What is Global Unionism?
Just as there is a single umbrella group for Trade Unions in Britain, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), there is the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) which brings together the Trade Unions of Europe and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) which represents 168 million workers across 155 countries.
Just as the TUC campaigned for basic labour standards in Britain, including the 8 hour day, weekends and maternity leave, these global unions work to introduce Core Labour standards across the world.
How does Community’s involvement in Global Unionism benefit members on the shop floor in Britain?
Companies which exploit low or non-existent labour standards in developing countries are engaging in a ‘race to the bottom’.
Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere.
Manufacturing in Britain has been moving offshore to areas where wages are lower, there are non health and safety standards and child labour is a fact of life.
Developing free trade unions in these countries and supporting these workers benefits our members in Britain as it ends this ‘race to the bottom’. Britain will still import from these countries, but by ending the unfair competition it strengthens working conditions here in Britain.
What are the Core Labour Standards?
The Core labour standards are;
- Freedom of Association and the right to Collective Bargaining
- Freedom from forced labour
- Freedom from Child labour
- Freedom from discrimination at work
Why are they important?
The ILO conventions set the minimum standard for workers across the world. They are the minimum 'enabling rights' that are needed to improve and defend the rights and conditions at work, to work in freedom and dignity and to develop in life.
Attacks on these standards anywhere in the world, lowers the standards for workers across the world.
Freedom of Association and the right to collective bargaining
The freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining is the fundamental right to join (or not join) an independent union of your choice and have that union negotiate for your wages and conditions.
This is an issue in Countries such as China where there are no independent trade unions and Columbia where Trade Union activity can lead to intimidation, violence and death.
But these rights can be at risk in western democracies as well. The Conservative Howard Government in Australia was found to have breached the ILO conventions on Freedom of Association and the right to collective bargaining when they introduced anti-union legislation. The largest union sponsored campaign in Australian history removed that government at the next election.
Freedom from forced labour
Across the world there are workers who are exploited and forced to work for poverty wages, for unreasonable hours or in dangerous conditions. There is an estimated 27,000,000 people in forced or indentured labour across the world today. Although slavery is illegal, in many countries slavery exists. For more information, visit the anti-slavery website.
In western democracies this takes the form of human trafficking, where workers are promised the opportunities of a new life. Instead they are placed into crowded accommodation and forced into the sex trade or labouring for below minimum wage pay trying to pay of growing debts under the threat of intimidation and violence.
Freedom from child labour
Britain may have banned children from working as chimney sweeps or going down the mines in the 19th century, but across the world an estimated 8,400,000 children are trapped in the worst forms of child labour, including 300,000 children that have been forced to serve as child soldiers.
Community believes that the freedom of children from labour is a fundamental right. No child should be forced to work 12 hour days or to work in unsafe environments.
Freedom from Discrimination at work
Freedom from discrimination protects workers from discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality or religion. It also requires equal pay for equal work regardless of gender.