 e-bulletin issue 53 – October 2020 Welcome to the 53rd IFWEA e-bulletin. It’s been a challenging year for everybody, with the worldwide pandemic forcing us to think of new and creative ways of communicating within the global knowledge community. The urgency to act in the face of often devastating pandemic consequences affecting the poor, the vulnerable, the informal sector and women in particular has inspired innovative responses. Some of these may prove to be more sustainable – and more cost-effective – even after the worst of the pandemic has ended. In this bulletin we look at some of the ways IFWEA affiliates and colleagues are working within the global labour movement. ▶️ IFWEA PROGRAMME UPDATES The YGAP programme for 2020, which is usually held in Cape Town, South Africa, has moved online. Find out more about the exciting programme for this year. And see how C190 is being tackled by affiliates ▶️ IFWEA WELCOMES ABF BELARUS We speak to Katya Sliapneva, representing IFWEA’s newest affiliate ABF Belarus ▶️ AFFILIATE NEWS AND VIEWS Read and watch what IFWEA affiliates have been doing ▶️ FOOD FOR THOUGHT The latest pieces on democracy and labour from around the globe ▶️ CONTACTS + SOCIAL MEDIA Contact us and connect with the IFWEA community online ▶️ IFWEA PROGRAMME UPDATES:  ▶️ JOIN IN THE JAM! YGAP as we know it is not possible due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. So we have adapted and introduced the very first YGAP GAME-JAM. A global team will develop an online game that raises awareness about urgent challenges facing the labour movement. Read more ▶️ C190 AND STUDY CIRCLES Eight organisations are currently attending online (and offline) Study Circles to address the ILO Convention 190 (C190), Violence and Harassment at Work. What is the Convention, and why is it important? Read more ▶️ ABF BELARUS – FACING CHALLENGES:  ▶️ MODERN POPULAR EDUCATION “With the police brutality, many people are afraid to leave their homes to attend Study Circles.” Katya Sliapneva, representing IFWEA’s newest affiliate ABF Belarus, tells us about their philosophy, and the challenges of organising in Belarus at the moment. Read more▶️ AFFILIATE NEWS AND VIEWS:  Picture: Nasrin Sotoudeh. Credit: Amnesty.org ▶️ IFWEA, ABF SWEDEN, SOLIDAR AND OLAF PALME CENTRE STAND BESIDE NASRIN SOTOUDEH One of Iran’s most important voices is fading away, leaving a deafening silence over the infamous Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran. With dismay and the greatest concern, we have received the news that the condition of Nasrin Sotoudeh, one of the leading rights activists of our time, is critical. Read more ▶️ VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING Ibtikar is offering a range of virtual workshops and training on topics including Design Thinking Fundamentals and The Faciliation Lab. Find out more here ▶️ UBER UMPLOYEES From the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) comes news that more than 500 Uber Eats delivery workers will now be classified as employees rather than independent contractors. This means that delivery workers will immediately receive a base wage of 20.65 Swiss francs per hour (approximately US$22.50), four weeks of annual leave, protection in the event of illness or accident, and access to unemployment insurance. Read more ▶️ CAPACITY BUILDING The Labour Education Foundation (LEF) organised a two-day capacity building training workshop for the most vulnerable bonded labourers of brick kiln workers Toba Tek Singh. Read more ▶️ OHS GUIDELINES The new workplace issues presented by the Covid-19 pandemic require shop stewards to be proficient with the guidelines and direction for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). The Labour Research Service has published an article on learning more about the OHS direction and the steps to take if an employer neglects to ensure a safe and conducive workplace. Read more ▶️ REIMAGINING WORKER EDUCATION The United Association for Labor Education (UALE), a community of educators dedicated to promoting education as an essential tool to worker training, leadership development, and equity in the workplace, is seeking proposals for their 2021 conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. The theme of the conference is Reimagining Worker Education to Transform the World. Find out more here ▶️ COVID-19 AND COPING Don’t forget to have a browse through our section on the Covid-19 pandemic and how affiliates from organisations such as the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA), the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) and the Labour Research Service (LRS) are mobilising. Read more▶️ FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  Picture: IndustriALL ▶️ “YOU DON’T ASK FOR POWER, YOU GRAB IT!” In Paris, migrant housekeeping staff are taking on a hotel giant. For the housekeeping team, subcontracting means “suffering” and “exploitation”. Read more ▶️ A NEED TO REPAIR THE SOCIAL CONTRACT The annual ITUC Global Poll commissioned by the 200 million-member International Trade Union Confederation shows working people and their families were living on the edge before the pandemic that stopped the world – Covid-19. Read more ▶️ USING COVID-19 TO SHAPE THE FUTURE The coronavirus crisis must be a call for unions to reshape the world, says Walton Pantland in an article for IndustriALL Global Union. Read more ———————————————————————————————————————————————– CONTACT DETAILSPostal address: Labour Research Service, PO Box 245 Woodstock 7915 Cape Town South AfricaStreet address: Community House, 41 Salt River Road, Salt River 7925 Cape Town South AfricaTelephone: + 27 21 4861115IFWEA websiteemail Secretariatjoin IFWEA watch YouTubeOnline Labour AcademyCopyright © *|2020|* *|IFWEA|*, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: ifweasecretariat@lrs.org.za_ |