EMPOWERING WORKERS Power Resources Toolkit, 2024

Copyright© FES Ethiopia All rights reserved Communication Strategy by: Unbox Marketing www.unbox-marketing.com Art Illustrations by: Alemayehu Tefera(Alex) 2024 Teferaalex4@gmail.com

In the heart of every successful and decent workplace lies the undeniable power of its workers, united in pursuit of better conditions, fair practices, and meaningful progress. This Power Resources Toolkit is designed as a beacon for workers everywhere, especially in Ethiopia, who seek to harness their collective strength and channel it into Through the inspiring stories of individuals like Hareg, Gemechis, Biniyam, and Hyatt, we highlight the diverse forms of power that workers possess and demonstrate how they can mobilize this power for change. Whether you're aiming to negotiate better terms, strategies to empower your journey. Let's embark on this path together, armed with knowledge, united in solidarity, and the catalyst for transformation, guiding you to unlock the potential within and around you.

Meet Hareg An IT specialist overseeing daily operations at a workplace and in the labor market. This power allows her to demand better working conditions.

Meet Gemechis A packaging expert in a bottling factory, Gemechis and his colleagues are many who have united in conditions at their workplace.

Meet Biniyam with neighboring communities. He holds societal power as he can organize cooperation with other social groups to get support for the trade union and demand improved working conditions.

Meet Hyatt Hyatt, a textile factory worker and union member, has previously harnessed the trade union's associational power to obtain special rights. With solid legal backing, the support of institutions like courts and an established collective bargaining system, her institutional power is well-established.

What are your power resources? Try to find them!

SWOT analysis Gemechis and his co-workers evaluate their Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats to harness their collective power. They understand their employer depends on his employees!

Breaking barriers Hyatt faces systemic challenges that hinder progress with regard to gender representation. She advocates for direct engagement in addressing such systematic disparity in the illustration.

Strategic action planning Hareg recognizes that setting realistic objectives with clear bench marks is crucial for moving forward and ensuring accountability in leadership and

Communication networks Binyam, facing obstacles in obtaining necessary documents at his workplace, understands the importance of strong communication networks among workers. This support is crucial for advancing their collective movement and action.

Prioritizing& follow-up A complaint is submitted to the grievance committee with a sense of pride. Yet, real accomplishment goes beyond mere submission, as many grievances end up boxed away, unimplemented. True success is in the persistent follow-up, ensuring that concrete actions are taken.

Campaign message Hyatt champions concise, compelling, and motivational campaign messages. She recognizes that, unlike lengthy and unclear messages, brief worker cause and rally broad community support.

Mapping chart Biniyam maps the ecosystem of his workplace to identify key players and potential allies for the workers’ cause. He acknowledges that understanding the system we intend to change, along with external strategy.

Strategy& employee tactics Gemechis and his colleagues prepare for negotiations by understanding the company's current status and broader ecosystem. This knowledge equips them to counter the pressure

Collective bargaining Hyatt and her colleagues face the company for collective bargaining. They realize that a well-informed trade union about the company's operations and industry context is better

Bargaining points As a workers' representative, Biniam places crucial worker points on the scale. Both company and trade union representatives acknowledge that bargaining key to reaching a fair agreement between the company and trade unions.

Winning negotiations Hareg mobilizes local community members, leaders, CSOs, and trade unions to facilitate successful decision-makers at both the company and government levels, ensuring worker demands are met.

Strike tactics Gemechis and his colleagues acknowledge their collective power. Considering a work strike as a strategic option when other engagement forms are ignored, they aim to challenge the company leaders to acknowledge workers' concerns.

Drafting contract proposal As a workers' representative, Gemechis emphasizes the importance of using clear and unambiguous language in the contract proposal. This clarity ensures that rights, delivery dates, and other representation for all parties and avoiding discrimination against any group.

Have you identified your own power resources?