11 March, 2010Union activists gathered for two days in Tunis to discuss creation of union communication networks within the growing number of TNCs operating in the country.
TUNISIA: On March 1 and 2 a two-day workshop on "Communication for trade union action" was held in Tunis, organized by the International Metalworkers' Federation together with its affiliate in Tunisia, Fédération Générale de la Métallurgie et de l'Electronique - UGTT, as part of an ongoing project aimed at supporting the trade unions in Morocco and Tunisia in organizing workers at multinational companies.
The participants received basic training on existing Internet-based information and communication technologies enabling them to set up a permanent communication network among themselves in Tunisia as well as at the international level, primarily with their colleagues in Morocco.
During the seminar a demonstration of a Skype-based conference was organized with participation of the union activist Boutayeb Bouchkhachakh from the IMF affiliate in Morocco, Syndicat National des Travailleurs des Industries Métallurgiques, Mécaniques, Electriques et Electroniques - SNTIMMEE-CDT, who described problems faced by SNTIMMEE-CDT in Morocco, and the IMF General Secretary, Jyrki Raina, who in his intervention explained to the participants what IMF does for consolidation of networks in the region.
As earlier reported on the IMF website the initiative is targeting in particular the TNCs and their suppliers 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 Spanish development agency, ISCOD - UGT, and with the participation of metalworkers' unions in Tunisia, Morocco, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.