1 TUFESA / ITUEA AND CHILD LABOUR IN ALBANIA TUFESA / ITUAE (Education Trade Unions in Albania)

2 BACKGROUND TUFESA / ITUAE -the largest and the most important TUs in the education sector in Albania. MEMBERSHIP: 32,000 members, some 70 % of teachers and other employees in the education and sciences sectors. AFFILIATION: KSSH, BSPSH, EI, and Pan - European Structure of Education ACTIVITIES: Two phases: : members protection, onwards: expansion of the scope (e.g. education reform, strategy and quality of education, ChL eliminat.)

3 Child labour Background in Albania Child labour and child trafficking are a problem in Albania. Child labour: More than 40,000 child labourers. Child trafficking: 5,000 children trafficked in Greece; 3,000 trafficked in Italy. Drop-out rate: 70 % of working children have dropped out from the school, compared to 30% of children who work and allegedly continue to attend the school. Drop-out in : More than pupils, out of which 45 percent of all of them are in the main cities.

4 Child labour - Reasons Economic conditions: (poverty, insufficient income, large families, etc.) Family reasons: (divorces, death of parents, emmigration, parents health problems, etc) Educational environment: (poor school attendance, lack of schools near the residence area, expulsion from school, poor performance at school, and dislike of school)

5 Areas of Intervention Capacity building: (trainings, seminars & workshops with trade unionists), Prevention: (teachers special work with pupils dropped out from the school & child labourers, community work), Lobbying & advocacy: (Government – Ministry of Education, other educational institutions), Awareness raising: (Newsletters, Magazine Tribuna Sindikale, publications ACTRAV Manual – Trade Unions and Child Labour, SCREAM package, Manual on Non- Formal Education, leaflets)

6 Starting activities ICFTU (ITUC), EI campaigns ICFTU (ITUC), EI programs ( ) October 2004: - Survey on ChL in Albania, S. Grumiau - Conference on TU against child labour in Albania (ICFTU –KSSH, BSPSH, TUFESA – ILO IPEC). Adoption of Special Resolutions in the Congresses of TUFESA and KSSH in November Regional Conference in October 2006, supported by FNV/AOb and ILO-IPEC in Tirana, Special activities in the framework of GAW, EI-NOT child labour monitoring activities: ongoing… - 48 teachers engaged in working groups, - In 6 schools from 3 districts, - 60 girls dropped out or at risk to drop out –Tirana - 30 Roma pupils - Elbasan, - 30 pupils from Macedonian minority - Korca - Activities with pupils- first results in Bathore, Elbasan and Liqenas, -Planned activities summer break

7 INCLUSION IN ILO – IPEC ACTIVITIES Start-up activities in 2001: training of 15 local education trade union leaders from 8 districts and 10 other branch trade union leaders in Tirana, Action Programme in 2003: child labour and trade unions (70 trade unionists trained in three regions: Tirana, Vlora and Pogradec), A National Plan of Action implemented, Action Programme in 2005: 75 local trade union leaders trained in three regions – Elbasan, Korce, Berat, their concrete work, AP in 2007: - Publication of SCREAM Modules and Non-Formal Education Manual, local trade union leaders from 12 districts trained on SCREAM and Non-Formal Education Inclusion of education trade unions in other activities regarding ChL.

8 Collaboration with AOb/FNV Activities The most important and effective support, Being focussed in Tirana, Fieri, Elbasan and Shkodra, Set up of working groups in each district, Three days workshops (more than 100 local leaders trained), Role of Dutch specialists, during the workshops, Trained leaders and teachers, special work in the schools and families, with parents and children themselves, Engagement of local government and local, education directories, inclusion of police.

9 Collaboration with AOb/FNV Objectives and Results Main objectiv-decrease of the number of working children, Prevention activities: avoiding school drop-out, direct impact to the elimination of child labour, Some results: - Some pupils turned back in the schools or out of the risk to drop out, - Fieri - 90 pupils dropped out, turned back in the school. - Elbasani- 110, Tirana-220, Shkodra-90 - Around 950 pupils out of the risk to drop out from the school, - Some teachers engaged concretely … This engagement is going on, based on the experience gained,

10 Collaboration with FNV/AOb New phase of the Project Enlargement in other two districts, Korca and Durresi; more teachers engaged, Special engagement in 8 pilot schools in Tirana and Fieri, Special activities with pupils and parents representatives, Involving other branch trade unions in the activities on prevention and elimination of ChL, Better collaboration with Ministry of Education and local government – collective agreement, Consolidation of local structures and improvement of financial situation of FSASH and SPASH, Further developments in communication with our members – fsash/spash website, Concrete objectives: - decrease the number of working children in selected districts by 15 per cent and in national level by 8 per cent, - decrease the number of pupils dropped out from the school, by 25 percent in selected districts and by 12 percent in national level.

11 Examples of Good Practices Collaboration between TUFESA / ITUAE and other branches of trade unions, The Conference of ICFTU with KSSH and BSPSH, in October 2004, Adoption of a Special Resolutions against ChL, in the FSASH and KSSH Congresses, Using collective agreements as an important instrument for ChL prevention, - For the first time, fsash/spash engegement, Ministry support, - Achievements-basis for further insistence-remuneration Concrete work of teachers and TU local leaders, Important publications: ILO ACTRAV Manual Trade Unions and Child Labour. SCREAM package, Manual on Non- Formal Education, Magazine Tribuna Sindikale, fsash- spash Website

12 CONTACTS FSASH/SPASH Bulv. Zogu i Pare Pallati Ali Kelmendi Tirana, Albania Tel & fax: Website: Contact person: Stavri Liko