IMF holds the first Training of Trainers workshop in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine

UKRAINE: On March 12-15, the IMF held the first in a series of workshops within the framework of the project on Training the Trainers for the Metallurgical and Mining Industry Workers' Union of Ukraine (MMIWU).

The project includes four workshops to be held in the next two years. It is aimed at training the union trainers. Twentyfive union activists took part in the workshop: members of the union committees, shop stewards, representatives of the regional organizations and the Central Committee, generally under 40 years of age.

The workshop was conducted by Jean-Yves Sabot, secretary of the Central Committee of FO-Metaux. Sabot has rich experience in training union activists from Russia and Ukraine.

The workshop was opened by MMIWU secretary Vladimir Kazachenko. Kazachenko emphasized the importance of education and training for preparing union activists. He also pointed out that it was the first training workshop since the MMIWU had joined the IMF. Kazachenko informed the participants that the educational project is co-financed by the IMF and the MMIWU. He suggested to hold the last workshop in France and acknowledged that the union was ready to finance such a project.

IMF representative for CIS countries Vadim Borisov told the participants about the IMF activities on a global scale and the merger between IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF. Borisov also noted that the partnership between the IMF and FO-Metaux in the field of union education started in the early 2000s and brought significant results.

The participants studied the French system of union education and compared it to the Ukrainian one. They praised the high level of training at the workshop.

The next three workshops will be dedicated to the training techniques and union communications, featuring interactive methods of education.