About
Shiraa is an independent, nonprofit, Palestinian non-governmental organization which works to protect and enable Palestinian workers and labor activists. Established in 2002 by academics, union activists, and professional women and men, Shiraa is concerned that human, political, and economic rights are respected, and that just legislation and labor laws are enacted in Palestine.
Shiraa works to protect basic human rights, improve working and living conditions and create more employment opportunities. Its work is based on the principles of sustainable development, democracy, respect for human rights, and the right to self determination.
Point of View
Strengthening the role of cooperation with the civil democratic Palestinian society by establishing the independent Palestinian State as a state of institutions and order promoting social justice
Mission
To improve the conditions and environment of laborers – men and women – so that their daily living may become more justifiable and humane.
Background Information
Many Palestinians hoped that the signing of the Oslo agreement in 1993 would usher in a period of peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, Palestinian workers continue to suffer due to an underdeveloped economic system and from an absence of democratic labor institution.
Since the beginning of the peace process average family income has declined, unemployment has risen, child labor has increased, the number of people living in poverty has increased dramatically, and the poverty gap has widened. Two out of every three Palestinian families currently lives below the poverty line, and more than two millions Palestinian people living in the west bank and Gaza strip, most of them women and children, live without any insurance or other form of social protection.
Labor unions suffer under these antiquated laws and from an absence of grassroots chapters and democratic structures .no labor elections have been held since 1981. Despite a1990 agreement between Palestinian unions and political parties that promised free and fair union elections, union leaders are not elected by workers, but are appointed by political parties.
Under these circumstances, the Shiraa center is determined to prevent the implementation of the Palestinian labor law and any other legislation which would limit workers basic rights , including the right to work ,to organize unions, to collective negotiation , to equality between women and men , to controlled health and self standers to social security ,and the rights of children to an education and not to work the lake of laws and legislation that protect workers causes hopelessness and social instability in Palestinian society , which in turn threatens the democratization process in Palestine and endangers the peace process. Shiraa works to protect basic rights in order to ensure a peaceful future for the region.
Philosophy
- To promote professional attitude in our task and to insure giving rightful opportunities to whom we are concerned.
- To promote transparency admitting the truth in all our activities strengthening the cooperation scheme and vigilance with self inquiry on the basis of developing the association and improving its duty.
- To encourage mutual up growth, cooperation and professional competition with all corporations and local organizations acting in the same field of our work.
- Enhancing democracy and the rights of man in the supreme values of our life and in establishing the basic foundations of the society which we esteem for .
- Promoting experience, and aptitude of the local , Arabian and international information in our work and capacities , in type of serviceable development which we render to those whom we aspire as objective.
Goals and strategies
- Empowerment through knowledge: Shiraa attempts to raise public awareness of economic, social health, safety, and psychological conditions in the work place. We provide support for research and publish pamphlets and studies related to the aforementioned topics. Additionally, Shiraa hopes to soon begin developing a labor and human rights library and information center.
- Spreading legal consciousness: Shiraa legal experts act as resources for the community, offering legal and technical advice to both workers and labor leaders. They review current and proposed labor laws and disseminate information regarding these laws to anyone who requests it . Shiraa also sets up lectures, seminars, and workshops in which workers are taught their rights and trained to educate others.
- Human resources and institutional development: Shiraa offers professional training courses to workers and labor activists on subjects such as health, safely, and accident prevention. Other courses we offer teach individuals how to structure and administrate an effective labor organization, additionally .in order to help strengthen Palestinian civil society and develop an elections system within labor and industry that generals independent labor representatives, Shiraa provides courses on democracy and human rights which help to strength the ideals of freedom, democracy, and solidarity among workers.
- Advocacy and lobbying: Shiraa attempts to influence decisions made by the Palestinian national authority and egos which concern workers rights .by contributing to debates held in many deferent sectors of society Shiraa hopes to improve the status of workers and the Palestinian population as a whole.
- Creating employment projects that benefit the members as a whole (creating working opportunities).
- Developing the spirit of cooperative work in addition to the necessary training so as to administrate and create small cooperative projects.
- Developing members' special abilities so as create a substitute to the Israeli labour market.
- Developing working-women skills and those who are none-working women through their training them on careers which may suite the social and the geographical situation, and integrating them into the local labour market.
- To support the rational democratic development and encourage the attitude of solving struggles and discrepancies by peaceful reconciliation so as to bolster young men and women.
- To encourage the attitude of rational thinking of the new generation.
Target groups
- Child laborers, because children often suffer abuse and work under hard and dangerous condition.
- Working women, especially those suffering from sexual harassment and inequality in the work place.
- Those injured at work.
- Those dismissed tyrannically from their jobs.
- Youth.
- Those with salaries which are below the poverty line.
- Those whom their rights are violated.