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What’s
a Global Agreement?
An
Agreement between a global (multinational) company and UNI Global Union
on behalf of the unions which represent its employees anywhere in the
world.
Why?
When
companies were local, unions had local agreements; when companies were
national, unions had national agreements. Now in the global economy we
need global agreements.
What’s
in it for the company? Lots!
In
this era of calls for greater social responsibility, lots of companies
include mission statements or solemn commitments in their annual
reports.
But today, with all the corporate scandals and scepticism, who believes
just the words?
A global agreement is not just an employer’s word.
It is a signed agreement with the people employed by the company
It gives the company’s claims credibility because it allows for
monitoring.
With investors and pension funds paying much greater attention to
company image and ethical investment, this can be a big plus for any
global corporation.
But
what’s in it? Whatever the global union and the company want in it.
In practice, this means a commitment:
- To
observe International standards for the recognition of the right to
join a trade union, to bargain collectively and to
non-discrimination in employment;
- To
never use child labour or forced labour;
- To
observe decent working conditions;
- To
adhere to good environmental standards;
Do
national unions have to give up decision making power?
No,
UNI Global
Union
insists on the importance of creating trade union alliances, bringing
together all unions in any company. They decide themselves what to
demand, how to work together to get an agreement, how to work together
to monitor and enforce the agreement.
What’s
in it for the union?
If
a company agrees to leave open the door to union organisation, then
it’s up to the unions to build on this. Increasingly UNI trade union
alliances have been able to obtain agreements to allow trade union
access to employers with success e.g. one UNI affiliate in Brazil can
claim to have more than doubled its membership in this way.
For the unions in the home country of the company, it means
international questions become a legitimate subject of discussion and
negotiation with the management. This can be crucial when, for example,
a company wishes to outsource work to another country.
Some unions have negotiated their own globalisation agreement with
companies;
- any
off-shoring must be the subject of prior discussion with the union;
- there
must be guarantees of no redundancies;
- and
assurances that the ILO standards, including the right to organise,
will be respected in those countries to which work is transferred.
Do
you have to negotiate the standards with every company? No
The
International Labour Organisation, ILO, a part of the United Nations,
has established standards – agreed by governments, employers and
unions – covering almost all these issues.
All the employers and unions have to do in the global agreement is
commit to respecting these standards
You
want to set wages and conditions world-wide? No
We
cannot substitute for direct negotiations between companies and workers
at the national level. However, in the era of globalisation, companies
shift production and services to almost any part of the globe.
The global agreement is a way for the company to say: wherever we go in
the world, we will observe civilised internationally recognised
standards; we will offer decent work and jobs. In short, "we will
be decent global corporate citizens".
Yes,
but has any company signed up?
UNI
already has agreements with:
-
Carrefour,
France
– Commerce
- Danske
Bank, Denmark - Finance
- Euradius
,
Netherlands
–
Graphical
-
Falck
,
Denmark
– Property Services
-
France
Telecom, France
– Telecom
- H&M,
Sweden
– Commerce
- ISS,
Denmark
– Property Services
-
Metro
,
Germany
,
Commerce
- NAG,
Australia
- Finance
-
Nampak
,
South
Africa
- Graphical
- OTE,
Greece
– Telecom
-
Portugal
Telecom
,
Portugal
, Telecom
-
Quebecor
,
Canada
,
- Graphical
-
Securitas
,
Sweden
– Property Services
-
Telefonica
,
Spain
– Telecom
- UPU,
UN Agency
and
there will be more...
We
are not alone
Other
Global Union Federations have
signed more than 60 agreements with companies such as:
- IFBWW
- IKEA
(furniture),
Sweden
and Faber-Castell (pencils),
Germany
- IUF
- Danone (food), France and Accor (hotels), France
- IMF
- Volkswagen (cars),
Germany
and Daimler Chrysler, (cars)
Germany
- ICEM,
Statoil (energy),
Norway
and Endesa (electricity),
Spain
And
there are others
How
do we monitor them?
Monitoring
systems can range from simple agreements for the company and UNI to meet
when and wherever necessary to fully-fledged internal audit systems
operating at all levels in the company.
The most important monitors are our union members.
They can report to UNI on any developments, changes or actions which
might not be in accord with the spirit of the agreement.
They can alert their national union and the global union to take up
questions with the company.
It is even better if we have a procedure which allows UNI and the
company to meet on a regular basis to exchange information and views
about any matters which affect the company and its employees.
Do
the global agreements help solve conflicts/strikes/disputes?
The
agreements are not designed to resolve all conflicts that inevitably
arise from time to time.
However, by facilitating the exchange of information, letting workers
know what the long term plans of the company are, what the company and
the workers see as problems – before they become problems – can help
to prevent conflict arising.
Even where conflict occurs, the dialogue between unions and company, the
mutual confidence built up, can mean that intervention by the global
management with the global union can help resolve conflicts more
quickly.
What
do we do if the employer does not respect the agreement?
These
are voluntary agreements. So the employer should always want to respect
them.
In those cases where subsidiary or associated companies are found not to
be respecting the global agreement, the case has to be taken up with the
parent multinational. Hopefully most problems could be resolved in this
way.
However, if the parent company is reluctant, or slow in taking action,
it must be aware that its reputation and its image are at stake.
Through UNI and our affiliates throughout the world we can make sure
that everybody knows the company is not keeping its commitment.
How
do we get one? "if you don’t ask, you don’t get"
But
it’s best for a lot of people to ask at the same time.
That’s why at UNI we encourage first the formation of a trade union
alliance to create links between unions in different countries with
members in the same company.
We have created alliances in a number of companies.
They can meet or sometimes start by forming a virtual committee linking
people over the Internet as we have done for DHL, Vodafone, Singtel, SBC
and Telstra.
Together they decide what kind of agreement they want. Then as UNI, we
go to the company and negotiations begin.
And
now it’s your turn:
Does your union have members in any global companies?
What are you doing to get:
- a
globalisation agreement;
- a
global alliance of unions in the company
- a
global agreement through UNI
Put Global Agreements
on your Union Agenda.
Contact: Philip Bowyer, UNI Deputy
General Secretary: philip.bowyer@union-network.org
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