CNV Internationaal - A World that Works

the story of
Elsa Paez Garcia
page
25
the story of
Seynabou Dieng
page
6
the story of
Ion Poia
page
30
the story of
Angela Ciocirlan
page
33

the story of
Sokhna Fall
page
9
the story of
Niver Alegria
Florez
page
22
the story of
Athit Kong
page
17
the story of
Srun Sothy
page
14

5
CNV Internationaal’s purpose is to contribute to positive change
in people’s lives through the programmes we implement.
In "A World that works”, journalist Frank van Lierde and photo-
grapher Bas de Meijer make the results of CNV International’s
work vivid through a number of personal stories gathered
from interviews with working people from four continents.
> Foreword
The core of international trade union
work remains the same regardless of
where in the world it is found or how
different individual circumstances
may be. It revolves around a decent
standard of work that enables people
to provide for their own needs, in
order to live a safe and healthy life.
They should be able to send their
children to school and be assured of
an income if they are ill and when
they retire. Decent work means
treating people fairly and respecting
their rights.
I am very proud to say that CNV not
only seeks to promote decent work in
the Netherlands, but look beyond our
borders as well. You can read the
stories of Sokhna and Seynabou
from Senegal, Srun and Athit from
Cambodia, Niver and Elsa from
Colombia and Angela and Ion from
Moldova. They describe the impact
on their own lives of the programmes
that CNV Internationaal implements in
cooperation with local organisations.
What is it like to work in a factory like
that? What do they struggle with?
What remains of their childhood
dreams? What does trade union work
mean to them? Where do they find the
inspiration to keep going?
Pieter de Vente
Chairman of CNV Internationaal
General Secretary of CNV Trade
Union Federation
Change in people’s lives

6
> Project country Senegal
The story of
Seynabou Dieng
Age: 42
Occupation: fish processor
Children: 4 sons, 1 daughter
Organisation: Cooperation
affiliated to UDTS
Seynabou Dieng is 42
and lives in a small town
on the coast of Senegal.
She works in the fishing
industry, just like her
parents and grandparents
did before her. It is hard
work for little money, no
contract, no job security,
and no social security.
The burden of fear
was lifted from
our shoulders
y father died when I was
seven. As a girl, I wanted to
be a midwife or a teacher, but
I left school when I was 10. I’m
married to a fisherman. Two of my sons
work with me in the fish processing and
the other two work on the boat with my
husband. My daughter is married.”
Seynabou is a member of a cooperative
of 250 women and 50 men, all fish
processors in the same coastal town.
“Thanks to the help of l’Union Démocra-
tique des Travailleurs du Sénégal (UDTS)
and our cooperative, we’ve made a lot of
progress. We obtained financial support
and were able to buy materials for work.”
“I’ve seen big changes in the fish-
processing industry. Today cooperative
members have broad wicker tables on
which fish are laid to dry. We even have
smoking ovens. When I was younger we
didn’t have these facilities. My older
sister and I went to the sea every
morning with my mother. We’d smoke
the fish in the same place we sold them.
The smoking process wasn’t hygienic
and not profitable either. Fortunately
times have changed.”
“When we still had to borrow money
from the bank we had to pay an interest
rate of 18 per cent. The bank wasn’t for
poor people and in all the years this
hasn’t changed. If you had nothing, you
could borrow nothing. That was the case
for most of us. If you wanted to borrow
money, you had to provide collateral that
was worth more. Borrowing meant living
in fear. No, in Senegal you can’t rely on
the bank to help you build an independent
life. For that you need group solidarity,
It’s African logic. If you are not part of a
group you are nothing; the history of the
one is the history of the other.”
“Thanks to the UDTS we were allocated
land on which we could work and given
a cooperative savings and credit fund
M
The union makes us stronger, keeps us on
our toes, offers us protection and helps us in
our struggle against poverty

8
that we had to manage ourselves.
We pay an interest rate of 3 per cent.
There’s just no comparison with the 18
per cent we used to pay. We no longer
need to rely on the bank. The burden
of fear was lifted from our shoulders.”
“This helped to buy fish and the materials
we needed: buckets, bowls, wheel-
barrows, gloves, boots, tarpaulin, drying
racks, cement wash basins... Individually
we would not have been able to buy these
things. But now we have them and we
make collective use of them. We work
more hygienically, have boosted our
production and the quality is better.
Before, people looked down on the
work that women did. Nowadays, we
make a significant contribution to the
family income and people look at us
a lot differently.”
“The union makes us stronger, keeps
us on our toes, offers us protection and
helps us in our struggle against poverty.
We’re all working in the fish industry
in the coastal area. We are supportive
competitors. Together, we think
about how we spend our money, what
materials we should buy and the best
ways to get customers. We’d like to
reduce the number of middlemen and
get more direct access to the markets.
This is a struggle we’re taking on with
the help of the union. In the meantime,
we agree pricing among ourselves and
we speak with one voice. It’s a way of
protecting us from middlemen who
try to impose their pricing on us.”
“I can hardly imagine what it would
be like not to have to work for a whole
week. I think I’d spend time caring for
myself and enjoy some rest. I would also
like to modernise the smoke ovens be-
cause they are bad for our health. Ovens
that run on solar power would be great.”
And what is Seynabou’s long-term
dream? “In ten years’ time I’d like to
own several smoke ovens so I could
lease them to other people. I’d then be
able to stop working myself because
this work is just too demanding.”
Nowadays,
women make
a significant
contribution to
the family income
and people
look at us a lot
differently
Seynabou Dieng
My husband and 2 sons work as fishermen Together, we think about the best ways to get customers

9
The story of
Sokhna Fall
Age: 51
Occupation: Trader in
small building materials
Children: 7 (between 10
and 30 years)
Organisation: “Book Ndey”,
a savings and credit group
for women, affiliated to UDTS
Together
we’re not afraid
of anything
The union taught us how
to manage money
ust like my sister, I started buying
and selling stuff. That’s how it all
started.” Nowadays Sokhna has
seven children, all between 10
and 30 and she deals in building materi-
als such as cement and paint. Sokhna:
““Working in the informal circuit in
Dakar is tough and dangerous. There’s
a lot of pilfering in this area. Our vul-
nerability lies in the fact that we’re not
recognized legally. I’m not registered,
I pay no taxes and have no export
license. As a result we have no protec-
tion, no social security, no pension and
we’re stuck in the informal economy.”
When asked why she joined the union
Sokhna beats her chest. “It’s something
I really wanted to do. In addition to
improving my own situation I wanted
to help other women too. There are so
many women like me who have never
been to school and need support.
We’re re all in the same boat.”
“The union holds us together. We work
together and help one another. UDTS
fights for dignified work, which for me
means having food on the table, a house
to live in, and being able to help my
family and the people around me.”
Sokhna chairs the savings and credit
cooperative called Book Ndey (‘having
the same as your sisters’). “We have 36
members, all of them have union cards.
With loans from the UDTS we buy food
and household items in bulk such as oil
and soap and pay less than you’d have
to pay in the shop. Because we all store
everything centrally group members
also save on transport costs. We called
it ‘Food Solidarity’.”
“The union also taught us how to
manage money. Today we are not afraid
of the bank, because now we manage
our money ourselves. Together, we are
not afraid of anything. I see the people
“I still remember the first
time I arrived in Dakar.
It was all very modern!
Electricity, telephones,
so many cars! I married
in 1983 and my husband
took me to Dakar. It was
amazing, but I had no idea
what kind of work I could
do, without education.
I was prepared to tackle
any kind of job.”
J

10
I work with as family members. Toge-
ther, we make sure that nobody is left
wanting and that we stay one group.”
“I never went to school, but today the
union is my school. We get to learn a
lot about union work, management
and financial matters. UDTS makes us
more independent. We’ve also learned
to make our businesses more visible
to a larger audience, to develop new
sales strategies and to think about
the financial feasibility of our plans.
All this makes us better entrepreneurs.
This is important if you work in the
informal sector.”
“The Union and our savings and credit
group have changed much in my life.
My business has grown, I find it easier
to buy food than before. I can better
cover household costs, like healthcare
or other things that my children need.
This gives me more self-esteem and
respect of others.”
“But we still have a long way to go.
When I hear that a minimum wage level
and effective social security systems
exist in other countries, I realise that
this can serve as a good example for us
to follow. I feel it’s important to bolster
national and international solidarity to
achieve the same things in Senegal.”
“I really hope that with our women’s
cooperative we’ll achieve a lot more.
In 10 years time I’d like to think that
we’ll all have our own businesses, along
with all the necessary paperwork and
permits. And that we can then help
other women along the same path and
make the union movement stronger
and bigger. That’s what we
The union
has changed
much in my life.
My self-esteem
and the respect
of others
have grown
Sokhna Fall
The union is my school In ten years I hope we will all have our own businesses

We are supportive competitors.
Together, we think about how we spend our money,
what materials we should buy
and the best ways to get customers
11

12
Key facts
and figures
Senegal
Senegal
Capital city: Dakar
Population: 13.7 milion
The Netherlands: 16.8 milion
Area: 196.190 km2
The Netherlands: 41.526 km2
Income
per capita
Senegal
$ 2.000
The Netherlands
$ 41.500
Life expectancy
Senegal
59.6 years
The Netherlands
80.8 years
Statistical data: http://hdr.undp.org/en/data
UDTS
In Senegal, CNV
Internationaal works with
the Union Démocratique des
Travailleurs du Sénégal, one
of the nation’s largest trade
unions with a presence in all
corners of the country.
Diverse
professions
Workers from a very wide
range of professions have
organised themselves
through the UDTS:
transport, industry, food
and agriculture, textiles
and clothing, education,
public services, trade,
lumber and construction.
Cooperation
The UDTS has taken the
initiative to establish
cooperation between the four
largest unions in Senegal on
certain issues. This has brought
them a strong position in
discussions with employers
and authorities.

13
Human develop-
ment index
Senegal
154 of 187
The Netherlands
4 of 187
Gender
equality index
Senegal
115 of 187
The Netherlands
1 of 187
Literacy
Senegal
49.7%
The Netherlands
99%
Open to those without
fixed contracts
Only 250,000 of Senegal’s 6 million-
strong workforce have a fixed
contract of employment. The UDTS
is very active in helping to organise
those without a permanent job
who earn - for example - their living
as street traders, market vendors
or taxi drivers.
Social security
Just 10% of the working population
currently has access to social
security. The UDTS is working to
combat this via the Mutuelles de
Santé. To place this problem high
on the national agenda, the UDTS
is collaborating with other trade
union organisations to lobby and
raise awareness.
Social dialogue at a
business level
The unions affiliated with the UDTS
also maintain a social dialogue with
individual employers at a business
level. The results vary from simple
conversations with regard to working
hours and wages to extensive and
detailed collective labour agreements
including arrangements for e.g.
maternity leave and safety at the
workplace.

14
> Project country Cambodia
The story of
Srun Sothy
Age: 31
Occupation: Garment
worker and union leader
at Chus Sing factory
Children: 1 son
Organisation: independent
garment workers’ union
CCAWDU
worked from seven in the morning till
eleven in the evening, for 30 dollars
a month. No holidays, sick leave was
exceptional. And I was frightened of
ending up in the sex industry. Some
girls just disappeared. When I was 20
people tried to lure me into it. No way,
I said, I’m nobody’s possession.”
After three years in the factory Srun
becomes a member of CCAWDU. Srun:
“It was the first independent trade union
for garment workers in the country.
What a difference it made! We were
given trainings, were informed about
labor rights, workers held meetings,
formulated demands. We got the feeling
that as workers we could change things
and solve problems.”
And problems there are. “Thousands of
women, many of them with children at
home, worked in exhausting and un-
healthy circumstances. Poverty forces
them to trade in their days off for extra
salary. But what if your child is sick?
What if you’re sick yourself? The
management is not very willing to
grant care leave. And then there are the
work accidents. Needles going through
fingers, fingers lopped off in cutting
machines, electrocutions, respiratory
problems, exhaustion. Every week a
few women faint. The union trained
me in health and safety at work and
my colleagues know where to come
when the need arises.”
In 2009 Srun was elected CCAWDU
union factory leader by about 1,000
union members. Sometimes her posi-
tion causes her problems. “In the begin-
ning I received threats. ‘We have a gun
and bullets, and we’re going to kill you’,
that sort of thing. I just carried on.”
What has Srun achieved with her union
I
The union prevents workers from
sinking further into poverty
No time to be
homesick
When her father fell ill
and lost his job, Srun
Sothy had to quit school.
There was only one
option: go to Pnom Penh
and earn money. That’s
what she did. “I stitched
trousers in Chus Sing
Factory. I was a peasant
girl in a huge city. I felt
lonely but had no time
to be homesick.

work these past few years? “We are
now more free to exercise our rights,
we’re less harassed. It’s more demo-
cratic in the factory today. We’ve been
able to extend maternity leave; women
receive three months full pay during
their maternity leave, cash-in-hand
when leaving the factory. The minimum
wage for garment workers was raised
to 61 dollars a month. It was so exciting
to stop work and protest at the factory
gates. It felt great to represent 1,000
people and get the crowd on your side.”
Asked what she wants to achieve in ten
years, Srun replies: “In ten years, I hope
we’ll earn a real living wage, that workers
will be able to build up some pension,
that the ventilation system works
properly, that workers can live in decent
accommodation, that food remains
affordable for them.”
Enough work to be done as a union
leader. One would almost forget that in
addition to her union work Srun has a
job. For fourteen years she has been
working in Chus Sing. Together with her
son and husband she lives in a three-
by-three metre room in a tenement
block a stone’s throw from the factory.
What has union work given Srun on a
personal level? Srun: “CCAWDU has
made me a stronger person. I can now
express myself forcibly, mobilize people
and hold my own when negotiating
with the management.”
When asked where she finds the energy
to keep going, as a union activist, as a
worker and as a mother, tears well up
in her eyes. “It’s the first time in my life
that someone asks me what I think and
feel. It’s difficult. I’m constantly stan-
ding up for the rights of others, but
nobody is there for me when I have a
problem. Being a union leader is lonely
work. It’s also difficult because poverty
is constantly overtaking us. Every time
we win a pay rise, the costs of living also
go up. Through hard work and negotia-
tion we’ll prevent ourselves from
sinking further into poverty, which is a
lot in itself. But it’s not enough to pull
ourselves out of poverty.”
In 10 years,
I hope to earn
a living wage
and be able to
build up some
pension
Srun Sothy
Working conditions are exhausting and unhealthy The trade union has made me a stronger person
16

17
The story of
Athit Kong
Age: 33
Occupation: Started as
garment worker at laundry
of a jeans factory, Vice-
chairman of CCAWDU
Children: 1 daughter
Organisation: Independent
garment workers' union
CCAWDU
Sweat, struggle
and dreams
Union work has increased the participation
of millions of workers. It made this country
a more social and democratic place
e knows what factory life is like.
“When I was 17 my parents were
too poor to let me continue my
education. I went to the city and
started to work in a big garment factory.
I had nothing, not a dollar, no employ-
ment contract, nothing to eat. I shared a
room that was just three square metres
with seven other people. I was ashamed
to be so poor. The first year I worked
for 365 days, from seven in the morning
till ten at night. I didn’t have a single
day off. Sick leave was non-existent.”
Labour conditions were terrible. Athit: “I
washed pairs of jeans with abrasive sto-
nes, bleaches and dyes. You had to put up
with chemicals, the stench and being wet
all day long. I earned 30 dollars a month.”
“Like everybody else I didn’t have a clue
about workers’ rights. But I knew what
was human and what wasn’t. I saw mana-
gers swear at workers and fire them for
no apparent reason, and employees
who worked themselves to a frenzy just
to meet their production quotas. Every-
one there was at the mercy of the boss.
Who wouldn’t protest at that? I did.”
In 2000 Athit joins a union. “I did learn the
basis of union work: listening to people,
formulating complaints and demands,
defending workers in negotiations.”
In the same year Athit loses his job.
“I found my notice of dismissal on the
factory gate.” Athit had defended the case
of 90 middle-aged women who worked
part-time. “They did very heavy work in
the washing section. When production
levels fell they were laid off for three
months, without salary. I raised the issue
with my boss. The management thought
I was a troublemaker. One day, during
nightshift, security people came for me.
That’s when there were still armed
guards at the factory. For a year I
was jobless and completely broke.”
Athit Kong is driven by a
dream. “I want to live in a
country where people can
live and work in decency,
not in a country that’s
ruled by the need for
growth and export and
where most people have
to slave away for 80 hours
a week without making
ends meet.”
H

18
In the year he lost his job, Athit and five
others start up a new trade union called
CCAWDU. Athit: “We had one objective:
to set up a union that would not be
controlled by the employer or by
political parties. We wanted the people
who toil on the deafening, stinking and
oppressively hot work floor to have a
real say in what goes on in the plush
offices of directors and ministers.”
Athit, 20 at the time, is the youngest
founder of CCAWDU. Today this trade
union boasts some 50,000 members,
working in 60 factories. It’s not the
biggest union. But according to Athit
it’s one of the few trade unions in the
garment sector that can claim to be
really independant and democratic.
We accompany Athit on a visit to Sut
Lick Trading, one of the biggest garment
factories in Phnom Penh. “This plant
was built for a few thousand workers,”
explains Athit. “A lot less than the 7800
people working here now. The workers
have an average working space of just
over a square metre each.” In the base-
ment, where the electricity is generated,
truckloads of tree trunks disappear in
roaring furnaces, “You’re looking at
the most powerful union department,”
shouts Athit. “If they strike here the
whole factory comes to a standstill.”
Bare chested men tell us what CCAWDU
has achieved in the six months they have
been active in Sut Lick. “Minimum wage
has increased and we can get sick leave.
But most importantly, we are now per-
mitted to organise ourselves, and say what
we want. A year ago this conversation
with you would have been unthinkable.”
The Sut Lick company lawyer is someone
who knows Athit very well. “CCAWDU is
the union that costs me most of my
time,” concedes the lawyer. “It’s more
active and applies more pressure than
the other unions. But sometimes union
members overstep the mark though,
and break the law. That’s wrong.” Athit
replies: “Young garment workers want
quick solutions because they are very
poor. Yet democratic processes and
negotiations need time. As a union you
need to learn to cope with this tension.
The starting point is always to maintain
a dialogue with the employer, and at a
higher level with the government. But if
the management stonewalls our demands
several times, then we resort to action.
Sometimes that will be in the form of
minor protests in the factory, other times
it can escalate to national strikes.”
Aside from Sut Lick, how has CCAWDU
changed workers’ lives in the 60 other
factories? Athit looks back at more than
a decade of struggle. “Before, there
was nowhere they could go to report
anomalies or to complain. Workers were
little more than wage slaves, working 15
hours a day for 25 dollars a month. Today
they are allowed to unite and defend
their interests. The minimum wage has
increased to 71 dollars, workers get 7
dollars a month rent allowance, they
receive an attendance bonus if they work
for 26 consecutive days. They can get sick
Roaring furnaces generate electricity for the factory We are now permitted to organise ourselves

19
leave. Before, being sick meant dismissal.
The factories are still unhealthy and un-
safe, but they are a lot healthier and safer
than they were. These are all milestones.”
“Union work has increased the partici-
pation of millions of workers. It made
this country a more social and democra-
tic place. But it’s only with good gover-
nance and good political leadership at
the highest level that we can really rise
above poverty, injustice and corruption.”
“You know what really inspires me?
Dutch cycle paths! I see them when I visit
CNV Internationaal. For me they are an
expression of everyone’s right to a safe
and pleasant living environment. In and
around the factories in Pnom Penh there
is a lot of stench, chaos and insecurity.
That’s when I think about the Dutch cycle
paths. They remind me that it is possible
to live in a society without corruption,
poverty, exploitation and environmental
pollution. As long as I can contribute to
make this a reality in Cambodia, I’ll keep
on fighting and dreaming.”
The first year I worked for 365
days, from 7 in the
morning till 10 at night.
I was only 17
You know what
really inspires me?
Dutch cycle paths!
For me they are
an expression
of everyone’s right
to a safe and
pleasant living
environment.
Athit Kong
“

20
Talking
Dress App
CNV Internationaal has also
contributed to the develop-
ment of the Talking Dress
App by Marieke Eyskoot,
alongside ASN Bank, which
makes it easier for Dutch
consumers to find Ethical
Fashion in their local area.
Employment
The clothing industry is
by far the major source of
employment in Cambodia,
mainly employing young
women. The economic decline
in the Western world currently
has a direct effect on
employment in Cambodia.
CLC and C.CAWDU
CNV Internationaal supports the
work of the young trade union
federation CLC in Cambodia.The
Cambodian Labour Confederation
(CLC) was founded in 2006 by the
clothing sector union C.CAWDU.
This Cambodian Apparel Workers
Democratic Union has only existed
since 2000.
Cambodia
Capital city: Phnom Penh
Area: 181.035 km2
Income
per capita
Cambodia
$ 2.400
The Netherlands
$ 41.500
Life expectancy
Cambodia
63.6 years
The Netherlands
80.8 years
Key facts
and figures
Cambodia

21
South-south
cooperation
CNV Internationaal is helping
the young CLC organisation
through the facilitation of
“south-south cooperation”
with comparable trade union
organisations that are further
developed, such as the SBSI in
Indonesia and the KCTU in
South Korea.
Living minimum wage
C.CAWDU has grown from 5,000
members in the year 2000 to over 50,000
today! They are working step by step
to improve the working conditions of
clothing factory labourers. A minimum
wage - though very far from a living wage -
has since been established in the
textiles sector.
WellMade
Alongside the development of trade
union organisations around the
world, CNV Internationaal retains an
active presence in the Netherlands,
working with the Fair Wear
Foundation to take the initiative in
organising WellMade workshops at
fashion fairs across Europe (see
www.wellmade.org). WellMade
explains to clothing purchasers at
European fashion stores what
they can do to improve the
situation in factories they
procure from. The Well-
Made project is
co-financed by the
European Union.
Human develop-
ment index
Cambodia
139 of 187
The Netherlands
4 of 187
Gender
equality index
Cambodia
96 of 187
The Netherlands
1 of 187 Literacy
Cambodia
77.6%
The Netherlands
99%

22
> Project country Colombia
The story of
Niver Alegria
Florez
Age: 36
Occupation: started
as miner, Construction
worker, sugarcane cutter
in the Cauca valley
Children: 2 daughters
Organisation: Trade union
for sugarcane workers
Sintraindulce
iver now has a well-paid job as
a safety inspector at Mayaguëz,
a medium-sized sugar refinery
in the Valle del Cauca employ-
ing 4,400 people. It wasn’t always like this.
“When I was six me and my family
looked for gold in the open mines. It was
dangerous. One day I fell into a deep
crevasse. When the mines were exhaus-
ted, we moved to Puerto Tejada. I was
10 years old when we left. The only
possessions we had were the clothes
on our backs and our bus fare.”
In the new town, 10 year old Niver takes
on one job after the other. “I carried
bricks in a brick factory, worked in a
supermarket, dredged sand from the
river for a building company. When I was
in pain, I always thought to myself: ‘it’s
not about today, it’s about tomorrow’.
The prospect of a better tomorrow is
what has kept me going all my life.”
For seven years Niver combines working
and going to secondary school. In the
meantime he’d started courting Lisa,
a girl from the same street. “She was
15 and I was 16. We fell in love.” They
married, moved in together and had
their first daughter. Niver: “We lived
on a dollar-and-a-half a week. The elec-
tricity was often cut off, meat was too
expensive and our friends had to raise
money to help us survive. Fortunately,
a friend helped me find full-time work
stacking shelves in another supermarket.
I got fired there. I was 23, had a child
and was at my wit’s end.”
Niver’s father, an experienced cortador
or sugarcane cutter on the Mayagüez
sugarcane plantations and a member of
the Sintraindulce union, helps his son
by finding him work as cortador. Niver:
“It was new and I had to be very careful
how I used the machete. Sometimes I
was cutting for 15 hours a day, through
the baking heat, through cold hailstorms.”
N
I thank God, my father and the union
that today I have a house and a good
job, sugarcane worker Colombia
The boy who
always thought of
tomorrow
Niver and his family live in
a small house not far from
the road that serves as a
demarcation line between
FARC guerillas and para-
militaries. Remnants of
houses that were robbed
and wrecked by criminal
gangs are scattered here
and there.

24
But Niver is an indirecto, he works for
middle men, not for Mayaguëz. As such
he has hardly any rights. His father urges
him to join the union. It was the only way
he’d be eligible to get a direct employ-
ment contract with the employer. Niver:
“Once I was a member of Sintraindulce
everything changed. I obtained a direct
contract with Mayaguëz and earned
almost four times as much for doing
the same work. The work was also
much safer. I was given gloves, leg pro-
tectors, a uniform and safety shoes too.
Something else I’d never experienced
before were the excursions organised
by Sintraindulce for workers. I was in
my mid-twenties, I’d worked for almost
20 years and for the first time in my life
I could go to a finca, or park, go swim-
ming with other workers, enjoy an ice
cream, together with my wife and
daughter.”
“Thanks to the union there was some-
thing else I was able to do what pre-
viously had been unthinkable: borrow
money, first to buy a house, later to
study. The employees at Mayaguëz ran a
credit cooperative, with which the union
collaborated closely. This is how I was
able to buy this house here in Florida
eight years ago.”
Niver’s house is located in a tough neigh-
bourhood. “Until three years ago it was
quite safe. That’s when young strangers
with guns started arriving. They terrori-
sed families and burgled their homes.
Sometimes they wreck houses and sell
everything they can: doors, windows,
even the roofs. They tried to rob me
too, but the fact I am a member of a
strong union deterred them. There’s
a great deal of solidarity among union
members. We stick by one another.”
In 2003 Niver embarks on a one-day-a-
week university education programme
on occupational health. “The union
encouraged me to continue studying and
arranged an additional loan.” At work he
was twice promoted before he graduated.
Today he is responsible for the safety
of all Mayaguëz’s harvesting activities,
which include some 800 cortadores.”
This last promotion poses a difficult
dilemma for Niver. “When I received
the contract I was told that the position
precluded me from remaining a
member of the union. I didn’t want to
leave the union, but I had no choice.
It’s particularly painful because it’s
thanks to the union that I got this job.
Sintraindulce changed my destiny;
I’m not the same. My life has changed.”
The union encouraged me to continue studying Today Niver is responsible for the safety of 800 sugarcane cutters
I obtained a
direct contract
with Mayaguëz and
earned almost
four times as much
for doing the
same work.
Niver Alegria Florez

25
The story of
Elsa Paez Garcia
Occupation: Teacher in the
Buen Pastor women’s prison
and chairperson of UTP.
(deceased) and 1 son
Organisation: UTP trade
union for penal insitution
workers
Living in
the shadow
of death
Thanks to the union, prisons have
become more humane places
f the need arises she’s not afraid of
accusing prison directors and senior
government officials of being corrupt
and abusing power.
Over the course of the years Elsa lost
18 union compañeros, all murdered
Once there was a dead chicken on the
doorstep with a message attached:
“This is how you’ll end up”. Another
time a wreath was delivered to her
home with a message of condolence,
for her own death. It got really bad when
she was chased by paramilitary hit-men.
Or the time they tried to kidnap her
daughter. Today, she doesn’t leave her
house without body guards, virtually
living the life of a guarded prisoner,
living in the shadow of death every day.
She is the chairperson of the Unidad
de Trabajadores Penitenciarios (UTP),
the result of a recent merger of 44
smaller unions representing workers
in Colombian penal institutions. Elsa:
“All UTP members work in prisons,
either as prison officers, in administra-
tive jobs, or as teachers like me. We
know what really goes on behind these
walls. From our office, located in the
building of INPEC, the central govern-
mental body that’s responsible for the
prison system, we denounce the corrup-
tion, abuse and human rights violations
that go on in Colombia’s notorious
prisons. Usually corruption is in the
prison management, and so we some-
times denounce senior managers, our
own bosses, people from the army
and the government.”
It is not surprising that Elsa and her
fellow unionists sometimes encounter
strong opposition. “In 1999 and 2000 we
were forcibly ejected from our offices
and we were all fired. The CGT, the
confederation of Colombian unions,
For 28 years Elsa Paez
has worked and battled in
what are the world’s most
corrupt and dangerous
penal institutions. She’s
a single mother and she’s
lost two daughters and a
husband. She works over
a hundred hours a week
doing three jobs.
I

26
defended us all the way up to Geneva.
We won.”
The union is Elsa’s life. Here UTP
colleagues are unanimous: without the
fighting spirit and leadership qualities
of Elsa Paez there would no longer
be a critical, independent union in the
Colombian prison system.
It is amazing how long Elsa has been able
to endure the hardships of the prison
system. More than that, she became a
leader in that world. At home though
Elsa does not have that many people
to fall back on. “My youngest daughter
died of cancer three years ago. Before
that, my first daughter also died, shortly
after childbirth. My husband succumbed
to sickness and died after just seven
months of marriage. Juan Diego, my
adopted son, is all I’ve got.”
“I was 19 when I started work in the
notorious Picota prison in Bogota. It
was really scary. I was surrounded by
murderers, psychopaths and guerrillas,
The situation
has improved as
result of our
whistle-blower role
and human rights
courses for
penitiairy workers
Elsa Paez Garcia
Usually corruption is in the prison
management, and so we sometimes denounce
senior managers, our own bosses, people
from the army and the government.

27
people that are commonly treated as
the ‘dregs of society’. I thought I’d be
able to stick it out for a few months,
but I’m still here after 28 years. First
I worked as a secretary, later as a
teacher. I am not a prison guard, I don’t
need to act repressively towards inma-
tes. I can be humane towards them.
If you don’t have any experience of what
life is like in the tough prison world you
can’t imagine the effect that a simple
smile can have.”
But sometimes things go wrong. In
1986, for example, she was taken hos-
tage by inmates. “We were held in the
classroom and threatened with knives.
Earlier in his criminal career, the ring-
leader had murdered a nun. Fortunately
we were released after nine hours.”
On average Elsa works more than one
hundred hours a week. A third of her
time she works as a prison officer at
Buen Pastor. Elsa: “Officially I’m a
teacher, but in practice I’m a teacher,
social worker, psychologist, lawyer and
confessor all rolled into one. A special
part of my work is with female inmates
who live in the prison with children up
to three years old.”
“But most of my time is spent on
UTP union work, improving living and
working conditions in all prisons. I also
work as a human rights specialist for
the CGT, the confederation of Colombian
unions. And one day a week I give
lessons to street kids between the
ages of 8 and 16.”
“With the UTP we register complaints
in prisons throughout the country. All
forms of abuse, fraudulent practices
and human rights violations are addres-
sed and exposed. The last major case
we dealt with was in May last year.
The manager of a small prison outside
Bogota had embezzled money that was
meant for inmates’ social programmes.
In the end he was dismissed. Of course,
I received telephone calls with anony-
mous threats at the time. Then there
are the prison guards who extort inma-
tes or physically abuse them. Thanks
to our efforts many of them have been
disciplined, fired or prosecuted.”
What have been the main results of
Elsa’s union work? “There are many
results,” she says. “To start with we’ve
been able to avoid the privatisation of
INPEC. 16,000 people would have lost
their jobs. It’s also thanks to the union
that prison officers are still entitled to
a full pension after 20 years of service.
President Uribe wanted to raise it to
30 years of service.”
“Thanks to the union, prisons have
become much more humane places.
They are still odd pockets of violence
and corruption but the situation has
improved. This is a result of the whistle-
blower role played by the union and the
many human rights training courses we
organised for prison officers and other
personnel.”
We denounce corruption and abuse in prisons Officially I’m a teacher, but in practice I’m also social worker and lawyer

28
Broad social movement
The Confederación General de Trabajadores (CGT)
is a broad and politically independent social
movement with 819,200 supporters, from street
traders to large farmers’ associations. The CGT
incorporates over 300 affiliated unions and
associations divided into 6 regional organisations.
This is unusual as Colombia is globally acknow-
ledged as the most dangerous country
for union members; 26 were killed for
defending workers’ rights and 13
leaders escaped attempts on
their lives in 2013.
Provincial member base
The CGT sees itself as a broad social
movement that not only deals with
labourers on the shop floor, but
accommodates their social environment
as well. A considerable proportion of the
members have no permanent
employment, but make their living
through street sales. A number of
farmers’ associations and working-class
districts are also affiliated to the CGT.
Colombia
Capital city: Bogota
Area: 1.138.914 km2
Human develop-
ment index
Colombia
91 of 187
The Netherlands
4 of 187
Literacy
Colombia
37.9%
The Netherlands
99%
Key facts
and figures
Colombia

29
Result-oriented
CNV Internationaal has developed
a system for planning, monitoring
and evaluation (PME) with a clear
focus on union work. This helps
the work of trade union federati-
ons such as the CGT and its asso-
ciated bodies to be result-oriented
and financially reliable. The CNV
has trained up local PME coaches
to disseminate good practice wit-
hin their own organisations.
Impunity
Why is there no end to the anti-union
violence in Colombia? Impunity is a
major stumbling block. If you can’t
find who’s done wrong, you can’t help.
Legal powers are very limited and
justice doesn’t function, because of
this the offender is almost never
found and prosecuted.
Growth
‘CNV Internationaal is
important to us’ emphasises
CGT leader Julio Robert
Gomez Esguerra. ‘Nobody
believed in us thirty years
ago when we were just
another sapling. But the CNV
had confidence in us and
their support has enabled
us to grow.’
Income per capita
Colombia
$ 10,700
The Netherlands
$ 41.500Gender equality
index
Colombia
88 of 187
The Netherlands
1 of 187
Life expectancy
Colombia
73.9 years
The Netherlands
80.8 years
National level
The CGT is a very active
and major partner in
bipartite and tripartite
discussions focussing
on social security and
the minimum wage.

30
> Project country Moldova
The story of
Ion Poia
Age: 35
Occupation: former
migrant, and now
advertising entre-
preneur in Ungheni
Organisation:
Fundatia Muncii
oldova, former Soviet state
between Romania and
Ukraine, is the poorest country
in Europe. It gained indepen-
dence in 1991, but the communists
were in power till 2009. EU membership
could provide opportunities, but so far
Fort Europe has not opened its gate.
Many young Moldovans try their luck
abroad. One of them is Ion Poia, a single
man in his thirties. Ion: “There are so
few opportunities for young people here.
Unemployment, alcohol and poverty…
that’s about all that’s on offer. About
70 per cent of my friends are currently
abroad.”
Ion lives in the city of Ungheni, near the
Romanian border. From his third-floor
apartment he sees the village where he
grew up. “It was good during the Soviet
era. The adults had jobs and the kids
had fun. My father worked as a tractor
driver for the kolkhoz, or farming col-
lective. My mother was a receptionist for
a horse-breeding company, also state-run.
But it wasn’t healthy work. My father
sprayed pesticides. In 2001, he started
having respiratory problems and lost his
job. He was 50. Now he has cancer. He
gets an invalidity pension of €40 a month,
along with his pension of €80 a month.”
As a child Ion is crazy about sport,
especially football. “My brother was the
national 800-metre champion. I started
doing athletics when I was 13 and went
to a sports boarding school till my 19th
birthday. It was prestigious but it also
very tough and strict.”
Ion’s athletic prowess is such that the
state university offers him a contract.
“Running for the university meant being
able to study for free. I agreed, studied
accountancy and took part in athletics
competitions.” Around that time Ion starts
his first job. “I’d buy cognac and we’d
sell it for double the price, all illegal.”
“My first real job was with the police.
M
Fundatia Muncii helped me to seize opportunities
in a very difficult labour market. You don’t learn
that in school or in university
I learned to
think in terms
of opportunities
“I dreamed of having
my own house and
family. But on just
€200 a month it was
an impossible dream.
I had to leave.”

32
They asked me to represent them compe-
titively in all sorts of sport. I became a
police officer, was given an employment
contract, but didn’t do any police work.
I was a kind of sports slave, for €200 a
month.”
When he is 23 Ion decides to go abroad.
“I dreamed of one day being able to live
in my own house with my girlfriend and
having children. But on just €200 a
month it was an impossible dream. And
I dreamed of being a professional foot-
baller. A friend of mine had contacts in
an Irish club. So I left on a tourist visa
to Paris, then to Spain and then entered
Ireland illegally.”
The Irish adventure lasts for three years.
“I broke both my knees, one after the
other, playing football. My dream was
shattered. In the mean time I earned
nothing. I started doing odd jobs to buy
food, like trimming hedges. My world
imploded, my girlfriend and I broke up
and I started drinking more. But I pulled
myself up, delivering flyers for Domino’s
pizzas in all the districts of Dublin,
working in the building trade, lifting
concrete blocks between eight in the
morning and five in the afternoon.”
All the while Ion’s stay in Ireland is
illegal. He has no social security, no
pension, no health insurance. Only after
he finally gets his Romanian passport,
something a lot of Moldovans apply for,
Ion is given a working permit. “My last
job in Ireland was as a security guard. It
was a good contract, my pay was €2,000
a month. I saved more than half of it.
But after a year I was fired. Last in,
first out. With my savings I returned
to Ungheni, the city near the village
where I was born.”
“But what was I to do in Moldova? My
degrees wouldn’t get me a job anywhere
there. My savings quickly dwindled and
like most returned emigrants I felt
forlorn, depressed and desperate.”
Then one day, at the end of 2009, Ion
watches a campaign film by Fundatia
Muncii the job opportunity programme
of the FACLIA youth organisation. Ion:
“I took a course there for five weeks.
Five key weeks that gave me a new
perspective of the future. Employers
and entrepreneurs gave workshops,
I learned how to present myself,
improved my CV. Something changed
inside of me. I learned to think in terms of
opportunities and to believe in myself.”
Ion went to work for his sister’s adverti-
sing business in the capital and assisted
by Fundatia Muncii he starts up his own
advertising business in Ungheni. Busi-
ness is going well. Ion’s printing work
can be seen on every street in the city
centre. Ion: “Without Fundatia Muncii I
wouldn’t have managed it. They provide
training, give you confidence and help
you to seize employment opportunities
in a very difficult labour market. Things
you don’t learn in school or in university.”
He lives in a small, one-person apart-
ment but he hasn’t abandoned his
dream of one day having his own house
and a family of his own. “I’m working on
it. I’m saving hard, I have a good job and
I’m my own boss. And my future wife?
Ion’s advertising business is going well Five key weeks gave me a new perspective of the future

33
The story of
Angela Ciocirlan
Age: 42
Profession: Teacher,
now driving force behind
Faclia and Fundatia
Muncii
Organisation: Youth
centre Faclia
Torchbearer
for change
600 new jobs for young people are
600 victories for Moldova
ngela Ciocirlan is the director
of Faclia (‘torch’), a youth
centre she founded in 2004 in
Ungheni, a provincial town near
the Romanian border. “We help young
people to stay in Moldova and make
something of their lives. We give voca-
tional training and help them to find a
job. We’re the only NGO in the country
doing that.”
Angela is a bridge builder. She helps
young people to span the gap between
an out-of-date education system and
a difficult labour market. But she’s
also helping a small country to make
the transition from communism to an
unstable free market economy. It’s
also the transition Angela made in
her personal life.
“I grew up in a small village where the
kolkhoz, the state owned collective
farm, ruled everything. Every household
would listen on the radio to the revised
production targets and instructions.
Mostly it was waiting for your name
to be called. If you did better than was
expected, you’d be praised. If you’d
turned up at work late or worse, drunk,
you’d be humiliated, over the radio!
People lived in constant fear of what the
neighbours, managers or colleagues
might think of them.”
At age 14 Angela goes to a boarding
school in the provincial town of Calaraj.
“Here too there were strict rules. If you
did something wrong you’d be humiliated
in front of the class. It was just like a
kolkhoz.”
“Eventually I started teaching in a
boarding school for orphans in Ungheni,
a town near our village. When I was 19
I married a local boy from our village.
25% of all Moldovans
work abroad, legally or
otherwise. “What do you
expect?” asks Angela
Ciocirlan. “40% live under
the poverty line. Factories
are closing down, farmers
are struggling with export
barriers. People never
learned to seize opportuni-
ties during the communist
era. That’s something
I want to change.”
A

34
I gave birth to my first son, Igor, that
same year. My husband worked as a vet
at the kolkhoz.”
“I wanted to start a revolution in educa-
tion! Away with dogmatic learning by
heart, away with the priviliges of rich
kids! I’d lay out the school desks in a
criss-cross manner, invited people from
the village in the classroom, I’d organise
musical performances and discos. To
earn more money I was teaching at the
primary and secondary schools and
working at a crèche too.”
By the end of the nineties Angela is
divorced, has two small children and
three jobs, which earn her just 100
dollars a month. The former kolkhoz
economy had fallen apart and nothing
replaced it. Angela: “I decided to leave;
we were hardly earning enough for the
basics. My mother agreed to look after
Octavio, who I was still breast-feeding
at the time. I got sick on the way.
My breasts hurt and I had a fever of
40 degrees when I arrived in Moscow.”
Angela stays in Russia for three years.
“I worked as a nanny for a rich couple
who were journalists. Those years in
Moscow were tough; but they opened
my eyes. In the end I missed my children
too much and went back.”
Companies now realise that
it makes sense
to invest in the training of
young people
I wanted
young people in
my country to learn
to think more
openly and
more freely.
Angela Ciocirlan

35
“Back home in Moldova there was
nothing but poverty. We lived off the
money I’d saved in Moscow. That’s when
I realized what I wanted. I wanted young
people in my country to learn to think
more openly and more freely. I wanted
to set up my own organisation.
Eventually it became Faclia.”
Angela enters into a public-private
partnership with the city council.
Ungheni gives her an abandoned school
building and pays the water and energy
bills. Angela’s team give the building
a facelift, attract young people and
trainers and run the youth centre.
“We started with a fitness centre and
a computer room. Something for the
body and something for the mind.”
In 2008 Faclia starts to work with CNV
Internationaal; together they set up
Fundatia Muncii, a youth employment
programme. Angela: “Fundatia Muncii
serves as a springboard for young job
seekers. Our training courses are short,
a few months at the most. Job seekers
badly need money and want to find a
job as fast as possible. We work closely
with local businesses and employers.
They need people, we make the match.
We were hoping to help 300 young
people find permanent jobs in four
years. We managed to do so for 600.”
With Faclia and Fundatia Muncii Angela
is not only changing the lives of young
Moldovans, she’s changing Ungheni
society. “You now see more and more
young men and women in leading positi-
ons with companies and government
institutions. Companies now realise that
it makes sense to invest in the training
of young people.”
If it’s up to Angela and her team,
Moldova is a country that will reinvent
itself. “During the Soviet era everyone
lived to please others. What did the
neighbours think? What did the boss
think? What did your father think?
Everyone spied on everyone else.
As long as you stuck to the rules you’d
be able to breathe. But real change
comes from inside yourself. Who am I?
What do I want? Where can I find the
opportunities? This also applies to
Moldova. To realise the change we
want, we shouldn’t just wait for that
dream of EU membership to materia-
lise. To make the transformation,
we must get to work ourselves. That’s
what we are doing with Faclia and
Fundatia Muncii.”
The training courses serve as a springboard for young job seekers We work closely with local businesses and employers

36
CNSM
CNV Internationaal also
supports trade union
organisations in a number of
East European nations. In
Moldova, one of the poorest
countries in Europe, CNV
is collaborating with the
Confederatia a Sindicatala
din Moldova (CNSM).
Key facts
and figures
Moldova
Moldova
Capital city: Chisinau
Population: 4,3 milion
The Netherlands: 16,8 milion
Area: 33.843 km2
Income
per capita
Moldova
$ 3.400
The Netherlands
$ 41.500
Ageing
Unemployment is high. Too many
people in the prime of their lives
are leaving the country to seek
employment elsewhere. Entire
countryside villages are emptying.
This creates a huge problem in
terms of the ageing population;
every worker currently has to
support two pensioners.
Colleagues from
the cleaning sector
As part of the international support provided
through collective labour agreements, the Dutch
cleaning sector contributed to a three-month
course in domestic cleaning services of group
of women from the countryside last year.
Dutch training materials were also translated
so they could be used in Moldova.

37
Development
Social dialogue and
independent union work
are still in development in
this former Communist
nation.
Independence
Moldova, a former Soviet
state lying between Romania
and the Ukraine, is the
poorest European country.
It gained independence in
1991, but the old Communists
remained in power until 2009.
Human develop-
ment index
Moldova
130 of 187
The Netherlands
4 of 187
Gender
equality index
Moldova
49 of 187
The Netherlands
1 of 187
Life expectancy
Moldova
69.6 years
The Netherlands
80.8 years
Literacy
Moldova
98.5%
The Netherlands
99%
Springboard
CNV Internationaal has worked
with the Moldovan organisation
Faclia to found the Fundatia
Muncii, an unemployment
programme for young people.
“It’s a springboard for young
people looking for work. Our
training courses are short, a few
months at most. We work closely
with local businesses and other
employers. They’re looking for
staff, we match them up.”
Sharing knowledge
and experience
CNV Internationaal’s support is not
limited to financial contributions.
CNV union leaders also share
knowledge and experience with their
peers in other countries. Siward
Swart from CNV Trade Professionals
and Arie Kasper from CNV Service
Professionals have provided training
for Moldovan union colleagues.
“We showed them the importance
of involving members throughout
the negotiation process.”

CNV Internationaal
P.O. Box 2475
3500 GL Utrecht
The Netherlands
T 31 30 751 1260
E internationaal@cnv.nl
I www.cnvinternationaal.nl
twitter.com/cnv_internat
Facebook: facebook.com/cnv.internationaal
Bank account for donations:
IBAN NL16INGB0001255300
This text is written for CNV Internationaal
Interviews: Frank van Lierde
Translation: John Widen
Photography: Bas de Meijer
Editors: Corita Johannes, Eugène Litamahuputty
Design: Rick van Westerop, WAT ontwerpers
Printing: Sauterelle
Copyright CNV Internationaal
February 2014

A World that works
As the second trade union federation in the Netherlands, CNV is committed to its
members and workers in the Netherlands. However, our commitment does not
stop at the border. Through CNV Internationaal we also strive for decent work in
countries where conditions are often much more difficult and where most
workers have very limited resources.
CNV Internationaal currently supports trade unions in 16 countries. We promote
decent work both financially and through lobby and campaigning activities,
we also share knowledge and expertise with our partner organisations.
In A World that works journalist Frank van Lierde and photographer Bas de
Meijer illustrate how the work carried out by trade unions supported by CNV
Internationaal, has changed peoples lives.
What does union work mean to Sokhna and Seynabou from Senegal, Srun and
Athit from Cambodia, Niver and Elsa from Colombia, and Angela and Ion from
Moldova? How did their lives change? How do they manage to provide for their
livelihood? What do they struggle with? What motivates them to keep going?
What are their dreams?
facebook.com/cnv.internationaal
twitter.com/CNV_Internat
Internationaal
www.cnvinternationaal.nl

CNV Internationaal - A World that Works

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (15)

Similar to CNV Internationaal - A World that Works

Similar to CNV Internationaal - A World that Works (20)

More from CNV Vakcentrale

More from CNV Vakcentrale (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

CNV Internationaal - A World that Works