Tunisia

Regional seminar for the role of women and youth in social dialogue

webmaster@businessmed-umce.org — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 15:02:04 +0000

Regional seminar for the role of women and youth in social dialogue webmaster@busi… Mon 15/01/2024 - 16:02

Within the framework of the SOLiD II project and with the support of the European Commission, the Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), in cooperation with BUSINESSMED and ANND, organized the third regional seminar on “The Role of Women and Youth in Promoting Dialogue” in Tunis from 10 to 13 November 2023 to discuss recommendations and proposals by the social partners on various points of the project charter.

The audience included young men and women, representatives of social partners and professional associations in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan. The essential role that these parties play in formulating public policies and economic and social reforms to achieve sustainable development goals at the local, national, and regional levels was discussed.

The recommendations discussed during the workshops varied, as plans were identified to raise awareness of the importance of including youth and women in various negotiation tracks, including presenting their ideas and exchanging their opinions about social dialogue. In addition, effective mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the results of social negotiations are presented and discussed.

These meetings will continue within the framework of the SOLID project to promote a comprehensive dialogue through the preparation of other workshops and seminars to exchange ideas and proposals, enabling an important percentage of women and youth to be empowered by their presence in the process of dialogues that will address social issues relevant to them. Emphasis will be placed on their role in deciding and setting priorities (such as employment and vocational training policies, for example) that involve them either directly or indirectly. This aims to achieve tangible progress in strengthening social dialogue practices and institutions, and ensuring that reforms are implemented effectively and sustainably.

Call for expressions of interest for the recruitment of a consultant within the framework of the SOLiD project: Promotion of Social Dialogue in Southern Mediterranean Countries

webmaster@businessmed-umce.org — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 13:08:32 +0000

Call for expressions of interest for the recruitment of a consultant within the framework of the SOLiD project: Promotion of Social Dialogue in Southern Mediterranean Countries webmaster@busi… Mon 06/06/2022 - 15:08

Context

Social dialogue has progressively become an essential element in the success of collective bargaining processes, thereby increasingly bringing social progress matters into professional relationships and business environment.

The concept, institutionalized by the International Labour Organization, has been the subject of several international conventions. While various structures of governance and support for policy-makers in terms of economic and social development have been put in place over the past decades, some countries are still lagging behind when it comes to adapting to new social constraints, which is critical for the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, the major political changes that have taken place in the Mediterranean region since 2011 have highlighted the limits of the economic and social policies in Southern Mediterranean countries, and brought the social imperative to the forefront of popular demands.

Finally, little consideration has been granted to social dialogue in the Mediterranean region by governments, which generally tend to confine the concept to collective bargaining, with priorities and strategic orientations being quite often unilaterally defined.

This has led the partners involved in this process to consider a rethinking of the mechanisms of dialogue in Southern neighborhood countries, with the dual objective of enhancing the practice within these countries themselves and narrowing the gaps with Northern Mediterranean countries.

Thus, in the continuity of the Barcelona process initiated in 1995 and institutionalized in 2007 within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean, various initiatives were proposed by the European Union to strengthen social dialogue through a quadripartite approach involving governments, traditional social partners (Employers' Organizations and Trade Unions), but also Civil Society Organizations and local and regional authorities, which will play a leading role in advocating and implementing economic and social policies that take into account local development objectives.

It is in this context that the SOLiD initiative was born, aiming to promote social dialogue in the countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean. The objectives of this project are to provide employers, workers' and civil society organizations in target countries, with the expertise needed to jointly identify priority issues that are able to meet the needs of each country for a more dynamic and balanced dialogue with governments. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the capacity for dialogue (both social and societal) of the different target groups.

The first phase of this project, initially implemented by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-CSI), the Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), the Maghreb Union of Business Confederations (BUSINESSMED), and the organizations ANND and Solidar with the support of partners from the North of the Mediterranean like Progetto SUD Italy, was set up between 2016 and 2018 and covered three countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan).

The project resulted in the drafting of a twelve-point charter that will further be translated into concrete reforms to promote social dialogue in the countries of the South Shore of the Mediterranean.

As the SOLiD project has entered its second phase (2021-2024), the consortium leading the project (composed of ITUC, ATUC, BUSINESSMED and ANND) has set itself the objective to extend the initiative to three new countries: Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine. The ambition of the consortium is to adapt the social dialogue charter to the respective national contexts and have it adopted by these new partners, as well as building the capacities of organizations involved in social dialogue at the level of each country and developing national action plans on each of the articles of the Charter.

To carry out this mission, the agenda of the SOLiD project includes the elaboration of a glossary on Social Dialogue. In this context, the project partners are to request the services of consultants to draft the glossary.

Mission of the consultant

The SOLiD project consortium wishes to hire an expert whose mission will be to support the Project Secretariat in drafting the glossary on social dialogue across the region. For this purpose, the recruited expert will have the following missions:

Determining a list of terminologies relating to social dialogue
Suggesting a definition for each terminology based on various references (to be determined with the project team)
Arranging the definitions following a predetermined classification
Delivering the glossary in its final format to the project Secretariat

Qualifications and requirements

Academic and professional skills

Graduate degree with university education, preferably in Human and Social Sciences, Legal or Economic Sciences; or related field.
Significant experience in supporting organizations and institutions (public and private); project management; coordination of inter-professional or associative networks, including capacity building activities; (cumulative experience of at least 5 years)
Experience in regional projects and regional and multi-sector data collection
Experience in social dialogue to assess the role and positions of different dialogue partners (4 types of partners: Governments, Employers, Employees, Civil Society)
Experience in conducting seminars and capacity-building workshops in the areas of work and social dialogue

Personal Suitability

Demonstrate enthusiasm and initiative spirit, as well as strong interpersonal skills
Ability to be mobilized and to move in the countries of the southern shore
Be able to support and conduct multiple activities simultaneously
Be able to evolve and adapt to an uncertain socio-political context
Demonstrate loyalty, trust, flexibility and diplomacy

Contract duration and compensation

The expert fees will be determined after contacting the candidate for a financial offer and in accordance with the grid of the European Commission, according to the level of study and experience in the field(s) of expertise.

Interested candidates are invited to send their applications to Hind.Benammar@ituc-csi.org.

Country(ies)

Call for expressions of interest for the recruitment of a consultant within the framework of the SOLiD project: Promotion of Social Dialogue in Southern Mediterranean Countries

webmaster@businessmed-umce.org — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 12:48:03 +0000

Context

To carry out this mission, the agenda of the SOLiD project includes the constitution of a database on collective agreements signed in each of the six target countries in the recent years. This information will serve as a historical basis on the advancement and realizations of social dialogue in the region.

In this context, the project partners are to request the services of consultants for the constitution of the database.

Mission of the consultant

The SOLiD project consortium wishes to hire a group of consultants whose mission will be to support the Project Secretariat in the constitution of database on social dialogue in the target countries. For this purpose, the recruited expert will have the following missions:

Collection of documents relating to the outcomes of social dialogue processes such as collective agreements, administrative decisions, sectorial agreements, etc.
Arranging the data compiled following a predetermined classification
Transferring the documents list to the project Secretariat to ensure timely publication on the website

Qualifications and requirements

Academic and professional skills

Graduate degree with university education, preferably in Human and Social Sciences, Legal or Economic Sciences; or related field.
Significant experience in supporting organizations and institutions (public and private); project management; coordination of inter-professional or associative networks, including capacity building activities; (cumulative experience of at least 5 years)
Experience in regional projects and regional and multi-sector data collection
Experience in social dialogue to assess the role and positions of different dialogue partners (4 types of partners: Governments, Employers, Employees, Civil Society)
Experience in conducting seminars and capacity-building workshops in the areas of work and social dialogue

Personal Suitability

Demonstrate enthusiasm and initiative spirit, as well as strong interpersonal skills
Ability to be mobilized and to move in the countries of the southern shore
Be able to support and conduct multiple activities simultaneously
Be able to evolve and adapt to an uncertain socio-political context
Demonstrate loyalty, trust, flexibility and diplomacy

Contract duration and compensation

Interested candidates are invited to send their applications to Hind.Benammar@ituc-csi.org.

Country(ies)

Call for expressions of interest for the recruitment of Experts within the framework of the SOLiD project: Promotion of Social Dialogue in Southern Mediterranean Countries

webmaster@businessmed-umce.org — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:16:22 +0000

Call for expressions of interest for the recruitment of Experts within the framework of the SOLiD project: Promotion of Social Dialogue in Southern Mediterranean Countries webmaster@busi… Mon 11/04/2022 - 12:16

Context

As the SOLiD project is entering its second phase (2021-2024), the consortium leading the project (composed of ITUC, ATUC, BUSINESSMED and ANND) has set itself the objective to extend the initiative to three new countries: Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine. The ambition of the consortium is to adapt the social dialogue charter to the respective national contexts and have it adopted by these new partners, as well as building the capacities of organizations involved in social dialogue at the level of each country and developing national action plans on each of the articles of the Charter.

To carry out this mission, the Secretariat of the SOLiD project has started this second phase with a program to raise awareness and mobilize the various social partners and civil society. This essential stage of upgrading between the partners of the countries joining the project and those of the first phase consisted essentially in conducting country studies on the issue of social dialogue, as well as a capacity-building program for target groups in Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine and convergence between the 6 countries of implementation.

In this context, the project partners are to request the services of independent experts for the constitution of an advisory group to assist them on the various points of the SOLiD charter, themselves constituting a translation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

These experts will subsequently be called upon for technical advice to the project consortium, to carry out thematic studies on each of the points of the charter, as well as to facilitate multipartite national meetings both social partners, civil society, local authorities, economic and social councils, professional associations, and government representatives.

Mission of the consultant

The SOLiD project consortium wishes to set up a group of experts whose mission will be to support the Project Secretariat on the themes of economic and social development relating to multipartite social dialogue in the Southern Mediterranean countries. For this purpose, the recruited expert will have the following missions:

Technical and programmatic assistance to the project team as a member of the SOLiD 2 advisory board (two meetings per year)
Development of thematic factsheets on one (or more) of the points of the SOLiD charter. These factsheets will intend to describe the situation of each country hosting a multi-stakeholder meeting on the subject in question. The scheduled multi-stakeholder meetings are 6 in total and will see the participation of social partners, civil society, local and governmental authorities, as well as economic and social councils of each target country
Development of presentations on the theme of expertise which will serve as support for the animation of thematic sessions during the multi-stakeholder meetings
Conduction of thematic sessions during multi-stakeholder meetings
Drafting the minutes of multi-stakeholder meetings
Formulation, in the long term and jointly with the entire group of experts, of the group meetings’ outcomes in a summary document which will serve as a basis for the development of action plans around the SOLiD charter

Qualifications and requirements

Academic and professional skills

Graduate degree with university education (Ph.D. or Masters’ degree), preferably in Human and Social Sciences, Legal or Economic Sciences; or related field.
Significant experience in supporting organizations and institutions (public and private); project management; coordination of inter-professional or associative networks, including capacity building activities; (cumulative experience of at least 5 years)
Experience in regional projects and regional and multi-sector data collection
Experience in social dialogue to assess the role and positions of different dialogue partners (4 types of partners: Governments, Employers, Employees, Civil Society)
Experience in conducting seminars and capacity-building workshops in the areas of work and social dialogue.

Personal Suitability

Demonstrate enthusiasm and initiative spirit, as well as strong interpersonal skills
Ability to be mobilized and to move in the countries of the southern shore
Be able to support and conduct multiple activities simultaneously
Be able to evolve and adapt to an uncertain socio-political context
Demonstrate loyalty, trust, flexibility and diplomacy

Contract duration and compensation

Interested candidates are invited to fill out the form below no later than June 9, 2022.

Link to the form: Click here.

Download the terms of reference here

Country(ies)

UTICA, in partnership with the Danish Confederation of Industry, organised a training course on mediation in the settlement of labour disputes

webmaster@businessmed-umce.org — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 09:40:48 +0000

UTICA, in partnership with the Danish Confederation of Industry, organised a training course on mediation in the settlement of labour disputes webmaster@busi… Mon 25/10/2021 - 11:40

Kick-off seminar of the second phase of the SOLiD project

webmaster@businessmed-umce.org — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 13:41:26 +0000

Kick-off seminar of the second phase of the SOLiD project webmaster@busi… Thu 07/10/2021 - 15:41

This regional seminar was held in Tunis on September 29 and 30, 2021 both online and on-site with the main objective of publicly engaging key partners involved in the social dialogue process in the Mediterranean region and launching phase 2 of the project, which involves three new countries. The outline of this four-year program, its objectives and expected results were also presented.

Supported by the European Commission and led by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED), the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) and the Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), The SOLiD project in its phase II gathered for its launching seminar more than 120 participants and experts on site and 48 online participants representing about fifty social organizations in 6 southern Mediterranean countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

This second phase is a continuation of the SOLiD I project implemented from 2016 to 2019, whose general objective was the promotion social dialogue in the southern Mediterranean via a structured dialogue involving various institutions in the South such as socio-professional organizations, trade unions and employers' organizations as well as NGOs, economic and social councils, and representatives of local elected authorities.

During its first phase, this project has developed a Charter that describes the socio-economic contexts in the first 3 target countries (Morocco, Tunisia, and Jordan) and specifies the priorities, objectives, and commitments that the social actors in these countries are willing to take in order to promote social dialogue at the national and regional levels.

The second phase will develop a set of field activities and actions, with the development of training workshops, mapping studies and networking initiatives that are likely to promote an exchange of experience and develop a progressive synergy between the various social actors in the southern Mediterranean for the promotion of social dialogue.

The kick-off seminar was inaugurated by Henrike TRAUTMANN, Acting Director, Directorate General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR, European Commission), Abdelkader EL KHISSASSI, Deputy Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and Mamadou DIALLO, Deputy Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

Sharan BURROW, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Luca VISENTINI, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Barbara BELTRAME GIACOMELLO, President of the Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED) addressed to the participants a message of support and encouragement.

SOLiD Kick-off Seminar

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 18:42:08 +0000

SOLiD Kick-off Seminar admin Fri 16/07/2021 - 20:42

The official kick-off of the second phase of the SOLiD project will take place as a regional seminar and will bring together members of the consortium implementing the project, representatives from the European Commission, social dialogue partners, representatives from target groups/beneficiaries, economic and social councils, as well as media partners.

This regional seminar will take place in Tunis on September 29 and 30, 2021 both online and on site at Laico Hotel, Tunis (if the sanitary situation allows it).

The main objective of this event is to publicly engage with key partners involved in the social dialogue process in the Mediterranean region.

The project Secretariat will seize this opportunity to highlight the project’s objectives and expected results as well as a detailed presentation of the indicative action plan. The team will also communicate on the preliminary steps that were undertaken so far and how we intend to build our content on these outcomes.

A forum to highlight the potential of the digitalisation for SMEs in the Mediterranean region

admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 17:26:47 +0000

A forum to highlight the potential of the digitalisation for SMEs in the Mediterranean region admin Tue 15/06/2021 - 19:26

The SOLID project secretariat participated in the 2019 edition of the Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (EESC), held in Barcelona on 22-23 October 2019, & focusing on the impact of digitalisation on SMEs in the Mediterranean region. The event brought together more than 100 participants from various economic and social councils or similar institutions, representatives of employers, trade unions, economic and social actors and NGOs from UfM member countries.

Speakers highlighted the potential for innovation and growth of SMEs through digitalisation but also stressed that digitalisation has a serious impact on the world of work and on the skill requirements of workers.

Mr Mostafa Tlili, Executive Secretary of the Arab Trade Union Confederation – ATUC and Director of the SOLiD project, presented the activities and the work that was carried out by the network during the activities of the SOLID project, he also gave his vision on regional cooperation in the Mediterranean area.

Throughout the two days of workshops, the speakers stressed the need to integrate the millions of young graduates who find themselves on the labour market every year, which is a major challenge for the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Small and medium-sized enterprises play a decisive role in the fight against youth unemployment, as they are important drivers of job creation and provide 80% of the jobs in the region. Thus, training workers to take full advantage of the changes brought about by digitalisation, is essential for economic and social development, in both North and South of the Mediterranean.