Regional workshop on trade union development in the Arab World and the Middle East Right to Organise, Right to Bargain

Eleven journalists’ unions from the Arab World and the Middle East (AWME) met in Tunis on 3-4 June to review the current legal and structural status of journalists’ unions in the region, with the aim of developing a coherent regional trade union strategy. The discussions focused on the unions’ efforts to strengthen their members’ social and professional rights through collective bargaining. IFJ affiliates in the region expressed a strong need for support in developing planning, bargaining skills as well as in benefitting from technical expertise in this area. The unions decided to establish a “ Union Organising and Collective Agreements Working Group” to strengthen organisational structures, share experience in unionising and adopt negotiating strategies at national and regional levels. All journalists’ unions in the region which conduct collective bargaining or have undertaken practical steps to achieve that in the near future will be able to join this regional working group.