Strengthening the Role of Workers' Organisations in the Promotion of Adequate and Effective Social Protection for All

Beyond the promising economic growth pre-pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic levied a severe blow and exposed significant gaps in social protection coverage, comprehensiveness and benefit adequacy, including its gendered dimension in the African region. The ILO’s and other studies show that the coverage of people benefitting from social protection measures remains low, especially in the African Continent. Underinvestment in social protection and the increasing informalisation of African economies compound the problematic situation. This five-week workers’ academy was designed to empower workers’ organizations to influence and taking concrete actions on their own to promote universal social protection through full appreciation of the ILO framework on social protections system, policy development and implementation, tripartite social dialogue, and collective bargaining. It allowed collaborative learning and knowledge-sharing of relevant experience to accelerate workers’ organizations’ country actions on social protection. OBJECTIVES This regional online training aimed at supporting workers’ organisations in contributing to the ILO's Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All with strong and effective positions in social protection policy making and implementation at the national, regional and workplace levels by strengthening their understanding of (i) the role of social protection in crises responses and beyond, (ii) its financing mechanisms, (iii) impacts/ implications of social security reforms, as well as by enhancing their ability to monitor and evaluate the implementation of social protection schemes. Specifically, the training aimed at enabling participants to: o share good practices and experiences on comprehensive, efficient and innovative services to the trade union members concerning social protection; o discuss and undertake follow-up actions to the ILC Resolution and conclusions concerning the second recurrent discussion on social protection (2021) and, in line with the plan of action adopted at the 343rd Session (November 2021) of the ILO Governing Body; o utilize tools and resources for effective implementation of Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202) and effective implementation and promotion of ratification of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102) and other relevant social security standards; and o analyse and actualize at the country level the results and agreements of the tripartite discussions during the 344th ILO Governing Body on Securing social protection for migrant workers and their families: Challenges and options for building a better future. CONTENT The course covered four deep learning modules through synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities. These include: (i) The ILO normative framework on social security and protection; (ii) Extension of social protection coverage and the effective implementation of social protection policies; (iii) Financing social protection; and (iv) The role of social dialogue and bargaining in social protection. Learners spent an average of 40 learning hours to complete six (6) self-guided learning modules, nine (9) live teach-ins/webinars and post a minimum of eight (8) weekly online forum entries and interactions with co-learners. ECAMPUS The activity was delivered via the eCampus, the education platform of the International Training Centre of the ILO. The platform was used to dsitribute course information, training material, learning tasks, exchanges of good practices and experiences, feedback and multimedia content.