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TUC Strategic Framework Partnership Arrangement Update

Issue date
TUC Strategic Framework Partnership Arrangement (SFPA) update

January 2009

Summary

The TUC's three year Department for International Development (DFID) funded Strategic Framework Partnership Arrangement (SFPA) is into its final months and will end on 30th June 2009. This brief covers the key achievements from the period of February - April 2009, which include:

A provisional agreement from DFID for the NUT's Development Awareness Fund (DAF) proposal, the GMB's Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) proposal and the TUC's DAF proposal.

The running of the first ever TUC International Development Funding Seminar

'Internationalising' union work through international development education courses both classroom and on-line

News of a soon to be complete, TUC 'suite' of International Project Training courses focused on DFID's DAF and CSCF funds and designed for effective project design, writing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

The TUC's fifth International Women's Day celebration

The TUC is also nearing the end of its discussions with DFID on a successor agreement to the SFPA. Details of which will be announced in the next couple of months.

International development awareness

IDLF Access DFID's DAF news

The following unions are currently undertaking a range of activities, after having proposals approved by the TUC Aid Trustees, that will to lead to a submission to DFID's Development Awareness Fund in 2009:

PCS: Aims to build its international capacity to raise awareness amongst members. They have undertaken a variety of information gathering and giving initiatives including launched a dedicated webpage page; a broad membership survey to ascertain the level of their membership's international awareness and the type/range of activities they are and want to be involved in; are about to launch an 'international insights' newsletter; and have begun consultations with various internal departments on the prospects for their international work. They have also set up an electronic international network; are planning to pilot some education events and have just piloted a web conference with members from the British Council, DFID and the FCO. They aim to submit a Development Awareness Fund Proposal (DAF) in 2009.

ATL: Aims to raise development awareness amongst its members and to create an initial international function within ATL that can be sustained after the project has finished. ATL's appointed project worker only recently started work, therefore progress has to date been a little slow. However, they have recently hosted teaching trade unionists from Cambodia, and are plans are underway to submit a paper to the DFID White Paper consultation and to take part in DFID's Building Support for Development Review. Their first Steering Group meeting takes place this week where they will discuss amongst other things the development of their international strategy approach; membership survey; their website and e-bulletins; and relationship building with sister unions. They plan to submit a DAF in 2009.

Union DFID Development Awareness Fund news

As with previous years, the SFPA has continued to encourage and assist affiliates work with affiliates who have IDLF projects up to (and if successful and requested) beyond the point of submission of a DAF proposal to DFID. To this extent, two IDLF unions have to date had successful applications:

Prospect: Now in the second year of their three year DAF which aims to influence employers' CSR policies to include development and integrate with bargaining agendas so that Prospect branches can identify and achieve their own practical outcomes. The project activities to date are a success, with high interest and demand from their members and many employers responding positively to the agenda.

NUT: Has just had its three year £300,000 DAF project proposal provisionally approved in April 2009. The project aims for teachers to become global agents of change through changing their teaching practices and through sharing best practice throughout the teaching community on international development education. Within this, teachers will be enabled to include international development within their daily lesson planning and practice. They will also be equipped with the ideas and skills to assist their schools to respond proactively to this agenda so that international development begins to become embedded into curriculum planning at all levels and best practice and collaboration disseminates into the wider community. Therefore, both the adult wider community and children's attitudes and behaviour will reflect their understanding of the implications of global interdependence and poverty reduction and how they can and do have a role in working towards poverty reduction.

Unite (Amicus section): DAF project proposal which planned to mainstream international development awareness (DA) into Unite's campaigning and negotiating priorities and policies at workplace, regional, sectoral and community level, have just had their DAF proposal rejected for the second time. They are awaiting the feedback explanation from DFID. However, undeterred, they continue amongst other things, to run their very popular Globalisation Schools.

TUC: with some assistance from the IDLF, has received this month a provisional acceptance of their project proposal to the DAF. The project is called Raising the bar on workers' rights - 2012 sportswear supply chain awareness and aims to build its capacity to raise awareness about workers in the Olympics merchandising and sponsorship supply chain in the run up to and during the 2012 London Olympics. Replicating the Play Fair Alliance, it will be jointly run by the TUC with Labour Behind the Label and aims to work, amongst others, with the NUS, UNITE, Community, GMB, NUT, NASUWT and the ATL.

IDLF Mini Grants news

Where affiliates are not in a position to apply for a DAF or CSCF, they are encouraged to apply for the IDLF Mini Grant Scheme to which TUC Regions are also able to apply. To this extent, since the last TUC Aid Trustees meeting, ASLEF have just had a proposal to bring over the General Secretary of the Ugandan Railway Workers Union, with a view to exploring a longer term relationship approved.

Building partnerships with unions in the developing world.

IDLF Access CSCF news

A key objective of the SFPA is to increase the engagement of UK trade unions with their sister unions in the developing world. To this extent, the following unions are undertaking a range of activities after having their proposals approved by the TUC Aid Trustees that will lead to a submission to DFID's Civil Society Challenge Fund in 2009 or 2010:

NUT: Are running a project to with the Sierra Leone Teacher's Union to run a pilot ICT skills course for women teachers. The pilot programme aims to empower women teachers in the classroom, their union and the community. There is more work to do in Sierra Leone during 2009 to meet the intended aims of the pilot and in 2010 the NUT intends to apply to the CSCF so that they can expand the programme.

TSSA: The TSSA union won funds and support from the IDLF in September 08 to twin with the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Rail Worker's Union (ZARWU). The purpose of the project is to establish a sustainable, long-term relationship with ZARWU in order to support the union in the challenges it faces in servicing its members and contributing towards the rebuilding of the economic and social fabric of Zimbabwe. A research study was undertaken prior to a background needs analysis visit to Johannesburg in January 2009, and the unions are continuing to develop trusted methods of communications to assist in exchanges of information and relationship building. They are on schedule to submit a Concept Note to DFID in the next few weeks.

The GMB London Region: Won funds and support from the IDLF to build solid relationships with the Guyana Agricultural Workers Union and National Association of Agricultural (GAWU), Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), who both represent workers in the Sugar Industry. Working with the IUF Global Sugar Coordinator, they have undertaken a joint needs analysis visit and workshop in Guyana and will shortly begin working on awareness raising materials and workshops within the region. The GMB is the first union to have one of its Regional Offices submitting a proposal to the IDLF and are on target to submit a Concept Note to DFID in the next few weeks.

NUJ: Recently won funds to work in partnership with the Zimbabwean Union of Journalists to build union capacity to better enable ZJU members to report and carry out their work in Zimbabwe. Their Project Steering Group met for the first time last week. They are currently creating the terms of reference for a background research report to assess the current situation and key problems journalists and their union face, prior to designing a workshop which will take place in either Zimbabwe or South Africa (depending on the political developments) in August this year. They aim to submit a proposal to DFID in 2010.

DFID union Civil Society Challenge Fund news

The CWU and GMB, with assistance form the IDLF, both submitted proposals to DFID's Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) in July 2008.

GMB: Project proposal with the Mumbai Port Trust Dock and General Employee's Union (MPTDGEU) in India has been provisionally approved and they are in discussions with DFID in order to secure the funding. It aims to assist tens of thousands of ship breaking downstream workers who face some of the most dangerous and poorly paid work in the world.

CWU: Project proposal to work with their Philippine sister union to empower women and precarious communications workers throughout the Philippines was unsuccessful. The CWU is awaiting feedback from DFID on why they were unsuccessful before deciding their future approach and action.

The TUC was also provisionally successful with its CSCF application to the CSCF for an HIV/AIDS project with the Nigeria Labour Congress.

Project training

A third series of the successful IDLF training, to assist with project design and proposal writing was run over four days in January and February. Over 30 trade union officers from more than 10 affiliates have now been equipped with the skills to engage in DFID's competitive funding processes and simply put, to design better projects.

An intensive one day Project Monitoring and Implementation course is set to run for the first time on 14/15 May 09. Complementary to this, a one day Financial Management training day for CSCF projects will also be run on 5th June for those affiliates with existing CSCF projects. This course is designed to assist with the more complex financial monitoring problems that working with sister unions in developing countries can bring.

Work on designing a complementary Project Evaluation training course for delivery in late 2009 will begin in the next few months. Once this course has been designed, the TUC will then have a 'suite' of International Project Training courses, focused on accessing DFID funding and designed for effective project design, writing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Diversifying trade union development funding sources

Up until now the TUC, with DFID's encouragement and support has focused its efforts in assisting affiliates to apply to DFID's civil society funding streams but with TUC and affiliate capacity to access these funds growing, it is time to diversify those funding sources. To assist with this a half day funding seminar was held in late March. Chaired Annie Watson, the TUC's International Development Advisor, affiliates heard from Joni Hillman, BOND Donor Advocacy Officer, Colin McGinty DFID Stakeholder Manager, Cathy Welch DFID Programme Manager, Communities and Faith Groups and from Louise Herring Comic Relief's International Trade Coordinator. During the seminar, there was a lively discussion around the debate about the value of 'northern' donor's to their developing country partners; the consequences of the global economic crisis on the NGO community's levels of funding; as well as (subject to the outcome of their recent strategic consultation) the encouraging 'fit' of trade union work and aspirations to Comic Relief's International Grants Scheme's themes and objectives.

Strengthening the TUC's international development awareness work

The TUC's Gender, Globalisation and Poverty Reduction training course for Officers which was piloted in early January 09, ran in London, South Thames College, for Reps during March and there are plans to run the reps course again in Bristol in June and in London for Officers in July. Details are available on the UnionLearn Website. The course, for which there is an Officer and a Rep version, is designed for those interested in understanding how they can contribute to this issue, either through their trade union or workplace. With particular reference to women in developing countries, amongst other things, the course examines:

the difference between globalisation and international development

the ITUC's Decent Work for Decent Life for Women Campaign

promoting trade justice

the role of trade unions

The highly popular on-line course, 'Going global: on trade unions and international development' has now been run twice in England and once in Scotland. The participants are able to progress through this user-friendly and engaging introduction to international development and trade unionism in their own time. Fourth and fifth courses for England are set to begin at the end of April and October 09.

International Women's Day celebration

With a Caribbean food and musical theme to set the mood the TUC marked the passing of this year's International Women's Day with our traditional evening reception. Hosted by Kay Carberry, TUC Assistant General Secretary, around 120 women turned up to celebrate the hard fought for rights of working women. As well as music from Pantasia Steel Band, they heard speeches by Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, ITUC-Africa General Secretary, Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK Director and Adwoa Sakyi, Head of Industrial Relations at the General Agricultural Workers Union, Ghana. The cost of this event, and all previous similar events, were funded by TUC subscriptions and sponsorship from Thompsons Solicitors.

The TUC's relationship with DFID

In the UK the objective of policy engagement is fulfilled through the regular DFID/TUC trade union forums. The TUC is currently also in talks with DFID over a new agreement to follow the SFPA.

For more information

Please contact Gemma Freedman, the TUC's SFPA Project Officer on 020 7467 1233 or by email: gfreedman@tuc.org.uk.

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