What is Collective Bargaining?

By | Uncategorized

What is Collective Bargaining?

Closely linked to this is the right to Collective Bargaining (CB), which allows workers to freely negotiate their working conditions with their employers. These rights apply to all workers, regardless of their race, religion, gender, occupation, nationality, or political opinion.

CB is the process of all negotiations between an employer or an employers’ organization and one or more trade unions with the aim of developing a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). CBAs outline work conditions at factory/workplace, regional, national, or sectoral level. These are written, legally binding contracts requiring employer and company compliance.

What is Freedom of Association?

By | Uncategorized

What is Freedom of Association?

Freedom of Association (FoA) is the right of workers to join and form trade unions or organizations of their choosing. FoA is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It includes the right to freedom of assembly, association, and trade union membership.

This means that:

  • Workers can form and join trade unions of their own choosing.
  • Unions have the freedom to function independently.
  • Elections and the duties of union representatives are free of interference.
  • Independently elected worker representatives should not fear intimidation, harassment, or reprisals. They are the measure of how freely workers can express and contribute to their industry or workplace through formal structures such as collective bargaining.
  • Workers and employers can be formally represented in negotiations to arrive at solutions for improving working conditions.
  • FoA also applies to workers in the informal sector (those not working under employment contracts).

It is important to note that FoA also applies to an employer’s right to join organizations of their choosing!

Research on Informal Workers and Social Dialogue

By | Case-study, Rwanda

Summary

This case study analyses the development of tripartite social dialogue in Rwanda. It is discovered that the insistence of true unions has led to the flourishing of social dialogue, especially tripartite, in Rwanda. This has led to increases in working conditions and salary for construction workers in the region.

For the original source, please click here

Effective Social Dialogue

By | Social dialogue

Summary

This report details what tripartite social dialogue is and when and how it should be implemented. It also stresses the need for its development, especially in relation to sustainability and the SDGs.

For the original source, please click here

Morocco: Economic, Social, Political and Institutional Situation and its Connection with Social Dialogue

By | Meta-analysis, Morocco

Summary

The development of the informal sector of Morocco through short-term contracts and the recent decisions of the government have led to a decline in the influence of social dialogue institutions like unions. The lack of ability of the unions to keep up with the changing demands of new workers and the solitary decisions of the government have led to groups leaving union representation and protesting on their own. The current state of bipartite and tripartite dialogue in the state need to be reassessed.

For the original source, please click here

The Palestinian Decent Work Programme 2018-2022

By | Case-study, Palestina

Summary

This publication details the Palestinian Decent Work Programme as instituted by the ILO. Part of this programme is the strengthening of social dialogue through increased and enhanced bipartite and tripartite social dialogue for various sectors, especially construction. Priority II details this further, mentioning three goals of strengthening social dialogue: ensuring alignment with human rights treaties, improve freedom of association and representative decision-making and enhance labour inspections through database and grievance mechanisms establishment.

For the original source, please click here

Social Services and their Representation in Social Dalogue in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta and Romania

By | Cyprus, Hungary

Summary

This study assesses the inclusion of social services in tripartite, bipartite and collective bargaining at a national level in six EU member states: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta and Romania. It does this through extensive surveys, interviews and focus groups throughout the nations in the different companies and representives in social services. It concludes that social service organisations are largely absent from social dialogue on a national level, and they have little influence on policy creation because of this.

For the original source, please click here