Trade Union Campaigns on Promotion of FOA, CB, etc Ariel B. Castro Sr. Specialist for Workers Activities ILO DWT for South Asia

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Focus of presentation Why campaign Trade union campaigns and their purpose When and how to campaign

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Trade union ACTION necessary: 1.A socially diverse membership 2. Threats to growth & survival of the union 3. Recognition by existing leadership of the need for revival via emerging activists/leaders representing social groups. Cornfield [1993]. Integrating US labour leadership. Research in Sociology of Organisations. In Healy & Kirton 2000.

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Campaigning Fundamental and growing activity of unions at national and international levels Aims to enlist others to help attain an objective, public sometimes enlisted Can be used for a number of issues affecting trade unions

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Why campaign Reactive Membership loss Trade union rights violations Membership knowledge needs Can last a long time

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Kinds of campaigns Trade union rights campaigns –Directed at both government/s and corporation/s, requires legal quality Company campaigns –Vertical –Horizontal –Mix

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Kinds of campaigns Organizing –Servicing –Amalgamation –Organisers’ training –Workers’ awareness raising

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All 8 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

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Why do trade unionists become active Similar reasons to joining Spoke out Encouraged

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Why do workers NOT join unions? Which workers? Young workers Where unions are not recognized Private sector Hostile employers Privatization/outsourcing Vulnerable or insecure workers

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All ORGANISING UK: Organising Academy Australia: USA: Justice for Janitors Nepal: Rickshaw Drivers India: Domestic Workers Union (Tamil Nadu and Karnataka) Drawing on social movement models eg civil rights, anti-war, anti-free trade

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All UNION ORGANISING in the UK, USA, Australia – focus on women and young workers Recruiting members Recruiting activists Encouraging activists to recruit Promoting workplace organisation Planning organising campaigns Preparing organising material Training activists in recruitment Identifying targets for organising Representing employees with problems Negotiating trade union recognition with employers Negotiating pay and conditions with employers TUC Organising Academy

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Kinds of campaigns General campaigns of broad concerns

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All TILS Taskforce on Trade, Investment and Labour Standards Meetings 1-2 per year Developed and developing country trade unionists Preparation of statements, setting of priorities, areas of action NAMA main focus at the moment

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All TILS List serve Discussion list Information list Info on negotiations/reports Background information Research Trade related issues Meeting information and documents

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All NAMA campaign TILS meetings, gradual, need for affiliates inputs Simulations NAMA 11 trade unions Latin American unions Responses to proposals Declarations Individual research on flexibilities Press coverage Attention from negotiators (meeting with NAMA chair, Lamy, NAMA 11 ministers) General Council meeting: ITUC Resolution Model letters Analysis of negotiating text

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All When to campaign Careful planning –Clearly defined objective/s, outcomes –Strategy/ies –Timeline –Resources (human, technical and where it will come from) Thorough research Determination of partner/s

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All How to campaign Securing cooperation Planning and preparation Communication Follow up and evaluation

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Trade Union Action Be part of network Use conference calls or virtual conferences (solicomm) Identify the key issues to work on Distribute tasks (include sectoral unions) Ensure coordination inside and outside Establish contacts with the relevant organizations Establish dialogue on issues (I.e., trade and employment) Ask for specific requests/assistance

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All World Day for Decent Work Rights at work Solidarity Ending Poverty and Inequality 7 Oct

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All National Campaigns (India) 2010 India –Trade Union Campaign (INTUC, HMS, BMS, CITU, AITUC)

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All National Campaign (Philippines) Trade Union Task Force on Convention 182 –United efforts of trade unions and workers’ organizations to call for immediate and urgent attention on the country’s worst forms of child labor and ratify C 182.

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All National Campaigns ILS/CLS in Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCP) Organizing Domestic Workers Organizing Informal Economy Workers

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Campaign tactics ‘Hard’ & ‘soft’ approaches Mass mobilization – protest rallies, forums Press work Capacity-building sessions/trainings International solidarity – sign-on letter campaigns Policy advocacy Lobbying

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Health and Development Initiatives, Inc. Example of a Results Chain: Splash and Ripple Effect InputOutputActivitiesImpactOutcome Stone Person Project: Making Waves Throwing the stone in the water Splash Waves/ Ripples Bigger waves in the beach Campaign Management

IMPORTANT POINT!!!

ASIAN DECENT WORK DECADE Decent Work for All Unions: Key to Workers’ Happiness Union strength generates an overall effect on the happiness of its country and its citizens. There is a link between union density and life satisfaction In countries where there is relatively high trade union membership, workers believed that obvious gains such as job security, decent salaries, decent hours, decent benefits were all achieved because of trade unions and because of this they like their jobs better.

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