‘Organizing’ in the changing world of work

ORGANISING APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES

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Organizing & Collective action – are one of the main ways for unions to promote Decent Work & Social Protection for workers

But its a task made very difficult in this period of

flexible and insecure employment where neither freedom of association, nor collective rights are respected (as compared to the rights of share holders and Companies).

So, what is the state of FoA & unionism in

Asia Pacific?

FoA & Collective Bargaining

Asia has the lowest ratification of the Convention 87 (20) and Convention 98 (26).

Important countries like China, India, Iran, Korea, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. have not ratified these conventions although FoA & Right to collective bargaining exists in some form or the other.

– this implies approximately half of the world’s economically active population is still not covered by Convention No. 87 and 98.

Union Density Asia/Pacific

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Country % Mongolia 38.9 Taiwan 37.7 Fiji 30 Israel 30 Singapore 26 Australia 24 Hong Kong 22 New Zealand 21.5 Japan 18 Sri Lanka 18 Turkey 15 Korea ?

Country % Malaysia 9 India 9 Indonesia 8 Nepal 7 Philippines 7 Pakistan 7 Papua NG 5 Bangladesh 4 Thailand 1 China ? Viet Nam ?

Source: H. Ishibashi, quoting ITUC-AP

www.itcilo.org International Training Centre of the ILO 5

www.itcilo.org International Training Centre of the ILO 6

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Where is our power in a market economy?

in numbers ? Union memberships, density, collective bargaining coverage & trade union resources

Political influence ?

Social dialogue tradition & institutions in the country?

Identity problems? How do workers perceive unions? Does

the ‘past’ legacy of unions a problem?

Ability to influence capital ?

A word about new management policies

To compete effectively , Companies moving towards lean organizations, flat structures, multi-tasking - Requires also change of approach towards workers & unions

Managements not only interested in cheap labour but ‘committed’ labour force

Deal directly with workers in order to improve productivity - Instead of fighting the union, make union irrelevant by addressing workers needs

Where ever HRM principles are being introduced, unions memberships have been under threat

Human Resource Management (HRM) – a threat to Trade Unionism? The Non-Union Strategy Limiting Unions to Wage Bargaining HRM appeals to individual

Can the Unions meet the challenges?

Can Unions stop these changes? Main weakness of the unionism – its existence is built on

management failure How can unions change? What needs to change? Need for unions to have a say in matters traditionally

considered management areas – need to go beyond collective bargaining towards participatory rights

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Organizing Actions at Workplace

Questions to be considered Why should a worker join the union? What can

union give them in this age of flexible employment?

How have we been organizing so far?

What new strategies can we develop for organizing and strengthening TUs?

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How do trade unions Organize?

No ready made solutions, no single model; Strategies will depend on – Country legal framework (what rights exist?) Type of industry and state of the industry Nature of employment, types of workers (self employed/

wage employed/home based/contract/agency, etc Union Resources, Structure & Strategy? Image and status of the TUs What else ?

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Facing the Organizing Challenge

Broadly speaking, TU Actions need to be taken at two levels -

Macro policy level – to create enabling

environment for organizing

In the field/workplace, at community level – where the workers are

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Creating enabling environment What are the main demands of trade unions in

your country? Campaigns at national level on issues such as – Freedom of Association (Right to Organise, to Union

Recognition) & Collective Bargaining Rights (ILO Conventions 87 & 98)

Tripartitism & Social Dialogue – right to be represented in the decision making bodies

Domestic social clause Building partnerships with other movements In your country context, what is needed?

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Union Approaches Servicing Model Union/union officials provide collective & individual services

to members;

Members dependent on the Union & its Office bearers to provide what they require.

Unions’ officials control union resources, strategies, interests & develop union tactics

NOT MUCH INVOLVEMENT OF MEMBERSHIP IN

TU ACTIVITIES

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Union Approaches Organizing Model Not just an approach to organizing but also a vision of union

purpose & form - workers active participants rather than passive consumers,

Instead of just solving problems, union seeks to empower workers to solve their problems thru union

Organizing – motivated thru activism & self-help among workers;

Education, research or communication activities;

Develop campaigns, alliances & use members to support external organizing

Organizing workers: what are unions doing?

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Organizing Strategies

1. TU resources limited - We cannot go out & organize each & every worker. SO, can we then think of a way to make workers come to us?

2. Need to go beyond wage bargaining – into social welfare - linking with govt schemes for providing access to

workers for social welfare programmes – such as in delivery of unemployment benefits (NORDIC and Belgian unions role)

- Using group insurance schemes to provide social protection - health care, life insurance (Luxembourg, Netherlands, SEWA/India),

- What is it that workers want & managements don’t give to workers?

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Organizing Strategies 3. Leveraging power of the other organized groups - for MNCs

and those companies with Export interests in OECD countries – companies that are susceptible to consumer power – build links with international TUs (GUFs), NGOs and consumer movement.

4. Role of International / Global Framework Agreements 5. Equal Pay campaign (such as in German Metal sector for

agency workers through works agreement). 6. Collective bargaining agreement to apply to workplace, and

not restricted to just direct company employees 7. Cyber space/internet as organizing tool – create space for

workers to voice their feelings, needs & get in touch with other workers - provide job related news, information, respond to queries, legal services – provide possibility for joining on line and paying dues on-line – saves money and time

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Food for thought

Adopt & advocate policies that will apply to all workers and prevent further divisions of the workers in the labour market – that is, put all workers in one boat – to promote workers solidarity.

Using Workers Capital to promote Union Rights and other labour standards

And – what else can TUs do ???

Organizing into a union & Organizing ‘the Union’ To attract new members – unions not only have to expand their reach to

unorganized, unrepresented workers BUT ALSO have to make significant changes to their

culture, to their structures and services that it offers to its members.

“organizing” should also mean changing the

way unions relate to its members as well as society

Lessons from ‘organizing’ success stories

Worker involvement central to building union success - involvement of those being organized in organizing themselves and their co-workers

Highly centralized, bureaucratized and inflexible v/s union structure that incorporates the active local & workplace structures and builds necessary networks and alliances, with representative leadership

New Workers, New Expectations, New Methods? - creating workplace based structures, ad hoc committees, and decentralizing decision making, cyber meeting spaces

Participants views on the union movement, its structures and changes needed.