FESTU
Saturday July 14, 2018
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has now completed a project to strengthen the institutional capacity of the workers’ umbrella organisation, the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU).
TIKA has delivered the FESTU headquarters in Mogadishu, which is now named “Union House”, a modern office furniture, equipped with computers, printers, LCD projectors, scanners, and photocopiers.
Supported by the Turkish Trade Unions Confederation (HAK-IS), the project is strengthening established partnership and cooperation between FESTU and HAK-IS to build for and empower Somali workers and their unions with the ability to effectively execute their mandates.
At the inauguration ceremony of the fully equipped trade union offices, FESTU General Secretary Omar Faruk Osman very sincerely thanked the TIKA and Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu for seeing the need to build a strong trade union institution as genuine contribution to workers in Somalia’s post-war reconstruction effort.
“To our sister federation HAK-IS and TIKA, we are beholden by your authentic solidarity, valid assistance and effectiveness in delivering concrete actions to help build workers’ institution in this country,” said Osman.
“The value of sunrise is only known to people who were in the dark. We, the members of FESTU, know the value of this invaluable support. We know the real friends of this trade union movement whom we cherish and appreciate to the core,” added Osman.
The Ambassador of Turkey to Somalia, H.E. Olgan Bekar has saluted FESTU and TIKA for the successful partnership to magnificently create conducive working environment for Somali trade unions, and reiterated the commitment to help facilitate the cooperation between HAK-IS and FESTU to further develop to reach higher heights.
Turkey is contented to invest in this important trade unions program as part of infrastructure projects that TIKA has been implementing across the country for both government institutions and civil society organisations, said Ambassador Bekar.
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Somalia Hon Abdiasis Salah Arman has today commended the government of Turkey for its substantial support in providing the Somali people with multifaceted support.
“A nation is strong when its civic organisations are strong. We thank Turkey for providing this timely support to the workers of Somalia and the federation that voice the rights demand of workers in this country and beyond. Today we are present for real empowerment of trade unions and we encourage FESTU to effectively make use of this support” said the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
President of HAK-IS, Mahmut Arslan, has amiably affirmed that HAK-IS is proud to have supported the initiative to institutionally capacitate FESTU so that workers’ clout and validity are reassured in Somalia as the country is rebuilding, and further emphasised to sustain boosted cooperation with FESTU.
The Union House will be the offices and the operating base of FESTU and four of its affiliated sector unions, and will certainly grant an enabling environment for Somali trade unions to function successfully.