Ian Blandthorn, assistant national secretary of SDA, Australia, president of UNI Apro Commerce

UNI COMMERCE-REGIONAL AND GLOBAL- CHALLENGES AND APPROACHES IN THE ASIAN-PACIFIC REGION

The APRO region of UNI is characterised by a wide diversity of economic systems from the highly developed economy of Japan to the newly emerging economies of Central Asia and East Timor.

Throughout this region, change is occurring and with change has come new challenges.

The major economic change is the onset of globalisation.

Underlying globalisation is an ideology which says that each individual or corporation should be able to pursue their own particular interests without interference, restriction or regulation and to accumulate wealth without restriction.

The defining aspect of globalisation is that a handful of major corporations come to dominate an industry or even the entire economy of a nation.

The decision-makers of these corporations are un-elected by and unanswerable to the community or nation they operate within.

Globalisation has brought with it significant implications for workers and their trade unions.

In the commerce sector in the APRO region we are witnessing first hand the impact of many of these changes.

Lacking in any social dimension, globalisation has caused pain and suffering for many workers which has been characterised by:

• anti unionism;
• high and rising levels of unemployment and underemployment;
• increasing poverty and inequality, both within and between countries.

The expansion of internet trade and electronic commerce are further significant developments which pose challenges. Moves to further liberalise trade in services will bring new pressures to the region

Large retailers such as Carrefour, Tesco, Toys R Us and Aldi are expanding into the region. In Australia Aldi and Toys R Us have strenuously opposed all attempts to establish a union presence within them.

Local companies are adapting their methods of operation to counter this development. In the region the informal commerce sector is prevalent but it too is being forced to adapt. Often adaptation means, in practice , that regionally based companies seek to emulate the policies, including the anti-union policies, of the multi-national players. Conservative governments, where they exist, are generally only too happy to encourage such developments.

It is not just the expansion of multinational corporations which presents a problem for us. What we are experiencing today is that alongside this expansion, and indeed as a core part of it has come a growth of anti-unionism and a rampant abuse of power by a number of these global corporations.

The union movement, however, cannot allow such developments to cower us.

We must develop a response to globalisation which is strategic and strong.

In doing so, it is critical to remember that the fundamental role of trade unions is to seek justice for the poor and the weak.

We have learnt long ago that as individuals, workers are weak, but that united in solidarity, we can be strong.

The globalisation of commerce presents us with new challenges. So too do the new forms of work such as electronic commerce, the emphasis upon part-time and casual labour, global sourcing, the development of call centres and so forth.

But the union movement has always faced challenges. Often those challenges have been daunting.

Over the decades, many employers have sought to wipe the unions out.

Today, on a world-wide basis, there are more workers unionised in the commerce sector than ever before.

With a positive approach we can meet the challenges before us.

Our first task is to consider what might be our strategic approach to the challenge of change and to determine our priorities.

A number of key issues deserve our consideration:

• Establishing of free and democratic unions in the commerce sector through the UNI-APRO region should be a key priority. In particular, those workers in countries where laws exist to prevent or limit the effective operation of unions deserve our support. So too do the workers in nations emerging from oppression.
• Recruitment of members in both traditional and new work environments is a critical task for us all. Only be organising ever more workers to join unions can we be effective in meeting the challenges before us. Companies and governments must be brought to accept that workers may be free to join unions. In parts of the APRO region (such as in Indonesia with ASPEK) considerable progress has been made on this matter of recruitment in recent times.
• Establishing the right of unions to bargain collectively is critical to success. Yet, in a number of countries our rights to bargain are circumscribed or outlawed. We must insist upon the right to be able to negotiate to establish fair wages and working conditions. Reasonable hours of work, safe and healthy workplaces, respect for the dignity of all people and freedom from unfair work practices must be pursued.
• Equal opportunity, freedom from discrimination or sexual harassment and recognition of the rights of all are also important issues for all of us and must be part of collective negotiations and where possible discussions with governments.
• Increasingly, retail employers are favouring precarious employment practices such as engaging employees on non full-time basis. Full-time jobs are necessary for most workers to be able to earn enough money to feed, clothe and house their families. Through collective negotiation this can be turned around. In Australia, following lengthy consultations with the SDA the country's largest supermarket chain, Coles, has now begun to reverse its policy of encouraging casualisation and is offering permanent employment on a wider basis than previously.
• Making workplaces family friendly is an important union issue For many workers, especially women, being able to balance family and work commitments is a major problem. This is a matter we should seek to have addressed in collective bargaining processes. A number of SDA collective agreements now provide for extended maternity leave, the right of employees to take additional leave for pre-natal purposes, the entitlement of full time employees to return to work following parental leave on a part time basis and the right of employees to take limited additional paid leave to care for ill relatives or to deal with family emergencies.
• Fighting exploitation and especially opposing child, forced or prison labor, all of which are rife in this region of the world, has long been our policy and must continue to be so,

These are among the critical issues before us.

Most employers and especially the multinationals have little understanding of or empathy with these issues. Their whole approach to business, workers and unions is entirely in a different direction. But these matters are crucial to us and our members. This then is both the challenge and the approach.

The 21^st century can continue to serve up increasingly divided societies or we can take concerted decisions to ensure that economies serve communities. This means putting people at the heart of balanced social and economic futures.

If we are going to have a just global economy then there needs to be a new set of global rules that are fair and just. Companies must be required to act in a way that respects the environment, basic human and labour rights and allows governments to provide essential services like health and education to their people.

Globalisation in its current form is not sustainable socially, environmentally or economically. New rules and thinking are required. Faced with dramatic social and economic changes, workers, their families, and their unions have great challenges to meet.

Economic policy cannot be an end in itself. It has to be a means of achieving social objectives. Social progress must be the central aim of economic development. The ultimate objective must be to bring about sustained improvement in quality of life and the well-being of all people in a sharing, caring and democratic society. Without this both economic growth is meaningless and political development will be jeopardised.

The challenge is to safeguard what has been achieved and to realise the promise of a better life for all people.

This involves us acting to:

• protect and advance human and democratic rights for all people;
• defend workers’ rights and their dignity;
• eliminate poverty and inequality;
• secure social and economic justice for all within and among nations;
• ensure equal opportunity for all people;
• promote peace and prosperity, both at national level and within the interdependent world.

In Australia the trade union movement has committed itself to support the International Labor Organisation's 1998 declaration of "Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work."

The theme of the World Congress held in Sydney in 1999 was "People First in the Global Economy". This then must be our vision.