TIE-Netherlands

 

TIE Brazil has taken part in the democratization process inside union organizations, where one can see greater participation of the workers and union members in the debate and union activities. This dynamic has resulted in greater communication, which has allowed the coordination between organizations and sectors, especially, in the definition of a national regimen of demands and joint negotiations. It is opportune to point out that 80% of the participants in the training courses of TIE Brazil have been elected to be part of the union leadership, of works councils, or of the CIPAs. An important achievement of the TIE Brazil team is the “democratization of the access of information,” using the web page as a tool to educate and inform at the service of the workers. Another important achievement of TIE Brazil has been the organisation of national debates among unions from different sectors and industries on key topics for the future of the country and the Brazilian labour movement, such as the Labour Reform and the FTAA.

 

Through the workshops, TEL Argentina has attempted to promote the development of workers’ own analytical capacities allowing them to understand the characteristics of the work processes and their relationship with the construction of power relationships at the workplace. With workshops and encounters, it has supported the actions of opposition activists or minority currents, as well as of formal bodies (representatives and delegates) and of the rank-and-file (internal committees) promoting pluralism and debate as the foundation of union democracy. With national and international encounters and seminars it has supported the formation of various forms of links, exchange, and coordination between workers of different companies, sectors, and countries. The knowledge produced has been socialized through publications and the web-site. In all fields one sees concrete advances and achievements.

 

TIE Chile demonstrates that its activities have made the union leadership recognize the importance of an adequate and constant education and training as a tool for the creation of an autonomous labor movement with the capacity to have a presence. In order to achieve this it organizes activities on diverse thematic planes and with different levels of difficulty. This due to the disparity in knowledge among workers from different zones and activities, due to the distinct experiences of struggle, and due to the different level of organization achieved. In this manner they have managed to “win” organizations or they have managed to get activists to act to create and/or strengthen rank-and-file organizations founded on democracy, in a greater participation, and independence. A central aspect of the work is focused on subcontracted workers that do not have the space to organize. Advances are slowly made through encounters, different forms of networking and coordination between workers of different companies and sectors.

 

For their part, the Mexican organizations have advanced in general terms towards a greater conscientization of the working class, both organized and unorganized, of the need to consolidate in one independent organization of workers, formed and with the capacity to make its own decisions and defend and promote its rights. Thus CETLAC reports the commitment that the beneficiaries themselves have demonstrated and assumed to continue the programme, where one particularly vulnerable sector is the informal sector, composed of street vendors.

 

CJM and RMS have managed to coordinate activities in the maquila sector with the goal of ensuring their beneficiaries have tools they can trust when at the negotiating table with their bosses. CJM promotes the development of legal defenders to empower the working class so that it has the legal tools to defend itself and promote its rights. It is important to note that according to the beneficiaries of the programme, the local organisations now take care of the methodology, planning, and evaluation of all the meetings they organize.

 

The efforts carried out by RMS in Chiapas and Oaxaca have been in coordination with their partners, the Local 50 of the Health Workers Union and MUSAS, respectively. Thus, the work as a network has been recognized by the state union leadership and by the feminist movement in each region. Another important achievement is the construction of networks to ensure continuity to the process of training and education on labor and gender topics. In both regions the target group has carried out independent activities such as seminars, flyers, strikes, advisory services, etc.