Proposed Framework and Priority Areas May 2005 - October 2006

The mandate of the SJF, as approved by the Social Justice Fund Board of Directors at its first meeting in October 2003, is to support initiatives in five priority areas:

• International development work;
• Canadian anti-poverty and development initiatives;
• Emergency relief in Canada and around the world;
• Worker-to-worker exchanges;
• Worker education in Canada and around the world.

The SJF Steering Committee is proposing the following framework to guide the selection of projects within the five priority areas between May 2005 and October 2006.

Emergency Relief/Humanitarian Aid in Canada and around the World

The SJF will continue to provide emergency relief to communities affected by disasters here in Canada, particularly when PSAC members form part of the affected communities or are involved in disaster relief initiatives.

At the international level, immediate humanitarian aid will be channelled through experienced international agencies that have a proven capacity for delivery of emergency aid, while longer-term reconstruction aid will prioritize aid to union counterparts in the devastated areas, in order to strengthen the role of Unions and their members in long-term social and economic rehabilitation.

Anti-poverty Initiatives in Canada

The SJF will support anti-poverty initiatives in Canada that:

• promote social justice through actions aimed at social, human and economic development;
• include PSAC membership involvement at the community level; and/or
• raise awareness of the root causes of poverty and social injustice.

International Labour Development

International labour development work involves projects that are focused on advancing the rights of workers and their Unions in the developing world.  In order to bring mutual benefits to workers in the North and South, the SJF will develop projects involving counterparts that share common objectives or principles - such as the defence of public services, democratic governance, transparency and accountability to the membership, or the defence of gender and equity rights.  This sharing of common principles will enable the SJF and its counterparts to work together more effectively and to identify key areas of mutual support

Labour development programs will address institutional strengthening and the development of capacity of sister Unions in the South.  Particular emphasis will be placed on human and labour rights; gender and equity; privatization, globalization and its impacts; health, safety and the environment; and HIV/AIDS.

Worker Education

Education supported by the SJF will focus on globalization and social justice, its impacts, and what actions can be taken.  More specifically, SJF education initiatives will have as objectives:

• to link workplace and community issues within an international context;
• to mobilize membership action around current and emerging issues;
• to increase the commitment  of  union members to undertake collective action in the workplace;
• to build solidarity with sister organizations in the south.

In addition to the two-day Globalization and Social Justice course, and the short education module intended for the broader PSAC membership - both developed for delivery by the SJF starting in the fall of 2005 - the SJF will work with PSAC Education to identify union courses where an international perspective would contribute to membership development and empowerment, including the Basic Steward Course, Alliance Facilitators Training, the UDP, and others.  In addition, the SJF will encourage PSAC member participation in CLC and Labour Federation courses on international development and social justice.

Worker-to-Worker Exchanges

Worker to worker exchanges are a powerful educational tool that:

• develop solidarity between workers in the North and South;
• strengthen the work of the SJF on labour rights and equity;
• develop a stronger union base against privatization and corporate globalization; and
• link the aspirations of specific sectors of workers in common struggles. 

Worker-to-worker exchanges funded by the SJF could include:

• visits to counterparts in the South, including fact-finding missions, project visits, participation in Union courses, Convention or an educational activity related to globalization; members who participate in such a visit should have participated in the Social Justice Fund’s educational module, a community activity, and have the support of their Local, Component or Regional Structure;
• southern workers may be invited to Canada to participate in a Union Convention; a specific course on bargaining, organizing, or a women’s or an equity conference, or another Union event;
• participation by workers from the South in specific campaigns or tours, such as the Canadian and Colombian Frontline Tour organized by the PSAC,CUPW,CUPE and the CLC in the Spring of 2004.