A trade unions is an organization of workers who joined together to achieve through its leadership common goals specially better working conditions, the union negotiates with the employer on behalf of union members certain specific aspects of the job contract ,aspects such as wages, work rules, complains, rules of the hiring, firing and promotion procedures, benefits, workplace safety and policies.
TRADE UNIONS IN EUROPE
Trade unions originated in Europe, and became popular in many European countries during the Industrial Revolution, when the increase in production and the lack of worker skills necessary to perform well in most jobs leave the employment negotiation power almost completely to the employers' side, this caused mistreatment and underpayment of many One important thing is that trade unions in Europe ,Colombia and almost all around the world , have all the same main purpose which is ” maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment “of course this purpose varies somehow depending on the working environment ,on the legal conditions,on the economic situation of the country we are talking about. Trade unions in Europe reached an enormous development with the performance of activities such as:
-The Provision of benefits to insure members against unemployment, ill health, old age and funeral expenses
-Collective bargaining: they are recognized by employers, and are able to negotiate with them over wages and working conditions.
-Industrial action: they may enforce strikes or resistance to lockouts in order to reach some particular goals.
-Political activity: Trade unions try to promote legislation of laws favorable to the interests of their workers as a whole, by doing campaigns, undertaking lobbying, or by giving financial support to individual candidates for public office.
but over the years there has been a decline in trade unions throughout Europe, Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, unionization has collapsed, In only 8 out of the current 27 member states of the EU are more than half of the employed population members of a trade union, The average level of union membership across the whole of the European Union, weighted by the numbers employed in the different member states is 24%. The EU's 4 most populated states all have low levels of unionization (Italy 30%, UK 29%, Germany 27% and France only 9%).in Europe 3 out of every 4 people employed are now not members of a trade union. Furthermore, in every EU country outside Scandinavia (except Belgium), trade union membership is either static or in decline. There is an estimation that the average level of unionization across the EU will fall be just fewer than 20% by 2010, but union membership is not the only indicator of the strength of the organization. In countries like Spain, for example, support for the unions is shown by the large number of votes they receive in works council elections, and in France, the unions have shown that despite low levels of membership they are able to mobilise workers in mass strikes and demonstrations of great effect. By another side Denmark, Sweden and Finland are at the top with around 70% of all employees in unions, mainly because unemployment and other social benefits are normally paid out through the union, although recent changes in the Swedish system of unemployment benefit have had a negative impact on union membership. This high union density in the Nordic countries reflects that the union membership is seen as a natural part of employment. But in central and eastern European countries the situation regarding unions is quite different, the climate is hostile toward unions they have below average levels of union membership. Seven of the 10 states in this position have union density levels below the EU average, including the largest, Poland, where 16% of employees are estimated to be union members, and this is not the only worrying thing, what is more worrying is that there are not perspectives of growth for the future, the situation of the labour unions is static, there hasn’t been a strong gain in union members among the employed in recent years, in general in most countries of the EU overall union membership has fallen. The losses are clearest in the states in Central and Eastern Europe, where industrial restructuring and a fundamental change in the role of unions has had a major impact. But there have also been major membership declines in the countries of Western Europe. In Germany, for example, the main union confederation, the DGB, has lost 47% of its membership since its peak in 1991, although the greatest losses were in the former East Germany. One important thing regarding unions belonging is that they grow when the employee belongs to the public sector, for example in the UK union figures are better because there has been a growth in employment in the public sector, where unions are stronger, the same thing happened in Poland, a survey found that union membership was highest at 25% in education, science and health, which are activities of the public sector, and in Sweden, a study undertaken for the largest union confederation LO found that the public sector had the highest level of union membership (between 88% and 90% depending on the type of work )–,while the lowest level was in private services (between 63% and 66%)
But even thought unions in Europe are tending to decrease, those that exist have a good practice of their labor and try to do their best helping their members by:
• Support in undertaking needs analysis and in the development of the career
• Direct help in finding new and better employment and in training and lifelong learning
• Support for staff who is working abroad
• Innovative uses of new technology in communicating with professional and managerial staff
European workers want their contribution at work to be better recognized, they want opportunities to improve their professional skills and qualifications and progress in their careers, they want a more professional but personal approach towards the employer tend the right to participate fully in strategic management decisions affecting their areas of responsibility.
European employment initiatives, have been characterized by the importance of lifelong learning, the actual percentage of European workers obtaining training is really low. One problem for this, is that management thinking continues to view vocational training (for professionals and managerial staff )–as cost, not as an investment, but European Unions contribute in several different ways to the increase in the training processes for members.firstly,for many unions it is a very important issue to set on the bargaining process, just like The Belgian managerial and professional union LBC-NVK said: “Training and retraining are such fundamental rights that we try at all costs to establish these rights in collective agreements, both at company and sector level” . There are several unions that run seminars and courses for managers and employees. A Scandinavian union said: “We help such members to create networks and develop their skills in subjects that are important to them”.
TRADE UNIONS IN COLOMBIA
Trade unions in Colombia ,like in Europe are tending to decrese,but not in the same amount as they are decreasing in the European continent ,maybe because European employers are characterized for being very good employers and try to do their best in order for the employees to feel like at home and perform well at work, the situation in Colombia sometimes is different, there are employees that are not happy with the salary, the subsidies, or the way they are working ,so they form trade unions, in order for workers to pursue their dreams, their aims, to be heard, sometimes strikes and revolts made by unions in Colombia have worked so well that have influenced some government policies.
Another important difference is that trade unions in Colombia are really influenced by the roman catholic church and the catholic religion, so they guide themselves by the catholic church principles, which is different than Europe, a continent with a mixture of religions and a continent where religion doesn’t play the important role it plays in Latin America, so it is common that trade unions are not influenced at all by religious principles.
Many of us think that trade unions in Colombia have been characterized for violence strikes and revolts ,but things have not been like that, the Colombian labor movement ,for example doesn’t have a long history of militant confrontation. This movement has been moderate, fragmented, and closely allied with the traditional parties or the Roman Catholic Church, but it has never accounted for more than one-third of the organized labor force, which itself represented only about 1/5 of the total labor force. In 1988 only 12 % of Colombia's economically active population was unionized. In the decade of the 1980s Situations like an increasing inflation, government corruption, and high unemployment increased labor militancy, but the labor legislation developed so much that it permitted the government a great amount of control over the labor movement. Legislation in Colombia gave priority to company-level unions by requiring them to negotiate at the company level, rather than at the industry level
One of the most important trade unions in our country is Unión de Trabajadores Colombianos,a central trade union confederation founded by the Jesuit elements of the Roman Catholic Church , based on Catholic social doctrine. Both industrialists and the Conservative government supported the UTC, mainly because it did not represent a threat to the political and economic elite.
The situation of trade unionists in Colombia has been hard. In the recent years hundreds of trade union activists have been murdered for the simple fact of belonging to a trade union and being involved on its activities. But one very good aspect regarding trade unions in Colombia is that to fight against violence and reach their goals many unions have received support from trade unions all around the world ,unions such as LO (Norway); UNISON (UK); SEIU (USA); IMPACT (Ireland); CAW (Canada); CEP (Canada); Amnesty International (UK); UNI (International); Garden Court barristers’ chambers (UK); Matrix barristers’ chambers (UK);and IMF metalworkers (International) among others.
Francisco maltes Tello (2010, April 27). Continua la lucha por la estabilidad laboral de los empleados públicos. Retrieved APRIL 30, 2010, from CUT website:http://www.cut.org.co/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92:continua-la-lucha-por-la-estabilidad-laboral-de-los-empleados-publicos&catid=47:departamento-de-comunicaciones-publicidad-y-propaganda&Itemid=55
L. Fulton (2009) Worker representation in Europe. Labour Research Department and ETUI (online publication).retrieved may 9, 2010 from worker-participation website: http://www.worker-participation.eu/National-Industrial-Relations/Across-Europe/Trade-Unions2
Trade unions in Colombia. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 1,
2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search/Trade_unions_in_Colombia
Trade unions in Europe. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 1,
2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union#Europe
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