News

UNI Equal Opportunity and UNI Property Services, jointly sponsored a 2-day leadership development workshop in Tunis, Tunisia, on September 26-27. The training which focused on core leadership skills—the essential components of a union, communications, empowering workers and building a base of activists was led by President Hayet Trabelsi, President of FGPS, UGTT and two effective and experienced women leaders from FNV Bondgenoten in the Netherlands. Bondgenoten has been a leading affiliate in UNI Property Services, with a proud history of assisting other affiliates in organising and bargaining strategies and techniques.

These women union activists are working to improve the difficult conditions that are prevalent throughout the subcontracted cleaning industry—low pay, long hours of work, undesirable shifts, unsafe working conditions, few benefits—precarious work. Veronica Fernandez-Mendez, Head of Department for UNI Equal Opportunity said, "It is fantastic that strong, experienced Arabic women like Naïma and Khadija were able to share their experiences in how to build a strong powerful union in an industry dominated by women. There is nothing better than women, with the common roots, sharing experiences with each other about how to improve their lives through women-led unions. These are experiences that change lives.”

UNI and FGPS plan to continue these leadership workshops throughout 2014 to continue to build a strong base of leaders in the private cleaning sector in Tunisia.