DHAKA (ILO News) - Trade unions today operate in a globalized economy with a presence in global supply chains. Navigating in such complex environments increasingly require that the trade union leaders and organizers of today have an advanced set of skills that would make unions relevant, effective and capable of addressing new challenges.

To enhance the capacities of the trade unions in Bangladesh, the International Labour Organization’s Social Dialogue and Harmonious Industrial Relations project has trained 20 trade unionists on ‘Trade Union Organizing and Administration’. The course covered topics on leadership, organizational and financial management, research and development, negotiating skills, and inclusive decision making processes

Tauvik Muhamad, Workers Education Expert of the ILO explained the significance of this training course. “The role of the trade unions is to represent their members at the workplace and in wider society”. To defend the rights and interests of workers, it is important for union to be independent, democratic and accountable. As these organizations rely on their constituencies and membership fee, it is vital that the union maintain their accountability through consultation with members and their transparency practice.”

An initial group of 20 union leaders (11 women, 9 men) who took the course have been developed as master trainers. This modality not only ensures sustainability but also a wider dissemination of new knowledge and skills and amongst trade union members.

Among the course participants was Shakil Ahmed, General Secretary of union federation. Shakil said, “I learnt about administrative protocol today which will assist me to run my organization more transparently and ensure accountability to our members.”

Feroza Begum, the Vice President of union federation working in the garment sector said, “The session was useful to address our internal challenges. Now, we are able to prepare an action plan that includes publishing financial statement of the unions for the general assembly’s approval. “In addition, the session helped in increasing our confidence to represent our members through collective bargaining”.

Launched in December 2016 in collaboration with Government of Bangladesh, the ILO’s Social Dialogue project, funded by Sweden and Denmark, aims to develop dialogue mechanisms between employers and workers to create a more effective and trusted labour relations system in the country.

The project has supported the establishment of a Workers Resource Centre (WRC) in April 2018. The WRC is a joint platform between two leading worker organizations, National Coordination Committee on Workers Organization (NCCWE) and IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), which will help trade unions operate more effectively and provide better services to their members.