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7 October, 2002With the changing world of work and attacks on labour strength and unity, organising the unorganised is more pressing than ever.
GREAT BRITAIN: Speaking today, October 8, to participants at the IMF Seminar on Organising Non-Manual Workers, taking place in Eastbourne, UK, the general secretary of the IMF, Marcello Malentacchi, described organising as the "lifeblood of the labour movement. Organising the unorganised has always been a priority for trade unions throughout their history," stated Malentacchi, "and it is also a top priority of the IMF's Action Programme. The changing world of work and attacks from all sides on labour strength and unity make this challenge even more pressing today."
With a few exceptions, metal unions have traditionally been less well represented in the non-manual occupations. As manufacturing becomes more and more technology-intensive, however, the trend for non-manual occupations to increase and even outnumber those of production workers in a number of countries is expected to accelerate. In the USA and Japan, for example, approximately 60 per cent of the workforce is in white-collar occupations, and in Germany and Sweden, the rate is about 45 per cent.
Discussions at the IMF seminar will focus on recruiting programmes which have been implemented in different countries, examining new tools and strategies in a globalised economy, and assessing the current situation. Guidelines will be worked out for organising policies for non-manual workers and the possibility of recruiting projects will be discussed. "Our mission," states the IMF general secretary, "is to work towards the creation of a more unified metalworkers' movement - in other words, find a good balance between the interests of manual and non-manual workers."
Represented at the seminar are IMF-affiliated unions from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, USA.
With a few exceptions, metal unions have traditionally been less well represented in the non-manual occupations. As manufacturing becomes more and more technology-intensive, however, the trend for non-manual occupations to increase and even outnumber those of production workers in a number of countries is expected to accelerate. In the USA and Japan, for example, approximately 60 per cent of the workforce is in white-collar occupations, and in Germany and Sweden, the rate is about 45 per cent.
Discussions at the IMF seminar will focus on recruiting programmes which have been implemented in different countries, examining new tools and strategies in a globalised economy, and assessing the current situation. Guidelines will be worked out for organising policies for non-manual workers and the possibility of recruiting projects will be discussed. "Our mission," states the IMF general secretary, "is to work towards the creation of a more unified metalworkers' movement - in other words, find a good balance between the interests of manual and non-manual workers."
Represented at the seminar are IMF-affiliated unions from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, USA.