1 Education Trade Unions 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 ACTIVITIES: Two phases: : members’ protection, onwards: expansion of the scope (education reform, strategy and quality of education, child labour elimination.)

3 Child labour Background in Albania Child labour and child trafficking are a problem in Albania. Child labour: More than 40,000 child labourers. Main sectors: - Street working, round , - Farming: between and Collecting garbages, Cloths and shoes industry, Child trafficking: 5,000 children trafficked in Greece; 3,000 trafficked in Italy. 70 % of working children are from those who have dropped out from the school, compared to 30% of children who work and allegedly continue to attend the school. Special role of teachers and their TU Drop-out in : More than pupils, out of which 45 percent of all of them are in the main cities. Reasons: -Ekonomic conditions, family situations, educational system

4 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, Collective agreement, 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)

5 Starting activities ITUC, EI, ILO-IPEC campaigns 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: teachers engaged in working groups and activities pupils from 6 schools of 3 districts, subject of individual work (60 girls in Tirana suburbs, 30 Roma pupils in Elbasan, 30 pupils from Macedonian minority,Korca) - Activities with pupils and results: 18 turned back in school, 32 out of risk to drop out of school, 24 improvements in school performance

6 Collaboration with FNV/AOb Activities Being focussed in 6 districts: Tirana, Fieri, Elbasan Shkodra, Korca, Durresi Prevention activities: avoiding school drop-out, direct impact to the elimination of child labour, - Working groups, monitoring system, workshops, (more than 100 local leaders trained), - Collaboration with Ministry of Educ, local government, other NGO - Comunication with members, Magazine, website, publications - Motivation of teachers, involving pupils and parents Some results: - Some teachers engaged concretely … - Some 1550 pupils turned back in schools or out of risk to drop out, Working in progress to realise 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.

7 Other branch TU engagement and regional initiatives Two objectives: - Enlarging the number of teachers engaged and i - Invloving other branch trade unions Activities: - Conference: ITUC, KSSH, BSPSH, October 2004) - Adoption of Special Resolution in the Congresses of KSSH in November 2004, - Round Table on other branch trade union involvement, October - Another Round Table will be organised in April Regional Conference in October 2006, supported by FNV/AOb and ILO-IPEC in Tirana, -Participating: EI, repersent. from 6 countries of the region, - Discussions, a working plan elaborated, a follow-up activity needed.

8 Examples of Good Practices Collaboration between TUFESA / ITUAE and other branches of trade unions, The Conference of ITUC with KSSH and BSPSH, in October 2004, Adoption of Special Resolutions against ChL, in the FSASH and KSSH Congresses, Using collective agreement 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

9 CONTACTS FSASH/SPASH Rruga Dora D’Istria Pallati Perballe Fakultetit Juridik, Kati 3 Tirana, Albania Tel & fax: Website: Contact person: Stavri Liko