Trade Union Activity Research Articles

Violence and harassment in the world of work as a gender problem

The problem of violence and harassment in the sphere of social and labor relations is actualized as a gender problem, the representation of which is difficult due to insufficient case studies and latency. The article analyzes statistical data and conducted quantitative sociological surveys, the author's qualitative research "The activities of trade unions in promoting the principles of gender equality" by the method of in-depth interviews of representatives and leaders of Russian trade unions who are experts in the field of gender. The empirical base made it possible to identify the level of harassment severity in the workplace, to prioritize in comparison with other issues of economic discrimination based on gender, the readiness of society to discuss it openly and publicly. The range of reasons why people are discriminated against in the workplace, their conditionality by the level of material well-being, determinism by poverty, employment industry, and the difference in the interpretation of cultural and moral norms in generations is determined. As a mechanism that could be a step towards changing the attitude of the members of social partnership to violence and harassment in the world of work the respondents discussed the ILO Convention 190 “About Eliminating of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work” (2019), restrictions on its ratification due to the current political and international situation. It is concluded that the active role of Russian trade unions, their gender structures, which are associative members of international trade union organizations in educational, informational work, real assistance to victims, as well as participation in the development of legislative initiatives and recommendations in the enforcement of existing laws, remains. The need to search for internal tools to solve the problem of violence and harassment in the sphere of social and labor relations, redirection of the public agenda into a constructive way is predicted.

The Labor Angle: Reflections on the History of the Working-Class and Radical Press

The Labor Angle: Reflections on the History of the Working-Class and Radical Press

Strategi dan kebijaksanaan P4GN dalam menciptakan penggiat anti Narkoba di lingkungan kerja

Drug abuse in Indonesia has reached an alarming level. The largest proportion of drug abusers in 2017 was the group of private workers and laborers, which was 59%. BNNK Batam in collaboration with trade unions and academics conducted a workshop with the theme of strategies and policies on Prevention, Eradication, Abuse, and Illicit Trafficking of Narcotics (P4GN) in creating anti-drug activists in the work environment. The purpose of this workshop is so that the participants can become BNN activists in the local environment. The strategies that must be carried out by the company and the trade unions themselves in P4GN's efforts in the work environment include: conducting medical tests for employees; drug testing for employees suspected of being addicts, intensive information dissemination and advocacy to provide education to workers; Trade unions must encourage their members to be active in P2K3, include drug problems in the collective labor agreement (PKB), and for employees: active in spiritual activities, nature lover activities, social activities, in sports activities, trade union activities, adequate rest and relaxation with family on holidays.

Innovation of Trade Union Work in Colleges and Universities Based on Mathematical Modeling and Multivariable Optimal Design

The constant expansion of higher education has led to the continuous increase of the teaching staff and the complexity of the work in the modern era of education, forcing the traditional colleges and universities (it is abbreviated as CU in this article) to participate in trade union activities to open up the road of innovation. What kind of method can effectively and quickly optimize trade union work (TUW) and improve satisfaction has become one of the research topics that has attracted much attention. Aiming at this problem, it has great research significance for the field of CU to participate in trade union activities. With the in-depth research on the work of trade unions in CU, the research on multivariate optimal design in the work of trade unions in CU is gradually carried out, and its advantages are of great significance for solving problems in the work of trade unions in CU. The purpose of this paper is to study the innovation of TUW mode in CU based on multivariate optimization. Through the analysis and research of the multivariate optimization idea, it can be applied to the innovation of the construction of the labor union work model in CU, and the multiobjective linear weighting method is used to solve the objective function, so as to solve the problem of improving the evaluation of labor union work satisfaction in CU. This paper analyzed the TUW in CU (it is abbreviated as TUW in this article) and the multivariate optimization design, conducted an experimental analysis on the improved TUW mode in CU, and used relevant theoretical formulas to explain. The results have shown that the overall evaluation score of the college TUW method proposed in this paper is higher than the traditional college TUW method, and the difference between the two is 18.7%. It can be seen that the university TUW based on mathematical modeling and multivariable optimal design can meet the innovation needs of university TUW, and the satisfaction and work efficiency are greatly improved.

The Social Biographical Approach in Global Labour History

Luis Inácio Lula Da Silva, originally a metalworker and trade union activist, was president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, leading the largest country of Latin America, with more than 212 million people. In 2020, social and labour historian John D. French, with a long career devoted to Brazilian labour history, published the much acclaimed biography Lula and His Politics of Cunning: From Metalworker to President of Brazil.1 In this book, French explicitly aims to give a bottom-up account of Lula's life.

New Challenges for Trade Unions in the Face of Algorithmic Management in the Work Environment

Algorithmic management is the subject of numerous scientific studies. This article attempts to answer the question of what kinds of new competencies and skills should be acquired by trade unions in the face of challenges related to algorithmic management. The author indicates two main areas of trade union activities: The first concerns the challenges associated with the process of explaining and transplanting artificial intelligence. The second concerns participation in the AI certification process. Considering that artificial intelligence algorithms’certification process is an entirely new undertaking, it should be based on a pragmatic search for peaceful solutions, encourage compliance with the law and limit the possibility of stiff administrative and criminal sanctions. For this purpose, the author considers using the theory of responsive regulation as a pragmatic approach for certification agencies and trade unions. The author considers the cooperation of artificial intelligence to be the main principle. In the working environment, there should be a principle of human importance—the focus of personalism.

The Origins of the Swedish Wage Bargaining Model

AbstractThis paper revisits the development of the canonical Swedish wage bargaining model, from the 1930s to the 1950s. The question at the core of the debate is: how did Sweden achieve “good” wage bargaining institutions -- good, in the sense of facilitating investment, employment, and controlled inflation? The conventional account focuses on the actions of employers and trade unions in export industry, and a cross-class alliance between the two. This paper questions this account. The paper builds on archival sources in the Swedish Labour Movement's Archives and Library in Stockholm: the minutes from the main trade union confederation's yearly wage policy discussions, in preparation for bargaining rounds. In total, some 1,500 pages of wage policy discussion. I find that the export sector cross-class alliance played a very small role, and that macro-corporatist concerns, that the labour movement had to take responsibility of all of society and pursue a planned wage policy, was much more important. This has theoretical implications for the analysis of wage bargaining institutions in general and the Swedish model in particular.

Demeaning face of politics and bureaucracy in labour movement in Kenya: A quest for an effective labour law

The Constitution of Kenya, 2010, the Labour Relations Act, 2007, and the Employment Act, 2007, along with several other labour statutes, are designed to facilitate the establishment of employer-employee unions that play a significant role in safeguarding the social, political, and economic rights/interests of their registered members. Employers and employees generally need a conducive environment to perform their daily duties. Of late, however, continuous interference from political and state machineries in the running of union activities has proved to be a bedrock for regular internal disputes between the management and employees of various institutions in the country. For instance, the Kenya National Union of Teachers has accused, on several occasions, the Teachers Service Commission and politicians of sabotaging the affairs of the union. This paper, therefore, aims to evaluate the constitutional and legal framework regulating the establishment and registration of trade unions in Kenya. Besides, with the aid of judicial pronouncements, it analyses the impact of politics and bureaucracy in exercising the right to freedom of association, an essential element in the survival of trade unions in Kenya. Finally, the paper proposes measures to counter the threat posed by external parties in running trade union activities.

ON THE ISSUE OF DEFECTS IN THE LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN "ON TRADE UNIONS" (results of the analysis of legislation in the field of trade unions)

The legal status of trade unions in Kazakhstan is determined by a number of regulatory legal acts, in particular, the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Public Associations", "On non-profit organizations", etc. The basis of the activity of trade unions in Kazakhstan is the new Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Trade Unions" adopted in 2014, which created a legal basis for expanding the representation of trade unions and their participation in social dialogue at all levels of social partnership. The article is devoted to the analysis of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Trade Unions", the practice of its application and is aimed at identifying problematic issues of improving legislation in the field of trade unions and developing scientifically sound recommendations for their resolution. At the same time, special attention is paid to the effectiveness of law enforcement practice. The analysis of legislation makes it possible to plan in more detail the main directions of legislative work, to identify areas of public relations that should be regulated by the norms of legislation, to justify the need to amend the current legislation and adopt new acts, to correlate them with the main directions of the state's legal policy. In this regard, the author of the study conducted an article-by-article analysis of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Trade Unions", investigated its systemic and social significance of application, identified corruption-related legal norms, assessed the effectiveness of their implementation, developed proposals to improve legislation in the field of trade unions. Thus, the relevance of this study is enhanced due to the objective needs of further improving the effectiveness of legislation in the field of trade unions, its consistency and consistency. The results of the study can be used in the formation of state policy in the field of legal regulation of trade unions and taken into account in legislative activity.

Some issues of regulating the activities of trade unions of persons employed through Internet platforms in the Russian Federation

The article examines some of the issues that arise when determining the legal regulation of trade unions of persons employed through Internet platforms in the Russian Federation. The author notes that in the current conditions of the development of society and the state, the emergence of a category of precariously employed “workers”, who, by virtue of labor legislation, are not such, creates new challenges for the formation of a system for protecting their social and labor rights and interests. An analysis of Russian legislation has shown that de facto such persons can form traditional trade unions or other alternative trade unions to protect collective rights and interests. However, on the other hand, persons employed using Internet platforms cannot use all the instruments of labor law without being “employees”. For possible progress in solving this problem, the author proposes to amend the legislation of the Russian Federation on trade unions.

Integrating Corporate Social Responsibility in Reforming Trade Union Recognition Process

Employees are one of the most important stakeholders in organisations but their interests are often neglected by employers, particularly from the perspective of trade unionism that plays an essential role in safeguarding employee interests. Currently, the existing legislation has discouraged trade union activities and this has directly deprived the employees of their rights for a better working conditions at the workplace. There is also an evidence of anti-union actions taken by employer in recognition claims in order to prevent collective bargaining with trade unions. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important tool in an organisation where the interests of the stakeholders is sustained. This paper investigates the relationship between employer’s CSR practice and its role in reforming recognition process of trade union in Malaysia. Qualitative research is employed to achieve the objective of this study by way of analysing secondary data and conducting legalistic analysis of the case law and statutes related to the issue. Based on the findings of this study, it is found that trade union recognition process can be reformed through integrating CSR practice in the organisation.

State suppression of trade unions — overt and covert, old and new

When even the BBC have criticised the handling of the Sarah Everard vigils by the Metropolitan Police, and flag waving patriots in the Labour Party oppose the Johnson government’s proposed legislation, you begin to realise the extent of the drift towards authoritarianism. The Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill is just one such example The UK political police units also send their officers to work undercover within the labour movement. And they cultivate informants within the trade union movement itself, enabling them to supply employers with the information needed to identify and then blacklist progressive trade union activists. Sharon Graham’s pledge to uncover the truth about any collusion by UNITE officials in blacklisting is therefore to be welcomed. Marxists, especially those active in the labour movement, should be outraged by the drift towards authoritarianism by the British state, but not surprised. Fortunately, young people have turned out in their thousands at Kill The Bill protests against the Tories’ proposed new authoritarian laws, though, and unions are beginning to rediscover the more muscular organising methods of the past.

Tunisian Exceptionalism: The Role of Civil Society in Tunisia's Transition

Tunisian Exceptionalism:The Role of Civil Society in Tunisia's Transition Ayfer Erdoğan (bio) Introduction Even under authoritarian rule and despite several limitations, Tunisian civil society formed a counterweight to the state power by making up a sphere of civilian activity beyond the state. Unlike many other countries in the region, the authoritarian leaders in Tunisia allowed and even publicly encouraged the growth of some forms of civil society which were not disentangled from the liberal economic development strategy adopted by Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia was one of the first countries to disengage from "Arab socialism" and it pursued a liberal development strategy, creating a strong private sector and the cultural norms of entrepreneurship and individuality.1 Rather than repressing civil society entirely, Ali pursued a selective liberalization policy and adopted state-monopolized civil society framework, which enabled him to advocate for economic development and, at the same time, get rid of the pluralist effects and democratizing consequences of civil society.2 [End Page 67] Hence, civil society organizations mainly located in the capital Tunis and coastal cities, such as Sfax and Sousse, operated within the restrictions posed by the Ben Ali regime. Civil society could not reach its full potential, yet, in parallel to the state-monopolized civil society, there existed an informal activist network that grew underground. During Ben Ali's rule, the Tunisian public was actively involved in "formal and informal modes of resistance" through unions, social media, youth movements, and grassroots.3 Both formal and informal networks of civil society have generated a culture of dissent that created the basis for resistance against Ben Ali. In the case of post-revolution Tunisia, the new constitution and legitimate political institutions came into existence thanks to the involvement of a group of civil society actors including activists, unions, and non-governmental and women's organizations. In each phase of the transition, civil society groups have struggled to maintain the democratic nature of the transition. When political tensions arose, civil society actors mediated among different political groups and initiated a broad national dialogue. The inclusive and consensual manner in which the constitutional drafting took place owes a lot to Tunisia's strong civil society with its monitoring the draft laws and engaging with members of the assembly to reflect people's demands. Up to the present, civil society has maintained its role in checking on the government's policies and organizing protests and sit-ins when they are not in line with the objectives of the revolution. This article first analyzes the historical evolution of the Tunisian General Labor Union (Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail–UGTT), a primary actor of the uprisings that took place against the regime since the country's independence. Second, it continues with an analysis of the critical role played by civil society and unions during the Jasmine Revolution and the turbulent transition of Tunisia. Finally, it investigates civil society's role in the constitutional drafting process and the implementation of policies in the sphere of politics, economy, and transitional justice. The Historical Evolution of the Labor Movement Tunisia has an organized labor movement as embodied by the UGTT since 1946, and it has been unique in terms of its history, political influence, and social dimension in the MENA region. Throughout Tunisian history, the UGTT's sphere of influence was much larger than an average trade union, which simply advocates for workers' rights and demands. Farhat [End Page 68] Hached, the founder of the UGTT, learned about union activism in the French communist-leaning union, Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), where he had been a member for fifteen years before he founded the union in Tunisia. He resigned from the CGT due to its lack of support for Tunisians' struggle to gain independence from France, which clearly indicated that the UGTT has been more than a labor union from its inception.4 Besides, the labor movement has been rather independent compared to other labor movements in the region, as it does not owe its existence and origin to the state. Rather, the class of "formally free" wage earners and their introduction to trade union activism can...

Fragmented local normative orders, unresolved localizations, and the contesting of gender equality norms in Turkey

ABSTRACT This paper examines the localization process of the global gender equality norm in Turkey and argues that the normative contestations on this concern, among rival political blocs and activist groups, have not allowed any resolution. Accordingly, the global gender equality norm has undergone state-led secular localization as of the 1990s. In the post-2010 context under AKP rule, however, this process was disrupted by the proponents of the alternative conservative local norm of gender justice, who sought to replace the already localized norm of gender equality. Our study examines the contestations and rivalries regarding gender equality in the country with an emphasis on normative strategies utilised by the secular and conservative political blocs. Based on face-to-face interviews conducted with representatives of the main trade unions in the country, we also did a minor case study of the ongoing contestations regarding the adoption of gender equality norms, as manifested in trade union activism.

Challenges of Northern Nigerian women liberation and involvement in trade union movements

Nigerian trade union movements were initiated to protect the right and interest of its members. Because of this the paper aim to examine the challenges of Northern Nigerians women’s liberation and involvement in trade union movements. Surely, women are encountering numerous challenges in the NTU of the Northern region and are not well empowered in trade union movements of the Northern region. These challenges have repeatedly postured a danger or set back to women participation, empowerment, and representation in the trade unionism of the region. This study is qualitative in nature. Data were obtained through primary and secondary sources of data collection, by the used of semi-structured questionnaires and systematic review of related literature. This aided the researcher in acquiring suitable and right data on the topic under study. In explaining the topic under study Social Constructivism and Liberal Feminist theories was used, the supposition of these theories positioned on gender disparity as man-made not naturally formed. The study found that cultural stereotype, religion factors, unequal access to the education time factor, poverty, among others have harmfully paid to women empowerment and participation in trade union movements of the Northern region. Thus, the research recommends that the government should provide women with free education and different kinds of skills acquisition programmes to empower them to participate in the trade union movements in the Northern region. Religion leaders and parents should enlighten their children/women on the significance of women participation and empowerment in the trade union activities of the Northern region.

‘Opening Pandora’s Box’: The Anti-Amendment Campaign, 1979-1983

This article takes a close look at the history and development of the Irish right to choose and anti-amendment abortion campaigns from 1979-1983. In 1980 the Women’s Right to Choose Group (WRCG) was formed and was the first Irish feminist group to openly campaign for women’s right to choose. This article will consider why campaigns for choice happened so late, and why the response by the anti-choice lobby to any right to choose activism was so fierce and dogmatic. By situating the abortion campaigns in their historical context, we can further understand the barriers that the pro-choice feminist activists faced. The activism and ideas of the WRCG, as well as those of the Women’s Right to Choose Campaign (WRCC), trade union activists, political parties etc., along with tactics of the Anti-Amendment Campaign (AAC) will be considered. The arguments used by all groups will be analysed, as will the discussion points put forward by the board-based umbrella group, the AAC. The tensions and splits in the anti-amendment side will be analysed to further understand the enduring legacies of the 1983 anti-amendment campaign for the Irish women’s movement once the 8th amendment was inserted into the Irish Constitution.

Luddites of the Twenty-First Century? The Influence of Trade Unions in Hard Coal Mining on Sector Reforms in Poland and the Czech Republic

There are only two European Union (EU) states where hard coal is still mined: Poland and the Czech Republic. One of the key interest groups in the hard coal mining industry are trade unions. They are particularly strong in this sector, almost entirely controlled by the state, in Poland—without their approval, it is in fact impossible to implement any significant reforms. The main goal of the article is to explain the influence of trade unions operating in the hard coal mining sector in Poland and the Czech Republic on the results of the reforms of this sector carried out in 2015–2019. The framework for empirical analysis is the theoretical output on interest groups and the power resources approach. Measuring the influence of an interest group on the decision-making process is one of the greatest challenges in research on interest groups. However, the empirical analysis allows us to conclude that the purposes of mining trade unions both in Poland and in the Czech Republic were consistent, that the shape of the reforms introduced in 2015–2019 was convergent with these goals, and that the activity of trade unions had a very big impact on these reforms. However, in the long run, hard coal mining in Europe is in decline and trade unions are only trying to stop what is inevitable.

Inclusive Advocacy? Trade-Union Activity in Support of the Rights of Domestic Workers in Continental Europe

Cet article compare l'activité syndicale en faveur des droits des travailleuses 1 domestiques aux Pays-Bas, en Allemagne et en France. Même si le nombre de travailleuses domestiques syndiquées y est très faible, les syndicats ont développé des actions pour défendre les droits de ces travailleuses dans ces trois pays. Toutefois, ces actions n'ont été que partielles et n'ont pas pris en compte de manière exhaustive les besoins et les droits de toutes les travailleuses domestiques. La comparaison de l'activité syndicale montre que les actions en faveur des travailleuses domestiques ont été encouragées par le plaidoyer transnational dans les trois pays. De plus, alors que des institutions inclusives ont facilité les actions en France, au contraire, en Allemagne et aux Pays-Bas, les actions syndicales ont été limitées par les caractéristiques "informelles" persistantes du travail domestique et par l'hésitation des syndicats à s'engager de manière globale dans la question des droits des migrants.

THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF TRADE UNIONS AS AN INSTITUTION OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN UZBEKISTAN

This article analyzes the concept of a trade union and its legal nature, the role and importance of trade unions as an institution of civil society in Uzbekistan, the functions and basic principles of trade union activity, the organizational and legal foundations of trade unions. The article also provides a constitutional and legal analysis of the concept of a trade union and its legal nature, an analysis of the functions and basic principles of trade union activity, a study of the stages of development of the legislative system of trade unions in Uzbekistan, organizational and legal issues of trade union activity, a study, an analysis of the legal nature of documents adopted by trade unions, comparatively - legal analysis of foreign experience in organizing trade union activities, determining priority areas for improving trade union activities, developing proposals and recommendations for improving the legislation governing this activity, and other issues were also analyzed

Generalization of the scientific approaches to the defining of socio-economic essence and structure of labor market

The article is devoted to the generalization of scientific approaches to the defining of socio-economic essence and structure of labor market. It has been revealed that in modern economic science there are three main groups of approaches to the defining of socio-economic essence and structure of labor market that are classical, Keynesian and institutional. According to classical approaches to the defining of socio-economic essence and structure of labor market (J. Clark, F. Hayek, R. Holl, D. Gilder, М. Fedstain, І. Fisher, М. Friedman, A. Marshall, C. Marx, А. Pigu, E. Phelps, А. Smith, D. Ricardo) competition on the labor market excludes emergence of forced unemployment and dynamic of interest rate. Elasticity of the relationship between prices ans wages provide full employment in the economy. According to key statements of Keynesian economic theory (D. Bogynia, Е. Domar, І. Grabynska, J. Hicks, J. Keynes, М. Lihachev, R. Harrod) demand on labor does not form supply on it but, on the contrary, effective aggregate demand increase in aggregate supply, including supply on labor, so reaching of equilibrium on the labor market must be provided by a government. In other words, representatives of Keynesian concept proved idea about need of active government intervention in the economy, including state regulation of labor market, and determined taxes and expenditure as key instruments of fiscal policy to fight unemployment. According to institutional approaches (J. Commons, R. Couz, О. Grishnova, Т. Kyrian, U. Мitchell, S. Panchyshyn, A. Reeves, D. Stuckler, D. Zoidze) dynamic of labor market is determined by development of some industries, activity of trade unions, interaction between different social and professional groups as well as traditions that exist in any region or country. In addition, representatives of Institutionalism put forward an idea about need of state regulation of labor market using mechanism of unemployment insurance, concluding permanent contracts between employers and employees concerning salary, perks, compensation package, social benefits, paid leave and flexible working arrangements. Summing up all viewpoints above, it has been proposed author’s definition of labor market that is regarded a system of economic, political and social relations that characterize level of development and agreement of economic subjects’ needs of buying and selling of labor force.