Terms of Reference

Trade Union Leadership Programme Consultant

External Collaborator

Support to the development and roll out of BFC’s Trade Union Leadership Programme

Introduction

Since 2001, Better Factories Cambodia has joined with workers, employers and government to improve working conditions and boost the competitiveness of the garment industry. Originally, the project was linked to an innovative trade agreement between the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) with the United States that provided market access in return for improving working conditions in the garment sector. After the expiration of the trade agreement in 2004, the Cambodian Government, together with unions and employers, requested the ILO to continue with the implementation of the programme.

As its longest running programme, Better Factories Cambodia is in many ways the driving force behind Better Work, and has inspired the establishment of the programme in ten other countries. Central elements of the programme’s approach began in Cambodia: from cultivating social dialogue through worker-management committees, to offering factories tailored advisory services to help them solve their own labour rights’ challenges, or using public reporting to spur improvements in factory working conditions and workplace environment across the industry. The programme currently covers 632 factories reaching out to 630,000 workers and supports workplace improvement by supporting strong systems of social dialogue.

BFC aims to build leadership and technical capacity of Trade Unions to enable more effective participation in industry consultations and negotiations. To support this goal, BFC will work with an external consultant in the implementation of a trade union capacity building programme focused on leadership skill, labour law, roles and responsibilities of trade union leaders, negotiation skills and collective bargaining.

Objectives

The goals of this assignment are to support BFC develop and roll out a needs based programme for trade union leaders. The leadership programme would focus on:  

• Support union leaders to continuously develop their professional leadership skills and to improve their leadership vis-à-vis their organization and their members;
• Support union leaders in applying behaviours and practices that reinforce teamwork, collaboration and upholding high standards and mutual accountability;
• Support union leaders with relevant technical skills to carry out their role in representing workers in the sector.

Outlined tasks

The tasks and deliverables below will be produced between October 2022 to March 2023, amounting to 80 working days over this period.

• Develop and lead a workshop with union leaders to come to a common understanding and agreement on where the union leaders (individually and as collaborating union leaders) want to be in the future where they are now and what they need to do to reach their vision;
• Based on the workshop, consultations with BFC, consultations with trade union leaders, and a needs based training analysis, develop a learning and coaching programme for Trade Union Leaders;
• Develop a system for unions to build relationships and share knowledge with one another;
• Carry out learning, coaching and training based on union needs;
• Carry out a base and end line analysis of learning and training needs.

Profile

• Experience: Experience in facilitating adults training and learning and coaching. Ability to write concisely and clearly. Understanding and experience working in the Cambodian garment sector, and experience working with and training Cambodian unions.
• Language skills: Proficiency (both oral and written) knowledge in English and Khmer.
• Additional requirements: knowledge on designing surveys and data collection methods – both qualitative and quantitative.

Reporting

The external collaborator will report to BFC Team Leader; Nang Narith.

Submission of quotation/proposal

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Proposal describing how he/she will approach and conduct the work (3 pages maximum). 
• Sample work
• Estimated budget (financial proposal), i.e., professional fees (daily rate and expected number of working days) and additional expenses (e.g. transportation costs), for completing the work.

The expression of interest should be sent to BFCJOBS@ilo.org by 17th October 2022.