28 January, 2008
On 15-16 January, some 40 global trade union leaders met in Brussels for the 2nd meeting of the Council of Global Unions (CGU), the structure established last year by the Global Unions Federations (GUFs), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD.
On the agenda of the meeting, which was held at ICEM headquarters, was a series of wide-ranging national and international labour issues, ranging from the need to increase global support for organising and bargaining, scrutiny over non-transparent private and public investment funds, and attention to precarious employment practices.
Focal points at the start were the lessons from the creative and successful “Organising and Recognition Conference,” organised by the CGU in Washington, D.C., in December 2007, and how to continue that work.
The Washington Conference, which primarily dealt with how international work can assist national unions in their union organising efforts, generated a fair amount of enthusiasm and optimism. At the same time, however, it also highlighted a number of difficulties or barriers. The example of Australia, where a massive trade union campaign lead to a change in government, was particularly inspiring for many.
ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda signing the CGU's founding document last year
One obvious conclusion from this earlier Conference is the strong link between collective bargaining coverage, on the one hand, and the fairness of income distribution, on the other. The situation in the U.S. is a clear – and negative – example of this.
Building on the work done in Washington, the Brussels meeting looked for a number of concrete items that the international union movement could work on jointly. One such priority is the need to take action at the international level to support workers and their unions in the U.S., and to improve the U.S. labour situation in general.
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda explicitly supported this notion. He said that “in countries such as China, the U.S. labour model is the one that is being looked at for copying.” It was agreed that discussions would take place with U.S. unions in order to examine how the global trade union movement can be most helpful in supporting their efforts to change U.S. labour law so that freedom of association is respected.
Other priorities taken under consideration include an international strategy to support unions in selected countries, in which international union pressure might improve the national labour situation; the continued sharing of much needed global economic data that support trade union claims; to undertake action on the 60th anniversary of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, on freedom of association and collective bargaining; and Global Unions’ work on Export Processing Zones.
Joint CGU action is also planned in the area of communication, where more - and possibly other and different - work needs to be done. This was also a conclusion from the Washington conference, citing the fact that the international union message is not always reaching workers at national level.
Different options were looked at to improve communications, including making increased use of IT tools. At the same time, it was acknowledged that this can only be helpful for certain parts of the world. In Africa, for example, emphasis needs to go to other means of communication, such as radio or mobile phones. Yet other methods are needed to reach out to, for instance, migrant communities.
The international unions also decided to continue to expand their joint work on precarious work, which includes the ICEM priority of Contract and Agency Labour. ICEM will continue to take the lead on this, including through a multi-GUF working group on the subject. Temporary agencies, an area where UNI is already doing considerable work, might become a focus on work relationships, and may offer opportunities for productive co-operation among the GUFs.
Equally highlighted at the 15-16 January meetings was the work – and successes – by several GUFs, the ITUC and TUAC, on private equity. Linked to that is the effort by the international union movement’s Committee on Workers’ Capital, which works on such areas as pension trustee education, corporate and financial market governance, shareholder activism and economically targeted investments.
Other items discussed in Brussels were the call for a strong public sector; the upcoming World Day of Action on Decent Work (7 October 2008); the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; and ongoing action towards the World Bank and its private investment arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Also discussed were labour-related issues inside a number of countries, such as Burma, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary, reported on the organisation’s intense debate on China at its last General Council meeting in December, also in Washington.
The international trade union leaders decided to continue their strong support for a number of joint offices, including, for example, the highly acclaimed ITUC/Global Unions Washington office. They also agreed on a budget for the work of the CGU. Fred van Leeuwen, General Secretary of Education International (EI), remains the CGU’s chair for another year. Anita Normark, General Secretary of the Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), continues as the Vice-Chair, and Guy Ryder as the CGU’s Secretary.
In addition to Manfred Warda, the ICEM was represented at the meeting by its President, Senzeni Zokwana, and by its Vice-President, Liv Undheim.