Whether you are ready to become a partner in the programme or just want to learn more, we want to hear from you. With our global team located in Stockholm, Sweden and Regional Programme Coordinators located in Colombia, Kenya, South Africa and Vietnam, we are ready to connect.
Is based in Stockholm and consists of Global Programme Director, Programme Directors, and a director responsible for programme design, Evaluation and Learning, a Communication Manager and a representative from IF Metall. The regional hubs are located in Colombia, Kenya, South Africa and Vietnam. NIR and IF Metall’s presence and vast networks bring additional value to the four hubs by offering the potential to work jointly with the embassies and Business Sweden; thus broadening Sweden’s relations strategy beyond development and aid.
The Swedish Workplace Programme global team is based in Stockholm. The regional hubs are located in Colombia, Kenya, South Africa and Vietnam at the Sweden Business’ local offices.
World Trade Center
Klarabergsviadukten 70
111 64 Stockholm
Calle 71 no 6-21 Oficina 501
Edif. La Ceiba, Bogotá D.C, Colombia
Daeha Centre, 15th floor
360 Kim Ma Street Hanoi, Vietnam
Fourways Golf Park, Roos Street, Royal Troon Building, 1st Floor, 2068 Johannesburg, South Africa
Eden Square, 3rd floor, off Westlands road, 00800 Nairobi, Kenya
A lack of enabling environment for social dialogue at the workplace level, despite the provision of legislative acts that protect and promote workplace cooperation is a reoccuring issue in Kenya. To implement good policy there must be a fertil ground.
Therefore SWP developed the UP! project. Together with Swedish companies as an entry point, and with unions i South africa and Kenya.
In Kenya SWP created the SWP UP! Programme targeting skills development of the union Shop Stewards from 18 companies in the Automotive sector in Kenya during 2021. As a result, the Stewards were able to use their skills to build trust and cooperation with management in new ways to avoid conflicts.
A second cohort of training, in close cooperation with union AUKMW, takes place in 2022.
The training allows shop stewards to step out of their daily routines and understand their role and the purpose of their union, understand the labour market context, the laws that regulate relationships and the business itself. But on a human level, many shop stewards also highlighted that they feel respected as human beings, and that they have developed the skills to engage with supervisors and management and experience respect in professional relations. The experiences had deeply impressed them and helped to project the vision of dialogue and mutual respect and their own potential as a means to change workplaces.
The intervention of the SWP programme had a direct effect at the workplaces, where shop stewards listed several cases where they had managed to intervene and secure results in dialogue with management, avert crises or find solutions based on opportunities and the communication skills obtained during the SWP training. For the Amalgamated Metal Workers Unions in Kenya, the shop stewards pointed to how the training had enabled them to design their own strategies at the workplace in relation to supervisors and staff, and to achieve many concrete results.
Based on this shop steward upskilling, I feel confident that as a union we now have change ambassadors that will grow the industry, protect, and promote decent work principles for both the employer and the employees represented. And that disputes will be dealt with at the workplace level by though consultative dialogue.
General Secretary
Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metal Workers