Trade Union Nordic Development Cooperation meeting

“To restore confidence, creating quality jobs, decent work must be the core of any legitimate policy of economic and financial reform and any strategy for growth… Norway has a rights-based approach to the decent work; we believe this approach is even more vital in times of crisis… Participation and dialogue must be at the centre of the recovery”, Jonas Gahr Støre, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the participants from Global Unions and the Nordic Solidarity Support organisations at the Trade Union Nordic Development Cooperation meeting that took place near Oslo on 14-16 May 2012.

The meeting that brought together the Global Union Federations (GUF: BWI, ICEM, ITGLWF, EI, IFJ, UNI, IMF, ITF, PSI) and ITUC/TUDCN, with the Nordic (No, SE, DK, FI), and German Trade Union Solidarity Support Organisations (TUSSO’s) was hosted by LO-Norway in its centre in Sørmarka.

Central to the discussions was the cooperation between the TUSSO’s and the diverse family of the global unions and ITUC. On the first day both families of partners prepared a joint meeting and exchanged information about the programming and implementation challenges in their cooperation programmes. The Global Unions and ITUC/TUDCN addressed questions related to climate finance, Decent Work and job creation, recent evolutions in the internal organisation (education programmes and merger of IndustryALL), communication and training, the use of solidarity/organising funds, back-donor evaluation (the idea of a pool of trade union evaluators was mentioned) and measuring results. They also discussed the relations with the respective TUSSO’s and with the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN). It was agreed that BWI would screen the TUDCN agenda and send “heads-up” for participation to the GUF.

The joint meeting shared the concerns above and debated the need for a more proactive and rights-based approach addressing decent work in development programmes and policies. The meeting took note of the measuring impact proposals as integrated in the LFA and presented by the Nordic Consultant Group. Paola Simonetti (ITUC/TUDCN) presented the Trade Union Development Effectiveness Profile and its background of the Principles and Guidelines for Trade Union Development Effectiveness. Climate change was found to be a difficult issue, mostly seen by trade unions as cross-cutting rather that an independent priority action-point. The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Store addressed the meeting and explained how the Nordic Model had proved to be more resilient for the crisis than others, based on what was said to be “elements of an outdated development model”: strong unions and social dialogue; performing and strong public services; high taxation and redistribution levels; female participation in the labour market, rights based approaches and policy coherence.

The last day was focussed on the developments in Asia and in particular the cooperation with partners in China, Indonesia, Birma/Myanmar and the Philippines. Highlights in the discussion were the prudent approach to the China’s changing workforce challenges and the proposal to address, in cooperation with the African affiliates the development engagements of China in Africa; the good news of a unified trade union front in the Philippines (NAGKAKAISA), bringing together for the 1st of May the ALP, FFW and part of the TUCP amongst others.

Next meeting will take place in April 2013 in Denmark.

- See the speaking notes of Mr Støre

Article by Jan Dereymaeker, ITUC TUDCN