant changes in the secretariat. As a result, Anne Webley has left IFWEA. Anne had worked for many years for the International Programmes office of the WEA in the UK, for Euro-WEA and since 2004, for IFWEA, and gained enormous knowledge of the international workers’ education movement, as well as many friends. She will be greatly missed in the office, and we wish her every success for the future.

Meanwhile, IFWEA Executive Committee member Joe Holly is taking new responsibilities in the secretariat, including management of some of our new project activities.

Dave Spooner
General Secretary