2021 LAT-LTTU AWEN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOP REPORT ON GENDER EQUALITY AND TRADE UNION LEADERSHIP

Preface

Central to the effectiveness of trade unions is capacity building or empowerment of union leadership. Notwithstanding other variables such as finance and attitudes of employers towards workers, labour education is a weapon that unions cannot live without.

Statistics reveal that efforts by unions to provide labour education tend to favour men for they dominantly occupy key leadership positions. Thus, among a number of factors contributing to female union leaders not occupying key leadership positions is marginalisation on labour education. The little number of women unionists has been negatively affected by a myriad of factors further reducing the already low numbers. One example is that of the terrible loss of our leader, friend and comrade Mapitso MOLAI, the LTTU General Secretary on the 3 August 2021.

The Lesotho Association of Teachers (LAT) and Lesotho Teachers’ Trade Union (LTTU), resolved to apply for funding from Education International through the African Women in Education Network to empower women of both unions on gender equality and trade union leadership with the view to prepare them to equally contesting for key positions in their unions.

Acknowledgements

LAT and LTTU are indebted to the leadership of Education International in Africa, particularly Anais DAYAMBA for the unwavering support she continues to accord to both unions and her mission to ensure that women are empowered to take up their rightful places in leadership. Secondly, the indisputable support to both unions from Richard ETONU cannot be overemphasized.

Project Implementation

Upon approval of the proposal, the workshop was re-scheduled from the 26 September to the 1^st October 2021. As planned, members from all districts arrived at Lesotho Development Centre (Mineworkers) on the 26 September 2021. With forty (40) participants planned for the workshop, only one could not attend resulting into thirty-nine (39) participants constituting a 97.5 % attendance. All participants save three were accommodated at the accommodation facility with strict compliance measures to COVID 19 protocols. The rationale was to ensure full participation and concentration during the one-week workshop.

(i) Training on trade union leadership

Facilitated by Cde Ts’eliso RAMOCHELA, a guru and well-grounded icon and veteran in labour education and also the General Secretary of Lesotho Federation of Trade Unions, the session of the foregoing activity commenced on the 27^th to the 28^th September 2021. The session centred on a myriad of topics on labour education and trade union leadership. With mixed methods of instruction, it can be confirmed that the session achieved the set goals and targets.

(ii) Gender equality

The second activity was facilitated by none other than the product of AWEN in women empowerment, Cde Rets’elisitsoe MOTLOI who also serves as the National Treasurer of LTTU and AWEN Trainer of Trainers in Gender Equality. Rideau HASKINS, a Canadian internee at LAT also virtually presented on the Canadian perspectives and experiences on gender issues. This second part of the session began on the 29^th September to the 1^st October 2021 with the evaluation of the event and development of work plans on the last day of the workshop. There was no iota of doubt that the session achieved the set goals and targets.

Achievements

1. Building on the experiences of the 2020 collaborative project of a similar nature by both LAT and LTTU, the event was generally executed as planned with very minimal gaps to an extent that the fear that existed prior the event on little funds was at the end ironed out accordingly.
2. Hosting the event at one place with participants accommodated at the venue ensured that disruptions were minimised.
3. The partnership and mutual understanding between the two unions was further cemented by the event.
4. A total number of thirty-nine (39) women, some of who are already in the national leadership structures trained in gender equality and trade union leadership is one milestone reached by LAT and LTTU that cannot go unnoticed.
5. The unions were able to negotiate prices at the accommodation facility and that ensured that there would not be any contributions from the unions as had planned.

RECOMMENDATIONS

LTTU and LAT would kindly request some funds to conduct the monitoring and evaluation processes to the extent to which the provided education would bear fruits beyond the training.