Working with Trade Unions
2.1 Partnership with trade unions can offer DFID opportunities to strengthen its impact on poverty reduction. Trade unions can contribute to poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in a number of ways.
The realisation of workers rights
2.2 The core activities of trade union organisations - the representation and
advocacy of members’ rights through collective bargaining over wages and other
terms and conditions - can directly contribute to poverty elimination. DFID’s
policy paper Labour Standards and Poverty Reduction
(210
kb) sets out in detail the
social and economic case for labour standards as part of poverty reduction
strategies. More generally, trade unions are often important promoters and
monitors of human rights.
Strengthening participation and ownership
2.3 Unions can be vital in the process of mobilising society on issues of national importance. They often represent one of the most organised and structured parts of civil society linking extensive grassroots participation to national negotiating bodies. They can take a lead in ensuring that consultation of civil society in poverty reduction strategies takes place, and that the effectiveness of these programmes is monitored.
2.4 In a broader sense unions will normally be firmly plugged into the prevailing political process. Consultation with trade unions is important with regard to understanding a wide range of political and other issues, particularly those related to jobs, the economy and the labour market. Trade union leaders will often be regularly quoted in local and national media and will have an influence on the policy development of the country. At national level, unions can subject governments to scrutiny on issues of democracy, good governance and popular participation.
Supporting workers in the informal economy
2.5 What is the advantage of working with trade unions if the very poorest people are rarely in the organised workforce? The ILO estimates that 55% of Latin America’s workforce, 70% in Africa and as much as 90% in India depend on informal work. Trade unions have often been accused of ignoring workers in the informal economy.
2.6 The diversity of the workforce and employment relationships in the informal economy poses a number of challenges to unions attempting to organise and represent such workers. These jobs are often not covered by existing labour legislation. Organisation can be difficult and resource intensive where workers are in rural areas, dispersed (eg home workers) or have no fixed place of employment. It may be difficult to retain members whose jobs are by their nature insecure. Unions have to represent the interest of their current members who may not see the rationale for organising such workers and may object to the necessary changes in policies and resource allocation required to reach out to such workers.
2.7 Despite these challenges, more and more unions are recognising the
importance of organising informal workers, not only in the workers’ interests
but also to strengthen the trade union movement as a whole. Women trade
unionists have played a leading role in bringing up informal economy issues. The
India based Self Employed Women’s Association (
SEWA), has been a pioneer in the
field of organising workers in the informal economy.
Examples: effective organisation in the informal economy Five
hundred organisations have joined the National Alliance of Street
Vendors in India (NASVI), a founding affiliate of |
2.8 Trade unions have frequently campaigned for improvements to people’s working lives that have benefited constituencies other than their membership, including particularly these vulnerable groups. For example in South Africa the unions led a campaign to extend the provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Unemployment Insurance Fund to cover domestic workers.
Developing policy for poverty reduction
2.9 Unions have been highly critical of the influence of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) on economic policy in developing countries. They have lobbied for greater consultation with IFIs which has contributed in part to the adoption of Poverty Reduction Strategy processes.
What can Trade Unions bring to PRS processes?
2.10 Trade unions generally welcomed the launch of PRSPs and, in 2001, the
ITUC drafted
a guide for trade unions participating in the PRSP process . A
major contribution trade unions can make to the formulation of a
poverty-reduction strategy is to ensure that employment promotion forms a
central part of the strategy itself; and that the nature of this employment, in
the terminology of the ILO, is ‘Decent Work’, that is to say, it must be carried
out in decent conditions and for a decent income.
2.11 However unions can bring more to PRSPs than narrow labour issues by incorporating the views of members on a broad range of topics, for instance:
- in Ghana, the trade union submission to its PRSP included equity, taxation, agriculture and investments,
- in Sri Lanka, they submitted a text detailing members' views on public health, education, water supply, sanitation and social protection.
What has been the experience to date?
2.12 The experience of trade union participation in PRSPs has been mixed. In many countries governments have tended to limit the participatory process to the formulation phase. Weak institutional capacity and scarce resources have also made it difficult for many unions to participate in the monitoring and evaluation of PRSPs and some remain sceptical about the value of the process fearing that:
- the macro-economic framework of PRSPs will be excluded from the scope of the participatory process reducing it to a mechanism for poverty assessment and for channelling resources to targeted groups or sectors;
- PRSPs are just a collaborative effort between governments and the IFIs or just a reflection of what the governments know the IFIs want to hear rather than being truly 'country owned';
- participation of trade unions and civil society organisations will be weak in the implementation stage of PRSPs.
2.13 Despite the difficulties and their scepticism many unions are recognising the opportunities that the PRS process offer. Many are increasingly aware of the need for greater capacity building on socio-economic policy in order to engage efficiently. There is also a realisation that gaps in capacity can be filled if unions work in broader coalitions with like-minded organisations or institutions at national level. DFID is supporting capacity building programmes for trade union and employer participation in PRSP development through its Partnership Framework with the International Labour Organisation.
Support delivery of the Millennium Development Goals
2.14 The international trade union movement has supported the MDGs in their entirety since their introduction and trade unions have an important role to play in the achievement of all the MDGs.
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2.15 Many core and non-core activities of trade unions can contribute to the
eradication of poverty and hunger. The contribution of well-designed and
implemented labour standards to reducing poverty is set out in the DFID policy
paper Labour Standards and Poverty Reduction
(210 kb). By securing better conditions for
their members, promoting human rights, international labour standards, socially
responsible business, productivity and adult learning, trade unions can help to
tackle the conditions in which poverty thrives.
Universal primary education
2.16 The Global Union, Education International,
which represents education workers around the world, was one of the four
founding organisations of the
Global Campaign for Education that was created in
1998 to achieve universal primary education. This was subsequently adopted as
Millennium Development Goal No.2.
2.17 The achievement of universal primary education is not only about the provision of resources. It is also important to understand the link between the fight against child labour, the core labour standard on child labour, and improvements in educational opportunity for children. Many union initiatives to combat or mitigate the effects of child labour involve establishing educational options either to supplement or to replace work.
Promote gender equality and empower women
2.18 The potential for trade unions to campaign for and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment is great. Women are more likely to work in the informal economy with the poorest labour conditions. Many women have to manage a double burden of work outside the home and family care responsibilities. Globalisation is providing more women with the opportunity to enter into the paid work force of global supply chains but often with poor conditions and little security.
2.19 Historically, trade unions have focused on the needs of the male worker
with a fixed job and without care responsibilities. The international trade
union movement is now committed to fostering a unionism that includes, engages
with, reflects and advocates the interests of women members. The
ITUC's
"Decent Work, Decent Life for Women" campaign which aims to break down barriers to women becoming members,
activists and leaders in the trade union movement, is one example. Women have
been at the forefront of the new ‘informal’ labour movements helping to organise
some of the poorest and most excluded women. Women in many trade union
organisations are campaigning beyond the work place on issues such as sexual
harassment and domestic violence.
Reduce child mortality
2.20 The key factors in reducing child mortality, better nutrition, care and medical treatment, are all issues to which trade unions can contribute through their support for better conditions for their members, economic growth, education, women’s empowerment.
Improve Maternal Health
2.21 Bargaining and campaigning for the rights of women workers has a real effect on women’s lives – particularly where this relates to maternity rights and the rights of working mothers, such as paid time-off for breast-feeding. Trade unions have a crucial part to play in negotiating the terms and conditions of workers and, as part of this, in ensuring that nursing and returning mothers have appropriate rights.
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
2.22 HIV/AIDS is increasingly being seen as a workplace issue. The economic development of many countries is under threat because a large proportion of the working population is simply disappearing. At the same time, open discussion of HIV/AIDS is often still taboo and employees affected by HIV/AIDS suffer discrimination from both employers and workmates. Passed over for promotion or training, they may be bullied and subjected to social exclusion. Many lose their jobs and find themselves without income – and without any form of social security, care or medicines.
2.23 Trade unions can play an important part in the fight against HIV/AIDS, by helping to increase knowledge and understanding and changing attitudes and behaviour. Unions are often the only form of organisation those affected can turn to, or feel they can trust. Union facilitation of workplace testing and retroviral programmes has been important in the successful roll out of many of these programmes.
2.24 The international union organisations provide training, guidance and
resources to their affiliates. For example
Education International has produced “Teachers Against AIDS” – a leaflet on AIDS prevention to help education staff,
it encourages open discussion on HIV/AIDS in the classroom. The International
Transport Workers Federation (ITF), has published an
HIV/AIDS training manual for shop stewards. Global Unions’
Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Institute in Asia (OHSEI) is running
a three-year HIV/AIDS training project in Thailand to raise awareness of the
virus.
Ensure environmental sustainability
2.25 Trade unions have an essential interest in the impact of the working environment on the health and safety of their members. Many trade unions have begun to look at the wider links between the workplace, environmental protection and sustainable economic and social development. Unions are able to bring to this issue much relevant experience of negotiation with government and employers, human rights, economic policy, education, women’s issues, and occupational health and safety. By building on these traditional areas of concern, trade unions can help improve the quality of work and life for everyone. They can help to: educate and organise their members; identify and represent their concerns and to negotiate and campaign for change. The ILO has produced materials on
Develop a global partnership for development
2.26 Trade unions take part in a range of activities with governments, international organisations and other civil society organisations aimed at building partnerships for development. Most obvious is the work of the International Labour Organisation. Trade unions are also actively working with the World Bank and other international institutions to seek to add a labour dimension to development activities. While there are, sometimes, tensions between trade unions and NGOs, there are many areas where they campaign jointly to influence the development agenda.
Example: Global Network Project
funded through the Civil Society Challenge Fund DFID is providing £500,000 to
support the UK trade union UNISON’s project with
The Global Network, emphasise the fostering of alliances between different sectors of civil society to enable them to achieve greater political impact and contribute to demonstrable improvement in areas which have a direct effect on the lives of communities: democracy, poverty, decent work, trade, human rights and good governance. |
