Visit to Tunisia Inspires U.S. Trade Unionists

AFL-CIO Blog
June 29, 2011

http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/06/28/visit-to-tunisia-inspires-u-s-trade-unionists/

For three U.S. trade unionists undertaking a 10-day learning
and outreach tour to the Middle East and North Africa,
meeting workers on the front lines of change has been
inspirational.

The trio on the Solidarity Center-sponsored trip-Mark
Gaffney, president of the Michigan State AFL-CIO, William
(Bill) Fletcher, director of field services and education
for AFGE, and Shannon Lederer, associate director for
international affairs at AFT-recently completed the first
leg of the three-country tour. They spoke to the Solidarity
Center en route from Tunisia to the West Bank.

In Tunis, the capital, they met with the union leaders who
played a key role in the movement to end the 23- year rule
of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. The struggle of the
Tunisian people has inspired similar pro-democracy uprisings
across the region, with various levels of success to date.

"This whole trip has inspired me," said Fletcher.

    I am constantly reminded that people in far worse
    conditions than most anyone in America can imagine stood
    up to make change. They have shown that it is not
    impossible to resist and win. People are doing it.

According to Gaffney, their first stop demonstrated the
spectrum of union strength in North Africa. In addition to
Tunisian workers and union leaders, they also met with
unionists from Libya and Algeria who were in Tunis to share
ideas with their Tunisian counterparts.

"The Tunisian labor movement has received a lot of
recognition from the people for the values they brought to
the revolution and for guiding the post-revolution period,"
said Gaffney.

    They now have a happy challenge: Tens of thousands of
    people are joining the labor movement because the
    government is tenuous, they are redrafting the
    constitution and reconfiguring parliament, and there is
    a question as to what labor law will be. But the
    principles of trade unionism will be part of the new
    government.

    The Algerians, meanwhile, are wondering what the future
    holds for them," he added. "And the young woman from
    Libya, recently elected head of her section, is worried
    about how to get her brand-new union off the ground.

For Lederer, the most striking revelation was the place that
Tunisian women have carved out for themselves both within
the labor movement and in the march toward democracy.

"It was amazing to meet all the trade union activists who
were women and hear about their degree of participation,"
she said.

    In Tunisia, women are very empowered, and there is
    acknowledgment of their role. They are part of decision-
    making, both within their union and in shaping the new
    government. And they have achieved an agreement that
    there will be gender parity at the constitutional
    assembly.

Tunisian workers have made great strides in moving away from
precarious work, Lederer added.

    Their number-one priority is to change government
    contracting practices, moving away from subcontracting
    jobs for gardeners, security guards, and cleaning staff.
    Instead, these people will be public employees with
    steady contracts.

The next stops on the Solidarity Center-sponsored trip are
Palestine and Egypt.

[This is a cross post from the Solidarity Center.]

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