Solidarity Spring 2014

Solidarity BETTER WORK, BETTER WORLD

The Newsletter of the Unions Aotearoa International Development Trust

Issue Eleven, Spring 2014

Expectations exceeded for South India project Over one thousand men and women and their families in Tamil Nadu have had remarkable improvements to their lives, with increased incomes and savings, reduced household indebtedness, and regular school attendance for more of their children.

This project brought together 1158 Dalit (untouchable), Tribal (indigenous) and Narikuravar or Gypsy workers under five cooperatives and four microenterprises, supported by extensive occupational and business training courses.

These skills have given the impoverished workers the ability to manage and build their enterprises and put them firmly on the road to economic

independence.

These achievements are due to your monthly Solidarity donations which allow us to plan long term projects; and which the Morgan Foundation has generously matched over the past three years.

Our full project report tells the personal stories of the men and women who have been involved in this project, accompanied by photos, and supported by evidence.

Visit http://unionaid.org.nz/2014/08/successful-tamil-nadu-projectcompleted

Government gives green light for Myanmar Young Leaders Programme See page 4 for details

Contents Page 1 Expectations exceeded for South India project Page 2 Extraordinary outcomes for ordinary people Ragpickers and street vendors focus of new project in South India Myanmar seafarers learn about labour rights Page 3 Tamil tea pickers face wildlife threats at work Research project reveals Myanmar hotel working conditions Page 4 Introducing Mike Naylor Green light for bigger and better Myanmar Young Leader Programme (MYLP)

MYLP-2014 Front: Ei Ei, Thi Thi, Jeffry Back: Leng, Lu Lu, Toe Wai, Sam, Ngun Khar.

Photo credit: Mike Regan

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Extraordinary outcomes for ordinary people

Raja Lakshmi, President of the Gypsy Craft Cooperative, has seen children’s school attendance rise from 37% to 93% in her community.

Belonging to the Vegetable Producers Cooperative means Ranjith Kumar can now afford to lease land and, with the extra income, save to buy a pair of bullocks.

Being part of the Flower Producers Cooperative has given Mrs Sebasti political awareness and the confidence to deal with the police and the local village committee.

Ragpickers and street vendors focus of new project in South India Based on the demonstrated successes of our South India project (above), new cooperatives will be set up for rag pickers, street vendors and women tailors in Madurai city, and Tribal people living in the nearby hills who collect forest products such as spices, nuts and eucalyptus oil for a living.

A new union for domestic workers will also be established in Madurai with

skills training for the members. With no other major donors, we have to raise $40,000 per year for three years for this project alone.

If you have friends who might be interested in a charity with proven outcomes, please pass on this newsletter and encourage them to become a Solidarity Donor.

Myanmar seafarers learn about labour rights Seafarers are a vulnerable group of workers, particularly if they are unaware of their rights.

Typical issues they face are being trafficked onto boats, no pay after working for months at sea, discrimination, and workplace violence.

To address these, a new project with the Myanmar Maritime Workers’ Federation started in June offering basic trade union education courses to these men.

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Seafarers at work

You can help vulnerable workers in developing countries in our region get a fairer deal by making a small monthly donation by direct debit by emailing admin@unionaid.org.nz with your contact details. We will then contact you and make the arrangements. Unions Aotearoa International Development Trust is a registered charity - Reg. No.CC40251

Tamil tea pickers face wildlife threats at work Leeches, wasps, and wild animals such as boars and leopards are some of the hazards faced by women tea pickers in Sri Lanka.

If that’s not enough, they are also exposed to hot sun, heavy rains, and have few breaks and no access to toilet facilities.

These findings were the result of surveys with 121 tea pickers and 122 factory workers.

Both groups of women had high rates of back pain and the vast majority said their health was “poor” or they were sick “most of the time”.

Those in the garment factories worked on average over 10 hours a day.

The researchers also found that the women had little involvement in union activity and were not well informed about labour laws and their workplace entitlements.

As a result they lacked the confidence and knowledge to raise these issues with their employers.

The second part of this UnionAID funded project with the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union will follow up on a number of recommendations for improving work conditions, including training for trade union involvement.

Research project reveals Myanmar hotel working conditions Although unions are forming at a rapid rate in Myanmar, currently there is only one unionised hotel, Yangon’s five star Governor’s Residence.

This union was formed two years ago by five employees, unhappy at some of the harsh conditions imposed on staff.

Since April, our intrepid project researchers, Yi Yi Lynn and Nyan Naing have been scoping hotels,

interviewing staff and collecting information about wages and conditions.

Hotel work is seen to pay better than other jobs but, without service charges which can boost salaries considerably - particularly at busy times - most hotel workers earn only $US30-100 a month.

This is in spite of most tourists paying

international rates for rooms.

The next phase of this joint project with the International Union of Food Workers will see workers in large hotel chains provided with union training and organising skills so the advantages of belonging to a union – such as better wages, conditions, and health and welfare benefits – can be extended beyond the Governor’s Residence.

Researchers Yi Yi Lynn and Nyan Naing at Hotel Workers project office in Yangon

Thanks!

UnionAID book sale raised $1200 over two days. Thanks to all those who donated and bought books, and the volunteers who helped with organising, selling, and cleaning up.

Members of Gypsy Craft Cooperative beading

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Introducing Mike Naylor UnionAID has its first paid Executive Officer, Michael Naylor, who started work in this part-time position in April.

Michael has a real commitment to our work and has been a UnionAID Solidarity donor since he got his first paid job.

He is currently studying at Victoria Universitiy for a Masters degree in development studies.

It is only five years since UnionAID was established and we are now able to move to a more sustainable structure for our growing organisation and the increasing number of projects.

Michael has settled in very quickly and is already making a very positive impact. Mike notes his impressions after 4 months in the job: After several years as a donor and activist I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to step-up and play a greater role in growing UnionAID and its work in the Asia-Pacific region.

It has been a busy and productive start with new projects starting in Tamil Nadu and Myanmar.

I have been blown away by seeing the countless hours of work that has been put in by our volunteers and donors to get UnionAID to where it is today.

The passion and commitment of volunteers is our greatest asset and I look forward to working closely with them to keep UnionAID growing.

In June I was lucky to have the opportunity to visit our project in Tamil Nadu.

This project is an example of development at its best and it is great that UnionAID is building on this success with a further 3 year project.

The energy and vision of our project partners in Tamil Nadu was inspiring.

Their commitment to improving the lives of working people was a good reminder that by working together we can create a better world.

Thank you, Michael

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Green light for bigger and better Myanmar Young Leaders Programme Eight young men and women from different ethnic groups arrived recently in Wellington from Myanmar for a six month English language and leadership course at Victoria University.

Funding has been approved by the government for three years, plus ongoing in-country support through an annual conference in Yangon. The 2014 group is already making the most of

opportunities offered in the city, attending talks and seminars, and taking up a range of extracurricular activities like sports and art classes.

Since the programme first began in 2009, Myanmar has moved from a military dictatorship to take steps towards democracy – although this is still very fragile.

This year the programme, which is managed by

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UnionAID, will reflect the different challenges and opportunities posed by this shift, with a focus on democracy in action, conflict resolution, economics, human rights and research skills.

When they return home in December, they will join 23 programme alumni most of whom are working in positions of influence, helping Myanmar along the path to democracy.

You can help vulnerable workers in developing countries in our region get a fairer deal by making a small monthly donation by direct debit by emailing admin@unionaid.org.nz with your contact details. We will then contact you and make the arrangements. Unions Aotearoa International Development Trust is a registered charity - Reg. No.CC40251