Education and Solidarity Network

[PROJECT] HAÏTI: STRENGTHENING UNIONS IN ORDER TO SUPPORT EDUCATORS

Education and Solidarity Network
September 22, 2016

Read the article on the Solidarité Laïque website

A collaborative union guide, drafted with the support of the FSU, will be published by members of our Haïti programme (CNEH, FENATEC, UNNOEH) in the near future. This tool lends support to educators and helps them to defend their rights.

Announced some months ago and ready for distribution: union members from PROCEDH, with the support of the FSU, have created a union guide to improve the daily lives of educators, which tells them about their rights and how to demand that these rights are respected. “The programme aims to improve members’ skills and ability to take action”, says Florian Lascroux of the FSU. “This union guide will help to circulate official texts which members don’t know enough about, and will above all publicise the union point of view. This distribution is vital in securing effective commitment from colleagues.”

A need which was identified very quickly during the pre-programme diagnostic: to gain legitimacy but also efficiency, local unions need to structure their activities. “We held a writing workshop attended by members from all unions in the programme and from every region on the island, both urban and rural”, says Michelle Olivier. “The aim was to relate the content of official texts to the reality on the ground.” Presented in the form of fact sheets, the guide reminds readers of the legal texts, and includes comments and claims. It will be distributed in numerous schools so that members of union committees have access to the knowledge required to support educators.

“This union is quite unique”, says Florian Lascroux proudly. Outside of the  Solidarité Laïque programme, unions sometimes enter bitter disputes amongst themselves. But PROCEDH’s values and methods unite them under a common cause, and disagreements are therefore put to one side.” A logic of togetherness which guarantees quality support for educators… and perhaps even prevents inter-union disputes on the issue of rights.

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