Despite structural changes in the economy and the death of some industries and companies, the trade union movement is not dead. In fact, trade unions are now more relevant than ever.
This is the view of the lecturer of Trade Union Studies and Research at the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies, Trevor Johnson.
“Labour is not just there for collective bargaining and workplace issues. Labour is there looking at the broadest spectrum of issues. Nothing moves unless workers go out there and get work done. Trade unions are involved in the protection of workers’ rights. Trade unions championed the eight-hour work day workers enjoy today,” he told the Business Guardian.
He also pointed to industrial sectors that were unionised at one time, but whose numbers have been decimated as those industries and companies have been closed.
“There are sectors where retrenchment has taken place especially in some state sectors such as the telecommunications industry. There is Petrotrin and also the steel industry such Arcelor Mittal. When people are retrenched, it does not mean that they automatically drop out of the union as some of them remain members. But yes, when there is retrenchment it is likely that as a result many of those persons will not be members of the union.”
Johnson is also a regional vice president of UNI Americas, which is the Western Hemisphere’s arm of UNI Global Union, which has affiliated unions in 150 countries representing 20 million workers.
Johnson said the views he expressed on the contemporary issues affecting businesses and the industrial relations climate are his own views.
In March, Marcio Monzane, who is the regional secretary of UNI Americas, visited the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies in Valsayn. The purpose of his visit was to discuss the UNI Global Congress which will be held on August 27 of this year in Philadelphia in the US.
Collective bargaining
While Johnson said that the data is not clear at the moment and they are working on determining how many workers are unionised in T&T, he did say that important sectors of the workforce are still covered by collective bargaining.
“Data for that could be looked at differently. All the sectors in the public sphere are covered by trade unions and collective bargaining such as the police, the fire service, the prison services, teachers and the entire public sector. Then there is the energy sector, the manufacturing sector is also covered by collective bargaining. Most banks are also unionised. However, there are small and informal organisations not covered directly by collective agreements. Even those workers if they have a workplace-related issue have the right to representation. So unions do cover a wide range.”
He admitted that unions are not perfect and that more can be done to attract new membership and fulfil their core responsibilities.
“Trade unions are by no means perfect organisations. Any progressive trade union must look at ways and means to service their members more effectively. That is what will keep the labour movement relevant. Young people and women are key areas they need to focus on and examples would be maternity benefits and time off.”
Corporate world
Johnson also spoke about the struggle to unionise internationally and big businesses’ allegedly anti-union stance.
Starbucks’ new CEO Lazman Narasimhan, who took office in March, told the Associated Press that he believes that the Seattle-based coffee giant can perform better without labour unions.
In March, Starbucks’ new CEO replaced Starbucks’ long-time CEO Howard Schultz who had repeatedly said Starbucks’ goal is to satisfy their customers and bring value to shareholders and labour unions get in the way of this.
There has been a bitter struggle in the United States between Starbucks’ management and workers over the issue of forming a union with Schultz having to testify before a Congressional Senate Committee over the company’s alleged anti-union policies.
Commenting on Starbucks’ labour practices, Johnson said it unfair that “millionaire” CEOs are against workers forming unions.
Johnson said while some CEOs are multimillionaires, many of the workers they employ struggle to make ends meet.
“The CEO of Starbucks has identified his interests as being shareholders who are not workers. However, it is the workers who serve the customers. It is the workers who are ensuring there is an efficient bottom line so that shareholders can benefit. By his behaviour, he is showing why there should be a union in Starbucks. There are global campaigns not only in Starbucks but in Amazon, Walmart and other multinationals. Many of their workers are living on hand-to-mouth salaries.”
Johnson also said that people wrongly blame unions for a lack of productivity in some workplaces when they let business owners and management off the hook.
“Nobody asks about business practices that are not favourable to workers. That is where the balance should come from. Workers get summarily dismissed without due process. A company in the telecommunications industry just announced that 126 workers will no longer be employed. There were nice announcements of counselling but when someone has worked for you five or ten years, these work relationships are human relationships.”
He also said that the management of some businesses needs to get their act together.
“I visit some businesses and I don’t hear people talking about that the service standard in T&T is not where it should be. Look at the type of training offered to workers. If you buy a product and you need to return it in T&T, the laws are stacked against the consumer. In T&T some businesses pretend not to adhere to any proper return policy. There are lots of areas where businesses need to improve. They also need to provide proper health and safety equipment for workers.”
