Who
is involved in Vida Viva?
In Brazil, Germany, Mozambique and Mexico labour activists are involved
in Vida Viva.
The most extensive network exists in Brazil: more
than 130 unions from 8 different states and various different sectors
are active within Vida Viva. These unions represent in total several
hundred thousands workers. We have reached more then ten thousand
workers the last couple of years. Most unions active within Vida
Viva are affiliated to the CUT, but not exclusively.
The activities are developed and coordinated by a body called the
platform. This body consists of 18 trade unions from the different
regions and sectors. Three times a year the platform gathers to
discuss about the progress, new plans, problems and new challenges.
In Mozambique Vida Viva just started in 2005.
SATULA, the Southern African Trade Union Leadership Academy, invited
TIE to a workshop in Mozambique on health and work. The participants
were very enthusiastic and recognized most of the issues that the
Brazilian activists talked about in several workshops. There and
then it was decided to start some form of cooperation between the
Brazilians and the Mozambiquans. In the newly formed platform the
major trade union federation of Mozambique OTM (Organization of
Workers of Mozambique) and the CONSILMO (Confederation of Free and
Independent Unions of Mozambique) work together. Both federations
have several ten thousand members and represent workers in all sectors.
In Mexico Vida Viva works with/consists of worker
centres. Sixteen worker centres of the states of Baja California,
Chihuahua, Coahuila, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tamaulipas and Yucatan form
the central working group that coordinate the activities. The worker
centres are self-organizations of mainly women workers working in
the maquila’s in the assembly of electronics and clothes.
Also in Mexico the activities of Vida Viva are of a recent date:
only in 2004 Brazilian activists were invited to a meeting and when
two Mexican activists visited Brazil one year later the cooperation
really kicked-off.
In Germany the ideas and strategies of Vida Viva
are spread trough workshops and training sessions that TIE Germany
gives to local groups of trade unions and workers from the auto,
metal, chemical and the retail sector. Especially works councils
are working with methodology, developed by VidaViva. At companies
like DaimlerChrysler or the supplier industry VidaViva implemented
a participative action research that led to major changes of the
work place including the increase of staff and a rebalance of work
load. In 2007 a work group is developing strategies how to even
more root the project within unions.
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