From the very start, the project has been financially supported by Solidarity Support Organisations in Sweden, Norway and Germany (LO-TCO, LO Norway and FES), as well as by a number of ICEM affiliates in those countries, including Swedish affiliates IF Metall, Pappers, and Unionen, Norwegian affiliate Fellesforbundet and German IGBCE.

At the global level, the project is run at the headquarters level, where the global consultant/coordinator is working in close cooperation with the ICEM’s Project officer. The two regional, full-time coordinators are working “in the field”: one in Thailand for Asia and one in Peru for Latin America. There is hope that a third regional coordinator can be appointed soon to deal with the campaign in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The project also works closely with a number of experts from ICEM affiliates in Western European countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands). These trade unionists assist the project by providing firsthand experience in dealing with CAL issues. They also provide assistance and direct input through their participation in national, regional and global seminars and workshops around the world.

As part of the ICEM’s campaign, a wide range of activities have been – and are – organised. These have included meetings, seminars, workshops and conferences, both at national and international level.Three global conferences on contract and agency labour have been organized to exchange information and bring trade unionists dealing with the issue in different countries in contact with each another.

The first global conference was held in September 2004. The second was organised in September 2005 and the third in November 2007. Nearly all ICEM Sectoral and Executive Committee meetings since 2005 have also had the CAL issue on their agendas in one way or another.Of course, a lot of the day-to-day campaign work concentrates on using the ICEM’s network to provide assistance and practical solidarity to unions facing CAL problems. This work has, in the meantime, become an integral part of the ICEM daily activities.

Overall objectives of the ICEM campaign on Contract and Agency Labour.

• Develop and exchange information between ICEM affiliates, as well as with other GUFs, on a global and on a regional level
• Coordinated solidarity action in support of the campaign and its activities
• Maintain the promotion and awareness raising am ongst ICEM’s affiliates in all regions on union strategies, organising, negotiating and campaigns in response to contract and agency labour

The exchange of “best practice” examples is important for all three levels. One of the main aims of the ICEM’s project is to collect as many good examples as possible, and distribute them widely among affiliates, and other unions, so that all can learn from one another. Some such examples are outlined in the ICEM guide on CAL.