Fenasol - Federation Nationale Des Syndicats Des Ouvriers Et Employes Au Liban

The National Federation of Worker and Employee Trade Unions in Lebanon (FENASOL) has adopted a markedly different theory of change in relation to Migrant Domestic Workers. It has the ambition to represent all workers irrespective of their legal status, nationality, ethnicity, race, and occupation. This non-discriminatory approach sets it apart from most trade unions in the region. In its endeavour to represent an umbrella for informal and migrant workers and to build their collective power to achieve decent work, FENASOL embarked on efforts to organize migrant domestic workers in Lebanon in 2012.
FENASOL has extensive experience in supporting, organizing, and building the capacities of workers and trade unions to enhance their working conditions. As one of the first and historic trade union federations in the country that was founded to uphold equality, social justice, human and labour rights, FENASOL will build on its past and on-going successes to support domestic workers and their union. In fact, FENASOL is the only trade union federation that reformed its bylaws to allow all workers to join and become equal members regardless of their nationality, gender, race and economic sector in line with international labour standards. Moreover, FENASOL has opened up to all workers, especially in the informal economy and agriculture who have been historically neglected by the Lebanese trade union movement. In this regard, FENASOL has supported contractual and daily workers, agricultural workers, public sector workers and other workers in precarious employment to organize themselves and negotiate for better working conditions. Furthermore, FENASOL has been employing innovative approaches in campaigning and outreaching to workers as it has surpassed its traditional role as a federation in organizing workers, and is also spearheading socio-economic campaigns and organizing efforts beyond the workplace. This is manifested in the on-going campaign launched by FENASOL to preserve the rights of tenants to repeal the new rent law, as well as the joint campaign with youth organizations against high inflation and increased living costs.