Read this article in:
7 December, 2009The delegates of the IMF Spanish affiliate MCA-UGT paid special attention to strengthening union representation among non-manual workers at their 25th Congress in November 2009.
SPAIN: Meeting recently in Pamplona (Spain) for their 25th Congress, the MCA-UGT delegates discussed strengthening trade union representation within the group of technicians and professionals that is growing in number and significance. MCA-UGT should offer alternatives to these employees and look for mechanisms to ensure they are part of the bargaining process and are fully covered by collective agreements. There is also a need to better incorporate non-manual workers in the union structures and policies.
Without the support of the union sections and an appropriate structure to facilitate their effective involvement in union work, non-manual workers will continue to see little value in organising whilst their knowledge and expertise could be valuable to collective action. Technicians and professionals have their own needs and demands. Providing tailored responses to these demands through collective bargaining should be a key concern for the Federation.
Within MCA-UGT, non-manual workers are organised in the Group of technicians and professionals (Agrupacion de Técnicos y Cuadros - ACT) which is represented in all the trade union bodies and the Autonomous Communities.
The delegates confirmed the objectives set at the previous Congress in support of non-manual workers and urged their implementation in all the regional bodies. Congress agreed that it was important to further develop the work carried out so far. The following actions have been taken already:
- Coordination of the Group of technicians and professionals (ACT) is under the responsibility of the MCA-UGT's Executive Board which has nominated a federal coordinator;
- The majority of the Federations of the Autonomous Communities have designated a coordinator for technicians and professionals;
- The federal coordinator and the coordinators of the Autonomous Communities have set up a permanent committee with regular meetings and an action plan;
- An ACT-Conference is held every four years;
- In order to motivate technicians and professionals to participate in trade union elections, an ACT-member is placed high enough on the list to ensure that he/she has a chance of being elected;
- Union sections are encouraged to create Commissions of technicians and professionals at plant-level;
- An ACT-member must be included in the negotiating team as a fully-fledged member when the union negotiates with employers;
- The ACT-MCA has a permanent section in the trade union magazine "Actualidad sindical" and on the MCA-UGT's website.