Although the union's focal concern is its members' welfare, union members in municipal services are generally from poor communities. Moreover, employees are also consumers of municipal services and are perhaps among the most knowledgeable about the problems with service delivery. Therefore, once their own employment concerns are addressed, if they are convinced that the change will result in improved services they may become supportive of it.
The Gweru case study demonstrates what is potentially possible when employees are fully engaged and a positive process can be established. All employees were guaranteed jobs on terms at least as favourable as those they had with the municipality (the municipality stopped employing unskilled labour five years ago and is thus no longer overstaffed), and many foresaw more opportunities in terms of personal and career development with the international business partner than with the municipality. This led to cautious support for the changes. Attaining positive outcomes depends on the early and regular engagement of employees; this is advisable whether the unions are strong or not. The sooner employees are involved, the better the prospects of finding a workable arrangement. Business partners must be sensitive to the need to address the legitimate concerns of employees. Some business partners simply will not be sensitive, and this can be verified by their past practice and interviews. Municipalities will need to decide whether this is the sort of organisation they want as a partner.
Box 6.20 The Role of the Donor | |||
In February 1997, at the request of the government of Bolivia and prior to a concession contract being awarded for the delivery of water and sanitation services in Le Paz-El Alto, the Water and Sanitation Program - Andean Region (WSP-AND) launched the El Alto pilot project in partnership with SIDA (the Swedish International Development Agency). When Aguas del Illimani was awarded the concession later the same year, it joined the partnership and the pilot project became known as IPAS (Peri-urban Initiative for Water and Sanitation). The collaboration involves a range of actors, coordinated by IPAS and funded by various institutions and agencies. The following table outlines the roles of each partner. | |||
Partner | Institution | Role in the El Alto pilot project | Financial contribution |
Aguas del Illimani (ADI) | Private sector | • Infrastructure expansion (40% of the contribution) • Social intervention (60% of the contribution) | US$4.4 million (81.5%) |
Ministry of Basic Services and Housing | Government | • Initiated and supports the project; assesses replicability in Bolivian cities |
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Municipalities of La Paz and El Alto | Government | • Oversees implementation; ensures compliance with building standards |
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Prefecture | Government | • Coordination between La Paz and El Alto |
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Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios Comunitarios (CIEC) | • Identified neighbourhoods for the pilot project |
| |
Consultant anthropologists | Private sector | • Contracted by the operator to study consumption needs/patterns in low-income areas |
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Caja de Los Andes Mutual La Primera | Micro-credit institutions | • Credit for connections and internal installations |
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Neighbourhood organisations - Juntas Vecinales | Community | • Each neighbourhood chooses its own technical and financing options |
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Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) | Bilateral agency | • Funds an expert in condominial system | US$900,000 (16.7%) |
Water and Sanitation Program - Andean Region (WSP-AND) | International partnership with multi-donor funding | • Provides technical assistance (institutional strengthening and documentation) and monitors the project | US$160,000 (1.8%) |
The role of external agents was critical to the emergence of an innovative and pro-poor solution. As a technical support agency, it was envisaged that the WSP would facilitate the transfer of know-how on low-cost water and sewerage systems to Bolivia from neighbouring Brazil (see Box 7.6). The WSP thus provided the technical capacity to take the PPP in new technical and social directions, and SIDA provided the funding needed to support the development process. Over the four-year involvement, the role of WSP in El Alto has evolved. Initially it provided expertise to the partnership, filling skill gaps to ensure that the initiative moved forward. A small team of WSP technical staff and social mobilisers, all recruited within Bolivia, worked hand-in-hand with the operator and communities to establish a supportive context, and a technical expert familiar with the Brazilian model was brought to Bolivia to provide the technical knowledge and long-term experience of the condominial approach being replicated. This focus shifted towards transferring skills to ensure the sustainability of the initiative once inputs were complete. Many of the WSP staff now work for the operator. More recently, WSP has been working with the government of Bolivia to introduce policy and a regulatory framework that will allow the condominial approach to be replicated. By establishing a successful pilot in a difficult location, the partnership has proven that alternative forms of service delivery can increase the access of the poor to services, and WSP have facilitated capacity development at policy level necessary to introduce a new regulatory framework embracing appropriate technical and social norms and standards. As an independent (non-private sector) actor, the role of WSP thus moved from downstream practical inputs to upstream strategic inputs - a role that might in the future bring widespread benefit throughout Bolivia. | |||
Source: Personal communication with Barbara Evans, WSP; WSP, 2001b; WSP, 2001c | |||