Refresher TOT report with C.CAWDU May 26-27, 2008

There were 17 trainers present at the ToT along with C.CAWDU staff. The goal of the training of trainers on OSH was to go through some of the earlier modules in the previous trainings on hazards and focus more on negotiation and setting up OSH committees in the factory. It is a concern of the staff in C.CAWDU that the trainers were losing steam, also changing jobs and leaving the unions as this is the harsh reality of their lives. The OSH trainings loses sustainability as the staff of C.CAWDU are too small and are already overburdened and cannot oversee the OSH trainings in the unions and in all the factories along with their already overwhelming duties in the union office.
To make these trainings effective and sustainable in the long run and to train more union members and workers on OSH issues, it was essential to decentralise the responsibility of training to the core trainers in the training.
The trainers listed mainly these topics during their expectations for the training

-         chemicals

-         osh committee

-         responsibility of union on OSH

-         negotiating with employer on OSH

-         OSH disease and accidents

-         Chemicals

-         Negotiating with Management

-         Labour and OSH in Cambodia

-         Setting up OSH Committees

The training started off with the trainers introducing themselves and their role in the union at the individual factories along with the changes and actions that were taken at the factory level on OSH other than increased membership in the union. They were:

-         drinking water access for workers

-         fans in the laundry section and pouring water on the roof of the factory to keep cool

-         separate toilets for pregnant women

-         effective exhaust fans

-         personal protective equipment for workers

-         larger clearly designated exits for workers

-         engineering changes in the factory and the use of PPE

-         Chemicals, noise, heat and hazard mapping.

-         Clinics in factories

-         Training provided by federation on negotiation, OSH, social security law and also to set up OSH committee at the workplace.

-         OSH accident and disease more knowledge

-         Pamphlets prepared on chemicals in Khmer, English and Chinese and   distributed to workers

-         Warehouse arranged in an orderly manner

-         trainings on labour law and OSH and about collective bargaining

The participants were all encouraged to play the role of trainers more actively in the trainings to gain experience and confidence on the modules over the next two days.
The methods of role play followed by open discussions were used to further gain understanding on various issues. Role play was an effective method of learning as it led to animated discussions afterwards with all the participants becoming actively involved. 

Participants also took part in group work were they had a chance with peers to discuss on the various topics and do group presentations which also increased their understanding on topics.

C.CAWDU took a session on Cambodian labour law and OSH speaking about two regulations in the law on compensation and the classification of disabilities.

The final part of the training was the plan for the future of the OSH trainings carried out by this core group of trainers. How can they be effective as trainers to carry out more trainings in a strategic manner and how they reach all members of C.CAWDU. They were then divided into groups to discuss their plans. The groups then presented detailed time plans along with a budget and breakdown with a time table and contents for the training topics.

Out of the 3 plans presented, the staff of C.CAWDU will sit down with these core trainers on June 12^th, 2008 and decide on a plan that will be realistic, effective and sustainable by assigning responsibilities to all the trainers. AMRC will provide support to C.CAWDU if necessary and could go over to help them out in one or two of the trainers’ upcoming OSH trainings.
The staff of C.CAWDU will be the backbone for the trainers should they need support in terms of information and resources and it is important for the staff of C.CAWDU to ensure that the plan and responsibilities given to the trainers can be monitored regularly to make sure it kicks of well and the trainers report back regularly and avoid any communication gaps. This way the resources will be well utilised.