UĦM Voice of the Workers eMagazine issue 32

VOICE OF THE

WORKERS ISSUE 32 AUGUST 2014

Contents The Name of the Game

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What they said on communication, trade unions, and in between...

03 Employee representation in the European Union: The role of Trade Unions

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Trade Unions and Communications with workers 05 Communication for Effective Participation

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Trade Union Communication:

THE OPEN PATH British-born and American Union leader Samuel Gompers once stated: “The trade union movement represents the organized economic power of the workers... It is in reality the most potent and the most direct social insurance the workers can establish”. Trade Unions are a vital force for good in every democracy. It is the means by which workers can come together to further their well-being, their families’ as well as their country’s benefit. Today, Trade Unions are also effective because they are an essential part of social dialogue; part of a tripartite system that VOICE OF THE

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bridges together the interests of government, employers as well as the workers themselves.

The secret behind the success of every representative organisation is how well it manages to stay in close contact with its grassroots.

It is an essential element of communication that permits the organisation to truly reflect the needs and aspirations of its members, and in return, keep it relevant. This truth also applies to trade unions.

Reality points to a changing labour scenario. These changes

EDITOR’S NOTE JOSEF VELLA are stemming from changes in spheres such as technology, society, education and others. Rather than being mutually exclusive, these changes are interdependent. This brings about a host of challenges.

Increased mobility of workers, swifter shifts in work practices and new technologies, working from home and micro enterprises, contract work and others, are increasing the difficulties in communicating with members as well as other workers. There is almost a catch 22 situation here: if the Trade Union is to be relevant, it needs to stay in touch with its grassroots. On the other hand, if 1

EDITORIAL

the Trade Union is to keep in touch with its grassroots, then it needs to be relevant to their needs and aspirations. We need to address both sides of this spectrum if we are to be successful.

There are different avenues to keeping direct contact with members. The traditional media, including TV, radio, newspapers and magazines, filled up that role completely in the past.

Today, these media are also being complimented, and in some cases, superseeded by new

media, including online media and social networks. This is becoming more so apparent when talking about young workers and adults. Accessibility to the media has increased, and people are becoming more and more networked.

The UHM believes that trade unions need to achieve a high degree of networking if we are to keep direct contact with our members. Being in the field of communications, where we also need to ‘sell’ our ideas, this is definitely a path to follow.

Access to the media, both traditional as well as online, is essential to our communications with our members and workers in general. However, all this needs to be augmented by means of a strong personal network, where union officials need to keep one to one communication alive and kicking. Through the media, the trade union maintains a communication avenue with its members. However, as actress and writer Felicia Day rightly stated: “Social media is an amazing tool, but it’s really the face-to-face interaction that makes a long-term impact”.

Well said.

PICTURE STORY

The Name of the Game Persons, as well as organisations, interact and work together successfully depending on how well they communicate together. Trade Unions are an essential element of any democracy, and have been instrumental in bringing forward workers’ needs and aspirations on the workplace. In order to keep on doing this, trade unions need to maintain existing communication channels, as well as create new, effective ones. It is a viable effort for unions to enhance their relevance in people’s lives.

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FEATURE STORY

WHAT THEY SAID

on communication, trade unions, and in between...

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

“Power goes to two poles to those who’ve got the money and those who’ve got the people.”

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW PLAYWRIGHT

PAUL ALINSKY COMMUNITY ORGANISER AND WRITER

“Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”

“My belief is that communication is the best way to create strong relationships.”

CHINESE PROVERB

JADA PINKETT SMITH ACTRESS, SONGWRITER AND BUSINESSWOMAN

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“The labour movement is people“ J.F. KENNEDY - U.S. PRESIDENT

“I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.”

MIA HAMM PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER

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MEUSAC

Employee representation in the European Union

The role of Trade Unions EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATION, AT BOTH EUROPEAN UNION (EU) AND MEMBER STATE LEVELS, IN THE FORM OF MACRO-LEVEL NATIONAL DIALOGUE, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, AND COLLECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING AT THE WORKPLACE, HAS EMERGED AS A CORNERSTONE OF EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS IN THE EU Employee representation is instilled in EU Member States’ labour laws on trade unions and the representation of workers at the workplace. It may include a relatively wide range of issues concerning, for example, terms and conditions of employment, working practices, conduct at work, health and safety, and many other issues that may arise on a daily basis at the place of work.

Employee representation is mostly concerned with trade unions, both at the macro-level of consultation/ dialogue, which influences major issues of a social and economic nature, and in collective bargaining, which basically determines pay and other terms and conditions of employment.

Both employers and employees in the EU have the right to enrol with a trade union. This right was established in Article 11 of the

1989, Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers, which states that: Employers and workers of the European Community shall have the right of association in order to constitute professional organisations or trade unions of their choice for the defence of their economic and social interests.

The Tripartite Social Summit acts as a bridge between the different processes of concertation (macroeconomic issues; employment issues; social protection issues; and education and training issues) and enables the social partners to contribute, in an integrated way, to the different components of the Europe 2020 strategy.

The Tripartite Social Summit for growth and employment (TSS), one of the main tools through

which high-level informal meetings between the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and European Social partners are held, has been on the EU’s agenda since 2003. The Tripartite Social Summit meets at least once a year, before the Spring European Council. Through this summit, the effective participation of the social partners in implementing the EU’s economic and social policies is ensured.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the European Union Association of Craft, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (UEAPME), are two organisations that are present for this summit and that do guarantee that Malta is represented as a number of local Unions are affiliates with these organisations.

MEUSAC 280 Republic Street, Valletta VLT 1112 Tel: +356 2200 3315 • Fax: +356 2200 3329 • Email: info.meusac@gov.mt www.meusac.gov.mt VOICE OF THE

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MCESD

Trade Unions and Communications with workers Trade union organisations exist so that they are a voice for their members.

Employees become members of such organisations since they believe that they are able to represent their rights, needs and aspirations at their place of work.

Trade unions in return use their role to make the voice of their members heard in local and international fora on economic and social matters amongst others. It is the duty of the union concerned to ensure that it updates its members on the initiatives that the Union itself is taking so that the workers’ collective voice is heard.

Trade unions ideally should have a structured communication strategy to be effective, coherent and consistent.

Positive and proactive communication is essential. Furthermore, information should be easily accessible by members and discussion sessions are a good tool to be used so that members are able to give their opinions and feedback. Communication is a two way phenomenon and therefore trade union members are to ensure that they are constantly in touch with their union representatives and keep them informed on what is happening at the place of work since it is only through such means that their representatives can make their voice heard and achieve positive results.

Local trade unions play an active role at MCESD. Trade unions voice their opinions on issues of socio-economic relevance.

They also do extensive work at EU level with their counterparts. This should be further encouraged and sustained and members are to be informed of what their representatives are discussing at MCESD and at EU level.

MCESD 280/3, Republic Street, Valletta, VLT1112 Tel: (+356) 2200 3300 www.mcesd.org.mt VOICE OF THE

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CONFEDERAZIONE ITALIANA AGRICOLTORI

Communication for Effective Participation

TOOLS

Consulting employees on health and safety A brief guide to the law realised by the Health and Safety Executive organization is available here: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg232.pdf

European Participation Index (EPI) In order to measure the extent of worker participation in different European countries researchers at the ETUI have developed the EPI (European Participation Index). This is a composite index which summarizes both formal rights and the extent of participation on three levels: in the board, at the establishment level and through collective bargaining.

Workplace chemicals: ETUI puts RISCTOX database online The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) has joined with the Spanish Trade Union Institute ISTAS to develop the RISCTOX chemicals database. Workers can now access data cards through the ETUI website on 100,000-odd chemicals.

The original EPI was developed for the 2009 Benchmarking Working Europe report (published by the ETUI and ETUC). In 2010 an updated version, the EPI 2.0, was developed.

More information are available at this link: http://goo.gl/yPxecP

The risks from chemicals in the workplace are still poorly known.

Yet a third of occupational disease claims recognized in Europe each year are due to exposure to hazardous substances. Workers mostly have no quick and easy way to access detailed information on the chemicals they use.

To help them, the ETUI has joined with the Spanish Trade Union Institute ISTAS to develop the RISCTOX chemicals database.

Workers can now access data cards through the ETUI website on 100,000-odd chemicals, many thousands of which can cause cancer, allergies, disrupt the hormonal system or put the reproductive system at risk.

Please access to the RISCTOX database here: http://goo.gl/X6X2MU

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TOOLS

DOCUMENTS

Effective participation of workers and their representatives can only happen if there is constant and clear communication between workers and trade unions. This is not just important at local levl, but also on a panEuropean level. This information was compiled by the Brussels Office of the Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori.

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Effective Trade Union Communication

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