From 7th to 10th March, 2019, Eighteen unions’ researchers from BWI affiliated in East Africa (STECOMA, TAMICO, TUICO, UBCCECAWU, KQMWU, KBCTFIEU and EIFCMWCOTU) met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with BWI staff, FNV East Africa Consultant and CETU Vice president for a training in communication.
The objective of the gathering was to acquire competencies needed for mapping and research analysis of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and Public Infrastructure Projects (PIPs) in East Africa, as well as strengthening the capacities of trade unions to meaningfully engage the companies dealing in infrastructure projects at national and international levels on issues regarding labour rights and social welfare.
There is a boom in infrastructure development in East Africa with project tenders being won by big multinational companies (MNCs), mainly the Chinese MNCs and funding coming from IFIs. These projects employ many workers who should be the targets for unions to organize. However, this is not the case and therefore the unions need to acquire strategic campaign and communication techniques with knowledge and information about IFIs, the infrastructure project, MNCs and international labour compliance standards.
The Profundo researcher, Linnea Wickström, having done preliminary research in June 2018 on five project sites in four countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia) and recently in Uganda on labour compliance in IFIs funded projects in East Africa shared with participants, communication techniques through skype as well as the Uganda Achwa II project findings.
Participating unions adopted a work plan for 2019 focusing on mapping and profiling of IFI-funded projects and MNCs in PIPs and work place visits as well as monitoring and evaluation at the national level.