Piloting the idea of a childcare and education cooperative in Irbid
The ILO will hold a 4-day training workshop on cooperatives in Jordan, presenting concrete options to institutionalize the “Stand-up with the Teachers” campaign.
Within the framework of the ILO-funded project on Pay Equity and Fair wages in Jordan, a training workshop will be conducted in Irbid supporting the “Stand up with Teachers” campaign by piloting the idea of a childcare and education cooperative in Irbid.
The “Stand-up with the Teachers” campaign mobilized private school teachers in Irbid and allowed them to convey their interests to the representatives of the General Trade Union of Private Education Employees and the Private Schools Owners Association in a process of social dialogue. As a result, a collective contract was signed under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour as the Ministry heads the National Committee for Pay Equity to improve labour conditions of teachers in the private sector throughout the country.
After this success and having proposed several options, the group of teachers in Irbid expressed interest in forming a multi-functional service cooperative focusing on the following areas: continue to conduct awareness raising campaigns, promote labour rights, and provide training and childcare services which will generate job opportunities for the teachers that lost their jobs due to their activism.
In light of the above, the ILO is keen to guide the teachers through the decision making process that will help them decide on the best way to institutionalize their work. In order to ensure that the teachers have appropriate knowledge and understanding of what a cooperative model entails, the ILO will guide the teachers in Irbid through this training on the principles and values of a cooperative in the Jordanian context, explaining its legal framework, how it functions, the commitments required and the challenges that they might face. During the course of the training, the teachers will also receive assistance in defining the structure and vision of the potential cooperative and its business viability.
The “Stand-up with the Teachers” campaign mobilized private school teachers in Irbid and allowed them to convey their interests to the representatives of the General Trade Union of Private Education Employees and the Private Schools Owners Association in a process of social dialogue. As a result, a collective contract was signed under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour as the Ministry heads the National Committee for Pay Equity to improve labour conditions of teachers in the private sector throughout the country.
After this success and having proposed several options, the group of teachers in Irbid expressed interest in forming a multi-functional service cooperative focusing on the following areas: continue to conduct awareness raising campaigns, promote labour rights, and provide training and childcare services which will generate job opportunities for the teachers that lost their jobs due to their activism.
In light of the above, the ILO is keen to guide the teachers through the decision making process that will help them decide on the best way to institutionalize their work. In order to ensure that the teachers have appropriate knowledge and understanding of what a cooperative model entails, the ILO will guide the teachers in Irbid through this training on the principles and values of a cooperative in the Jordanian context, explaining its legal framework, how it functions, the commitments required and the challenges that they might face. During the course of the training, the teachers will also receive assistance in defining the structure and vision of the potential cooperative and its business viability.