Advancing Women Leadership in Trade Unions

This course was designed to support young women leaders and those aspiring to be in leadership positions and decision-making structures of the trade unions with comprehensive and relevant leadership skills and competences. The training combined both thematic/issue-based training and pure leadership skills training in order to broaden their impact and realise their full potential as young female leaders. It also built capacities of the women leaders to play a crucial and influential role in shaping the direction, strategy, future and relevance of the trade unions in an inclusive and transformative manner and with a gender lens. OBJECTIVES The course aimed to: 1. Enhance capacities to identify and address the emerging challenges and realities that women in trade unions’ leadership positions face especially in a rapidly changing world of work; 2. Capacitate the young women leaders with emerging leadership concepts, leadership styles and skills responsive and relevant for the current and future world of work; 3. Equip the young women leaders with self-development and self-awareness tools and harnessing unique leadership strengths, enhance confidence and self-image to broaden their impact and realise their full potential as young female leaders; 4. Empower the young women leaders with knowledge on the application of International Labour Standards, ILO tools and other instruments to engage, advocate and formulate key demands based on the principles of gender and social justice and decent work; 5. Capacitate and strengthen capacities of the young women leaders to establish inclusive unions and frameworks for gendered collective bargaining and social dialogue; and, 6. Map and share good practices and experiences on leadership styles and skills, with women role models in trade unions, and, possible replications as per individual’s needs. CONTENT The course covered four thematic learning areas with a strong emphasis on the contemporary and relevant experiences of the participants. Module 1: Reality check: Unpacking the contexts and realities of women in leadership positions in trade unions – It focused on emerging challenges and opportunities to advance women leadership in trade unions. Existing opportunities that young women leaders can harness in order to fully execute their leadership roles, functions and responsibilities were explored. Module 2: The ILO normative framework and other global frameworks on ending discrimination, inequality, inequities, and promoting inclusion in the world of work – It focused on how to translate the provisions of international labour standards and other global frameworks to overcome barriers to women rising into- and retaining leadership positions in trade unions. Thematic topics such as violence and harassment at work and care work and leadership functions were dealt with. Module 3: Women leadership development, styles and skills: Lessons learnt, knowledge exchange and experience sharing – It focused on leadership skills, management tools for self-development and self-awareness, building self- image as a leader and communication skills. Best practices in women leadership were explored. Module 4: Future scenarios and foresight on becoming an influential leader: Knowledge exchange and experience sharing – Building on Module 3, it focused on rethinking negotiation as relationship-building and collaborative problem-solving and, negotiation skills, strategies and techniques. Participants shared, learnt from each other and co-developed solutions for change. Learners spent an average of 40 learning hours to complete the course.