The International Study Circle (ISC) Project is an initiative of the International Federation of Workers’ Education Associations (IFWEA) and its European regional body, Euro-WEA. The project was established in 1997, with financial support from the Socrates Programme of the European Commission, IFWEA, and the regional government of Andalucia, Spain.

International Study Circles aim to facilitate global education programmes on issues concerning economic, social and cultural globalisation. Experiences of globalisation world-wide have pointed to the need for labour organisations to develop an understanding of local problems within their international context. This understanding can most effectively emerge if working people in different countries are able share ideas and information, leading to common strategies and activities. The ISC project explores how to make use of new information and communications technology in such a way that participants in different countries are able to engage in meaningful international dialogue and to build international links and solidarity.

An International Study Circle consists of bringing together groups of participants based in several countries who work according to a common curriculum, set of materials and education method. Each study circle meets on a regular basis and has a facilitator. Between sessions, each group has access to materials on the Internet including the results of discussions and work completed in previous sessions by other participants. In this way, participants are able to discuss and debate common problems, issues and strategies.

Between October 1997 and May 1998, two ISC pilot programmes were run involving twelve countries with over 150 participants. The pilot programmes involved IFWEA affiliates from Spain, Britain, Germany, Belgium, France, Sweden, South Africa, Kenya, Barbados, Peru, Estonia and Bulgaria. Focusing on the role of transnational corporations in the global economy, workers and trade unions in these countries exchanged information and shared ideas on the impact of globalisation and how labour organisations could respond. The first pilot programme was evaluated at a seminar in Sweden in January 1998. For further information, see Evaluation of Stage One: International Study Circle Pilot Programme.

IFWEA plans to run several ISCs from January 1999 onwards focusing on women workers in the global food industry; migrant workers in the global economy; core labour standards in international trade agreements; establishing ISC’s within an industrial context, particularly in single transnational corporations in order to link workplaces and formulate an international trade union strategy for the company; and setting up ISCs in IFWEA’s regions including Africa, Asia-Pacific, Caribbean, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe.

A 12 month ISC project running from June 1998 to May 1999 is being undertaken by IFWEA and Euro-WEA in partnership with the Labour Education and Research Network (LEARN) based in the Philippines. The project aims to develop a collaborative workers’ education programme in the Asian region to allow workers and trade unions to share experiences of the effects of globalisation and how they might respond collectively to the challenges posed by the global economy. Entitled Globalisation and the Responses of Trade Unions in Asia, the programme will bring together six countries including the Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Korea, India and Pakistan. This initiative is supported financially by the Evangelisches Missionswerk in Deutschland (EMW) based in Hamburg, Germany.

In preparation for the implementation of the Asian ISC in February 1999, a facilitator’s preparatory seminar took place from 25 to 27 September 1998 in Manila, the Philippines. The seminar was attended by the study circle facilitators from six Asian countries in which IFWEA has affiliates. Study Circle facilitators are experienced worker educators, who will be responsible for the co-ordination, servicing and support of study circles in individual countries.

The main aim of the preparatory seminar was to plan intensively the details of the course content, education materials and methodology. The seminar was facilitated by Alana Dave, the ISC Project Co-ordinator; Marlon Quesada, IFWEA Asia-Pacific Regional Co-ordinator and Executive Director of LEARN; and Mylene Hega, Assistant Executive Director of LEARN.

Facilitators from the following IFWEA affiliates in the Asia-Pacific region attended (see Appendix One for full details of seminar participants):

• Indian Adult Education Association (IAEA)

• Information Centre for Labour Education (ICLE), Taiwan

• Korea Labour and Society Institute (KLSI)

• Labour Education and Research Network (LEARN), the Philippines

• Network of Labour Institutions (NLI), the Philippines

• Pakistan Institute of Labour and Research (PILERK)

• Trade Union Training Australia (TUTA)

The aims of the Manila seminar can be summarised as follows:

• to identify the aims, objectives and potential outcomes of an international study circle in Asia;

• to build a common understanding of globalisation in Asia, and the main themes and issues which need to inform the course curriculum;

• to agree upon target participants;

• to identify appropriate course materials;

• to develop an understanding of the use and potential of the Internet for international education;

• to formulate a common plan of action for the implementation of an ISC in Asia.

The content of the education programme was discussed in depth by seminar participants. A substantial part of the seminar was devoted to developing a common understanding of the nature and impact of globalisation on participating countries, its particular effects on workers and how trade unions have responded. From the presentations given about each country, several trends emerged:

• the features of globalisation have taken the form of:

• the effects on workers and trade unions include:

• trade union responses to globalisation:

In addition to considering the effects of globalisation on a country to country basis, a detailed presentation analysing the current economic crisis in the Asian region was made by Jude Esguerra from the Institute of Popular Democracy in the Philippines. It was stressed that the crisis provides the labour movement with an opportunity to critique neo-liberal economic principles, as it was on this basis that many investors came to Asia (with the lowering of barriers to finance mobility). Many mainstream economists are now re-thinking their paradigm, and in some cases, capital controls are being considered. Therefore the crisis is not only economic, but also ideological. This provides labour and its allies with an opportunity to offer alternatives.

These discussions then provided the framework for the identification of the key issues, themes and questions which need to inform the course content.

Please see Appendix Two for a copy of the proposed course outline.

The following key decisions were taken with regard to the education programme:

The programme will be implemented with the aim of reaching two main groupings within a trade union constituency: trade union educators, and local worker leaders/shop stewards. Educators were felt to be an important target, as they could play a role in duplicating the knowledge and information acquired from other countries within trade union structures. A broader layer of workers would therefore be reached. Local worker leaders/shop stewards negotiate on behalf of workers, and therefore their awareness of the wider regional and international context is essential. They also have much to teach the educators. The role of worker leaders could also be strengthened by building shopfloor links with workers elsewhere.

In order to maximise the possibilities of exchanging information and building links, participants decided that it would be useful to identify particular industries and companies for recruitment. In this regard, the hospitality and textile and garment industries were selected, and Coke and Nestle as two transnational corporations operating in each participating country. It was also decided to try and recruit trade unionists from public sector corporations or offices which have been or are in the process of being privatised.

The education programme shall be run for a period of twelve weeks beginning in mid-February 1999. Study circles in each country will meet on a fortnightly basis for about two to three hours. Each session will focus on a selected topic and include information and activities for participants. Activities will be geared towards international communication and an exchange of information and ideas between countries.

Participants decided that the methodology employed in the education programme should be aimed at encouraging participation from workers. Therefore, in delivering the course, we need to recognise the existing experiences and knowledge of workers as part of the learning process. This should be our starting point, rather than relying on experts to give lectures which often excludes worker participation. However, at certain points, a study circle might want to consider inviting a speaker who has specialised knowledge in a particular area. Other methodologies which would serve the same function should also be considered. For example, getting participants to work collectively through a reading which contains new and relevant information. Whilst the methodologies used may differ between study circles, it is important to remember that that all participants will be working according to the same curriculum and therefore addressing the same issues.

Education materials will be prepared by the IFWEA ISC Co-ordinator and LEARN for use in each session. The core materials will include the information and activities which each study circle will use and discuss in each session. However, participants agree that there was also the need for flexibility and therefore individual study circles might want to introduce material which is of particular relevance to their local circumstances. This material is not a substitute for the core material, but rather complementary, assisting to make a clear link between the local and international context.

The availability of the material on the project’s world-wide web site also allows for flexible usage by participants. The materials will be organised in a way which enables participants to download additional information from that provided in the core material. This material will constitute the project’s library. So if a study circle has a particular interest in an issue, it will be possible to access reading material which treats the subject in more depth.

The facilitators have an extremely important role to play in co-ordinating the study circles locally, and ensuring an international coherence in the project. The following guidelines were adopted concerning the role of the facilitators:

• convening study circle meetings locally, and arrange for all its practical needs;

• facilitating the recruitment of participants;

• stimulating discussions within study circle sessions;

• translating education materials (where necessary);

• preparing weekly reports for the study circles in other countries;

• downloading weekly reports from the study circles in other countries;

• overseeing the budget of the local study circle;

• liaising with the ISC Co-ordinator in Manchester and LEARN;

• attending the facilitators preparatory and evaluation seminar;

• compiling a national evaluation report.

The short and long-term outcomes of the course were discussed, and can be summarised as follows:

• a more informed understanding of neo-liberal economic policies, the role of government in globalisation and social movement trade unionism;

• better access to information on countries and trade unions in the region;

• closer links and networks among rank-and-file trade unionists from participating countries;

• a common perspective on an alternative regional model of economic development;

• an improved ability of trade unions to bargain effectively;

• a deeper understanding of how trade unions can respond to globalisation on a national, regional and international level, and what concrete regional initiatives can be taken.

As the participating organisations have no experience in using the Internet for education, but use email for communication and the Internet for information and research purposes, it was decided that the project’s web site should be basic and user friendly. Accessibility is the key consideration, as a high level of technological capacity cannot be assumed.

After a demonstration of the ISC pilot programme web site, seminar participants discussed the structure of the Asia programme site and decided on the following pages:

• brief country profiles providing information on the unemployment rate, size of the labour force, main industries, dominant TNCs, and the nature of the trade union movement. These profiles will provide study circles with a background to each of the participating countries.

• an introduction to study circle participants. This will enable each study circle to know who forms part of the global programme.

• education materials, including the core materials for each session and facilitator’s notes.

• a project library. This will include additional articles on issues covered in the core materials and recent labour news in the Asian region. News will be supplied by the participating countries.

• an Asia directory. The directory will include relevant organisations, campaigns etc in the Asian region and will provide for quick and easy email links.

• a facilitator’s mailing list. The mailing list will include the details of all participating organisations, including email links and a common facilitator’s mailing list.

• country reports. This page will include the reports submitted by countries after each session.

The experiences of the ISC pilot programme have shown that achieving good quality international communication is difficult, and yet the educational results of the ISC depend on this exchange between the study circles in different countries. Seminar participants therefore discussed how facilitators could ensure that reports from each session were of a high standard. The following guidelines were adopted:

• reports must be written with their educational value in mind;

• reports must reflect the different ideas and opinions of participants in local groups, and should not simply be summaries of common views and conclusions;

• reports must try and include the voices of the participants, and should not become a means for the facilitators to speak to each other;

• reports should engage with other groups, responding to their ideas, proposals, debates etc. In this way, a dialogue is created;

• reports should not be dense, and should be no longer than two pages given language differences;

• reports should be written in English, but where appropriate will be translated into a local language by the facilitator.

The Manila seminar was extremely successful in formulating a common perspective and plan of action towards the implementation of a collaborative workers’ education programme in selected countries in Asia. It was the first occasion that participating organisations had come together in a joint activity, and a wealth of information, experience and ideas were shared. Whilst the organisations present reflect diverse histories, cultures and traditions, there was a substantial amount that was held in common therefore making an integrated and coherent international project possible. There was however also a recognition that local differences and specificities need to be respected and accommodated within any collaborative international project.

The issue of language remains a complicated one. Whilst English has been adopted by the project as the language for international communication, this does not adequately resolve the language question in the context of conducting global education. IFWEA and some of its affiliates involved in language training plan to examine this issue more thoroughly in 1999.