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Spanish trade unions ask Uni
Commerce to intervene: Leading multinationals violate trade union rights, work hand in hand with FETICO The two Spanish commerce trade unions, FECOHT-CCOO and FETCHTJ-UGT, have asked Uni Commerce to intervene on their behalf to protect workers' and trade union rights in leading multinationals. In the background is a close collaboration between management and FETICO, a yellow trade union established in 1978 to stop the real unions from gaining too much power in post-Franco Spain. At a meeting in Madrid last week, Jan Furstenborg of Uni Commerce met with the leadership of both affiliates. He also discussed with several FETICO members, who have recently left this association and joined FECOHT-CCOO. They told about serious incidents where management representatives, together with FETICO officials, have put hard pressure on workers to stop them from joining the unions. It is obvious that workers in Spain's large commerce companies begin to see more and more clearly that FETICO is powerless when workers' rights have to be protected in connection with major changes in the companies. The organisation is not part of the Spanish trade union movement, but an employees' association that is very much dependent on management. There are no other sectors in Spain where a phenomenon like this exists. Neither the two commerce trade unions in Spain nor Uni Commerce demand that FETICO should be left out from the social dialogue in the companies. What they want is that all three organisations are treated in the same way by management, with the same right to information, consultation and organising. Until now, FETICO has been openly favoured and new workers have usually received an affiliation form when they have signed their employment contract. An important claim is, of course, that the open discrimination and pressure on the two trade unions and their members comes to an end. There are reports on incidents where management and FETICO representatives have intervened in then nomination of works council candidates, to hinder union lists to compete with the association. Also direct pressure has been put on active union members, to scare them up and stop them from doing trade union work. The Spanish commerce trade unions have submitted a complaint about discrimination and violation of freedom of association to a court in Madrid. At the same time, Uni Commerce has been asked to raise the issue with the central management of some of the companies concerned. These discussions will be held in the near future, to seek an amicable solution which would enable the trade unions concerned to refrain from taking further action.
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