SOCIAL ELECTIONS IN BELGIUM AND TOGO

Results social election on national level of Belgium.

Recently there have been social elections in the EU country Belgium and the West African country Togo. Belgium trade unions have already a long experience with social elections while in Togo it was for the first time social elections were held. Both countries have a pluralistic trade union landscape. In Belgium the competing trade union confederations are the socialist oriented ABVV/FGTB, the Christian ACV/CSC and the liberal oriented ACLVB. In Togo there are six competing trade union confederations in alphabetical order: CGCT, CNTT, CSTT, GSA, UGSL and UNSIT.

ACV once again succeeded to maintain its position as the biggest trade union confederation in Belgium with 55,8% of the elected delegates of the Workers’ Council and 58,46% of the delegates at the Commitees for Prevention and Protection on the Work Place. Regarding women 40,34% of the elected ACV delegates (40,34%) are women (ABVV 33,86% and ACLVB 34,82%). ACV comments that there is still work to do because the share of women working on national level is higher.

Elections for the Commitees for Prevention and Protection were held in 6.809 enterprises. Workers’ Council delegates were elected in 3.595 enterprises. An average of a little bit more than 70% of all workers participated in the elections,  that shows a high degree of involvement of workers in the social elections. Last but not least, what is to be noted is the balanced distribution of ACV candidates on age categories: between 15-24 years 193, between 25- 34 years 10.491, between 35 – 44 years 17.625, between 45 – 54 years 23.177 and between 55 – 64 years 7.242 candidates.

One of the federations of the Togoles trade union confederation CSTT has a special cooperative program to assist "mototaxistas" to finance the moto, to educate them and to defend their interests.

In Togo there have been 238 elections on public and private level involving 23.561 workers who elected 642 delegates, from which 456 delegates are trade union members and 186 are independent. The distribution of the results established by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security is as follows: CSTT 181 delegates (39,69%), CNTT 144 delegates (31,57%), GSA 84 delegates (18,42%), UGSL 32 delegates (7,01%), UNSIT 9 delegates (1,97%) and CGCT 6 delegates (1,31%).

Regarding these results of the social elections and in accordance with the law the confederations CSTT and CNTT are recognized by the Government as ‘representative trade union organisations’. 

ILO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HANDS OF A WORKERS' LEADER

GENEVA (ILO news) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) has elected Guy Ryder as its tenth Director-General. Ryder, who is currently the ILO’s Executive Director for International Labour Standards and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, was elected by secret ballot by the ILO’s Governing Body. He will begin his five-year term in October 2012.

“I am really excited about this chance: this is a tremendous opportunity, in the middle of this global crisis, to make a difference to the lives of millions of people, including those who've never heard of the ILO, to change their lives for the better”, said the Director-General elect. “I thank the Governing Body for their confidence. The significance of what happened here today will be judged by what we do, and that is to put the people and the world of work at the heart of everything we do.”

Read more on the ILO website

Guy Rider worked from1998 until 2002  as assitant director and director at the ICFTU Office in Geneva. From 2002 until 2006 he was General Secretary of the ICFTU. At the merger of the  ICFTU with the WCL in 2006 he became Secretary General of the ITUC. In 2010 he became Executive Director of the ILO office in Geneva.

This is what the ITUC says on Guy Riders’ election as Director General of the ILO:

Former ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder has been elected to the top post of the International Labour Organisation. He will take over from incumbent Juan Somavia, who leaves the post in September after 13 years at the helm of the UN agency.

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said "The ILO has made the right choice to lead it in tackling the huge challenges in the world of work in the coming years. With his background in the trade union movement, and the ILO itself, Guy Ryder’s wide and practical experience, and his clear sense of the direction needed, put the ILO in a very strong position. The world needs a massive focus on creating decent jobs, and we are confident that he will generate the momentum required to put employment and the rights of working people at the heart of the international economy."

Read more on the ITUC website       

This what the ETUC says:

“ETUC welcomes election of Guy Rider as ILO Director General

Following the election of Guy Ryder as International Labor Organisation (ILO) Director General, ETUC General Secretary Bernadette Ségol said: “At a time when fundamental rights at work are under attack in many European countries we look forward to the ILO redoubling its efforts to ensure that the crisis is not used as an excuse to disregard internationally agreed standards. Guy Ryder has always been a convinced proponent of social dialogue and he is clearly the right person to lead on the international stage for fairness and decent work for all”.

Read more on the ETUC site

From 1985 – 1988 Guy Rider was Secretary of the Industry Trade Section of the International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees (FIET now UNI), Geneva.

This is what UNI’s General Secretary Philip Jennings says:

“UNI Global Union says Guy Ryder election, as the tenth Director-General of the ILO, is the right choice to take the organisation forward and will build on the legacy of the current Director-General Juan Somavia who has made jobs and justice a focal point in both the UN system and the G20.
Jennings said, “The bottom line is that Guy Ryder understands that the jobs challenge and social justice are paramount to getting us out of the global crisis. UNI and the other global union federations will stand shoulder to shoulder with the ILO and take that message to the G20 next month.”

Jennings added, “At UNI we are delighted, not only for Guy who I have known professionally and personally for more that thirty years, but also for global workforce who can rely on his dedication to fighting their corner. Guy is the first union leader to be elected as head of the ILO. This is an historic step for our movement. He will build on the astute work of Juan Somavia who has conscientiously repositioned the ILO as focal point of the new global institutional architecture.”

Read more on the UNI website.

TOGO: A POLICY OF APPEASEMENT IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CHALLENGES

It is a pleasure to present the Conclusions as published in a Report of Non Governmental Organisations and Trade Unions in Togo on the actual situation. The original French text you will find below the English text.

CONCLUSIONS

Two years after the re-election of Faure Gnassingbe as president of the Republic, 10 civil society organizations questioned the situation in terms of political dialogue, human rights and social dialogue.

With the demonstrations of the Republican Front for Political Alternation and Change (FRAC), Togo shows still a degraded image outside the country,  gradually relayed by sectoral trade union claims, the denunciations of organizations defending human rights and freedom of press. The government, initially, reacted quite brutal on these events, what has seemed to express the hesitation of an newly legitimized power through the ballot box between the attempt to stifle political  and social protest and its concern about the pressure from civil movements.

Civil Society Organizations, authors of this report, have doubts about the real level of progress of the settlement of the political crisis. They agree to remark that the ruling power has still time regarding the effective implementation of the Global Political Agreement signed in 2006. They argue that the created Permanent Framework for Dialogue and Consultation (CPDC) , even in its extended form, has not yet managed to create conditions for a genuine political consensus for real constitutional and institutional reforms. Yet these reforms are necessary in order that political alternation becomes really possible paving the way for an easing of political life. Nevertheless, these organizations welcome the political opening of government policy and the priority given to dialogue and consultation in stead of repression.

As regards the human rights, the organizations that wrote this report, acknowledge the efforts of the government and the significant progress on freedom of speech, press, public meetings. However, they believe that torture and other degrading and inhuman treatment is still too often practiced by the security forces. These organizations recognize however that these practices have declined in recent years and are asking the government to do everything that they completely disappear.

In terms of social rights, civil society organizations and trade unions also agreed to recognize the efforts of the government and testify to the deepening of the social dialogue that is reflected by taking important provisions for legislation: a new social Security Code extending social protection to the informal sector of the economy, a law on compulsory health insurance for state employees and the like, a new law on free zones opening up the sector to the unconditionally application and without detour of the Labor Code, and grooming of an Interprofessional Collective Convention which, among other things, raises the minimum wage of 28.000 to 35.000 FCFA (Central African Franc) accompanied by a  more advantageous payment scale. Several social agreements on sector and global level have also been made with some of them already implemented.

In general, civil society organizations and trade unions - authors of this report – believe that the government must do more to ensure that Togo finally comes out of its political crisis and that the living conditions of the people will become better.

TOGO: Une politique d’appaisement face aux contestations socio-economiques et politiques

CONCLUSIONS 

Deux années après la réélection de Faure Gnassingbé à la présidence de la République, 10 organisations de la société civile se sont interrogées sur la situation en termes de dialogue politique, de droits de l'Homme et de dialogue social.

Le Togo montre encore une image dégradée à l'extérieur du pays avec, au cours de ces dernières années, des manifestations du Front Républicain pour l'Alternance et le Changement (FRAC) contre le gouvernement, peu à peu relayées par des mouvements de revendications sectorielles des organisations syndicales, des dénonciations des organisations de défense des droits de l'homme et de la presse. Le gouvernement a, dans un premier temps, réagi de manière assez brutale à ces manifestations, ce que a semblé traduire les hésitations d'un pouvoir rélégitimé par les urnes à la fois tenté d'étouffer les contestations politiques et sociales mais aussi soucieux de la pression des mouvements citoyens.

Les organisations de la société civile auteurs de ce rapport ont des doutes sur le réel niveau d'avancement du règlement de la crise politique. Elles s'accordent à dire que le pouvoir a termoie encore quant à la mise en oeuvre effective de l'Accord Politique Global pourtant signé en 2006. Elles soutiennent que le Cadre Permanent de Dialogue et de Concertation (CPDC) mis en place, même dans sa forme élargie, n’est pas encore parvenu a créer les conditions d'un veritable consensus politique pour envisager les veritables réformes constitutionelles et institutionelles. Ces réformes sont pourtant indispensables afin que l'alternance politique devienne réellement possible ouvrant ainsi la voie à un apaisement de la vie politique. Néanmoins, ces organisations saluent l'ouverture politique du gouvernement et la priorité donnée au dialogue et à la concertation au détriment de la répression.

Par rapport aux droits de l'homme, les organisations auteurs du rapport reconnaissent les efforts du gouvernement et les progrès sensibles concernant la liberté d'expression, de presse, de manifestations et de réunion publique. Cependant, elles estiment que la torture et d'autres traitements dégradants et inhumains sont encore trop souvent practiqués par les forces de sécurité. Ces organisations reconnaissent toutefois que ces practiques ont diminué depuis quelques années et demandent au gouvernement de tout faire pour qu'elles soient totalement évincées.

Sur le plan des droits sociaux, les organisations de la société civile et les organisations syndicales s'accordent également à reconnaitre les efforts du gouvernement et témoignent de l'approfondissement du dialogue social que c' est traduit par la prise d'importantes dispositions législatives: un nouveau Code de sécurité sociale élargissant la protection sociale au secteur de l'economie informelle, une loi sur l'assurance maladie obligatoire pour les agents de l'Etat et assimilés, une nouvelle loi sur la zone franche ouvrant le secteur à l'application sans condition et sans détour du Code du Travail, et le toilettage de la Convention Collective Interprofessionelle qui a, entre autres, relevé le SMIG de 28000 à 35000 F CFA assortie d'une grille salariale plus avantageuse. Plusieurs accords sociaux sectoriels et global ont également été consentis dont certains déjà mis en oeuvre.

D'une manière générale, les organisations de la société civile et les organisations syndicales auteurs de ce rapport estiment que le gouvernement doit s'engager davantage pour que le Togo sorte enfin de la crise politique et que les conditions de vie des populations s' améliorent.

UNIONS NEED TO REVITALIZE

Profesor Milan Katuninec spoke on the European Seminar of WOW in Vienne on the Social Dialogue in Central and Eastern Europe (EZA sponsored). We have already published on this blog two parts of his speech: "Why Unions lose power in Central and Eastern Europe" and "The rise of individualism". Below you find the third and the last part.

Besides the increasing individualism, the trade union movement has to contend with another big challenge. Trade unions can not ignore the „birth of nearly one hundred new types of power-scrutinizing institutions unknown to previous democracies.“ Democracy offers space for individual and social emancipation. This will cause constant tension between solidarity and freedom and there will always remain a countervailing power and collective labor agreement will always be needed. But the old rule of „one person, one vote, one representative“ is replaced by the new principle of monitory democracy, „one person, many interests,... multiple representatives“.

 Political scientist John Keane sees in modern information technologies an important stimulus to halt the declining public interest not only in political, but in fact in the whole social life of the home, as well as internationally.  The world has become increasingly diverse and this is the challenge for the trade unions. Effective public debate about freedom, justice, toleration and solidarity requires that employees, students as well as other citizens are well-informed. Trade unions, in the competition of various interests must take advantage of the new possibilities of information networks.

Social-economic factors will always play an important role in the political assessments of social partnership. Politics can only be understood in an economic and social context and all efforts to separate social and economic problems usually result in political problems. It requires a democratic society and socially-minded citizens who, in their own interest, are freely engaged in public and social interests and do not remain passive observers of social change.

But looking forward, the trade union movements should revitalize themselves by the use of greater internal reflection and by a responsible reaction to many new social challenges. The question is, whether their leaders will meet the hopes of the trade union members and whether employees will realize that the membership is very important for the authority and the bargaining power of the trade union? Or whether the trade union movement will continue suffer from undervaluing of external changes and weakening of social responsibility? Can trade unions save themselves or will their position deteriorate in the future and will they only remain as a decoration of public policy? 

           

I do not think that during the current economic and social crisis will the trade union movement in Central and Eastern Europe become more powerful. But despite the decline of trade union membership, we can not say that the idea of social justice in Central and Eastern Europe is unpopular. This leads me to believe that the trade unions, by taking into account new factors and challenges and making concrete proposals on strategies to improve social dialogue, will be more attractive and will have substantial opportunities for their active and responsible social policy.   

INDONESIA: MODERN SLAVERY AT CELLPHONE PROVIDER TELKOMSEL

Nikeuba organized solidarity actions on Mayday in front of the Telkomsel offices.

We received the following letter of NIKEUBA -SBSI (affiliated to WOW) secretary general Maria Eminenti on the anti trade union activities of the Indonesian celphone provider Telkomsel.

"We are now actively to advocate our members in Telkomsel, the biggest cellular provider in Indonesia. There are more than 8 thousand employees in the company that are now in protest against the modern slavery of the employer and the wages paid under minimum wage.

FYI, Nikeuba has been assisted the series campaign with the members in the head office of Telkomsel in Jakarta, more then 8 times since February 2012 but not yet a result. Attached we sent you the press release that we sent to several media. We also send some pictures of the action during Mayday."

Press Release 4 May 2012


Modern Slavery at Telkomsel



Telkomsel has violated basic Indonesian labour rights by firing 23 union activists affiliated with NIKEUBA-SBSI (Finance and Information Division, Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union). The workers were dismissed for no other reason than union activism, despite false claims by Telkomsel that they had broken their contracts.


To be sure, the 23 dismissed union activists had been campaigning for their employment status to be changed from temporary to permanent in recognition of their 10-year service to the company. Telkomsel's unjust employment policy uses temporary labour in perpetuity, so as to avoid the minimum social security and compensation obligations to its employees. Beginning in February 2012, the activists began the legally protected work of organising a workplace branch of their union, NIKEUBA-SBSI, and they appealed to Telkomsel for just employment policies and union recognition. Their requests for negotiation were ignored.


What's worse, their efforts were met with persecution and victimisation. The 23 activists, the most active union campaigners at the Telkomsel Atrium Senen location, were dismissed on May 2.


For that reason, NIKEUBA-SBSI is seeking support and solidarity. We are asking Telkomsel card users across Indonesia to boycott the company until basic workers’ rights are recognised and the 23 activists are re-instated. In addition, we are calling on State Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan-- who became a folk hero for standing up for consumer rights at a toll booth recently-- to take another principled stand in supporting struggling workers at Telkomsel, which operates under the purvey of his ministry. He has another golden opportunity to take up the cause of the people.


Sincerely,


Maria Emeninta
Secretary General DPP Nikeuba SBSI

9 CANDIDATES FOR THE ILO POST OF DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Mr. Assane Diop talking with WOW president Roel Rotshuizen at his ILO office during the ILO Conference in 2008. Mr. Diop is now one of the candiadtes for the post of ILO Director-General.  

As I already anounced in my blog "Dutch candidate for the post of ILO Director" on May 28 the ILO Governing body will elect a new Director-General of the ILO. Besides Ad Melkert,  former Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Associate Administrator and  UNDP and Special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, there are 8 other candidates. Below you find some short information on each candidate. Please consult the ILO site for more in formation on the candidates.

There is one candidate from Latin America. The Colombian Government presented its vice-president Angelino Garzon.

There is also one candidate from the Asian continent. The Malaysian Government presented Jomo Kwame Sundaram, former Assistant  Secretary - General for Economic Development in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The African continent presented three candidates. 

Mr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki was presented by the Government of Niger. He has been the Executive Secretary of the Planning and Coordination Agency of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD agency), an African organ established in Johannesburg.

Mr Assane Diop was presented by the Government of Senegal. He is the Executive Director of the ILO Social Protection Sector.  

The Government of Benin has presented Mr. Charles Dan, who is ILO Assistant Director - General, Regional Director for Africa.

Besides the Dutch candidate Ad Melkert there are three other European candidates. 

The French Government presented Ambassador and Former Minister Mr. Gilles de Robien. 

The Swedish Government presented Ms. Mona Sahlin, former Party chair of the Social Democratic Party and Member of Parliament.  

Mr. Guy Rider, responsable for International Labour Standards and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and former Secretary General of the ITUC, was presented by Mr. Michael Sommer and Mr. Luc Cortebeeck, Worker members of the ILO Governing Body.

THE RISE OF INDIVIDUALISM

Profesor Milan Katuninec of the Slowakian Trnva Univeristy spoke on the WOW seminar on the social dialogue in Europe in Vienna. We have the pleasure to publish three parts of his speech. Below you find the second part that can also be useful for trade unions elsewhere in the world.

The young generation has to deal with individualism, that influences for example the negative demographic trend. And this is one of the greatest dangers for the welfare state, because the population is getting older and the number of contributors to the state treasury declines. We can not close our eyes and ignore the fact of increased pressure on state budgets of countries with developed economies. It is also one of the reasons that cause the increases of the national debt. In Slovakia, which has 5.4 million inhabitants in the next decade it could be theoretically to 700,000 retired people. Compared with ten years ago it is about a quarter more.

           

Society based on individual activity emphasizes the power of the individual and presents successful people as a model. An unwritten law arises from this that the world belongs to the strong and powerful. This more individualized generation considers that the best way to negotiate about salaries, working conditions and benefits is to deal with the manager directly, rather than rely on a union representative.

Many of hardworking young people, that place high demands on themselves, consider a democratic society only as a society of individuals engaging in responsible behavior. They see in trade unions a player with a single but dangerous slogan: „us“ and „them“, which, especially in strategic important sectors, polarize society into a black and white world and mobilize negative emotions, and especially trade unionists of some smaller organizations are using their positions for making life difficult for innocent citizens who often became hostages of their strikes.

Trade unions should not become an instrument of selfish interests, but promotion of legitimate social claims or expression of disagreement with the abuse of political and financial power is very important.   It is clear that strikes are a political activity, because politics is governance, but there is a difference between political activities and party activities, what in the recent past did not understand even some ministers in Central and  Eastern Europe.

Economic and social problems, corruption, arrogance of financial and political power, links between financial and political world, in which the political one found itself particularly in the subordinate role, evoke a feeling of injustice and mobilize people to protest actions.  However, the unorganized rebellion and similar radical activities have often ended in anarchy, violence and politically abuse and tended to promote selfish goals,  rise of extremism and weaken the parliamentary system of representative democracy. That is why the government but also the trade unionists must realize the importance of social partnership. But I do not think, that trade unions should be associated mainly with strikes and protests. It is necessarily to show to the young people a different face of trade unions - importance of quality culture of social partnership.

Even though man with his human dignity emerges as an individual, he is at the same time also a social being and social relationships penetrate his individuality. However successful he is, he cannot erase from himself this part of his being and cannot cover his eyes so as to not see the demands of social policy. The creative powers of the free market also have to join the protective regulations of social policy, which includes a permanent balance among the different demands of the people. The basis for such legislation should be personal as well as a common responsibility, competition and solidarity, and performance and social balance.