The Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute will be hosting a five-day workshop for regional trade union leaders on ‘Strengthening Trade Unions’ understanding and application of Research Methodology’. The workshop is part of a European Union funded project that focuses on reinforcing the human and institutional capacity of Caribbean Employers Confederation (CEC), including activities with the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), and the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), to contribute to the effective implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which was signed in 2008.
Under the Caribbean Congress of Labour component the five-day workshop will help to assist in building the capacity of trade union leaders to play a more effective role in regional policy development. The programme will run from May 8 to 12, 2017 at the University of the West Indies, Open Campus, and is aimed at strengthening the research and analytical capabilities of regional trade union leaders to play a meaningful role in advocating for evidence-based policy making, as well as in contributing to the development of sound economic policy positions at the national and regional levels.
Over 30 leaders from trade union organisations across the region will participate in the workshop, and according to the Head of the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute, Danny Roberts, the participants are expected to come away with a better understanding of the research process, how to conduct research using different methods and tools, understanding the quantitative and qualitative data using different tools and methods, and how to include gender into their research and ensure that gender disaggregated data are collected.
The workshop will be executed by the International Labour Organisation-Caribbean Office and the CCL which is expected to further promote social dialogue, and contribute to the design and implementation of effective social and economic development policies. The Project, which is financed under the 10th European Development Fund, will also strengthen the implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement and deepen regional integration.
