ITC-ILO/ACTRAV Course A3-00218: Trade Union Training on International Economics, Regional Economic Integration and Political Economy Course Orientation ACTRAV-Turin

Aims of This Session To get to know with each other; To clearly understand the objectives and expected outputs of this course; and To grasp participants’ expectations to the course and make fine-tunings to the course timetable.

Three Basic Agreements!!! Let’s be active and participative in all activities during the course; Let’s be attentive to our classmates in all occasions; and Let’s be punctual! Any additional agreements you want to propose?

Background of the Course (1) Integration of economies and creation of global market – “policy driven”: Liberalization/deregulation/privatization Changes in trade, production, investment Freer flow of goods/services/finances Multinationalization of enterprises. Economic and social exclusions and growing gaps among regions/nations/populations; Needs for political wills and international/ regional/national systems of governance for fairer distributions of wealth, equal opportunities and decent work: Emphasis to be placed on the point that: This is probably the only opportunity for regional staff of all the ITSs to get together, exchange information on their activities, problems and future plan of actions, and develop network among themselves. In the past, we offered training courses for individual ITSs, independently. Now, after consultation with the ITS groups, we decided to organize this ITS programme.

Background of the Course (2) Needs for Strong Trade Unions for Promoting a strong political will, nationally and internationally, for social inclusion and justice; Representing workers’ voices in national and international policy debates on economic and social issues. Needs for skilful trade union leaders and supporting staff to lead the union actions and campaigns in this area. Emphasis to be placed on the point that: This is probably the only opportunity for regional staff of all the ITSs to get together, exchange information on their activities, problems and future plan of actions, and develop network among themselves. In the past, we offered training courses for individual ITSs, independently. Now, after consultation with the ITS groups, we decided to organize this ITS programme.

Development Objectives This Course is aimed at contributing to: Promoting an established structure, or institutionalizing new one, within trade unions responsible for economic and social policies; Strengthening the technical capacity of national trade unions leaders and staff for developing effective economic and social policies, for making active participation in national/international tripartite discussions and decision-making processes, and for organizing a systematic workers’ education programmes; Developing national/regional/international structures and mechanisms for social dialogue whereby interests of workers are effectively heard and reflected in the social and economic policies of the nations as well as of the regional/international governmental bodies; and Building up an effective communication network among national trade unions in the region that will facilitate a sharing of information and experiences on social and economic issues. Emphasis to be placed on the point that: This is probably the only opportunity for regional staff of all the ITSs to get together, exchange information on their activities, problems and future plan of actions, and develop network among themselves. In the past, we offered training courses for individual ITSs, independently. Now, after consultation with the ITS groups, we decided to organize this ITS programme.

Immediate Objectives (1) At the end of this course, the participants will be able to: identify main issues and difficulties faced by trade unions in the field of economic and social policies; understand the procedures and supervisory mechanisms of international labour standards and how to apply them practically; Identify positive and negative impacts of globalisation on workers and trade unions, and actions to be taken to minimize the negative ones; be able to mainstream gender issues in the field of economic and social policies; identify main arguments and propositions of presently popular theories of international economics and political economy, and analyze current economic and social situations; Understand about the role of WTO, IMF and World Bank, and analyze the impact of their policies on societies and workers; Emphasis to be placed on the point that: This is probably the only opportunity for regional staff of all the ITSs to get together, exchange information on their activities, problems and future plan of actions, and develop network among themselves. In the past, we offered training courses for individual ITSs, independently. Now, after consultation with the ITS groups, we decided to organize this ITS programme.

Immediate Objectives (2) Identify key labour agenda associated with the programmes of IMF and WB, with particular emphasis on PRSP and the role of trade unions in the process; Analyze the development and impact of regional economic integration and bi-lateral free trade agreement and their implications to workers; Propose effective trade union policies and strategies on social and economic issues, including systematic trade union training programmes; Utilize the power of information technologies, including distance education methodology and networking, to improve the capacity and management of trade unions and to build networks; and Develop training materials and project proposals which aim to improve the general or specific capacity of trade unions in the subject area. Emphasis to be placed on the point that: This is probably the only opportunity for regional staff of all the ITSs to get together, exchange information on their activities, problems and future plan of actions, and develop network among themselves. In the past, we offered training courses for individual ITSs, independently. Now, after consultation with the ITS groups, we decided to organize this ITS programme.

Outputs of this Course 16 Trade Union Specialists on International Economics and Political Economy who have capacity of; Analyzing current economic and social situations based on theories and practices; Proposing trade union policies and strategies on minimizing the negative impact of globalization; Playing a leading role in a regional/international network of trade union experts on social and economic issues. 16 Individual Work Plans that will contribute to achieving the long-term objectives of the course; A network of trade union specialists on social and economic policies What kind of “network” can be established? Or, should be established? Who takes what sort of responsibility? Any financial, technical and human resources will need to be associated? Where such resources can be identified?

Time-Table of this Course Week 1: Globalization and ILS Discussions on impact of globalization, current social situations Study on international labour standards Participation in the World Social Forum Week 2: World Social Forum Local visit Week 3: Int’l Economics and Political Economy Study of current theories with particular focus on neo-liberalism Role of WTO/IMF/WB and PRSP Week 4: T.U. Policies and Development of Work Plan Development of trade union policies and strategies Individual work plans Importance of Gender Mainstreaming Throughout our discussions, we will try to put our special attention on the gender issue: how globalization affects women, how ITSs are campaigning for mainstreaming gender issues, and so on.

World Social Forum We will take part in the World Social Forum from 15 to 21 January; Private buses will be arranged for our group to go to and come back from the venue of the WSF; On 15, 16 and 21 January, we all will be together to participate in the same programmes; Between 17 and 20, we will be divided into three groups, and those groups will participate in different programmes; and Everyday, after coming back to the Hotel, while taking dinner together, we will have reporting of groups and summary discussions. What kind of “network” can be established? Or, should be established? Who takes what sort of responsibility? Any financial, technical and human resources will need to be associated? Where such resources can be identified?

Individual Work Plan Work Plan is: A project proposal that aims to address a specific problem and/or a priority agenda for your organizations (members) and to achieve a certain desired outcome in a specific subject area; You are expected to implement your work plan upon your return to your country; It should contain clear “objectives (what you want to achieve)”, “target groups (who you want to change)”, “outputs (what you want to produce)” and “activities (what you must do to achieve it)”; and The main theme of your workplan must be related to the subjects of this training course What kind of “network” can be established? Or, should be established? Who takes what sort of responsibility? Any financial, technical and human resources will need to be associated? Where such resources can be identified?

Evaluation Weekly Evaluation End of the Course Evaluation Post-Course Evaluation Implementation of Work Plan and After-1year-Ealuation Questionnaire

Course Website All the relevant materials of the course; Database of resource materials and course work A hub for networking of the participants

Any questions or clarifications? About Objectives and Goals of the Course? About Contents of the Program? About Study Visits? About … anything?

Activity 1: Paired Interview Purpose: To get to know with each other better. Activity: Make pairs (two persons make one team); Interview your partner about him/herself: Name (nickname), country, and organization Trade union experiences and current responsibilities Expectations to this programme In the plenary, introduce your partner to the group.

Let’s enjoy the program together! ACTRAV-Turin