‘Organizing’ in the changing world of work ORGANISING APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES Arun Kumar, Actrav-ILO-Turin

2 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 labour laws, nor labour markets or employment conditions are favourably placed for promoting organizing; So, what is the state of unionism in A-P?

Union Density Asia/Pacific (Source ITUC-AP) Country% Mongolia38.9 Taiwan37.7 Fiji30 Israel30 Singapore26 Australia24 Hong Kong22 New Zealand21.5 Japan18 Sri Lanka18 Turkey15 Korea11 Country % Malaysia9 India9 Indonesia8 Nepal7 Philippines7 Pakistan7 Papua NG5 Bangladesh4 Thailand1 China? Viet Nam? Source: H. Ishibashi, quoting ITUC-AP.

Factors affecting Union Power Union memberships, density & trade union resources Collective bargaining coverage Political influence ? Social dialogue tradition & institutions in the country Employer Organizations Identity problems? How do workers perceive unions? Does the ‘past’ legacy of unions a problem?  Where is our power in a market economy? in numbers or ?

5 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?

No Advocacy w/o Evidence What do we know of the sector that we want to organize? - Changing structure of industry, impact of globalization? - Employment & working conditions? - threats posed by technological changes in this sector? - Changing priorities of employers in this sector? What do we know of workers? Role of trade union research – informed actions by union, public/consumer support, pressure on employers, influence labour law reform, Govt action

HRM: 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) – Is it a threat to Trade Unionism & CB?  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

9 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 ?

10 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

11 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?

12 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

13 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?

15 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?

16 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 – follow this later with overt-all stores campaign

OECD Guidelines for MNEs and ILO MNE Declaration International instruments accepted by tripartite social partners – seek to promote socially responsible behaviour of MNEs, including the right of their employees to be represented by trade unions. OECD Guidelines now require MNEs to – Respect human rights of all workers, in line with the Guiding Principles for Implementing the UN Framework of ‘Protect, Respect, Remedy’ - also require compliance in subsidiaries and supply chains. Complaints can be made to National Contact Points. Where to get these instruments:

Organizing initiatives in EU Information & awareness campaigns – targeting also students, special events devoted to young workers (Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Spain, Sweden, etc) Internal re-organization of unions and setting up specific departments (for women, migrants, youth, temporary agency workers, etc) – for establishing and maintaining personal contacts with workers, giving them voice & representation Network based organizing (ex. Migrant workers) thru establishing links with associations of migrants (Norway, Italy, Greece, Malta) Providing specific services to members (health plans, insurance, tax advice by Luxembourg unions, in Netherlands construction sector – membership based health, disability and pension plans),

19 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 the attitudes of their members and services that it offers. “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.

23 Group Work Does your labour law or the constitution provide for FoA & Right to Organize? Does the law provide for right to recognition of the union and right to collective bargaining? What are the hurdles/difficulties in organizing in your country? What are the reasons for young people &/or contract-casual workers not being keen to join the unions? What services or benefits does the union membership bring to a member?

Barriers to TU development Internal/due to union limitations/ drawbacks On account of Worker Due to Employers Government/ Political/ legal