Strengthening the capacity of SEWUN [260]

Country/ Region	Nigeria
Project Period	2007 (The project has ended.)
Partners and target groups	Steel and Engineering Workers’ Union of Nigeria (SEWUN), International Metal Workers’ Federation (IMF), Finnish Metalworkers' Union. Direct target groups are SEWUN's national and regional leadership, and workers and activists who are involved in organisational training. The project will indirectly benefit the whole membership.
Background and justification	Nigeria's strategic position as one of Africa's larger nations, and especially as a leading economic power in West Africa, creates huge development potential for the trade union movement and the pressure to become a more significant actor in society. The metal industry that goes hand in hand with the oil industry is one of the biggest on the continent, there are a huge number of workers, and the working conditions and preconditions for union activity vary from one company to another. SEWUN is the result of an amalgamation of four unions and is thus rising to become one of the leading members of the largest unions. The merger process that began in the 1990s led to an official merger meeting in 2003, after which the development of the union’s democratic structures and new dynamic activity culture has really got going in practice. The field’s international organisation, IMF, has closely monitored the development and strived to support the union’s growth through training and exchanging experiences with other African unions.
Objectives	At this stage SEWUN’s priorities are a strategic plan and a growth in membership, so that the period following the coming representative meeting will begin efficiently and with set objectives in mind.
Project activities	The pilot project that ran in 2007 was intended to have two components: a middle-length timespan strategic plan and training for 20 organisers. SEWUN's plan also included holding a representatives' meeting in 2007, but this was postponed til 2008 due to a slow and troublesome preparation process. Part of the training activity was also delayed and remained incomplete because different sectors of the union failed to agree on target groups. Strategic planning has to some extent been furthered by support from IMF and South Africa's NUNSA. SEWUN still needs time and goal-oriented action to secure the integration of the union. For now SASK's support to the project has finished.