Sustainable Alliances: The Origins of International Labor Environmentalism

2004 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 118-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Silverman
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Environmentally Conscious ◽  
International Labor ◽  
Political Sources ◽  
European Trade ◽  
Late Twentieth ◽  
Stockholm Conference

This article examines evaluates the strength of the Labor-Environmentalist alliance of the late twentieth century. It traces the evolution of trade unionists' thinking about nature and the human relationship to the environment by examining intellectual and political sources of labor involvement in United Nations' environmental policy making from the 1950s through the 1980s. The article explores the reasons trade union organizations, notably the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, the International Trade Secretariats (Global Union Federations) and the European Trade Union Confederation, participated in a variety of international conferences and institutions such as the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Environment, the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. It finds that environmentally conscious trade unionists developed their own version of environmentalism and sustainable development based on a reworking of basic trade union principles, a reworking that emphasized solidarity with nature and made central the protection of the health and safety of workers, communities, and environments.

European trade union cooperation, union density and employee attitudes to unions

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-358
Author(s):  
Bengt Furåker
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Union Density ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
International Social Survey Programme ◽  
European Trade ◽  
Using Data ◽  
International Social

European trade unions have much to gain from cooperating with each other. Such cooperation does exist, but it is still fairly limited and many obstacles need to be overcome if cooperation is to be improved. According to our survey data, higher-level union officials regard differences concerning financial resources and national labour market regulations to be particularly substantial barriers to cooperation. The enormously varying union density across Europe, and its general decrease, also creates barriers. Therefore, employee attitudes to unions are examined using data from the International Social Survey Programme. As expected, union members tend to be more positive about trade unions than non-members. The most interesting finding, however, is that employees in some countries with low union density exhibit fairly positive views or at least views that are not less positive than what we find among employees in many countries with higher density rates. This suggests that there is potential for recruiting members.

Women and the Labour Movement in France, 1869–1914

1986 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 809-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia J. Hilden
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Industrial Workers ◽  
Labour Movement ◽  
European Trade

In histories of European trade union movements, the observation that women industrial workers were rarely found among the membership has become axiomatic. In virtually every developed nation, it seems that once the industrial order was established, predominantly male trade unions were everywhere the rule, and female unions and trade unionists everywhere notable exceptions.

Trade Unions, Institutional Mediation and Industrial Safety

2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Nichols ◽  
David Walters ◽  
Ali C. Tasiran
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Industrial Safety ◽  
Statistical Techniques ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Injury Rates ◽  
Employee Representation ◽  
Safety Committees

Results of studies that examine the relation between trade union presence and injury rates are often indeterminate and trade unions are sometimes apparently associated with danger not safety. The British WIRS data set has provided a unique resource whereby researchers may examine the relation between trade unions and injury rates as mediated through particular arrangements for health and safety. Yet here, too, most investigations have failed to find a negative relation. It is in this context that this article returns to the original data. Utilizing improved statistical techniques, it concludes that cases where trade unions have an input into health and safety committees and where there are representatives are to be preferred to those where there is no such trade union input or no representatives. It argues that considerable strengthening of regulatory provision is required on employee representation and consultation if health and safety is to be improved.

Trade union education in Central and Eastern Europe

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 486-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Bridgford ◽  
Michal Košt'al ◽  
Dušan Martinek ◽  
Yuliya Simeonova ◽  
Janusz Zabiega
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
European Trade ◽  
Union Education

The changes in Central and Eastern Europe that were set in motion at the end of the 1980s threw up a variety of challenges for trade union organisations and placed new demands on their officers and representatives, which in turn produced a range of new training needs. This article intends to start a process - gaining a better understanding of trade union education provision in Central and Eastern Europe. Evidence from four case studies - KNSB (Bulgaria), ČMKOS (Czech Republic), KOZ SR (Slovak Republic) and NSZZ Solidarność (Poland)- shows that trade union organisations have continued to consider education as an integral part of their development strategy, and have established structures for the aggregation of training needs and for the delivery of training within their organisations. In the absence of systematic funding from the state or of agreements with employers' organisations, trade unions carry the financial burden themselves, on occasions with support from western trade union organisations and European or international organisations. The pattern of trade union education provision is generally structured so as to ensure a 'stepped' pathway for the learner, and emphasis is placed, unsurprisingly, on capacity-building. The twin-track approach undertaken by ETUCO provides a response to certain specific needs articulated by CEEC trade unions and also enables a limited number of CEEC trade union officers and representatives to participate in pan-European trade union education activities. However further resources will be needed to increase the number of training activities to the level required to respond adequately to the training needs of ETUC-affiliated organisations in the CEECs.

scholarly journals Contributions of Trade Unionism to Sustainable Development: The Case of the IPLIDO-UTHGRA

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
María Susana Césari ◽  
Johanna Maldovan Bonelli ◽  
Mariana Russak ◽  
Jörg Eggers
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Free Association ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Gender Violence ◽  
Equal Opportunities ◽  
And Gender

For several decades it has been internationally recognized the role of unions in promoting sustainable development goals, especially in its economic, social and cultural dimensions. While the commitment to free association, social dialogue and collective bargaining are some of the main aspects of their actions, trade union organizations also work in other key areas to achieve social justice, such as access to information, education, health and gender equity. The Institute for Equal Opportunities (IPLIDO) of the Union of Tourism, Hotel and Gastronomy Workers of the Argentine Republic (UTHGRA) is a paradigmatic case on this path. In order to ensure equal opportunities for all people (based on the equal participation of men and women in the labor, economic, political, cultural and family) the IPLIDO has carried out several actions aimed at: strengthen ties in the community; build networks among non-governmental organizations, trade unions and public institutions; promote gender equality; disseminate information and train in pressing issues such as addictions, grooming and gender violence; and participate in the design and implementation of laws and public policies, among others. This paper addresses the strategies and actions carried out by the IPLIDO since its creation -in 2006-, highlighting its interaction with the public sector, international and civil society organizations, in order to promote rights and values in the trade union sphere and the community in general.

scholarly journals Trade Union Channels for Influencing European Union Policies

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bengt Larsson
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Organizational Resources ◽  
Access Points ◽  
European Trade ◽  
Eu Policies

This paper analyzes what channels trade unions in Europe use when trying to influence European Union (EU) policies. It compares and contrasts trade unions in different industrial relations regimes with regard to the degree to which they cooperate with different actors to influence EU policies, while also touching on the importance of sector differences and organizational resources. The study is based on survey data collected in 2010–2011 from unions affiliated with the European Trade Union Confederation and from below peak unions in 14 European countries. Results of the survey show that the ‘national route’ is generally the most important for trade unions in influencing EU policies in the sense that this channel is, on average, used to the highest degree. In addition, the survey delineates some important differences between trade unions in different industrial relations regimes with regard to the balance between the national route and different access points in the ‘Brussels route’.

scholarly journals Framing, Resources and Repertoire of Local Trade Union Action for Health and Safety: A Study Conducted with a Quebec Central Labour Body

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geneviève Baril-Gingras ◽  
Sarah Pier Dubois-Ouellet
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Release Time

Summary Employment and working conditions having an impact on health and safety are some of the most important concerns of workers. Amongst the various means by which trade unions contribute to prevention, the contribution of Worker Safety Representatives (WSR) is well-established and the most studied, including their participation in joint occupational health and safety committees (JOHSC). However, there are surprisingly few studies examining the place of OHS as an issue of workers’ collective action. Conducted with a large Quebec Central Labour Body, this study aims to understand why and how local-level unions concentrate upon these issues, the repertoire of means that they employ and the context that supports or hindus such actions. The conceptual framework is based on previous realistic evaluations of OHS preventive interventions and includes Levesque and Murray’s (2010) trade union power resources and strategic capabilities. In phase I, eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with union staff members and elected representatives from different sectors, covering a wide array of activities such as unionization, training, negotiation, OHS prevention and compensation. Results also refer to five case studies (phase 2) of local-level trade unions identified by phase 1 respondents as particularly active in relation to prevention. The process by which working conditions having a negative impact on OHS are framed (or not) as trade union issues is examined. Levers and barriers are also identified. Factors affecting the presence of resources for trade union autonomous action aimed at prevention (like the integration of WSR to the union core structure, release time for prevention, etc.) are highlighted. A widely diverse repertoire of workplace-level trade union means of action for OHS is also highlighted by the interviews and case studies, not limited just to those provided by the Quebec OHS regime. It includes the recourse to labour relations mechanisms (e.g. negotiation and strike) and is based on an autonomous agenda, including mobilization. The potential of OHS issues for union revitalization is discussed, as well as the barriers that must be overcome.

Workers' involvement in the European Company — the SE Guidelines of the European Metalworkers Federation

2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Triangle
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
European Company ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Participation Rights ◽  
Supervisory Boards ◽  
European Trade ◽  
Common Understanding ◽  
Political Decisions

In June 2003 the Executive Committee of the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) adopted guidelines for negotiations on the introduction of a European Company (SE) under the European Company Statute. These guidelines are binding on EMF-affiliated trade unions. The guidelines set out a common understanding and political decisions reached within the EMF with regard to the European Company Statute, and, more specifically, the information, consultation and participation rights of workers in an SE. These rights involve the possible participation of workers' representatives and/or trade union representatives in the boards of directors or supervisory boards of SEs. The development of these guidelines was not an easy exercise for the EMF because of national differences on this issue, in particular with regard to participation rights. However, the process was necessary in order to be able to have a common European trade union position in any future negotiations with companies seeking to become an SE.

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