4 November, 2009Shop stewards and trade union organizers from three TNCs operating in Morocco, ArcelorMittal, Leoni and Renault met in Casablanca for a two-day workshop on "Trade Union Communication and Networking".
MOROCCO: On November 3 - 4 a two-day workshop on "Trade Union Communication and Networking" was held in Casablanca, organized by the IMF together with the SNTIMMEE-CDT as part of an ongoing project aimed at supporting the trade unions in Morocco and Tunisia in organizing workers at multinational companies.
Basic training on available tools of information and communication technologies was provided to the participants in view of the establishment of a permanent communication network among them. The creation of a permanent linkage and the systematic sharing of information are indispensable tools for effective workers' solidarity and trade union cooperation at national, regional and international level.
The programme of the meeting addressed communication needs in trade union work. It included an overview of trade union experiences in the use of electronic means for trade union action. Examples were provided of communication networks, on the use of Internet-related tools, and on the costs and technical implications of their use.
This initiative is targeting in particular the TNCs that are signatories to International Framework Agreements with the IMF in order to monitor their implementation. It is part of a broader programme implemented with the support of the ISCOD - UGT and with the participation of metalworkers' unions in Tunisia, Morocco, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
While providing a fruitful opportunity for shop floor union coordination at TNCs, the meeting highlighted the problem of inadequate representation of the female membership, even when women are predominant in the workforce.