Women trade unionists central in effort to strengthen worker voice and collective bargaining
20 April 2023
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العربية
AMMAN, Jordan – Better Work Jordan and the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries have joined together to prioritize the importance of worker voice in the garment sector, and in particular, the development of female trade unionists. The two organizations hosted a two-week workshop series on knowledge sharing and capacity building for trade unionists in the garment sector to launch this shared effort. The workshop was provided by Ms Touriya Lahrech, an expert trade unionist from Morocco, and was held from March 4-March 16 in four industrial zones across Jordan – Irbid, Sahab, Ad-Dulayl, and Aqaba. It targeted members of the executive committee of the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries and members of the Workers’ Management Committee at the factories.
The objective of the workshop, which was funded by the Employment and Social Development - Canada, is to increase the capacity of female trade unionists in the Jordanian garment sector at multiple levels to advocate for workers, through facilitating knowledge sharing and international cooperation. Furthermore, the workshop encouraged collaboration between different stakeholders to make workers’ voices heard, enhance social dialogue, and improve collective bargaining, in line with the 2021-2026 strategy of the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries.
The workshop strengthened the skills of participants related to communication, networking, negotiating, and conflict-resolution through working groups, role play, and focus group discussions. Finally, participants acquired a broader understanding of trade unionism and its goals, as well as the rights and duties of workers’ representatives, as stipulated by the Jordanian Labor Law and International Labor Standards. In this context, the workshop enabled workers to expand their knowledge related to the garment sector’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The latter is an agreement that was first signed in 2013 between the Jordan Garments, Accessories and Textiles Exporters’ Association (J-GATE), the Syndicate of Garment and Textile Factory Owners, and the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries, and had its latest renewal in 2022, to regulate the relationship between workers and their employers, in accordance with Jordan’s laws. Participants also had the opportunity to discuss the International Labour Organization’s Convention No 190, related to violence and harassment in the world of work, and ILO Convention No 87, on the freedom of association and protection of the right to organize. Jordan has yet to ratify either of these two ILO Conventions.
Amira Alaywi, a female worker from Al-Hassan Industrial Zone in Irbid, said, “The workshop has given me the confidence to speak out. It was also an eye opener on my rights as a female worker. I became more aware of the importance of having a strong will to achieve what I want.”
Commenting on the training, Ms. Lahrech said, “Through this workshop, we have raised the awareness of women working in the garment sector on the ‘Collective Bargaining Agreement’, which provides them with a protection framework and considers the fact that they are not only workers but also mothers, through providing them with daycares on site or daycare allowances for their children. This, in turn, has a positive impact on their ability to work and their performance”.
She also added, “Our slogan during the workshop was to guarantee the rights of male and female workers because this will improve their productivity and benefit them as well as benefit the factory, creating a win-win situation.
Consecutively, this will serve Jordan’s overall development.” For the next three months, Ms. Lahrech will meet once a month with the trainees to evaluate their implementation of the knowledge, skills, and mechanisms they have acquired from the workshop and provide guidance and advice, as needed. From his side, Mr. Fathallah Al-Omrani, president of the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries, underlined that “this workshop benefited both workers and trade unionists in the garment industry, and we hope that it will pave the way for future collaboration in this regard.”
The objective of the workshop, which was funded by the Employment and Social Development - Canada, is to increase the capacity of female trade unionists in the Jordanian garment sector at multiple levels to advocate for workers, through facilitating knowledge sharing and international cooperation. Furthermore, the workshop encouraged collaboration between different stakeholders to make workers’ voices heard, enhance social dialogue, and improve collective bargaining, in line with the 2021-2026 strategy of the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries.
The workshop strengthened the skills of participants related to communication, networking, negotiating, and conflict-resolution through working groups, role play, and focus group discussions. Finally, participants acquired a broader understanding of trade unionism and its goals, as well as the rights and duties of workers’ representatives, as stipulated by the Jordanian Labor Law and International Labor Standards. In this context, the workshop enabled workers to expand their knowledge related to the garment sector’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The latter is an agreement that was first signed in 2013 between the Jordan Garments, Accessories and Textiles Exporters’ Association (J-GATE), the Syndicate of Garment and Textile Factory Owners, and the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries, and had its latest renewal in 2022, to regulate the relationship between workers and their employers, in accordance with Jordan’s laws. Participants also had the opportunity to discuss the International Labour Organization’s Convention No 190, related to violence and harassment in the world of work, and ILO Convention No 87, on the freedom of association and protection of the right to organize. Jordan has yet to ratify either of these two ILO Conventions.
Amira Alaywi, a female worker from Al-Hassan Industrial Zone in Irbid, said, “The workshop has given me the confidence to speak out. It was also an eye opener on my rights as a female worker. I became more aware of the importance of having a strong will to achieve what I want.”
Commenting on the training, Ms. Lahrech said, “Through this workshop, we have raised the awareness of women working in the garment sector on the ‘Collective Bargaining Agreement’, which provides them with a protection framework and considers the fact that they are not only workers but also mothers, through providing them with daycares on site or daycare allowances for their children. This, in turn, has a positive impact on their ability to work and their performance”.
She also added, “Our slogan during the workshop was to guarantee the rights of male and female workers because this will improve their productivity and benefit them as well as benefit the factory, creating a win-win situation.
Consecutively, this will serve Jordan’s overall development.” For the next three months, Ms. Lahrech will meet once a month with the trainees to evaluate their implementation of the knowledge, skills, and mechanisms they have acquired from the workshop and provide guidance and advice, as needed. From his side, Mr. Fathallah Al-Omrani, president of the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries, underlined that “this workshop benefited both workers and trade unionists in the garment industry, and we hope that it will pave the way for future collaboration in this regard.”