PSI and SASK Conduct Joint Self-Assessment to Strengthen Trade Union Rights in Indonesia and the Philippines

Public Services International (PSI) affiliated unions from Indonesia and the Philippines gathered in Quezon City, Philippines, from June 30 to July 1, 2025, to conduct a Joint Facilitated Self-Assessment of the “Advancing Trade Union Rights” project supported by SASK – Suomen Ammattiliittojen Solidaarisuuskeskus. This meeting marks a significant opportunity to reflect on the project’s implementation, assess achievements, and design a future strategy to strengthen the fight for the rights of public sector workers.

In the opening session, Ian Mariano from PSI Southeast Asia explained that the Facilitated Self-Assessment (FSA) is an evaluation process that aims to assess successes, identify challenges, and explore valuable lessons from the implementation of the project.

“This process reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of the project, assesses the objectives achieved, and identifies areas for improvement to strengthen the position of trade unions in Indonesia and the Philippines,” Mr. Mariano said.

Furthermore, the implementation of this project is carried out through the four main pillars: Capacity Building, Campaigning, Organizing, and Gender Perspective. These four areas of work are important to building workers’ power and realizing a stronger, resilient, and responsive trade unions.

“This project is not just about activities but about building a long-term foundation for the unions to become empowered and respected social actors in the development process,” Ian added. He also explained that this activity was facilitated by Norman Grecia, an external facilitator who will prepare the final report of the self-assessment.

Active participation in this process came not only from the PSI and its affiliates but also from Farizan Fajari, SASK Coordinator for Southeast Asia. In his statement, Farizan emphasized the importance of the Self-Assessment process as an integral part of project development and capacity assessment.

“It’s not just about looking back, but also about measuring the extent to which the project strategy can answer the union’s needs, and how we can move forward more appropriately in achieving the goals,” he said.

The meeting also became a space for exchanging experiences between unions from the two countries, strengthening regional solidarity, and formulating joint steps in fighting for workers’ rights. The evaluation conducted was not only limited to the results, but also to the processes and internal dynamics of the organization, including the gender-based approach that has been applied in the project.

The results of the Facilitated Self-Assessment will be presented in an evaluation report that will serve as a reference for the next phase of the PSI-SASK project. This report is expected to strengthen the arguments and strategic planning of trade unions, as well as become advocacy material in social dialogue both at the national and international levels.

Day One: Exploring Relevance, Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Impact

Following the opening remarks, the session began with a review of the ongoing PSI-SASK projects. Participants were invited to assess whether the project implementation strategy and scope were truly relevant to the needs and priorities of workers and unions. The session featured examples of the organization’s work—from training to campaigns—to demonstrate that the projects were indeed addressing needs on the ground.

Continued with a discussion on efficiency, participants examined the extent to which support from SASK had been utilized optimally. Not only in terms of budget, efficiency was measured from the collective working methods, utilization of resources, to strengthening the network among PSI affiliates.

The afternoon session focused on project effectiveness. Participants discussed in group workshops, then presented their results. The discussions answered crucial questions: are the targeted goals and results on track? Are the results of the training systems, campaign modules or member capacity building are utilized by the union? This is where the project is assessed not only by the results achieved, but also by its quality and usefulness in the hands of the ultimate beneficiaries.

The first day closed with a session highlighting the impact of the project. Participants were invited to evaluate the real changes the project has brought about—both intended and unintended impacts. Has the project resulted in institutional strengthening, increased union membership, or changes in policies and work system? This session emphasized the importance of ensuring that the impact can be maintained sustainably by local actors.

Day Two: Sustainability, Good Practices and Future Recommendations

The second day began with a discussion on sustainability. In this session, participants examined whether the project’s achievements could continue even after project support ends. Three dimensions were discussed in depth: institutional sustainability (organizational structure and capacity), financial sustainability (long-term financing capacity), and other external factors that may affect project sustainability.

This was followed by a session on sharing key results and good practices, where participants shared positive experiences that had led to significant change, such as increasing female representation in management, or effective campaign techniques to attract new members. These practices were then discussed for their potential to be disseminated and replicated by other unions.

The afternoon session focused on the administrative and management aspects of the project. This discussion assessed the decision-making mechanisms, monitoring and reporting, cross-country cooperation, and risk management implemented during the project. This evaluation is important to ensure that the project management is not only orderly, but also adaptive and oriented towards continuous learning.

In closing, participants formulated recommendations for the next phase of the project. Some of the things agreed upon included the importance of a thematic focus on the issues of digitalization and privatization of the public sector, expanding the geographic reach of the project, and targeting new, more measurable outcomes that have a direct impact on workers.