TUC Aid Tsunami Relief Programme - Update - Indonesia

Update

Tsunami Relief Programme

Indonesia

TUC Aid expresses its gratitude to all those who contributed generously to the Tsunami Appeal in 2005. A total of £320,000 was raised through the Appeal. We are pleased to let you know that, thanks to your generous support, we are helping thousands of people affected by Tsunami waves to rebuild their lives in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The proceeds of the Appeal are used to fund four projects aimed at long-term rehabilitation of those affected by the disaster. In addition, TUC Aid donated £25,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal in January 2005. It also made a contribution towards the cost of a conference organised by Tourism Concern on the post-Tsunami reconstruction and tourism in the countries concerned. The details of the projects funded through the Appeal in Indonesia are as follows:

Indonesia

Two Projects

1 Project Name: Trade Union Development and Livelihood Security Project in Aceh, Indonesia

Implementing Agency: Union Aid Abroad -APHEDA (Australia)

Delivery Organisation: Aceh Trade Union Care Centre

Project Duration: Two years

Goal

The goal of the Project is to build the capacity of independent and democratic trade unions in Aceh and to provide livelihood security for union members affected by the Tsunami of 26 December 2004.

Project Objectives

• Improve capacity of trade unions in Aceh to form strong, independent and democratic union structures.
• Provide livelihood security for union members and communities affected by the Tsunami.

Project Activities

• Vocational skills training for workers (Sewing/Tailoring training and Embroidery Screen-printing training for women)
• Development of independent trade unions (Training in union administration, negotiation skills, organisational skills etc)

Budget: £100,835

Progress

Trade Union Training Programme

The Trade Union Training Programme began with the recruitment of two trainers - Ms Kurniawati, qualified trade union trainer from the Labour Working Group Training Centre and James Rankin, trade union trainer from Australian Education Union. A mapping of various trade union federations and unions has been undertaken in Aceh, which includes assessment of relative strengths of unions, membership levels, awareness levels of their members, and their capacity to train, organise, recruit members and negotiate collective agreements. Mr Rankin has joined the Project as a technical adviser on a 3-month assignment funded by APHEDA.

Due to the very low level of union awareness, even amongst union members, a number of basic introductory courses - Introduction to Trade Unionism - have been organized in Aceh. 60 male and 20 female union members from two Federations have attended them. Plans are underway under the Project to select some key young union activists to be trained, mentored and developed into union organisers / recruiters for Acehnese unions. While unionisation is very high in some sectors such as education, only a handful of potential members have been recruited into unions in others.

In mid-January, APHEDA facilitated a workshop on the future of trade union development -first of its kind in Aceh - with a view to identifying priorities and needs of local trade unions. It was attended by 63 participants including representatives of local trade unions and associations, the ILO, Global Union Federations working in Aceh (EI, UNI) and BWI, SASK (Finland), ACTU (Australia) and ACILS (USA) and the Department of Manpower in Indonesia. The Workshop concluded that the recruitment of new members was vital to the development of local trade unions, that trade union training and education should be given priority and that the original trade union development programme should be revised accordingly.

The Indonesian local union Training Coordinator, Mansyur Riyansyah, and the international Technical Advisor, James Rankin (an Indonesian-speaking organiser from the Australian Education Union), have conducted training for 20 regional representatives (Transport) and 42 members of the Indonesian National Nurses Association.

Two monthly meetings of trade unions in Aceh attended by leaders of all three union confederations (KSPSI, KSBSI and KSPI) have been held to discuss criteria for forming the Forum and processes for regulating it. Activities aimed at enhancing the capacity of unions to organise are continuing under the guidance of Mansyur Riyansyah, Indonesian local union Training Coordinator, and James Rankin, International Technical Advisor,

Another initiative has been the coordination of workers from the non-governmental organizations (NGO) sector, currently non-unionised, as they are subject to the current obscure labour laws and standards governing the NGO sector. 33 people representing seven NGOs and international NGOs (INGOs) met to discuss problems with their workplaces and the formation of a trade union for NGO staff. A working group of representatives of workers of the 7 NGOs, which included Trade Union Care Centre, Mercy Corps, WALHI, Helen Keller International, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), Leuser International Foundation (LIF), and Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA, have agreed to meet on a regular basis to facilitate the formation of the NGO trade union.

Skills Training for Women in Aceh

Work is progressing well on the skills training for women component of the Program.

Ms Kurniawati, an Acehnese with vocational training experience, has been trained and mentored by the Australian technical adviser placed in Aceh. 35 sewing machines, 6 hemming machines and 5 embroidery machines have been purchased for training purposes. 25 women have already received intensive training in sewing, embroidery and handicraft (screen printing) and have started training others. In the initial three months, training courses have been held in five locations, mainly in the Lhoksuemawe and Sigli area, for a total of 120 workers. 100 women, among the trainees, are taking part in a six-week tailoring and embroidery training session, which will enable them to develop the skills needed to earn a living for their families. So far, 20 people have been provided with training in screen-printing.

The women selected for the training courses, for the most part, are those who have been widowed by the tsunami or those whose husbands have lost their livelihood due to the tsunami. Many of them are heads of households or come a socially disadvantage background.

The Skills Training for women component of the program continues. The local Training Co-ordinator, Kurniawati, attended a 2-week Training of Trainers for New Business Creation Course and preparations are now underway to extend micro-credit training to women. 40 women completed the skills training part of the tailoring and embroidery courses in Sigli. 60 women and 20 men in Lhokseumawe, unemployed due to the post-tsunami closure of much of the oil and gas industry, completed the course in screen-printing in Lhokseumawe at the end of March. They will have further training in small cooperative/business skills and in managing micro-credit and assistance to apply for loans.

The first small steps taken to provide livelihood skills training have already made a big difference to the lives of some people. One example is the Skills Training provided to a women's group comprising fifteen women in Kampung Baru in Aceh Following the training, the women have been given eight sewing machines and work is shared amongst them - with some doing machining and others hand-stitching. They soon realized that making colourful ceremonial Acehnese umbrellas used for weddings and special occasions was the most profitable activity. It takes three women a day to make one umbrella. The profit from the sale of an umbrella amounts to some Rupiahs 20,000 (£1.20), which is sufficient to buy enough rice to feed a family for five days.

An Australian technical expert with many years of experience in developing curriculum for non-formal cross-cultural skills training for disadvantaged women, Lynne Butler, has been placed in Aceh for the past 3 months to mentor, conduct training of trainers (ToT) courses, and to assist the Acehnese to develop curriculum and training materials for these courses. Lynne's position is funded by Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA, and while there, she also assisted other organisations involved in vocational skills training such as the ILO.

2 Project Name: Trade Union Development in the Informal Sector in Tsunami-affected Regions in Indonesia

Implementing Agency: International Labour Office

Delivery Organisation: ILO Jakarta Office

Project Duration: One year

Goal

The goal is to contribute to the development of effective trade unions capable of protecting the interests of all workers, both in the immediate reconstruction period, and in the longer term. In addition, the Project will strengthen the on-going peace and reconciliation efforts through reinforcing linkages across different sections of population.

Project Objectives

• Build union capacity on development, implementation and monitoring of union education and training programmes and activities, for purposes of strengthening trade unions' social dialogue capacity.
• Build union capacity on organising the unorganised, giving them voice and representation, especially to those in agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Project Activities

Education and training programmes for workplace trade union representatives and regular members focusing on

• Worker/union organisation;
• The role of workplace union representatives;
• Introduction to labour laws;
• Union education strategies; and
• Occupational safety and health, particularly related to reconstruction activities.

Organising of unorganised workers, focusing on support for the development of workers' organisations in new sectors (e.g. agriculture; fisheries; street vendors; market vendors).

Budget: £50,000

Progress

Summary

The activities organised under the Trade Union Rehabilitation through Education & Training Project funded by TUC Aid under its Tsunami Relief Programme, launched in January 2006 by the ILO Jakarta Office, are currently underway. The Project, which seeks to contribute to restoring the services and operations of trade unions in Aceh and affected areas of North Sumatra, envisages trade union recovery and rehabilitation through education and training. So far, it has conducted a 5-day Refresher Training of Trainers (ToT) Course for union leaders and educators/trainers and three Basic Training Courses, each of three days' duration. A Trade Union Administration Manual covering most topics of particular relevance to trade union administration was also developed and is currently being piloted in co-operation with unions. In addition, the Project also aims to support unions' efforts to diversify their services to members and supplement members' dues through income-generating initiatives. Activities designed to organise the organised commenced in the second half of 2006.

Full Progress Report

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO)

MULTI-BILATERAL PROGRAMME OF TECHNICAL COOPERATION

PROGRESS REPORT

Project Number: INS/05/15M/TUC

Project Title: Indonesia Tsunami Response: Trade Union Rehabilitation through Education & Training

Period Covered: January - March 2006

Total Budget: USD 86,058

Starting Date: 26 January 2006

End Date: 31 December 2006

Implemented by: ILO Jakarta Office

Donor: British Trade Union Congress (TUC)

Prepared by: Asenaca Colawai,

Associate Expert on Workers' Activities

ILO Jakarta Office

Introduction

The TUC Project on Trade Union Rehabilitation through Education & Training seeks to contribute to restoring the services and operations of trade unions in Aceh and affected areas of North Sumatra, through the development and/or support of independent and representative trade unions.

The project envisages trade union recovery and rehabilitation through the use of education and training in two separate but simultaneous programmes:

(i) Education and training programmes, for workplace trade union representatives and regular members - the programme will aim to build the capacity of unions in Aceh and North Sumatra to, themselves, deliver similar training, using their own educators, trained under the project; and

(ii) The organising of unorganised workers - the programme proposes to build on existing strengths of the trade unions, leaving flexibility for individual unions to adopt and develop their own approaches within the general project framework. The programme envisages knowledge, information and experience-sharing, that can contribute to the development of more effective strategies and best practices that the Aceh and North Sumatra trade unions can refer to when organizing unorganized workers.

Work Done

Establishment of the Project Advisory Committee, and Project Working Group

To ensure the smooth delivery of the project, as well as the Aceh and North Sumatra trade unions' ownership of the programmes that were to be developed, a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) was established. Its members were the Aceh-based representatives of the three national confederations. [1] The first meeting took place on 1 February 2006, where the PAC members were nominated by their respective unions. The first official PAC meeting transpired on 30 March 2006, with follow-up meetings slated for every coming quarter of the year. The role of the PAC is to advise the project on ways of improving the delivery of the programmes. It is also a forum where the project can raise matters that unions need to address at an institutional level in relation to union education and training, e.g. the quality of the participants nominated to various training programmes; the progress of the proposed union educators/trainers; etc.

A Project Working Group (PWG) was also established, to assist the project organise the unions from a logistical perspective, i.e. locate appropriate training venues; organise the relevant participants; etc. It was felt that this was a positive way of ensuring local union ownership of the programme delivery and its outcomes. The PWG meets once a month, or as-and-when a training programme is scheduled.

Education & Training Programmes

Rather than the project deciding the development of the Aceh unions workers' education and training programmes, with the PAC, the project developed an institutional capacity building strategy. It involves further training the union leaders and educators/trainers that were trained under the ILO ACTRAV Tsunami Quick Response programme through a refresher Training of Trainers (ToT) course. These persons are then to co-facilitate, with the ILO, all future workshops/training for their respective unions. This allows the ILO to monitor the: (i) reception that unions receive at the community level; (ii) progress and development of the union educator/trainer; and (iii) progress and development of the individual union education and training programme.

To date, the project has conducted:

(i) One 5-day refresher ToT course with the union leaders and educators/trainers. Topics covered included: What is a trade union; union leadership; importance of union education and training; adult learning methodologies; union development; organisational planning; international labour standards; the Indonesia labour laws; and equal employment opportunities. Twenty-five people took the refresher course, with women comprising 24% of the participants, i.e. 6 women.

(ii) Three trade union Basic Training Courses (BATRA), each of a 3-day duration. Topics covered included: What a trade union is; its role/functions; union formation and dissolution under Indonesia's laws; workers' rights under Indonesia's laws in light of international labour standards; freedom of association and collective bargaining; and discrimination in the workplace/equal employment opportunities. A total of 100 people attended the BATRAs, with women comprising 31% of the total participants.

A Trade Union Administration Manual was developed, and is currently being piloted, covering most of the topics stated above.

Organising the Unorganised

It was discussed at the PAC meeting that rather than try to run two separate programmes simultaneously, given the low union density in Aceh and North Sumatra, it was suggested that concerted efforts in relation to organising commence in the second half of the year. Thus, there are no concrete activities to report. However, strategies for organising the unorganised are already being discussed informally amongst the unions.

Problems/constraints

(a) Low union density in Aceh and North Sumatra affects the budget of every union. Union education and training programmes were next to non-existent prior to the tsunami. Sustainability of the project activities is an on-going concern, as this is the next level of progression for the unions.

Lessons learned and follow-up actions

(a) Under the Education and Training Programme, the project is working with the unions on ways of raising union funds to supplement the members' dues, as well as provide services that are of value to members, e.g. financial and/or legal advice services; income-generating schemes, like a union cooperative. Although this is outside the ambit of the project, it can contribute to the successful delivery of the project outcomes and objectives. The project will link-up with the larger ILO Local Economic, and Enterprise, Development initiatives for technical support in this regard.

5. The project in perspective

The project contributes to the overall objectives of the ILO's tsunami response in Aceh and Nias, North Sumatra, which is working towards helping the Acehnese people recover, re-establish their institutions of support (like the trade unions) and generate/re-generate their sources of livelihood.

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[1] The national trade union confederations are: (i) the KSPSI - Konfederasi Serikat Pekerja Indonesia or Confederation of All Indonesia Trade Unions (CAITU); (ii) the KSPI - Kongress Serikat Pekerja Indonesia or the Indonesia Trade Union Congress (ITUC); and the KSBSI - Konfederasi Serikat Buruh Sejahtera Indonesia or the Confederation of Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (CIPTU).