Context
Social dialogue has progressively become an essential element in the success of collective bargaining processes, thereby increasingly bringing social progress matters into professional relationships and business environment.
The concept, institutionalized by the International Labour Organization, has been the subject of several international conventions. While various structures of governance and support for policy-makers in terms of economic and social development have been put in place over the past decades, some countries are still lagging behind when it comes to adapting to new social constraints, which is critical for the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, the major political changes that have taken place in the Mediterranean region since 2011 have highlighted the limits of the economic and social policies in Southern Mediterranean countries, and brought the social imperative to the forefront of popular demands.
Finally, little consideration has been granted to social dialogue in the Mediterranean region by governments, which generally tend to confine the concept to collective bargaining, with priorities and strategic orientations being quite often unilaterally defined.
This has led the partners involved in this process to consider a rethinking of the mechanisms of dialogue in Southern neighborhood countries, with the dual objective of enhancing the practice within these countries themselves and narrowing the gaps with Northern Mediterranean countries.
Thus, in the continuity of the Barcelona process initiated in 1995 and institutionalized in 2007 within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean, various initiatives were proposed by the European Union to strengthen social dialogue through a quadripartite approach involving governments, traditional social partners (Employers' Organizations and Trade Unions), but also Civil Society Organizations and local and regional authorities, which will play a leading role in advocating and implementing economic and social policies that take into account local development objectives.
It is in this context that the SOLiD initiative was born, aiming to promote social dialogue in the countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean. The objectives of this project are to provide employers, workers' and civil society organizations in target countries, with the expertise needed to jointly identify priority issues that are able to meet the needs of each country for a more dynamic and balanced dialogue with governments. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the capacity for dialogue (both social and societal) of the different target groups.
The first phase of this project, initially implemented by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-CSI), the Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), the Maghreb Union of Business Confederations (BUSINESSMED), and the organizations ANND and Solidar with the support of partners from the North of the Mediterranean like Progetto SUD Italy, was set up between 2016 and 2018 and covered three countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan).
The project resulted in the drafting of a twelve-point charter that will further be translated into concrete reforms to promote social dialogue in the countries of the South Shore of the Mediterranean.
With the SOLiD project starting its second phase (2021-2024), the project consortium (composed of ITUC, ATUC, BUSINESSMED and ANND) aims this time to expand the initiative to three new countries (Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine) with the ambition of having the Charter of Social Dialogue adopted by these new partners and strengthening capacities of the organizations involved in social dialogue at the level of each target country.
To carry out this mission, the SOLiD Project Secretariat has planned an implementation phase of the project mechanisms in 2021-2022. During this implementation period, the partners are to request the services of independent experts to carry out capacity building sessions targeting primary project beneficiaries in Palestine.
Mission of the consultant
The expert will have the task of conducting bipartite capacity building sessions on social dialogue in Palestine. This implies knowledge on the roles and positions of national Trade Unions, Employers' Organizations, and Civil Society Organizations involved in the process of social dialogue in all its forms (national, local, sectoral, or other). The work will include:
1- Develop a workshop implementation plan for bipartite capacity building sessions
- The expert will provide a training guide for each of the three workshops
- The expert will ensure that realistic and concrete recommendations for all stakeholders are included in the workshops
2- Conduct bipartite capacity building workshops
- The expert will bring together in bipartite sessions all the partners who attended the targeted trainings, to conduct specific workshops tackling common areas of concern, with a specific focus on Sustainable Development Goals. A total of 3 workshops are scheduled:
- Trade Unions / CSOs
- Trade Unions / Employers
- Employers / CSOs
Deliverables
The successful expert will therefore have two deliverables to develop for the Project Secretariat:
- A training presentation (ppt format)
- A narrative end of mission report
The mission is expected to cover approximately 7 working days in March 2022.
Qualifications and requirements
Academic and professional skills
- Graduate degree with university education (Ph.D. or Masters’ degree), preferably in Human and Social Sciences, Legal or Economic Sciences; or related field.
- Significant experience in supporting organizations and institutions (public and private); project management; coordination of inter-professional or associative networks, including capacity building activities; (cumulative experience of at least 5 years)
- Experience in regional projects and regional and multi-sector data collection
- Experience in social dialogue to assess the role and positions of different dialogue partners (4 types of partners: Governments, Employers, Employees, Civil Society)
- Experience in conducting seminars and capacity-building workshops in the areas of work and social dialogue.
Personal Suitability
- Demonstrate enthusiasm and initiative spirit
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Be able to support and conduct multiple activities simultaneously
- Be able to evolve and adapt to an uncertain socio-political context
- Demonstrate loyalty, trust, flexibility and diplomacy
Contract duration and compensation
The mission will start in March 2022 and will cover 7 days of work.
The fees will be defined after the financial offer and in accordance with the grid of the European Commission according to the level of study, the expertise, and the performance.
Make sure to include in the offer an estimate of the costs required for possible travels and translation costs as part of the study, as well as samples of previous research topics.
