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19 October, 2009
The Workers Activities Branch of the International Labour Office (ILO ACTRAV) organised a major International Symposium on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining, from 12 -15 October 2009 in Geneva.
The symposium brought together over 60 participants from trade union national centres, national unions, Global Union Federations and the ITUC, as well as labour academics and ILO officials. ICEM was represented by Jim Catterson and Phee Jungsun of the secretariat. Discussions centred on the fact that the right to organize and to bargain collectively has faced recent challenges stemming from falling trade union membership, increasing individualization of labour relations and the difficult quest for greater competitiveness and flexibility in the context of globalization. Trade unions need to be strengthened in order to face these challenges and enhance the right to organize and collective bargaining and other fundamental rights and principles such as the global platform rules governing the increasing globalization of the economy and the promotion of decent work for all.
Aims of the symposium:
- To examine recent trends and developments in collective bargaining and the protection of the right to organize.
- To discuss the relationship between collective bargaining and the social and economic objectives of Decent Work.
- To identify policies and strategies that would strengthen the capacity of trade unions to organize and to bargain collectively.
- To identify ways and means of achieving the universal application of the right to organize and to bargain collectively.
One session of the meeting was devoted to Global Framework Agreements. Here after a general introduction by Dr. Michael Fichter of the Otto-Suhr-Institut of the Free University of Berlin, presentations were made of the ICEM GFA with Rhodia by Jacques Khéliff of Rhodia and Jim Catterson of ICEM. The presentations generated a detailed and wide-ranging debate on the issue.
See further information on the symposium here.