The concept of labor union or trade union is an association of fair wage-earners uniting for the purpose of maintaining and improving the conditions of their employment. Even though these kinds of associations exist in a lot of countries they might differ in the way they act and the real purposes they fight for.
Colombian trade unions and those from Europe have some similarities and differences to be analyzed.
In Europe, over the last 20 years there has been a decline in trade union memberships and it might keep decreasing, the unions that remain are gathered in the European Trade Union Confederation which acts as a single voice, on behalf of the common interests of workers at the European level. They believe that workers’ consultation, collective bargaining, social dialogue and good working conditions are the key to promoting innovation, productivity, competitiveness and growth in Europe. Their objective is to promote the European Social Model which represents a society that combines sustainable economic growth with improving living and working standards including full employment, social protection, equal opportunities, good quality jobs, social inclusion, and an open and policy-making process involving citizens in the decisions that affect them.
If we analyze the case of Colombian trade unions, we see that our trade unions are also gathered in organizations such as the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) and the Confederacion de Trabajadores de Colombia (CTC). These organizations are created to become a stronger and more powerful voice to negotiate the fulfillment of their labor rights with the Government or the private companies.
Another aspect to analyze is that trade union members have claimed that they have been persecuted and in some cases even murdered by the Government or other right-wing groups. The abuses committed against them have had negative impacts in the qualifications our country receives in international organizations such as the International Labor Organization and also when negotiating agreements with other countries, because they demand respect for the freedom of association. But this point here has definitely improved in the last years.
Contrary to what has been happening in Europe, trade unions in Colombia won’t likely decrease in the next years. Trade union members claim that their labor rights are not respected totally and that they need better labor conditions, trainings, higher wages to cover all their needs and more benefits should be granted from their employers, to avoid being exploited.
References: http://www.etuc.org/r/2
Image Reference:http://jonesview.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/unions21.jpg
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario