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UNI elaborates strategic plan with private security unions

Published: 16 August 2010
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 With the participation of thirty union leaders representing 10 organisations of the private security industry of Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil, UNI Americas carried out a Strategic Planning Workshop during August 12th and 13th in Santiago de Chile. The conduction and development of the activity was in charge of Raul Requena, Regional Secretary of UNI Americas, and counted with the presence and participation of Alice Dale, Head of Department of Property Services and Security at a global level, Nigel Venes, officer of that department, Lisa Mery, Programmes’ Responsible of the Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK), and Alberto Barrow, Regional Director of UNI Americas Cleaning and Security.



At the premises of the Convention Centre of the Blue Tree Fundador Hotel, located in the Santiago downtown, an optimum scenario for the good development of the work, the Chilean Federation of Workers of Services and Security (FETRASECH) affiliated to UNI, offered a kind welcome to all the participants and highlighted its willingness to collaborate with other organisations of the country for the reinforcement of the sector.



The workshop started with the presentation of the results of a field investigation commissioned by UNI on work conditions in private security industry in Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile, and the workers’ organisational level, respectively. The task was carried out by Ben Parton (New Zealand) and constituted an important issue at the taking decision process during the elaboration of the plan that resulted from the Workshop.





In articulation with the previous, Alice Dale (UNI, Nyon) developed a draft Pilot Project 2010-2011 on organisation and union reinforcement in multinationals G4S, Securitas and Prosegur, an initiative that counts with the funding of the Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK). She made special emphasis in one of its key components: a campaign to achieve a Global Agreement with Prosegur.



This Strategic Planning Workshop was the opportunity for the attending leaders and representatives of union organisations to deliver their reports on the union-labour situation in their respective countries. With the method of planning session, strengths and weaknesses of the sector were examined as well as the opportunities presented for the integration of a regional plan (MERCOSUR) which may enable a higher level and a better organisation of the private security workers. At the end of the two successful workshop journeys, the objectives of the plan were set and the expected results were established as well as indicators to measure achievements.



Finally, a series of tasks to be fulfilled were identified, through specific activities in each country, which will benefit organisational reinforcement in private security sector respectively. The Strategic Planning Workshop “Organising Private Security Industry in Latin America” was closed with an Action Plan which will be incorporated in the Pilot Project 2010-2011 to be implemented by UNI Americas Cleaning and Security with the supportive and determined collaboration of the Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK)



For further information please contact: alberto.barrow@uniglobalunion.org