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The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MOL) hosted the SOLIFEM CTA Daniel CORK in a first meeting on November 22, 2021, during which he presented the objectives and expected outcomes of the project. 

The MOL Secretary General confirmed the strong support of the project as a natural outcome of the cooperation between the ILO and the Algerian government, built over the course of the past two years. 

On November 22, 2021, the SOLIFEM project organized a half-day workshop with the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises (CGEA) to introduce the project and discuss challenges of informality as well as the importance of a national strategy on formalization to be developed through tripartite social dialogue. Regional representatives and members of the CGEA from the North, Central, Eastern and Western regions of Algeria (Algiers, Blida, Bouira, Boumerdes, Sidi Bel Abbès, Constantine, Taref, Batna) took part to the meeting.

The meeting began with welcoming remarks from the CGEA President, followed by a participatory exercise for participants to get to know one another and to enable SOLIFEM to learn more about the group. The first objective of the meeting was to secure the buy-in and interest of the CGEA members in SOLIFEM. The second was to generate recommendations from the participants for the CGEA to present at the first tripartite meeting of the project.

On December 13, 2021, the SOLIFEM team held its first meeting with the General Union of Algerian Workers’ (UGTA) Focal Point for the ILO and the UGTA Media Relations officer. The ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) joined the meeting remotely from Cairo.

The main objective of the meeting was to prepare the UGTA for the first tripartite meeting scheduled for December 16, 2021. The second objective of the meeting was to discuss opportunities for Algerian workers’ and the UGTA within the context of the project.

The successful establishment of the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) on December 16, 2021, in Algeria was an important achievement.

The meeting was the culmination of efforts over the course of many months and provided important momentum to the project to speed up the implementation process in Algeria. The PAC is composed of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises (CGEA), the General Union of Algerian Workers’ (UGTA), Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Vocational Training, the Ministry of Tourism, the National Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CNESE), the National Statistics Office (ONS), and CREAD.

On February 22, 2022, a second meeting of the Project Advisory Committee, hosted by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, was held to discuss the SOLIFEM project roadmap and the way forward.

The SOLIFEM CTA Daniel CORK joined the meeting remotely from the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The Project Advisory Committee agreed to form two subcommittees, related to “skills” and to “formalization”, which will be responsible for the implementation and supervision of the SOLIFEM activities. PAC members, divided into two sub-groups, renewed their commitment to fully contribute to the achievement of the project objectives.

A third meeting of the Project Advisory Committee took place on March 29, 2022, aiming to review project subcommittees workplans and to set log-frames targets.

After several consultations organised by the SOLIFEM Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) along with the employers’ Specialist in Cairo, and the Programme Officer in the ILO Cairo Office with key governmental and employers’ delegates from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), during the period from August till November 2021, the Project launched its operation in Egypt with two crucial events.

A consultation meeting on SOLIFEM between the Project’s team, the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities, the ILO Cairo Office and the Egyptian Trade Unions that took place on 27th November 2021. The participants were from the two major trade union federations; the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) and its sectoral affiliate representing building and wood workers’, along with the independent trade union federation, the Egyptian Democratic Labour Union (EDLC) affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), along with trade unions from the agriculture, fisheries, textile; ground transport, and maritime sectors, given the significant level of informality in these sectors.

In this one-day meeting, the CTA and ACTRAV Specialist encouraged the trade unions to convey their priorities to the project, given the weight advantage that SOLIFEM is still in the development phase in collaboration with the constituents and partners in the focus countries. The unions also pointed out their need for capacity building support on membership development, training on legal terminology relevant to the ILO instruments and labour standards, as well as capacity building on advocacy and negotiation skills.

A consultative workshop with Egyptian trade unions in addition to leaders from two agricultural cooperatives, who were invited to the meeting to encourage collaboration between the trade union movement and civil society on issues of informality and Just Transition, in collaboration with ILO’s Bureau for Workers’ Activities and SOLIFEM on Green Jobs.

ACTRAV’s Specialist on Just Transitions in Geneva shared the ILO Guidelines on Just Transition; and the opportunities for trade unions to play a role through organizing, collective bargaining; and social dialogue with employers’ and government.

Participants were invited to analyse the causes and consequences of air pollution, Nile River pollution, and global warming in Egypt, and to discuss their advocacy priorities for working with the Egyptian government and employers’ to address the risks of climate change in Egypt.

By the end of the second meeting, all the Egyptian trade unions confirmed their endorsement of SOLIFEM, and of the importance of linking Egypt’s formalization strategy to issues of Just Transition and green jobs.

By the end of the second meeting, all the Egyptian trade unions confirm their endorsement of SOLIFEM, and of the importance of linking Egypt’s formalization strategy to issues of Just Transition and green jobs.

In December 2021, meetings with the ILO tripartite constituents started taking place to introduce the SOLIFEM project in Lebanon. On that occasion, SOLIFEM team members met with the Ministry of Labour, the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers’ (CGTL), the National Federation of Worker and Employee Trade Unions (FENASOL), the Association for Lebanese Industrialist (ALI) and the European Commission representation in Lebanon.

A meeting was held at the Ministry of Labour. The SOLIFEM team presented the project in the presence of the Minister, the Director General and other staff. Both parties discussed the situation of informalities of the labour market in the country. The SOLIFEM CTA Daniel Cork presented the objectives and expected outcomes of the project in the context of the current economic crisis, inviting the ministry to outline its priorities, for shaping the project in response to the current environment. The ministry expressed its support for the SOLIFEM project, and for the principle of working through a process of social dialogue.

Click here to learn more about New ILO project works towards formalizing Lebanon’s economy.

A meeting was held with the Association of Lebanese industrialist to introduce the project and to consult with employers’ on their priorities in the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Industry, the Lebanese League for Women in Business, the Women leaders Association and the Syndicate of the Lebanese Food Industrialists. The project was presented by the SOLIFEM CTA Daniel Cork.

The employers’ encouraged a context-based intervention in Lebanon that would seek to foster and support the private sector, with an initial focus on the agribusiness and food industries. Moreover, ALI saw in SOLIFEM a socio-economic opportunity that would support the formalization process of micro and small businesses, with a focus on youth and women, consequently strengthening the supply chain to develop export potential.

A meeting was held virtually with the trade unions – CGTL and FENASOL. During the meeting, the SOLIFEM CTA introduced the project. The trade union federations agreed on the importance of a unified approach and a commitment to work together in the context of SOLIFEM. Both noted the importance of SOLIFEM as a key element of the ILO’s strategy to promote Decent Work, genuine Social Dialogue, and sustainable employment in Lebanon. In terms of barriers to formalization of employment, both unions pointed to the labour code’s lack of recognition of workers’ in agriculture, domestic work, and other sectors and professions as workers’. Finally, trade unions endorsed the goals and expected outcomes of SOLIFEM in terms of formalization and skills development for youth and women. In late February 2022, an online workshop was held with trade unions to identify key sectors for intervention, which were listed as follow: Construction, fishing agriculture, daily workers’ in the private and public administrations (mouyawimiin) and workers’ in the agri-food industry.

The SOLIFEM CTA joined the ILO Regional Officer for Arab States (ROAS) team for a meeting with the European Commission (EC) in Lebanon. The SOLIFEM CTA gave an overall briefing on SOLIFEM and its goals and proposed activities. The EC representatives welcomed the project and cautioned the ILO Team to have reasonable expectations in terms of achieving policy changes in the near term in Lebanon, given the focus of the Lebanese Government on the most urgent issues of the economic crisis.

SOLIFEM project launched in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) through conducting a series of bilateral meetings with each partner to introduce the project.

A tailored presentation for each partner was prepared offering main information about the project, local context about informality, and regional experiences.

The first meeting was conducted with the PGFTU with ILO Jerusalem team attending physically and SOLIFEM CTA, Mr. Dan Cork connected virtually. The meeting was held at the PGFTU premises in Nablus in October 2021 and discussed the opportunities for the trade union movement in OPT under the SOLIFEM project.

A workshop for the PGFTU with 25 participants was conducted during the February 2022 visit aiming to develop the technical understanding of the PGFTU leaders and representatives on informality and ILO instruments, identify opportunities and threats for organizing workers’ in priority sectors, and develop a trade union action plan linked to SOLIFEM.

Click here to learn more about PGFTU.

The last introductory meeting was held in December 2021, where the next steps for the project were discussed as well as the main opportunities for the government side.

Following the introductory meeting, a survey was prepared and shared with the constituents to identify potential policies and prioritize sectors that will be addressed under the project. The results of the survey showed consensus on specific elements and sectors for the three partners, with Labour Law reform as a priority for all, expanding social protection came as priority for both workers’ and the government, implementing the new company’s law for the employer’s side. For sectors, ground transport, construction, IT and tourism were mutual between the three parties.

During February 2022, SOLIFEM CTA, Mr. Daniel Cork, visited the OPT in a successful mission. Several meetings and workshops were held with the constituents and other counterparts to discuss the project work plans and the way forward. The National Tripartite Labour Committee held a special meeting to discuss the SOLIFEM project and agreed to form a subcommittee that will be responsible for the implementation and supervision of the SOLIFEM activities.

A meeting with the employers’ followed in October 2021, with the project introduced to the FPCCIA at their premises. The meeting discussed the opportunities for the federation of chambers under the project.

A similar workshop for the FPCCIA with 15 participants was held in February 2022, which aimed to develop the technical understanding of the FPCCIA representatives on informality, and to develop an outreach plan linked to SOLIFEM project.

During the mission, the team held separate meetings with the constituents, and met with other partners including, the Palestinian Fund for Employment, Ministry of National Economy, TVET commission, and also made field visits to the Chambers of Commerce of both Hebron and Bethlehem.

SOLIFEM team also assured keeping the donor informed in all the progress made under the project, the ILO team met with EUREP office in Jerusalem in December 2021 and February 2022 and shared with them the latest reports and updates.