EIA holds another John Thompson Fellowship Training for unions in Southern Africa

Education International Africa (EIA) conducted the John Thompson Fellowship (JTF) seminar for its Member Organisations in the Zone 6 countries at the Garden Court OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 25th to 27th September 2024.These included: BOSETU, BTU and TAWU from Botswana; SNAT from  Eswatini; LAT and LTTU from Lesotho; TUM and PSEUM from Malawi; NANTU from NAMIBIA; BETUZ, SESTUZ and ZNUT from Zambia; COLAZ, PTUZ, ZEHSSCWU and ZIMTA from Zimbabwe. 
 
The theme of the Fellowship training was “Building union power, promoting quality education for all in Africa.” It was attended by General Secretaries along with women, and youth leaders from various unions and facilitated by the EI Africa Secretariat.
 
In his opening remarks, Dr. Dennis Sinyolo, Regional Director of EI Africa, emphasized that capacity building is at the heart of EI’s work and was addressed under the the key strategic direction of union renewal. The other three strategic directions being System, Status, and Rights. He told the participants that the John Thompson Fellowship was an opportunity for the union to reflect on the state of their unions, diagnose, and refocus to build stronger unions. 
 
‘’Dear friends, using what I call, ‘the medical model to union development’, this training will enable you to examine your union, diagnose its weaknesses and ‘prescribe medication’ for its ‘recovery’, vibrancy and sustainability’’, Sinyolo said.
 
He gave participants what he called the Five Union Imperatives: a) Advocate and influence; b) Fight and Win; c) Research and Define; d) Renew and Develop; e) Organise and Mobilise. Sinyolo encouraged attendees to participate actively. 
 
This seminar for members organisations in Zone 6 enhanced their leadership skills within their unions across various areas, such as union leadership and management, union negotiation, union structures, collective bargaining  and union finances. The participating member organisations started developing or revised the existing strategic plans for organisational growth. 
 
During the seminar, participants performed SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analyses of their unions. The analyses identified various challenges and threats, such as government interference in union matters, declining union membership, inadequate payment of membership dues, and a lack of internal democratic processes. Some good strengths and opportunities were also revealed and shared. The participants were able to reflect on the vision, mission, and values of their unions, which were developed  into draft strategic plans aimed at making them more vibrant.
 
The seminar emphasized the importance of women and young educators in the trade union movement. Lucy Barimbui stressed the necessity for women’s active participation in trade unions while Sinyolo pointed out the efforts made by Education International (EI) to empower younger members to participate  in the trade union movement. Many of the Zone 6  participants committed to amend their constitutions to include structures for young educators and women, as well as to strengthen leadership opportunities for these groups.
 
The John Thompson Fellowship was the third training organized by EIA after the one held for East Africa (Zone 5) and French Speaking West Africa (Zone 3).

[Fri, 04 Oct 2024 14:53:49 +0000] | DIGG THIS


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