1. BACKGROUND

Training is one of the major functions of trade unions. Training of their members and officials are essential to strengthening of the organization and improvement of their various functions. Particularly in view of the involvement of trade unions in an increasing number of social and economic issues in the recent years, training has become even more vital for the unions.

ILO/ACTRAV assists trade unions in their training activities in order to expand their membership and activities and to improve their negotiating skills, their capacity to represent workers and to participate in decision-making, and their ability to defend the interests of their members. It also promotes and supports the development of trade unions' social and economic services for their members, participation in the social and economic development, the formulation of policies and programmes for rural development, and the encouragement of education reforms.

The Programme for Workers' Activities of the International Training Centre of the ILO is an integral part of this Programme and has a specific task of assisting trade unions in strengthening and improving their training capacity.

This training course, A3-2387: "Trade Union Training on Occupational Safety and Health and the Environment (OSHE)", will aim to strengthen the general capacity of trade unions in the area of OSHE. It will provide participants with the latest developments and issues related to the subject, consider the aims, objectives and structure of trade union training programmes on OSHE, and offer major reference points for training development and policy development. Throughout the course, participants will discuss how trade unions should approach to the construction of national institutional frameworks for OSHE, and will be encouraged to identify training needs of their organization in relation to OSHE agenda. Sources of information on OSH and the environment will be identified and attention will be given to the effective use of such information in workers’ education activities.

 

2. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

This course aims to assist trade unions in strengthening their general capacity in the areas of OSHE, with particular interests in consolidating the role of OSHE departments and/or officers in charge within the national center and the different branches of the organizations.

Through a development of enhance, and more systematic trade union policy and training programme on OSHE at national level, we expect to achieve better understanding of the issues at stake amongst union officials and members as well as better institutional arrangements at workplaces.

3. IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this training programme, participants will be able to:

a) identify the causes and consequences of major OSHE problems which members of trade unions, especially women workers, face at work;

b) grasp the importance of ILO core labour standards in the context of globalization and in particular examine the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up;

c) know major international instruments and measures concerning OSHE, including particularly relevant International Labour Conventions and Recommendations, and how to apply those instruments and measures in practice;

d) analyze strengths and weaknesses of their OSHE programmes and institutional settings at national/industrial/workplace levels, and identify priority issues for trade unions;

e) identify the core issues and agendas in the global campaign against HIV/AIDS, and understand specific roles of workers’ organizations at workplaces;

f) locate a range of supporting materials and resources available for OSHE issues in order to facilitate relevant studies and researches on the subject;

g) design, or upgrade, trade union policies and training programmes on OSHE to improve overall capacities and programmes of the trade unions in dealing with this subject area, with a special attention to women workers’ needs; and

h) understand effectiveness and practical application of information technologies for trade unions and use of Internet and other basic computer software.

4. COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT [TRAINING MODULES]

(1) Module 1 (Week 1)

- Understanding ILO, international labour standards and European experiences on OSHE

B) Components

a) Sub-regional Report (no.1 and no.2)

Based on the individual reports prepared for the course (see Course Pre-requisite below), participants will work on two sub-regional reports on the following points:

• Impact of globalization on workers in their respective country, especially its direct or indirect implications on OSHE situations;
• Major OSHE problems prevalent at the national/industry/enterprise level which they need to address, with a view to institutional defects/shortcomings at each level; and

b) ILO, Globalization and Workers’ Organizations

• Role of ILO and its strategic policy areas under the current contexts;
• Main characteristics of globalisation – trade and production, finance and competition – with a special focus on its positive and negative impacts on societies as a whole and workers in particular;
• Different international instruments which workers’ organizations can use to address the problems; and

c) International Labour Standards and ILO Declaration

• Procedures for the adoption of international labour standards in the form of conventions and recommendations and the supervisory and promotional mechanism;
• Special complaint procedures that exist to deal with alleged violations of conventions with special focus on freedom of association and collective bargaining; and
• Closer examination of the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up as well as ILO core labour standards.

d) Introduction to OSHE and Experiences of European Trade Movement

• Fundamental principles on OSHE and latest issues/agendas in this area; and
• Legislative framework of European Union in the area of OSHE and Italian trade unions’ experiences in practice.

(2) Module 2 (Week 2)

A) Objective

- Understanding international institutional settings and instruments in the area of OSHE and identifying OSHE problems at national/industrial/workplace level.

B) Components

a) ILO Conventions and Recommendations on OSHE

Participants will study relevant international labour standards on OSHE, in particular Convention 155 and a new instrument for OSH in agriculture adopted this year’s Conference.

 

b) OSHE in Informal Sector and Best Practices on OSHE in Asia and the Pacific

Best practices on OSHE will be presented and examined. Participants will have chances to discuss what measures or institutional arrangements can best be applied to address their own needs. Special attention will be given to the efforts in improving OSHE standards in informal economies.

 

c) Trade Union Models and Strategies for OSHE

Focus will be put on specific models and strategies that trade unions in the region can, or should, apply to improve OSHE conditions in their respective organizations. Participants will discuss on policies and training programme on OSHE in the contexts of their own needs and requirements.

 

d) Specific OSHE Agenda for Women Workers

Participants will study specific OSHE agenda for women workers and review the current situations in their respective countries/organizations. They are required to develop concrete policy and training initiatives in this area, which are to be incorporated into their final work plan.

 

(3) Module 3 (Week 3)

A) Objective

- Deepening understanding on the latest OSHE issue for trade unions and developing individual work plans.

B) Components

a) Study visit to ILO Geneva

Two-day study visit to ILO headquarters will give participants an opportunity to visualize the structure and activities of ACTRAV as well as OSHE related departments/programmes of the ILO head office. They can also familiarize themselves with contact persons for different workers’ and OSHE issues.

 

b) OSHE in Asia and the Pacific

Analysis of OSHE experiences and current situations in South Asian countries will be provided, together with specific case studies in the region. Participants will then discuss on the cases in order to further develop their own plan of actions for their organizations.

 

c) Drafting and Presenting Individual Work Plan

Participants will work on an individual work plan, incorporating all the relevant aspects/components of the course they will have learnt. A work plan is expected to be feasible and implementable, and must try to address one of the priority issues in the OSHE agenda for their organization and/or members.

 

(4) Module 4 (Week 4)

A) Objective

- Learning experiences of Japanese trade unions in the area of OSHE, and enhancing their individual work plan

B) Components

a) Study Visit to Japan – Japan International Labour Foundation (JILAF)

Participants will visit Japan and spend one week under a special programme organized by Japan International Labour Foundation (JILAF). Through lectures on the efforts and experiences of Japanese trade unions on OSHE movement and visits to factories/workplaces, participants will have opportunities to further enhance their knowledge and capacity on the subject. Participants are also expected to enhance, or make necessary revisions, to their work plan.

 

(5) Extra Module (Evening Computer Laboratory Session)

A) Objective

- Learning usefulness of information technologies for trade union operations and management

B) Components

• Computers
• Internet and E-mail
• Basic computer applications (word-processor, spreadsheet, database and presentation)

5. EVALUATION

Activities included in this course will be reviewed through a) daily summary, b) weekly review and c) end-of-course evaluation. This allows the re-negotiation and fine-tuning of the programmes/curriculum, and also permits focusing on areas of particular needs and interests of participants.

6. COURSE PREREQUISITES

1) Individual Report:

Each participant is required to prepare and submit in advance two reports on the following subjects. The reports (not more than 3-4 pages each) should be typed in A4 paper, and sent electronically to ACTRAV-Turin via e-mail. If there is a difficulty in doing so, one can also send the reports via Fax or by post. The deadline for submission is Friday, 5 October 2001.

ACTRAV Secretariat

First Report: On "Impact of Globalization and Current Trade Union Agenda"

- Describe how globalization is affecting the workers in general and the members of your union in particular. Positive impact and/or negative impact? Trend in membership?

- Elaborate what are the priority issues for your union at this moment, and how your union is trying to address those issues. Specific activities/ campaigns? Training for members?

- Specify in particular how negative impact of globalization is affecting OSHE situations at workplaces and in your country.

Second Report: On "OSHE Situation and Agenda for Trade Unions"

- Describe organizational structure of your unions in the area of OSHE. Existence of OSHE committee and/or department? Nation-wide network? Reporting/monitoring/verification mechanism? Example of collective agreements on OSHE? Systematic training on OSHE?

- Elaborate on major organizational problems related to the work of trade unions in the area of OSHE, which may include issues related to legislation and/or institutional frameworks. Existence of national tripartite body on OSHE?

 

2) Documents:

Participants are requested to collect documents/publications/campaign materials and other sources of information concerning labour issues in general and OSHE in particular, such as:

• National context: political structure; economic structure (economic data, domestic products, export and import); social and labour structure;
• Labour statistics (unionization rate, unemployment rate, etc.);
• OSHE statistics (work-related injuries and disease, etc. - segregated by gender);
• Training materials produced by their trade unions on OSHE;
• Labour laws/regulations/guidelines/rulings and collective bargaining agreements related to OSHE issues;
• Trade union structure and functions, including the representation of women unionists in the organization; and
• Any other materials that may be of interest to the course.

3) Pre-Course Online Exercise:

Participants, once selected, are expected to join a pre-course exercise that will be conducted at a Course Homepage on the Internet. Each organization is requested to support their participant in getting access to the Internet for the pre-course exercise. Please inform ACTRAV in advance if any organization has a difficulty to secure the Internet access to participants.

Currently, the pre-course exercise is planned to take place at the following dates and URL address. Details will be communicated in due course.

<Pre-Course Online Exercise (tentative plan)>

Dates: October 1 – October 12

URL: http://training.itcilo.it/actrav/2001/A3-2387/index.htm

7. PARTICIPANTS

Candidates for the course must be either 1) officials that are /will be responsible for policy formulation and implementation in the field of OSHE or 2) officials with responsibilities for training, in particular in the field of OSHE. It is important that trade unions, when nominating the candidates, ensure that the officials selected have the qualifications and aptitude to acquire maximum learning gain and transfer their knowledge and experiences for the benefit of the trade union.

8. METHODOLOGY

The learning methods used in the course will acknowledge the participants' level of competence and experience, taking into account that they already have practical experience in the field of organizational management. Active learning methods will be employed through the course, which will encourage the participants to fully involve themselves in all aspects of training.

9. SUPPORT MATERIALS

Training modules, handouts and booklets dealing with the subject will be distributed to participants.

10. LANGUAGE

The course will be conducted in English. Participants are expected to fully involve themselves in discussions and other activities during the programme, and therefore, required to have a good command of English.

11. DURATION AND STARTING DATE

The course is scheduled for four weeks, starting from Monday, 15 October to Saturday, 10 November 2001. In the last week, after Saturday, 3 November onwards, the participants will visit Japan for one-week study visit.

 

12. THE CENTRES' TRAINING RESOURCES AND RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES

The training will be conducted by staff of the ILO Turin Centre and ILO/Geneva and external collaborators with specialized expertise in the field of OSHE.

The Center’s resources include classrooms, a learning resource center and library, a computer training laboratory and an interactive language laboratory. Located on the bank of the river Po, the Center’s campus provides a congenial environment in which to study and live. The accommodation is provided in serviced bed/study rooms with private bathrooms. Other amenities on campus include a restaurant, cafeteria, bank, travel agency, post office and an infirmary.