Breaking Through Strategic Plan Agenda Item 2

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1 Breaking Through Strategic Plan Agenda Item 2

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3 ORGANISE! BREAKING THROUGH TO BUILD UNION POWER UNI s central mission is to build power for working people. Our ability to create change relies on the representation and mobilization of workers in their jobs, in the streets, and in the political process. When workers organise into unions, they win fairer pay, retirement with dignity, and respect on the job. But unions advance the interests of workers far beyond the workplace. The labour movement is a brake on corporate greed and an advocate for the public good. Across the world, unions have won fundamental social reforms such as public health care, paid time off, and accessible and affordable education. Unions provide a ladder of social mobility for their members, their families, and their communities. Unions strike a blow at racial and gender inequality. We are also a force for reducing economic inequality. In fact, at least half of today s inequality can be linked to a decline in union density. The gap separating the rich and the poor will further threaten to swallow our democracies and divide our societies unless we intensify our efforts to break through and organise. LIVERPOOL JUNE 2018 MAKING IT HAPPEN 3

4 WORKERS RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK Unions are needed now more than ever, but our numbers and our influence have fallen. Following decades of union decline in the countries with the most aggressive neoliberal policies, the attacks on freedom of association and collective bargaining have expanded and intensified following the financial crisis of OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS, THE PERCENT OF WORKERS WHO BELONG TO UNIONS ACROSS OECD COUNTRIES HAS BEEN CUT NEARLY IN HALF TO ONLY 17 PERCENT. The ITUC estimates that only 7 percent of the world s workers are now members of unions. Over the past 30 years, the percentage of employees who are union members across OECD countries has been cut nearly in half to only 17 percent. In this time, union density in OECD countries has fallen in all but three countries: Iceland, Belgium, and Spain. And this drop does not consider that the percentage of workers classified as employees has also fallen. But, union density is only one measure of union power. The number of workers covered by collective bargaining agreements has also reduced, and this is a critical indicator of the labour movement s ability to deliver. Organizing new unions and expanding the reach of collective bargaining has become increasingly difficult. This year, the ITUC reports that workers in 70 countries face either systematic violations of core labour rights or no guarantee of rights at all. There is a significant increase in the number of nations in which physical violence and threats are being directed against union activists. Some companies have also turned to coercive union avoidance campaigns that rely on threats, intimidation and harassment to prevent workers from organising. In many countries, national legislation does not protect workers from these efforts. On the bargaining front, unions in those countries with sector or national bargaining models have felt pressure to decentralise, especially in Europe. According to the OECD, collective bargaining coverage is high and stable only in countries with sectoral or national agreements. But after 2008, the IMF demanded that sectoral bargaining be ended or scaled back in crisis countries, arguing that this was necessary for flexibility. Now other nations have jumped on the bandwagon and an increasing number of governments for example, in Finland, France and Brazil - have taken steps to weaken national or sector bargaining. This is a first step towards lower wages and slower economic growth. New employment relationships have also made it more difficult to organise and bargain, with the ever-increasing use of outsourcing, platform workers and the so-called self- employed. The United States and the UK typify this global trend, with 35 percent of US workers and 16 percent of the UK s now considered to be independent contractors. Some analysts believe that by 2050, half of the workforce in both countries will be considered self-employed and this changing employment relationship disproportionally hits the service sector. Having a union would change Santander. It will make sure that employees have a real voice and that the problems are fixed. With a union, I don t think Santander would be able to sweep its unethical treatment of workers and customers under the rug. That s why I keep fighting. Quarlandra Coleman, Santander Worker, Texas, USA 4 LIVERPOOL JUNE 2018 MAKING IT HAPPEN

5 BREAKING THROUGH: OUR DRIVE TO GROW UNIONS AND EXPAND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING In the face of these threats, it is urgent that we forge a stronger, bigger, more creative labour movement a union movement that not only represents its members but also fights for social justice for all working people. Through global coordination and local action, UNI and its affiliates can and must continue to break through to build union power. UNI s three-pronged organising approach is centred on 1) building global company alliances to enable unions to strategise and coordinate; 2) winning global agreements to secure the right to organise and 3) supporting the capacity of unions to organise, coordinating organising campaigns and assisting with the creation of unions where there is will and opportunity. Before we had a union it was very difficult to ask for anything like pay increases or bonuses. There was no pay structure, everyone was on different rates. We did ask for improved welfare benefits, but it was refused. Now with a collective agreement, we can negotiate with management. We have a higher bonus, salary increases, a fairer pay grading structure, better health and safety, better facilities in the workplace, and most important my family has a more secure future. Indrawan, SP Linfox Logistics, Aspek, member, Jakarta, Indonesia The delegation has shown that we have a very powerful alliance outside of our country, and we are not alone. We will keep going with this fight until we have the respect of our rights in the Dominican Republic and around the world. Oliver Benzon, Dominican Republic, Teleperformance Global Alliances In our sectors, we have built more than 50 Global Alliances which bring together unions from around the world with the same employer. UNI s Alliances develop joint strategies to tackle common issues and demonstrate practical solidarity to win key demands. They also help to organise the unorganised within the company. Following a strong dispute in the Dominican Republic between Teleperformance and the newly formed union, UNI and the Teleperformance global trade union alliance put pressure on the company through various public actions and field visits. UNI has now begun negotiations for a global agreement with this leading global provider of outsourced customer services. LIVERPOOL JUNE 2018 MAKING IT HAPPEN 5

6 Global Agreements Supported by our Global Alliances, UNI has been able to negotiate new global agreements in an ever more hostile environment and, even more important, implement our global agreements to enable organizing on the ground. The agreements have helped to secure organizing and bargaining rights for tens-of-thousands of workers, which also strengthens the bargaining position of existing unions. For example, the Global Agreement with South Africa based ShopRite has helped workers in Mozambique and Malawi to organise by forcing local management to stop all intimidation and anti-union actions and the union in Zambia was able to organise casual workers who are now covered by the same collective agreements as those directly employed. Also in commerce, H&M workers in the United States and New Zealand have organised under UNI s global agreement. Based on the Global Agreement from 2006, UNI, the UNI Orange Global Union Alliance and French Telecoms multinational Orange signed a worldwide agreement on health and safety in the workplace which includes the company s service providers. No longer seen as toothless CSR, effective global agreements are an important part of the UNI tool box. The G20 and the ILO have both recognised their legitimacy. They are an important mechanism to address the imbalance of power between workers and global companies, especially when implemented in countries where the unions are weak or where the enforcement of labour laws is poor. They are also an element of the due diligence required by the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. Before the global agreement was signed, we had a lot of casual workers at ShopRite. But after it was signed it helped the union organise the cash workers. They are now part of the collective agreement. We now have thirty shops in Zambia. All of them joined the union. Astridah Phiri, ShopRite, NUCIW, Zambia UNI Global Agreements: Guaranteeing rights for workers Global Agreements with multinational companies guarantee that all of company s workers have the right to organise without company interference - wherever they are in the world. 53 agreements 5 million workers covered 150 Countries New agreements in the past 4 years with companies including: DHL DPD-Geoposte Societe Generale Auchan Stora Enso G4S workers in Kenya who have organised with the help of a Global Agreement. 6 LIVERPOOL JUNE 2018 MAKING IT HAPPEN

7 Strengthening Capacity UNI Global, its sectors and its regions work hard to support the capacity development of our affiliates to organise, by supplying resources for organising, campaigns and training and skills development, along with solidarity. Our Organising Forum events aim to share best practices in regions and within sectors, including innovative strategies to organise in the new economy and the exploration of digital tools to advance organising. UNI s campaigns reach into both the traditional and newer areas for unions in UNI sectors, for example, the ITCS sector is organising in both the IT industry and within customer service centres, as shown by the examples above. At the Capetown Congress we decided that UNI would concentrate resources in strategic areas in order to achieve bigger impacts and synergies across sectors. In 2016, UNI and UNI Europa launched the Central European Organising Center (COZZ), based in Warsaw, Poland, with the aim to support organising in four countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary ) with its skilled team of lead organisers. COZZ has successfully run organising and trainings in partnership with Polish affiliates. Through our work there, we have already begun campaigns in the Commerce, Finance, Graphical & Packaging, ICTS and Care sectors. The new unions have already achieved collective bargaining agreements in five Smurfit Kappa locations and have organised four others graphical plants. Building on our successes in Colombia, in September 2017 UNI launched the Colombia Centre for Organising and Strategy (COE), which will support the organising in several sectors. UNI s ongoing work with Colombian unions has already supported the growth of unions in that country. Eleven of UNI s 19 Colombian affiliates did not exist 5 years ago and UNI s affiliates on average are more than 10 times the size of the average Colombian union. Organising Campaigns Supported by UNI SCORE In more than 150 countries More than 50 campaigns 70 organisers involved Every sector, every continent UNI-Care organising workshop empowered me to more actively engage in organising union members, because I found that I was not alone, but internationally we have many colleagues to build up better working conditions. Kim Kyung-Mi, KHMU care worker, Korea We have negotiated increased salaries. Our management s treatment of us has changed. But our longterm goal is and remains a collective agreement. That we have made our trade union so strong within only 3 months, we have to thank the organisers of COZZ. They have advised and trained us so that we are ready to negotiate with our employer. Aneta Skarżyńska, Białystok, Poland, Multi Packaging Solutions LIVERPOOL JUNE 2018 MAKING IT HAPPEN 7

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9 MAKING IT HAPPEN IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN UNI, together with IndustriALL, negotiated the ground-breaking Bangladesh Accord in The binding agreement holds global brands accountable for safety conditions in garment factories, a historic breakthrough. It was signed by over 200 brands, and covered 1800 factories, improving conditions for 2 million workers. Recognising that the Accord was a successful model, in 2017 the global unions and leading global brands negotiated and agreed that the 2013 Accord will not expire in 2018, but instead will continue for another 3 years. The second Accord builds on the legally-binding framework of the first but has additional protections for workers. Most importantly, the 2018 Accord explicitly acknowledges and protects the right to freedom of association. LIVERPOOL JUNE 2018 MAKING IT HAPPEN 9

10 BEYOND THE WORKPLACE Workplace organising is not always enough to win, especially when there is stiff employer opposition. So UNI has intensified its efforts to engage investors, clients and other key stakeholders to demand that companies respect workers rights to organise and bargain. Over the past years, we have engaged regularly with investors holding many billions in assets and urged them to exercise their responsibility as owners to demand respect for human rights. UNI raises its voice with the institutions which set and enforce international labour standards: the ILO, the OECD, and even the World Bank. We participate in the Global Deal, an effort to take globalisation into the future with a vital voice for workers. We advocate for stronger and legally binding tools to enforce human rights and- at the same timewe take every opportunity to use the current framework to win progress. For example, our claim that DHL was violating the OECD Guidelines led to an important settlement with the German government. DHL now agrees to respect the labour rights of its employees and work together with ITF and UNI to resolve problems. All of these components in UNI s organizing toolbox will be needed to meet the challenges ahead. Together we will organise, hold global employers accountable, and win for the people we represent. DHL workers in Senegal hold an organizing meeting with SYNAPOSTEL CI 10 LIVERPOOL JUNE 2018 MAKING IT HAPPEN

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