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PAGE SECTION

4 INTRODUCTION

14 FACILITATORÕS GUIDE

19 ORGANISING STRATEGY

31 PLANNING TO ORGANISE31 Union structures and resources40 Industry research46 Benchmarks and work plans53 Union recognition

56 ORGANISING56 Mapping and list-building64 Arbolitos (worker networks)74 Organising committees82 EmployerÕs anti-union campaign91 Training100 Workplace problems

107 PUBLIC MOBILISATION


4

INTRODUCTIONITF ORGANISING MANUAL


5

This handbook serves as both anoverview and an introduction tothe ITF Organising Manual. The ITFOrganising Manual includes (1) thishandbook and (2) more-detailedtraining modules in PowerPoint.There is one PowerPoint trainingmodule for each chapter in thishandbook. The PowerPointmodules are more extensive thanthe handbook, so if you have aparticular interest in a topic, youcan go to the correspondingPowerPoint module for additionalcontent and details.

These materials are extensiveand contain lessons from manydifferent parts of the world. You willneed to adjust them, oftensubstantially, to fit any one situation.Some parts of the materials will bemore useful than others. Thematerials are meant to be drawnfrom, not used in their entirety, soyou will need to adjust them each

and every time you use them.

Whether you are not sure iforganising is for you or you havebeen organising for many years,there is much to learn from othercountries and contexts. You willfind these materials useful if youwant to engage workers inresolving a work-place problem,prepare for difficult negotiations,strengthen the union presence inworks councils, or plan for a strike.Some workers may face physicalviolence and threats, while others may face a pervasive senseof apathy supported by the widerculture and media. Theseorganising materials are meant tobe used any time you want toincrease the involvement ofworkers, whether you are workingto win union recognition for thevery first time or to increasemember participation in aunionised workplace.


6

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS ORGANISING? Organising is increasing theparticipation of workers in ourunions, with a goal of increasingunion power within our workplacesand industries.

One of the most commonweaknesses identified by unionsworldwide is the insufficientinvolvement and participation ofworkers.

The vast majority of transportworkers in the world are notmembers of unions.

If we are to take advantage ofthe strategic opportunities in theglobal transport industry, we needto organise.

* How do you define ÒorganisingÓin your union?

* Is it similar or different from thisglobal ITF definition?

* Why and how is your definitionsimilar or different?

WHAT IS A UNION?A union is an organisation ofworkers acting collectively toimprove working and socialconditions for all workers.

Learning from each otherIn organising, the first thing we do isto share information with our LANcabin crew, to build deep confidencewith each other and to build the realand deep solidarity of workers actingcollectively. Organising isfundamentally about building thebase of the union and the democraticstructures. Organising helps make ourunions more democratic.Arlete GayITF affiliate, Chile


7

INTRODUCTION

The majority of transportworkers in the world are informal,unprotected workers, often withouta clearly identified company orgovernment entity as theiremployer.

Especially in this globalisedeconomy, transport workerorganisations can take many formsand may vary from a traditionaltrade union collective bargainingmodel. The fundamentalcontradiction between labour andcapital remains.

Our organising strategies andmethodologies must reflect thedifferent realities that workers arefacing Ð the real risks and dangers Ðas we work together collectively toimprove conditions.

HOW IS ORGANISING DIFFERENTFROM CAMPAIGNING,RECRUITING, NETWORKING,TARGETING, RESEARCH ANDMOBILISING?Our organising work cannot beseparated from campaigning,recruiting, networking, targeting,research and mobilising, which areall part of the ITF organising globally

Learning from each otherIn the beginning, in the Arab world,we had to explain the wordÒorganisingÓ to our unions. In Arabic,ÒorganisingÓ can mean drawing outorganisational structures, like anorganisational chart or diagram. Nowwe have a common understanding ofthe word.Bilal MalkawiITF secretariat


8

programme. Organising is thespecific part of the ITF organisingglobally programme that focuses onincreasing workersÕ participation inunions.

Campaigning helps us putpressure on employers andgovernments. Good campaignswhich force employers to improveconditions are excellentopportunities to increase workersÕparticipation.

Organising and campaigningare closely linked but different.Campaigning focuses more on whatwe are doing to put pressure on theemployer. Organising focuses moreon what we are doing to involveworkers in the campaign or work ofthe union.

Campaigning work is difficult toseparate from organising work. Weuse campaigning to influencedecision makers as part of ourorganising. However, if incampaigning we pressure theemployer without sufficientinvolvement of workers, we will nothave built the union. Even if we winsubstantial benefits for workers aspart of a campaign, we may have

weakened the union rather thanstrengthened it if the workers werenot involved.

The central focus of the ITFStrategic Campaign Manual is howto pressure the employer ordecision maker. The ITF OrganisingManual focuses on how to involveworkers. Both manuals complementeach other.

* We need to organise to formunion structures and win unionrecognition. We also need toorganise where we already haveunion structures and unionrecognition, and we want moreworkers more involved.

* Whom is your union interested inorganising?

* What do you hope to accomplish?* What workers does your union

want to organise to get moreinvolved in the union? Why?

Research helps us to identifyclearly the employer or majordecision makers and to learn their Ðand the industryÕs Ð strengths,weaknesses and points ofvulnerability. Sometimes the

INTRODUCTION


9

employer will not be the majordecision maker (for example, withsub-contracted workers or informalworkers).

Targeting is a process thatunions use to decide where andwhen to organise. Targeting willalways depend on the interest andability of workers to organise.Targeting will also involve a deepunderstanding of the employer andthe industry, including their positionwithin global or regional transporthubs and supply chains.

Networking helps us connectunion structures and leadersglobally and regionally withinemployer and industry structures.We need workers involved in ournetworks. A strong network is ableto co-ordinate actions and solidarityon the ground as well as shareinformation and differentexperiences.

* How do you define ÒunionÓ?* Is it similar or different to this

global ITF definition? * Why and how is your definition

similar or different?

Learning from each otherTo understand organising in France,we often use the phrase Òorganiserdans le syndicatÓ or Òto organise inthe unionÓ. We will sometimes sayÒsyndiquez-vousÓ when we are talkingabout joining the union as a memberand Òorganisez-vousÓ to indicateparticipation and involvement. Liliane DebecheITF affiliate, France

Learning from each otherThe word for organising in Hindi isÒsangathitÓ. It is the same word inNepal. It means organisation-buildingand the recruitment of new workersinto the union structures.Ajay RayITF affiliate, Nepal

INTRODUCTION


10

Recruiting helps us sign upworkers as members of our unions,which increases the size of ourunions and our income. But if wejust sign workers up and they donÕtparticipate, we have not doneenough. Our ability to winimprovements for these workers islimited, and they may becomedisillusioned. And if we only recruitcertain age groups, certain races or ethnicities, or a certain gender,we may create divisions and weaken the union rather thanstrengthening it.

By defining organising as animportant part of our union work,we do not want to imply that wehave to organise before we begincampaigning, creating networks ordoing research. Quite the contrary;unions will usually want to researchthe company and industry beforethey organise more workers.Networks are frequently formed inorder to support the organising ofnon-union workers. Campaigns aresometimes created to win theprotections that workers need to beable to organise in the future.

No matter how strong we areas unions, we can always increasethe depth of involvement ofworkers. Organising is an essentialpart of our union work. We needorganising skills and strategies.

* Sometimes unions have enoughpower to win improvements inconditions without involvingworkers.

* We may win conditions, but willwe have organised a union? Whatis the cost in terms of the futurestrength of the union?

* As leaders, are there ways we caninclude more workers more oftenin our successes?

Organising takes skills,strategy, planning andperseverance. ThatÕs why we havean organising curriculum.

Organising is possible. As unionleaders and activists, we all decidedat some point to get more involvedin our unions.

Organising is different in everyunion, and even within the sameunion, different groups of workers

INTRODUCTION


11

organise differently.What can we learn from each

other? What can we teach eachother?

The ITF Organising Manualincludes lessons and storiescollected from transport unionsaround the world.

The manual covers organisingskills such as listening, overcomingfear and apathy, systematic person-to-person communications, list-building, predicting the employerÕsactions, training and education,group planning and group decisionmaking.

Organising strategy is also akey part of the manual, such aswhen to Ògo publicÓ with yourdemands, how to stayÒundergroundÓ while you build thebase and how to use the fullinternational and regional force ofthe ITF with all the strategicstrength and solidarity of transportworkers when it is time.

The ITF Organising Manual isdesigned to be used as part of aplanning process. It gives us anopportunity to bring together top

Learning from each otherIn South Africa, we use the wordÒorganisingÓ. Organising takes placein the context of explicit class politicsand is expressed through the unionÕspolicies and mandates. Organisinginvolves targeting (based on extensiveknowledge of the employer and linkedto collective bargaining), electing shopstewards, negotiating recognition,dealing with individual cases,collective bargaining, consultation onnon-bargaining issues and industrialaction. For us, organising is supportedby worker and shop stewardeducation, including political economyand gender education. Jane BarrettITF affiliate, South Africa

INTRODUCTION


12

union leaders, union members andworkers who want to organise Ðwhoever is able to participate andassist Ð to make an organising planthat suits the current situation.

* How and why did you getinvolved in your union?

* Can you identify a specific time orevent when you knew that youwanted to be more involved?

* How were you different fromothers who did not get involved?

* What helps you stay involved,even when it is not easy?

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE ITF INORGANISING? The ITF can provide assistance withresearch, education, multinationaland regional networks, andmentoring for organising campaigns,particularly in key sectors of thetransport industry.

The ITF cannot plan orimplement affiliate organising.Organising skills and strategy mustbe applied in each affiliate unionÕsown context and culture by yourown union leadership structures.

Learning from each otherTo meet the challenge of organisingglobal logistics corporations, ITFaffiliates are co-ordinating globallyand investing in strategic campaigns.

From this experience, we havelearnt that traditional recruitmentapproaches such as form filling donÕtorganise workers, especially Òflexibletransport workersÓ, who do not workin one company in one location. Onlyunion activists communicating one-to-one with workers in their homes,workplaces and communities willbuild unions and embed the union inworkersÕ hearts and minds.

Using the advantageous positionthat ITF unions hold in the globallogistics chain, our transportation andwarehousing union members can winworkplace gains and organise newunions. Alison McGarryITF Secretariat

INTRODUCTION


13

When it is time, the ITF will beavailable to provide regional andglobal campaign support in thepublic fight to win the organisingdemands of workers.

Written and developed by TeresaConrow and the ITF educationdepartment.

The ITF education departmentwould like to thank all of the ITFaffiliates and members of the ITFsecretariat who helped to developthese materials.

The attached PowerPointmodule on ÒOrganisingStrategyÓ contains

additional information and questionsabout the definitions of organisingand why we want to organise. You willalso find more discussion of commonbarriers to organising.

Learning from each otherIn francophone West Africa, the wordÒorganisingÓ includes three levels ofwork:1) Recruiting 2) Mobilising, training and motivatingworkers 3) Seeking co-operation and allianceswith other unions and communityorganisations.

The word ÒorganisingÓ works wellfor us.

In anglophone countries in WestAfrica, we would describe organisingas increasing membership and workerparticipation in unions. If we donÕt usethe word ÒparticipationÓ, people thinkwe are only talking about recruitingmembers and many of them haveautomatic membership.

We need to explain and describewhat we mean by ÒorganisingÓ indetail. It is very important that allregions think carefully about how theydescribe organising, redefine wordsand add words so that we can besteducate ourselves, continuallyimprove our organising skills, andlearn from each other. Nazi KaboreITF Secretariat

INTRODUCTION


14

FACILITATORÕS

GUIDE

ITF ORGANISING MANUAL


15

WHEN TO USE THE ORGANISINGMATERIALSThe ITF Organising Manual, whichincludes a handbook andPowerPoint modules, is anexcellent resource for increasingour skills and gaining informationabout how to organise. Manytransport unions are already usingthe methods contained in thesematerials to successfully strengthentheir organising.

The materials are also designedto help participants to createspecific organising plans. The coursecan be used (1) to plan to organiseone group of workers or (2) tocreate several organising work planscovering different groups ofworkers. The planning can be donein small groups or one large group.

This planning methodologyrelies on using real organisingexamples brought by union leadersand participants. The materials will

help participants develop anorganising plan which can bepresented and shared. Participantswill need to bring with them anunderstanding of the organisingsituation and information about theworkers and the employer.

Using real organising examplesrequires that facilitators spendadequate time with union leaders toprepare for the training. Thismethodology may at first requireextra attention from the facilitators,but trade unionists will find that themethodology makes the educationalexperience immediately relevantand useful. Facilitators need to befamiliar with union structures,decision-making, availability ofresources, union organising strategy,and company and industry research.

Union leaders and facilitatorswill need to think ahead about howto best utilise the workshops andwhat follow-up will be needed.


16

FACILITATORÕS GUIDE

Aim to include participants who areunion members and activists, unionstaff, elected union leaders and non-union workers. Include the uniondecision makers and also the peoplewho will be doing the organisingwork.

OVERVIEW OF CONTENTThe training materials are organisedin PowerPoint modules. Eachmodule focuses on an importantcomponent of organising. But eachorganising situation is different, sothe modules are designed to beused flexibly. They can be used inany order and in any combination.The facilitator will need to decidewhich modules best fit the situationand needs of the union and theworkers involved.

Opposite is a diagram whichshows the different modules andhow they are organised. The firstfour modules cover the preparationand planning needed to beginorganising. The next modules coversix key topics that are part of theorganising process. The public

mobilisation is usually the final stageof the organising process.

HOW TO USE THE ORGANISINGMATERIALSEach module has a PowerPointpresentation. The PowerPointpresentation includes notes for thefacilitator below each slide.

At the beginning of eachPowerPoint module, you will find:* Aims* Preparation* Activities * Suggested time frame

The activities for small groupsneed to be printed ahead of time,one copy for each small group. Theseslides are marked ÒActivityÓ in thelower left-hand corner of the slide.

In the facilitator notes beloweach slide, you will also find manyadditional opportunities for smallworking groups. Review thePowerPoint presentations carefullyto plan which slides you might wantto delete or add and how many ofthe extra small-group activities youwill want to use.


17


ORGANISING STRATEGY

Planning to organise

Union structuresand resources

Industryresearch

Benchmarks andwork plans

Unionrecognition

Organising

Organisingcommittees

EmployerÕsanti-unioncampaign

Workplaceproblems

Public mobilisationPublic showing of support for the union, with international/regional co-ordination

Arbolitos(worker

networks)

Mapping andlist-building

Training


18


When preparing for an educationprogramme, you will want to usethe handbook to decide whichmodules fit your situation. Even ifyou are only using a few modules,the handbook will help youunderstand all the concepts used.

You will need to deletemodules and slides that are notrelevant to your situation. Forexample, if you are organising aworkplace where the union has apresence and structures, you willprobably want to delete themodule on ÒUnion RecognitionÓand most of the slides from themodule on ÒEmployerÕs Anti-UnionCampaignÓ.

Distributing the handbookahead of the programme will helpparticipants prepare andparticipate. It will give participantsa good idea of the content of thecurriculum.

Learning from each otherPlease share your strategies, storiesand advice about how to organiseand increase worker participation inunions. The ITF can assist withtranslation, writing and editing, andeducational forums on organising. Wecan all learn from each other. Emailyour suggestions [email protected] [email protected].


19

STRATEGYORGANISINGITF ORGANISING MANUAL


20

ORGANISING STRATEGY

Employers are powerful. They havemore economic and politicalresources than unions have, andthey often control the way unionissues are framed in the media,schools and our cultures.

When we are organised,workers are powerful. We have theability to stop production orservices. Transport workers areoften in key positions to have animpact on global supply chains,which gives us tremendous power inthe global economy.

Unlike corporations, workerscreate long-standing bonds witheach other that go beyond ourimmediate individual self-interests.The struggle for justice andsolidarity surpasses geographies andcultures. Workers can link togetherregionally, nationally andinternationally to have an effect onemployers and decision makers.

* How did you learn about unionsand labour history?

* Do you teach others aboutunions? How?

But when we as workers are

not involved in unions, we arevulnerable. We get used to our fearand sense of isolation. Wesometimes identify with theemployer rather than our fellowworkers.

With uninvolved membersand unorganised workers, we needto plan carefully how to move froma position of individual weaknessinto collective strength. As workerparticipation in the union grows, thepower relationship with theemployer changes, sometimesslowly and subtly, sometimesforcefully. We must be especiallystrategic during this time to protectourselves and our co-workers.

Strategy involves thinkingahead about what might happen Ðwhat the employer might do, howworkers will respond Ð and thenadjusting our actions accordingly.

* Has your union ever organisedworkers to participate in amobilisation or to seek unionrecognition, without reallythinking ahead about how theworkers might respond or whatthe employer might do?


21

ORGANISING STRATEGY

* What did you learn from thisexperience?

In most of the world, workerswill face strong anti-unioncampaigns from the employer.

In parts of the world whereunions are well established andstrong, the pressure on the workersto avoid the union may be muchmore subtle.

Whether workers will be facingan anti-union campaign from theemployer or not, union leaders and

workers need to see that there is aplan to move forward step-by-stepto build the collective strength weneed to win.

The ITF organising curriculumgives us a framework from which we can create our ownorganising strategy. There may be topics that are not relevant toyour organising situation, and some topics may be missing. Add to and take from theframework what is useful for your organising.

What might an employer do or say?

Support workers' efforts toorganiseBefriend workersPromote union supporters tomanagementIncrease discipline or fire unionsupportersDiscredit union leadershipStart an anti-union "loyalty"committee ("yellow union")Give raises and make promisesTerminate unpopular managersThreaten to close or threaten tolay off workersMeet with workers one-to-one

Use physical violenceSay "Give us a second chance,we promise to improve things"Say "We are all one happyfamily"Say "The union is the outsideparty"Say "it's not my decision"Yell and intimidateHire an outside anti-unionconsultantCreate such conflict andpressure in the workplace thatworkers will stay away from theunionOther


22

ORGANISING STRATEGY

Planning to organise

Union structuresand resources

Industryresearch

Benchmarks andwork plans

Unionrecognition

Understanding theemployer and theindustry. Deciding

where to focusorganisingresources.

Working with legaland organisational

frameworks.Resources needed

for organising.

Deciding when toseek union

recognition. Notapplicable if you

already have unionrecognition.

Creating a plan.Benchmarks are

goals for the levelof worker

participation we need.


23

ORGANISING STRATEGY

Organising

Organisingcommittees

EmployerÕsanti-unioncampaign

TrainingWorkplaceproblems

Arbolitos(worker

networks)

Mapping andlist-building

Gatheringnames,contact

details andlocations of

workers

Person-to-person

communicationnetworks.

Groupdecisionmaking.

Buildingleadership

from under-represented

groups ofworkers.

Preparing forthe

employerÕspressure on

workersbefore theanti-unioncampaign

begins.

Educatingworkers aboutthe union andthe organising

skills andstrategies.

AddressingworkersÕ

problems tohelp usincreaseworker

involvement.

Public mobilisationPublic showing of support for the union, with international/regional co-ordination

May include industrial action or large demonstrations, but oftenlikely to be less risky activities, such as signing a petition asking theemployer to resolve a workplace problem or a public showing of

worker interest in the union.


24

ORGANISING STRATEGY

There is a chapter in thishandbook for each topic included inthis framework.

* Which topics in this frameworkinterest you?

* Which topics do you want tolearn more about?

* Which topics are not as useful to you?

The next four chapters coverthe preparation and planningneeded to begin organising.

If you already have unionrecognition for the workers you areorganising, you can skip the chapteron union recognition.

The following six chapterscover six key components of theorganising process.

* Are these terms clear?* Do you need to adjust them to fit

your organising situation?* What questions do you have?

You will need to adjust theframework to fit your organisingsituation. For example, you mightwant to map the workplace first inorder to determine where the

workers are and what they areconcerned about. Or you may wantto start addressing workplaceproblems right away as a way toenergise workers to becomeinvolved.

The public mobilisation isalmost always the final stage of theorganising process.

* What kind of mobilisation mightyou use?

BENCHMARKSIn our organising strategy,benchmarks are specific goals thatmeasure levels of workerinvolvement that we need to meet.

You will set your ownbenchmarks. Set the benchmarks atthe percentage that fits yourorganising situation. Benchmarksshould be high enough to buildstrong union power for the future,not simply enough to meet amobilisation event or a legalrequirement for union recognition.

In our organising framework,there are four key benchmarks.

If there is no clearly definedworkplace or group of workers,


25

ORGANISING STRATEGY

FOUR KEY BENCHMARKSBenchmarks are specific levels of worker participation we want to meet

before we confront the employer.

names and contact details

one-to-one contact

within 48 hrs

have basic knowledge

of union

willing to publicly show

support

benchmarks are important. Themajority of transport workers in theworld are informal workers. Theymay work individually or in smallgroups and without a centralemployer, work location or

gathering place. Benchmarks help usdecide which workers we need tofocus on for organising and howmany workers we need toparticipate.


26

ORGANISING STRATEGY

BENCHMARK EXAMPLE: Organising for union recognitionThe next diagram shows how aunion organising approximately 400 taxi drivers might set itsbenchmarks. In this example, theworkers are seeking unionrecognition.

When there is fear orsignificant pressure on the workersfrom the employer, organisingmight need to be ÒundergroundÓ:work quietly and with as littlepublic exposure as possible. Wewould not make publicannouncements or send out mediareleases. We would keep to smallmeetings of two to five workers whotrust each other and avoid holdinglarger meetings. Written unionmaterials would be avoided, as theycan be easily passed on to theemployer. Once the organisingbecomes public, the employer islikely to make it harder for the unionto reach workers and meet ourbenchmarks for workerinvolvement.

If the employer does find out,we can continue with our quietÒundergroundÓ strategy to the best

of our ability Ð mapping, talking toworkers, training more organisers,social activities Ð without furtherengaging the employer and helpingto strengthen the climate of fear. Ifthe employer retaliates with firingsor violence, we will need to publiclycampaign against the violence andfirings, but we still continue with theÒundergroundÓ organising in areasof the workforce where that is stillpossible.

If workers will be facingpressure from the employer,confronting the employer with lessthan a majority of the workers canexpose the workers and the unionto unnecessary risks. When there isa strong anti-union campaign, ourbenchmarks might be 75 per centand not 50 per cent. This is becauseonce we publicly confront theemployer, pressure against theworkers will increase, and someworkers will reduce theirinvolvement, which undermines ourmajority support.

* Will the workers you areorganising face subtle or overtpressure to avoid the union?


27

ORGANISING STRATEGY

BENCHMARK EXAMPLE:Organising for union recognition

Two leaders who cancontact 12 leaders

The 12 leaders able toreach 60 leaders

The 60 drivers able toreach approx. Five

drivers within 48 hrs

Names and contactdetails of 300 of theapprox. 400 drivers

300 taxi drivers agreeto drive around a key

business centre atspecific time with clear

demands

Local ITF unions andallies agree to leaflet

and banner at thebusiness centre

300 driversknowledgeable about

the union

o

o


one-to-one contact

within 48 hrs


of union


support


28

ORGANISING STRATEGY

75% names andcontact details

75% one-to-onecontact within

48 hrs

75% have basicknowledge of

union

75% willing topublicly show

support

Five leaders who cancontact 24 leaders

The 24 leaders able to reach 120 leaders

The 120 leaderswho can reach

600 leaders.

The 600 leaderswho can reach3,000 workerswithin 48 hrs

Names and contact details of 3,000 of theapprox. 4,000

workers

3,000 workerspledged to

participate in aspecific national

mobilisation

International ITFunions send letters

of protest tonational

governmentand/or hold

demonstrations atlocal embassies

3,000 workersknowledgeableabout the union

and why nationalmobilisations are

important

o

o

o

BENCHMARK EXAMPLE:Organising for national mobilisation

BENCHMARK EXAMPLE: Organisingfor a national mobilisationThe following diagram shows how aunion might set benchmarks fororganising approximately 4,000workers to participate in a nationalmobilisation or strike.

Sometimes with preparationsfor a large mobilisation or strike,unions will skip the two middlebenchmarks related to workercommunications and training and gostraight from gathering workersÕ

contacts to asking them toparticipate. We can successfullymobilise workers this way, but if we want to build workersÕparticipation more permanently,then these two middle steps are critical.

Set the number you need toattend first (whether it is 4,000 or40), and then set your benchmarkpercentage accordingly. If we need4,000 workers at a national rally, wemay need to get 3,000 of them


29

ORGANISING STRATEGY

List building30% names andcontact details

Arbolitos (workernetworks) 30%

one-to-one contactwithin 48 hrs

Training30% have basic

knowledge ofunion

Public mobilisation30% willing topublicly show

support

One leader who cancontact two leaders

Two leaders able to reach 10workers and

gather writtenstatements fromeach of them as to why a salary

increase is needed

Names and contact details

of 10 of theapprox. 30

workers in thedepartment

10 workers joinworkers from

other departmentsin delivering their

written statementsto the employer

with media present

10 workersknowledgeableabout the union

and why speakingup duringcollective

bargaining isimportant

o

BENCHMARK EXAMPLE:Small workplace preparing for collective bargaining

(75 per cent) to commit to attend in order to create the necessarymomentum to overcome apathy. Orperhaps you only need 50 per centto create the momentum.

Make sure to focus yourorganising on the areas of your union where you want more workers participating. We alldo important union work withoutincreasing worker involvement.Organising is for those situationsand locations where the union

needs and wants more workerparticipation.

BENCHMARK EXAMPLE: Small workplace preparing forcollective bargainingBenchmarks help protect us frommobilising publicly against theemployer before we are ready. Theyhelp us focus on key organising tasks.

There are many reasons whyunions publicly confront theemployer too early without enough


30

ORGANISING STRATEGY

workers participating. The unionmay have run out of time andresources to do the organising work.Or maybe it seems that the workerswill never be ready. Some groups ofworkers are ready to organisesooner than others, and that cancreate pressure on union leaders tomove more quickly.

Sometimes we hope thatworker support will increase oncewe have publicly confronted theemployer, but the opposite is moreoften true.

If we are not able to meet ourbenchmarks in the time that wehave plannedÉ* We stick to our strategy but at a

slower pace, continuing with ourmapping, training more unionorganisers and keeping in touchwith workers. We may need todecrease our resources tosomething we can maintain for thelong term. We might want toassign union supporters toregularly keep in touch with otherworkers.

* We might want to increase ourresources, investing in the growthof our union. Make sure there is a

realistic and well-thought-out planso that our resources will be wellspent.

* We might wait for newdevelopments. The employer maychange their behaviour. Workersmight become more interested inthe union or gain moreinformation about how toorganise. There may be political oreconomic changes in the industryor our country.

If we do need to adjust ourbenchmarks, there should be clearreasons that are thoroughlydiscussed and debated. Whenworkers understand and share inthe decision making aboutbenchmarks, it is easier to createdetailed plans to increase ordecrease resources.

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒOrganising StrategyÓ

provides opportunities for additionaldiscussion about organising strategyand frameworks, including how toadjust these frameworks for your ownorganising situations.


31

AND RESOURCESUNION STRUCTURES



32

UNION STRUCTURES AND RESOURCES

As trade unionists, we understandthat everything we have achievedcan be taken away if we donÕtcontinue to organise and involvemore workers in our unions. Inorder to build power in the industry or supply chain, it isimportant that we (1) increase theinvolvement of our current unionmembers and (2) invest resources inorganising key non-unionworkplaces.

Deciding where we want toorganise can be a very simple taskif we are organising a group ofworkers who are familiar to us andwith whom we have ongoingcontact. Perhaps our goal is toincrease the participation of workerswho are already in our union or toprepare for a strike. Maybe we wantto organise a group of sub-contracted or informal workerswithin our industry who work near

ORGANISING TAXI DRIVERSÉ

All taxi drivers?

All taxi drivers in a key city?

Approx. 400 taxi drivers using the petrol pumps in one

key part of the city?


33


our current active union members.Focusing on a small group of

workers is less resource-intensive.We can always broaden ourorganising goals once we have shownsome success, built some momentumand can allocate more resources.

Focusing on a group ofworkers as large as your resourcesallow you to organise will helpbuild power and increase our abilityto have an impact on the employer.

We must be able to makecontact with the workers we wantto organise. If we cannot makecontact with them, we cannotorganise them. You might want togo to the non-union workplaces tosee where workers gather, whetheryou can follow workers until you canget a moment to talk to them,obtain lists of workers, visit workersat home or at neutral meetingplaces like caf�s, or organise social

ORGANISING SEAFARERSÉ

All seafarers?

Seafarers in a labour supply country?

The seafarers who are not currently at sea?

Seafarers from a seafaring village?


34


or industry events that non-unionworkers might attend. If there arejob openings, you might want tohave unemployed union membersapply and develop contacts frominside the workplace. Current unionmembers can help contact non-union or uninvolved workers.

* What workers are you interestedin organising?

* What do you know about their

location, numbers, currentconditions and level of interest inthe union?

* Do you know who the employeror key decision maker is?

Before significant resources areallocated to organising, we shouldhave a minimum of:* Two or more worker leaders, from

the employer or the industry, whoare committed to organising

ORGANISING GNT TERMINALSÉ

Workers at the GNT terminals around the world?

Workers at the GNT terminals within a region?

Workers at the GNT terminals in a country?

Workers at a GNT terminal?

100 sub-contracted workers at the GNT terminal?


35


* A union structure that iscommitted to supporting theseworker leaders and to giving thenew members a voice in the union

* A good plan of how we will beable to contact workers

* Sufficient resources to support theorganisingWe need to reach out to the

members of the union to assist us.Think about what might encourageunion members to get more

ORGANISING FOR A NATIONAL STRIKEÉ

All workers nationally?

All workers in a key city?

Workers in a key workplace who can create the most economic impact during

a strike?

involved in organising. It may beimportant to provide informationabout how the uninvolved membersor non-union workers threatenwages and conditions. Look foropportunities for active unionmembers to be in direct contactwith less-active workers.


36


Learning from each otherAs a flight attendantsÕ union in theUnited States, we have been on bothsides of the outsourcing of jobs. Wewere recently contacted by flightattendants working in the UnitedStates for a foreign carrier. We do nothave a negotiations relationship withthis airline.

Our union is happy to organisethe workers, but we would like tooffer to work with the union from thecarrierÕs home country to representthem. We are thinking that workersshould be represented by the unionwhich has the primary negotiationswith the company. Internationally, weneed to figure out how to co-operateabout this.Patricia FriendITF affiliate, USA


37


Learning from each otherSATAWU [South African Transport andAllied WorkersÕ Union] organisedthousands of casual staff as part oftheir bottom-up negotiations process.

General meetings are held once amonth at the workplace. All membersattend and shop stewards are electedto four-year terms. Workers set thepolicy and campaign priorities.Together, they decide the negotiationsmandate, the fallback position fornegotiations, the point at which theywill strike.

SATAWU is driven by mandate. All elected leaders have a recallprocess. If stewards do not follow theworkersÕ mandate, they can be recalledwith a majority vote at the monthlygeneral meeting.

During the 2009 negotiations for Metro Rail, casual staff who collect the entrance tickets convincedtheir co-workers that they were

serious about organising. In negotiations, Metro Rail

management agreed to an 8 per centwage increase and to make all casualstaff permanent. Certain provinceswere not in agreement on the wagesand wanted their provincial mandate of10 per cent to stand, but the majoritymandate from all of the provinces was8 per cent plus permanent status (withall the benefits attached) for thethousands of casual staff who hadbeen on fixed-term contracts for somany years. After much intensedebate, the contract was settled withthe majority mandate.

If SATAWU had hired staff toorganise the casual staff, it might nothave yielded the same results.Additional staff is not always the bestway for unions to organise.Patricia PetersonITF affiliate, South Africa


38


* Are union leaders, members andstaff informed about and involvedin our organising plans?

* What are the decision-makingstructures that give us themandate to organise?

* Is it clear what resources areavailable to us for organising?

Union staff who are assignedto organising play an important rolein the organising process. Staff canhelp us Òjump-startÓ workerinvolvement. For many organisingcampaigns, having at least one staffperson to co-ordinate the work isimportant. One organiser or a smallnumber of volunteers cannot handlethe demands of a large group ofworkers.

When there is an insufficientnumber of people working on acampaign, we tend to takeshortcuts, such as relying on writtenmaterials to communicate withworkers. We either have to allocatea sufficient number of personnel to organising large groups ofworkers or stick to organising smallgroups of workers.

Sometimes unionconstitutions or union decision-making structures need to bechanged to allow us to organisenew workers. There may need to bea new union or organisation formedfor the new workers.

* Is the union prepared to welcomean increase in involved membersand leaders?

* What union members, activistsand leaders are willing to helpwith organising?

* Are there non-union workers whoare ready to organise?

* Are there communityorganisations or other unions thatcould assist us?

Once we know where we wantto organise, we need to have frankdiscussions to determine whatresources will be available to help usand how long we can maintain theseresources.


39


The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒUnion Structures and

ResourcesÓ contains additionalinformation to help you decide whereyou want to organise. A discussionabout gathering wider communitysupport for organising is included.

There is an activity that will help youdetermine what resources your unioncurrently has available for organisingand what additional resources areneeded.


40

INDUSTRY

RESEARCH



41

We need to identify who theemployer or decision maker is. Thisis the person or entity that canmake a difference in workingconditions. This is who we will needto pressure. Usually this will be thedirect employer. Sometimes it willbe a government entity. It may be the company that hires the sub-contracting company, eventhough the sub-contractor is thedirect employer.

If there is no direct employer,we may have to force a decisionmaker to admit that they havecontrol over working conditions.We may even have to force a publicentity to become the employer ofthe workers.

* What do we know about theemployer or decision maker?

* Who controls the decisions?* Where does the profit come from?

Learning from each otherThe Transport WorkersÕ Union ofAustralia (TWU) has represented self-employed truck drivers for nearly acentury. Approximately 30 per cent ofthe membership of the national unionare owner drivers.

The union has successfully targeteddecision makers to win a part in thestate governmentÕs regulatoryframework, making the retailers as wellas the contracting companies subject toinspections by the union and liable forprosecution.

TWUÕs research has shown thatthe Australian retail sector wieldsconsiderable power. Retail companieseffectively dictate the pricing and

delivery times with the majortransport operators, who in turn sub-contract to smaller operators andowner drivers.

TWU has organised under thetheme of ÒSafe RatesÓ. They have beenable to prove the link between low payrates and safety problems for driversand the public. 3,000 delegates havebeen through formal union training.Owner drivers have succeeded byblocking bridges, organising for a ÒgoslowÓ convoy to parliament, andlobbying politicians, academics and thepublic for support. Sarah Kain and Michael RawlingJournal of Industrial Relations ofAustralia, Vol. 51:3


42

* If it is a government entity that is the decision maker, whatvoting groups are important tothis entity?

In order to impact on theemployer or decision maker, weneed to know what entities andorganisations are important tothem. You will need to gatherinformation about these entities.

Once we have gathered thisinformation, we will have a better

idea of how we might be able toput pressure on the employer. Wemight want to form a researchcommittee of interested workers.

Often unions will only usetheir direct relationship with theemployer to put pressure on theemployer. In reality, there aremany relationships that theemployer has which may be moreimportant to the employer than theunion, especially when the unionworkers can be easily replaced.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE EMPLOYERÕS KEY RELATIONSHIPS?

Middle Management

Financial Institutions

Government & Regulators

PoliticiansSuppliers

& VendorsOther

Employers ÐSame Industry

or Market

Customers / Service Users

Executives, Owners /

Shareholders & Directors

Public / Civil Society

MediaParents &

Subsidiaries

Sub-contractors

Its workers & unions

EMPLOYERor

decision maker

INDUSTRY RESEARCH


43

INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Learning from each otherThe two largest school bus companiesin the United States are bothmultinationals from the UK. Wedecided to focus our organising on thelargest one, FirstGroup. We reachedout to the ITF, and we wereimmediately linked up with Unite, thebus driversÕ union in the UK.

Unite typically has over 90 per centmembership in FirstGroup. In the US, ourmembership at that time was very low.Almost every time the drivers tried toorganise a union, the company wouldthreaten them or shut down the work.

We were able to make directcontact between the US school busdrivers and the UK bus drivers. Bothgroups were shocked at the differencein treatment and conditions.

Many of the workers in the UKown shares in the company, and they,along with some institutional investors,

submitted a shareholdersÕ resolutionfor a human rights policy that includedworkersÕ rights to organise.

Unite helped our driversunderstand and make contact with UKparliamentarians, shareholders and themedia. Together, we were able to usethese key entities to persuadeFirstGroup to adapt new policies.

When we began, we representedabout 1,200 members at FirstGroup.Today we represent nearly 35,000drivers in FirstGroup. Seeing thedifference between how the workers inthe UK [and the US] are treated hasreally motivated our folks to workharder so that we can get to the levelwith FirstGroup where we have a realworking relationship. We have seenthat this is possible Ð thanks to Uniteand the ITF.Tammy EdwardsITF affiliate, USA


44

INDUSTRY RESEARCH

The relationships that are themost significant to the employerare the ones that will be mostimportant to our strategy. Look forthe relationships that are linked tocurrent and future profit. If youhave an elected decision maker,look for the relationships linked tocurrent and future votes. For morein-depth information about how toput pressure on the employer, youwill want to refer to the ITF StrategicCampaign Manual.

In addition to understandingthe employer or decision maker,we need to understand theindustry in which they operate.

* Who are the main competitors?* How does the employer fit into

the global supply chain? Are therekey hubs or transport operatorsthat the employer is sensitive to?

* How does the employer ordecision maker compare withothers in the industry?

Learning from each otherThe ITF ports of convenience (POC)database is an information gatheringand organising tool for dockersÕaffiliates to share researchinternationally on ports, terminaloperators and their parentcompanies.

This research is being used toidentify and support the organisingand campaigning work of dockersÕaffiliates in the international POCcampaign.ITF dockersÕ section


45

INDUSTRY RESEARCH

The majority of transportworkers in the world are informalworkers, and informal work is anever-growing part of the globaleconomy. Informal workers arethose without a formal or standardemployment relationship. Theymight be called unprotected,precarious, short-term contract,sub-contracted or contract workers.Informal workers might be self-employed or Òfalsely self-employedÓ. They may employothers but not be in control of theirwork or profits. They may not havea ÒjobÓ, but they work.

We find informal workers inall sectors of transport. They mightbe seafarers, sub-contracted dockworkers, taxi and bus drivers, flightattendants whose wage comes as acommission, railway ticketcollectors, ÒportersÓ at the airportssurviving on tips, or owner-drivers oftrucks. They might be short-termcontract workers, working right nextto ÒnormalÓ workers.

Understanding the industrycan motivate union members toassist with organising. Union

members need to understand thattheir lack of participation can lessenwhat improvements the union isable to make.

If you are organising non-unionworkers:* In the past five years, how has the

non-union sector affected unionmembers?

* In the next five years, how will thenon-union sector affect unionmembers?

If you are organising workers whohave union representation:* In the past five years, how has

workersÕ lack of participation inthe union affected workingconditions for all workers?

* In the next five years, how willworkersÕ lack of participation inthe union affect workingconditions for all workers?

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒIndustry ResearchÓ

contains two activities that will helpyou analyse information about theemployerÕs key relationships anddevelop a research plan.


46

BENCHMARKS

AND WORK PLANS



47

Before you begin setting yourbenchmarks, you will need to knowwho the employer or decisionmaker is and approximately howmany workers you will beorganising. ÒBenchmarksÓ arespecific goals that measure levels ofworker involvement that we needto meet.

If there are external deadlinesor constraints Ð for example, withcontract negotiations or a threat ofprivatisation Ð it is essential that theunion begins organising early. Too

often we wait or delay ourorganising work and then blame theworkers if they are not involvedwhen we need them.

For your organising, what do youthink the four benchmarks forworker participation should be?___% names and contact details___% one-to-one contact within 48

hours___% have basic knowledge of the

union___% willing to publicly show support

FOUR KEY BENCHMARKSBenchmarks are specific levels of worker participation we want to meet

before we confront the employer.


one-to-one contact

within 48 hrs


of union


support


48

BENCHMARKS AND WORK PLANS

As we get closer to meetingour benchmarks, a false sense ofsecurity can occur. Workers fromstrong areas or shifts may notrealise what other workers arefacing. Some groups of workers maystill be afraid to contact the union ormay still lack information about theunion. The union may lose sight ofthese workers because they are notin contact with them. The employermay be holding back its anti-unioncampaign because it isunderestimating the unionÕsstrength.

Union supporters will want toimagine that momentum will buildnaturally. But usually workers slowdown their involvement once theemployer increases the pressure on them.

Planning is a key component oforganising. There are many benefits.Planning helps us build the collectiveand can hold us accountable to eachother. We need to know whateveryone is doing and when so thatwe can co-ordinate our work. If wedo not plan, we simply react, sowithout planning, there is no

strategy. Planning takes time andeffort. It can show us ourweaknesses as well as our strengths.And any plan is useless if notimplemented.

We need to search out peoplein our union and our workplaceswho have skills that can help uswith organising. And then we needto delegate specific tasks to them.We cannot organise alone.Delegating helps us build newleaders and bring new ideas andenergy into our work. Sometimeswe resist the amount of planningand work it takes to delegate tasks,but if we are not delegating, we arenot organising.

* What skills do you have that canhelp with organising?

* Who else can assist us? How canwe get them involved?

To begin a group planningprocess, we will want to select atime period for your plan. It mightbe one week, three months or fiveyears. List the tasks that need to bedone. For every task, decide whowill be responsible and when they


49


PLANNING PROCESS

Tasks Who will be responsible? When will they report to whom?

SAMPLE 3 MONTH WORK PLAN

Tasks

List BuildingCreate list of workers we arein touch with includingcontact details

Who will be responsible? When will they report to whom?

Communication NetworksKeep in regular contact with 30 non-union workers

EducationRequest time at the nextmembership meeting todiscuss organising

Richard

Sangam (with the help of the participants present whoagree to keep in touch with5-7 workers each)

Sharon

Give list to Sangam by March 1 with copy toSharon

Every 2 weeks detailed written report to Sharon

Union officers and unioneducation committee


50


will report to whom. The personresponsible does not have to do allthe work but is responsible forworking with others to get it done.Be specific and realistic. Include anevaluation plan.

The next step is to create acalendar. Again, decide on a timeperiod. Write in all major unionevents and holidays. Then add thetasks and deadlines from your workplan, and adjust your calendar asneeded.

Whom would you need to involvein planning?* Elected leaders* Union members* Non-union workers* Union staffHow often would you meet to plan?

Learning from each otherThere must always be a second layerof leadership so that we are ready forsuccession if anything happens. Andthe organising must includeknowledge about trade union issuessuch as privatisation. All leaders mustbe able to represent the interests ofthe union and be involved locally inorganisations such as our nationalfederation, COSATU [Congress ofSouth African Trade Unions].

We must have 90 per centmembership to build the union; untilwe reach that point, I am not trulysatisfied that we have built the union.Veronica MesatywaITF affiliate, South Africa

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒBenchmarks and Work

PlansÓ contains activities that will helpyou create your benchmarks, an initialwork plan and calendar, as well asadditional information aboutdelegating and planning.


51


Learning from each otherIn English-speaking Africa, the labourrequirement for a union to get andkeep recognition is usually a unionmembership of Ò50 per cent plus 1Ó(simple majority). What we are doingnow is encouraging the unions torecruit 75 per cent so that if anythinghappens, the union is still safe. Manyunions are happy with this because weall know that employers can be verytricky. Employers have sacked workerswho have joined the union ortransferred them to a parent companyto defeat the Ò50 per cent plus 1Ó(simple majority) requirement.

Before we seek union recognition,unions keep the recruitment formssecret to help protect the workers fromintimidation. It is easier to recruit

before the employer knows. We needto extend this secret period of time.

We should not just go with Ò50 percent plus 1Ó (simple majority) becausethatÕs what the labour regulation is.We need to do what is best for theworkers and the union. In most cases,once the union gets the recognition,more workers usually join because theirjobs are secure, and they feel safer, butwe canÕt rely on this. Sometimessomething changes in the company Ð amerger or an ownership change or theshop steward changes.

When you have Ò50 per cent plus1Ó, you are just there, just enough, butif you have 75 per cent, you have themomentum with you. Anna Karume ITF secretariat


52



53

RECOGNITIONUNIONITF ORGANISING MANUAL


54

UNION RECOGNITION

Winning union recognition is partof the process of organising non-union workers.

Unions sometimes allow legalframeworks to control theirorganising strategy. We need tounderstand our legal frameworksbut not be trapped in them. Ourbenchmarks and plans should be setby our situation, not by thelegislative framework. Whenworkers face employer pressure orrepression, we will usually need tomeet a higher standard of workerinvolvement than the minimum thelaw allows.

In India, a registered tradeunion of workers Òshall at all timescontinue to have not less than 10per cent or one hundred of theworkers, whichever is lessÉÓ. Once the union has 10 per centmembership, it can register withthe labour board or it can wait untilit reaches its benchmarks forworker involvement and thenregister. In India, there are alsolegal protections that give workersthe right to organise: freedom of

association and core labourstandards. The laws are strong, butdelays are common. We need tothink carefully about whichprotects the workers best.Sometimes we need not just thelaw but also higher levels of workerparticipation in the union. In Argentina, the law protectsworkers who are elected as uniondelegates from termination. In aworkforce of 400, the union wouldbe allowed to elect five delegates.The legal protection for the electeddelegates allows these workers tocommunicate with their co-workerswithout fear of discipline. This canhelp with organising. The problemis that this can prevent workersfrom becoming involved, becausethey wait for the five electeddelegates to do the work. The idealmight be to first meet ourbenchmarks for organising, thenelect the delegates and move topublicly confront the employer.

In much of English-speakingAfrica, the law provides forrecognition once the union has


55

UNION RECOGNITION

signed up 50 per cent plus one (asimple majority) of the workers asunion members. The union canlose recognition if it falls below asimple majority membership. Someunions sign up 75 per cent beforethey seek recognition in order toprotect against the employerincreasing pressure on workers,especially when the membership isclose to the Ò50 per cent plus 1Óthreshold.

Informal or precariousworkers may not be covered bylabour laws. When we organise inthe informal sector, we need to beaware of other laws that affectworkers and working conditions. Wewill also need to create our ownbenchmarks according to the levelof worker involvement we will needto win improvements in conditions.

Spend time studying the legal framework for unionrecognition and other laws thataffect your organising. Trainworkers to know both the law andhow to use the law to supportorganising.

Once you have met the minimumlegal requirements for unionrecognition, what is your plan?

To take the legal steps for unionrecognitionTo meet our benchmarks first andthen seek legal recognition

Why?


56

MAPPING AND

LIST-BUILDING



57

MAPPING EXAMPLE:Royal Jordanian Cabin Crew

Terminal 1

Shuttle Bus

Terminal 2

* Crew Centre* Lounges

* Briefing Rooms* Cafeterias

* Duty Manager* Dispatcher* Mail Boxes

750 cabincrew

470 female 85% unionmembers In-flight

Management

Cabin CrewParking

Car ParkingPublic

Car ParkingCockpit Crew

Mapping identifies where workersare located. Mapping can be doneon numerous scales: workplace-wide, company-wide, industry-wide,national, regional and international.Mapping helps us build sustainableunion structures. It is an ongoingprocess, and it never ends.

In order to gather mappinginformation, we might visitworkplaces, ask the employer forinformation, look on the internetand read industry publications and

listings. The ITF can assist withinformation about which unionsrepresent workers in your companyat the regional or international level.

To create a map, first draw aphysical layout of where theworkers are. Include informationthat you already have aboutmanagement offices, briefingrooms, staff rooms, hotels,cafeterias, lounges, parking areasand rest areas Ð anywhere we mightfind workers. Add the numbers and


58

MAPPING AND LIST-BUILDING

locations of workers, sub-contractedor precarious workers, unionmembers and leaders, non-unionworkers, any other unions in theworkplace, and workplaces fromother countries and regions. Discusstogether what information ismissing and how we will obtain it.

We will need to keep lists ofworkers regularly updated. One ofour key benchmarks is for list-building.

* What do you think your list-building benchmark should be?

Lists include informationabout workersÕ relationships andconnections with each other.Include who knows who, whoworkers rely on if there is aproblem, who works with who andattendance at union events.

Be careful about where youkeep your lists. To prevent

MAPPING EXAMPLE: BUS DEPOTZambia Bus and Taxi WorkersÕ Union


59


MAPPING EXAMPLE:East Africa Highways and Port Links


60


duplication and to increase security,you probably want one person to beresponsible for updating the list.

Lists also contain anassessment of each workerÕs levelof union involvement.

These assessments are notbased on judgements but onworkersÕ actions. They are based onwhat workers do, not what they sayabout the union. Do not includegossip. You will not want to keepanything on your lists that youwould not want other workers to

see or hear about.Assessments will change.

Workers will increase and decreasetheir involvement in the union asthe organising moves forward.Assessments need to be constantlyupdated.

Assessments help us keep ourfocus on the undecided andunknown workers. As more workersbecome involved, do not overlookthe workers we are not in contactwith, the ÒunknownsÓ. Because weare more likely to be talking to the

List BuildingIndentify what information you want to keep updated* Contact details* Job category* Direct employer* Employment status* Terms and conditions including temporary / permanent contracts* Shift / working time* Physical work location* Composition of the different categories of workers (eg age, gender and

social interests)* Union membership / delegate / activist* Problems / concerns* Level of union involvement Ð attendance at union events and activities


61


union supporters, we may feel thatwe are stronger than we are.Keeping very accurate numbers andassessments is critical to planningour strategy.

ASSESSMENT OF UNION INVOLVEMENT

0INSUFFICIENTINFORMATION

1PUBLIC YES

2PARTICIPATES

3TALKING ABOUT UNION / UNDECIDED

4PUBLIC NO

No one-on-one contact yet.

Participates consistently.Supports union publicly and explains why.

Attends sometimes but consistently and not always publicly.

Speaks about the union but does not participatein public activities. Might say they are withunion, or might say they are undecided.

Publicly anti union.

Building your list:* What information will we

want to keep? * How will we gather the

information? * Where will we keep the list?

(Computer, individual cards, chartpaper, etc.)

* How will we keep our list updated?


62


LIST WITH MONTHLY ASSESSMENT NUMBERS

#Jan

#Feb

Whoknowswho

5.6.2010Aviation

Law Event

Mobile/Email Comments

Eva 3 1 Sylvia AttendedRest timeon Lima

flight

Maria 0 4 Sylvia Attended Past historyof union

ASSESSMENT NUMBERS HELP US ANALYSE OUR ORGANISING

Assessment January February March

0 Unknown

1 Active Publicly

2 Participates

3 Undecided

4 No

Total

492

2

46

126

116

782

390

20

62

144

156

772

142

42

94

264

220

762


63


Learning from each otherWe are used to building strongrelationships with workers. In Turkey,we follow the workers from work andspeak to them in a caf� or at theirhouse. We spend time with them,getting to know them and theirfamilies. The company provides a busto take workers to the workplace, sowe follow these buses. We also look atparts of the city where the workers aremore likely to be. For example, wemight look for some workers in theheavily commercial areas.

We might help drivers unload,

introduce ourselves and discussworking conditions. Sometimes theydonÕt want to talk, and sometimes theysay yes.

Once we know them, we ask theworkers to organise a meeting withthree to five other sympathetic peopleat their home.

We ask our union members if theyhave contacts in the companies. And ifthe company is hiring, we will sendunemployed union members to thecompany to apply. Kenan OzturkITF affiliate, Turkey

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒMapping and List-

BuildingÓ contains activities that will help you both create a map andbegin your list-building work. Inaddition, there are samples of recordkeeping and an exercise to help youuse worker assessment numbers inyour organising.


64

ARBOLITOS

(WORKER NETWORKS)



65

Worker networks, also known asÒarbolitosÓ, are small. No morethan five to seven workers areassigned to one person, thecommunicator. Communication isperson-to-person and one-to-one.Worker networks help us identifyand develop leaders and hold theseleaders or communicatorsaccountable for a small but most

important task: communicating withtheir co-workers. You will need todesignate at least one person to co-ordinate and keep in touch with andsupport the communicators.

Worker networks are calledÒarbolitosÓ, or little trees, by ITFunions in Argentina, Chile, Ecuadorand Peru. This name helps usremember that worker networks

Learning from each otherWhen flight attendants from JordanianAir decided to organise, we knew thatface-to-face was the only way. Theunion had already tried just puttinginformation and forms in the crewmailboxes, only to find the literaturethrown in the trash. The vast majorityof the crew were convinced thatnothing would change.

At the first organising committeemeeting, only one person came, thentwo, and finally six. The six cabin crewbegan approaching flight attendantsquietly and individually Ð often in thegalley, also before the flight, whilewaiting for the transport bus, and inthe crew centre before and afterflights. We often spent one hour talking

to just one person. We asked friends totalk to friends. As we gainedmomentum, we scheduled days off totalk to their co-workers. It took overthree months of very hard work for usto develop enough participation tocontact 750 people. 30 per cent of thecabin crew are non-Jordanian, and wemade an extra effort to ensure theywere involved.

By the time we went tomanagement, we already had thesupport we needed to win. Eventually,we negotiated the right to speak to allnew flight attendants for 45 minutesduring the company initiationprogramme.Sawsan IbrahimITF affiliate, Jordan


66

ARBOLITOS (WORKER NETWORKS)

require a lot of gardening andpatience. There are lots of branches,and there is a constant need forpruning. Trees start small and treesgrow.

In union workplaces, usuallythe largest group of workers arethe uninvolved workers, not theanti-union workers or the unionactivists. These uninvolved workersare the ones we need to reach.

There are many methods thatunions use to communicate with

workers: newsletters, leaflets,websites, telephone calls, emailmessages, text messaging, socialnetworking websites, media,meetings and person-to-personcontact. The most effective methodwhen workers lack knowledgeabout the union or are afraid isperson-to-person contact.

* What do you think yourbenchmark for arbolitos should be?

ONE COMMUNICATOR FOR 5 TO 7 WORKERS

��

��

��

�

��

��


67


To form arbolitos, we can sortworkers by home address or postalcode, work teams, who knows who,work area, transport to and fromwork, shift or type of work.

Arbolitos strengthen andstructure our person-to-personcontacts with workers. We will needcommunicators, the people whowill keep in touch with five to sevenworkers. If our arbolito is largeenough, we will also need co-ordinators, the people who willkeep in contact with thecommunicators.

One of our key benchmarks is for arbolitos:___% one-to-one contact within 48 hours.

If you do not have an anti-union environment, but you wantto increase the level of workerinvolvement in the union (perhapsin preparation for a difficult set ofnegotiations or a problem thatworkers will need to take actionon), you will want to setbenchmarks for your arbolitos.Asking workers to communicatewith a small group of their co-workers is a simple and clear

Learning from each otherArbolitos (little trees) were developedby South American unions to describethe person-to-person, five-workers-to-one-organiser communication-network system of organising.

Arbolitos emphasise the constantneed for gardening, nurturing andfertilising of worker communicationnetworks.Dina FellerITF affiliate, Argentina


68


leadership task. Later, theseÒcommunicatorsÓ might take onother leadership roles in the union Ðdelegate, steward, works councilmember Ð but begin by allowingworkers to participate at a lessintense level of commitment.

Accountability is critical. Youwill want to get regular reportsfrom all communicators. Find outthe total number of workers whohave been spoken to or who haveparticipated in an activity. Record

this and what the workers aresaying. Use this information to buildyour lists. Do frequent spot checksto make sure that the correctmessage has been communicated.

After major actions or events,have communicators ask workersfor feedback. For workers who didnot participate, include questionsabout why they did not attend orget involved. For those who didparticipate, make sure that thecommunicators reinforce the

We will needcommunicators,the people who

will keep in touchwith the 5-7

workers.

If our arbolito is large enough,

we will also needco-ordinators,

the people whowill keep in

touch with thecommunicators


69


importance of their contributions.If a communicator does not

speak to their people, reassign thework or leave it undone untilsomeone else comes forward.

If a communicator does speakto their people, give support,recognition and educationalopportunities.

Here are two sample forms, oneto be filled out by the communicatorsand one for the co-ordinators (belowand on the following page).

If you need to keep thearbolitos underground, eachcommunicator can keep in contactwith only those workers they trustand one organiser. You might wantto keep the arbolitos even smallerand quieter, with two to threeworkers instead of five to seven. Theorganiser should be a trustedperson, preferably someone whodoes not work directly for thecompany and, therefore, is notsubject to pressure. Only the

To be filled out by COMMUNICATORS for each of the 5-7 workers they are talking to:

Contact Details Tasks

Name:

Date of first contact:

Work location and type:

Hours of work:

Concerns and comments:

Survey complete: Y NDate: Met me to talk: Y NDate: Will talk to others: Y NDate: Who did they speak to?

Reason given for inability tocomplete a task:


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organiser knows which workers aresupporting the union.

When workers will be facingpressure from the employer,communicators do not need to talkopenly about the union. Thearbolitos can be used to strengthensocial relationships and discussworking conditions or any othertopic of interest.

We need to find people whocan be communicators and co-ordinators, workers who will lead

the organising. Leaders are notnecessarily the most outspoken oreven the ones most in favour of theunion.

There are two easy steps tofinding leaders:1) Ask workers who they rely on

when there are workplaceproblems and also who organisessocial events.

2) Ask workers to do small tasks,and then you can spend time withthose who complete the tasks.

To be filled out by CO-ORDINATORS for each of the communicators:

Communicator Contact Details CommunicatorÕs Tasks

Name of communicator:

Best time to call:

Concerns and comments:

Total surveys givenDate: Total surveys completed:Date: Total workers thecommunicator met withone-to-one:

Reason given for inability tocomplete a task:


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Arbolitos can be used to targetspecific groups of under-represented workers to get themmore involved. Identify the types ofworkers who are under-representedin the union (by age, work locationor area, shift, type of work,language, culture, gender, etc). Planto recruit communicators who cantalk to workers in their ownlanguages and are familiar with theircultures and subcultures.

Arbolitos support unionstructures and workplace leaders;they do not replace them.Workplace delegates and unionleaders help recruit, train andsupport the arbolitos.Communicating with co-workers isusually one part of the workplacedelegateÕs job. Arbolitos can assistworkplace delegates.

To create arbolitos:* Think about the workplace

leadership structure of your union.How will we involve these unionleaders in the creation of thearbolitos?

* How many communicators will weneed? How many do we have

now? Do we need people to co-ordinate the work of thecommunicators?

* How will we recruit, train andsupport these people?

* What information will we need tocollect, and how will we keep andmaintain records?

* What problems might arise fromsetting up this network? How willwe overcome these problems?

The most important thing toremember when talking toapathetic or fearful workers is tonot talk but to listen. An organisershould be listening about 80 percent of the time and talking notmore than 20 per cent of the time. Ifyou donÕt know the answer to aquestion, tell the person that youwill find out and get back to them.

When workers are afraid offirings, retaliation and violence,remember to listen deeply. Simplyproviding an open ear, support andsolidarity is most important. Workerswill make their own decisions abouthow much risk to take and when,and their risk levels are likely tochange with time and circumstance.


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Ask workers open-endedquestions that will get them talkingabout their working conditions,themselves and the possibilities forchange. Ask them to commit tosmall things that will get them moreinvolved, whether they can remainopen to more discussions with youor if they know someone else youcan talk to. When the worker saysno, do not get into an argument ortry to convince the worker. Youwant the worker focused on whatthey are concerned about, not allthe reasons why it is so difficult toget involved.

Workers get involved in unionsfor many different reasons. Be ableto share your own story of why youare involved. Find out if people havebeen involved in social activities orunions in the past and what thatexperience was like for them. Havethey ever wanted to change things?Do they have a vision of what isneeded to improve things forworkers? Sharing with each otherdeepens our relationship.

Learning from each otherOne-to-one contact is key to gettingyoung workers on board. Marco SteinbornITF affiliate, Germany


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Workers have to trust theinformation they receive from theunion more than they trust whatthe employer is saying, what themedia is saying and perhaps whattheir friends and family are saying.Worker networks help us deepenour relationships with each otherand place these deeperrelationships within a unionstructure. The more workers trusteach other, the easier it is toorganise.

The employer is likely to takeactions against workers or passaround misleading information.We need to be able to counter theemployerÕs anti-union campaignquickly and effectively. One-to-onecontact with workers, systematicallyorganised so that we can contactthem within a short period, iscritical.


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ORGANISING

COMMITTEES



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There are many reasons to have anorganising committee. Organisingcommittees help spread the workaround, develop leaders andincrease commitment andownership. They help hold usaccountable to each other. Withinthe framework of the overall uniondecision-making structures, theorganising committee usually makesdaily decisions about organisingstrategy and work plans.

ORGANISING COMMITTEE

Hardworking people, usually complete tasks. Includes the arbolitos or

communication network communicators and key supportive union leaders.

Hardworking, always completes tasks

Hardest working, always do more

Usually a minimum of15% of the workers,

reflecting all jobs,genders, languages,ages and ethnicities

Includes key unionleaders and decisionmakers who are able

to support the work ofthe committee. The

organising committeecannot be separatefrom the union and

union leaders.

Learning from each otherUnions should concern themselvesequally with women and men in theworkplace. In my opinion, a unionwhich does not represent women oryoung workers is only doing half its job. Kalthoum BarkallahITF affiliate, Tunisia


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Forming an organising committee:1. Make a list of everyone who is

working on organising. Include thearbolitos (worker networks) andunion leaders. Are there anyunder-represented groups thatyou will need to focus on?

2. Discuss when, where and howoften to meet. The hardest-working people can meet moreoften, but they will want to reportin regularly.

3. Discuss how the organising committeefits into your union decision-makingstructures. Discuss who can performthe facilitation and record-keepingjobs.

You will want to create tasksfor the organising committee thatfit what workers are able andwilling to do.

Do not form the organisingcommittee too early. Use arbolitos(worker networks) first to buildsupport. If your first meeting is tooweak and not representative, it couldgive the impression of a small clique.Once the committee is formed,continue to focus on workers whereunion support is weak.

Once the committee is formed,do not make the mistake ofspending most of your time with theactive union supporters. Spend time

EXAMPLEI want to be a member of the LAN Airlines organising committee

IÕll take responsibility for:Attending committee meetings once a monthSpeaking to one or more LAN workers about what they like and dislikeabout working for LANHelping in the union office once a monthAttending soccer gamesAttending social eventsHelping organise soccer gamesHelping organise social eventsMaking calls to union members from the union officeKeeping 5-7 union members updated about organising

ORGANISING COMMITTEES


77

with the workers and the areas ofthe workforce where union supportis weak.

Keep the meetings brief,discuss who was able to do what, plan the tasks ahead of time,and give out assignments. Makesure that people do not commit tomore than they can do. Develop aculture of helping each other.

If someone does not completethe work they agreed to do,designate someone to contact themand find out why. You might want toset a policy for removal from theorganising committee after adesignated number of absences or if

no work tasks are completed.Encourage rejoining afterattendance at two or moremeetings or completion of work tasks.

Two important jobs arefacilitation and record-keeping. Theseresponsibilities can be shared orrotated, but it should be clear who isresponsible for doing them.

Sometimes there are groupsof workers who are under-represented in our union structuresand organising committees. Theymight be a certain age group,gender, ethnicity or race. Perhapsthe day-shift workers are less

Sample organising committee agenda

12:00 Attendance / Sign in

12:05 Report results of previous assignments

Ð Give recognition to people who completed assignments

Ð Plan what to do about work not done

12:10 Discussion of the next phase of the organising

12:20 Practice next assignments

12:50 Assignments

13:00 Adjourn



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involved than the night-shiftworkers. Work classifications,language or length of time on thejob might divide us.

Employers will often useexisting divisions in the workforceto further divide workers. They mayreward or punish some groups todivide workers. Sometimes this willbe done subtly, sometimes not. Themore united the workers, thestronger the union.

* Think about an under-representedgroup that is important to yourorganising.

* What problems might occur asthey become more involved?

* If we did nothing about theseproblems, what would be theconsequences?

* How might we go about changingthe situation?

Organising-committeemembers will want to share theirvisions of the union. What shouldour union be like at our workplace?What are the rights andresponsibilities of union leaders andmembers to each other? How is our

union involved in our industry, theeconomy and politics Ð bothnationally and internationally?

You will want to spend timethinking about ground rules foryour organising committee. Somecommon ones are: start on time andend on time; confidentiality; nopublic showing of weakness ordivision, especially to the employer;and even participation (if you speaka lot, speak less; if you donÕt speakmuch, speak more).

You will need to stick with aclear and democratic decision-making process and useparticipatory teaching methods toinvolve everyone and generateideas and discussion.

There will always be somecommittee members we donÕttrust. This can be difficult to dealwith, especially if there is fear ofemployer retaliation or violence.Employers benefit from anatmosphere of secrecy and mistrust;unions need trust to build thecollective.

Share information openly inmeetings unless it will directlyharm your organising. Keep your



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Consensus

Group decisions are mandates

METHODS FOR MAKING GROUP DECISIONS

Vote

Consensus plus vote

OtherÉ

By hand / informal ballot / formal ballot

All members share in the decision and take responsibility forimplementation. Those who disagree, show willingness toexperiment for a period of time or try alternatives.

An effort is made to reach consensus within a given timeframe.A member can then call the question by asking for a show ofhands or ballot vote.

Once a group decision is made and becomes a mandate, anychanges must be taken back through the collective decision-making process.

Small groups

All on the wall

GATHERING IDEAS

Brainstorming

Advantages anddisadvantages

OtherÉ

Divide into pairs or small groups. Return to larger group, shareideas and discuss.

Define the subject or question.Take a few moments for everyone to think quietly.Call out ideas or go around the room.Sort and discuss ideas

Write down your ideas on paper.One idea per paper, block letters, print clearly and about 5-7words.Gather the papers, sort, post on the wall and discuss.

When you have to decide between two alternatives:* Divide into small groups * Identify as many advantages anddisadvantages as possible * Share and discuss

Disadvantages to #1Advantages to #1

Disadvantages to #2Advantages to #2



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suspicions to yourself until youknow for sure, and do notoverreact.

Spend personal time gettingto know workers you donÕt yettrust. Give work assignments tothem that will not cause harm, suchas gathering information about theindustry or employer, or attendingunion events. Do not create anatmosphere or culture of mistrustbecause of one or two individuals.

Conflict will arise. Have cleardecision-making processes. Thinkahead about what conflicts mightarise. Discuss potential conflictsearly. Create a culture where wecan respect and learn from eachotherÕs differences. Practice deeplistening. Find out what is behindthe differences. Continue to buildstrong personal relationships oftrust Ð before, after and duringconflict.

Above all, keep your organisingcommittee meetings hardworkingand fun. The culture that youdevelop as you organise will affectthe culture of the overall union.

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒOrganising CommitteesÓ

contains activities that will help you(1) plan how you want to form yourorganising committee, (2) create aplan for recruiting under-representedworkers to the committee, and (3)practice decision-making in a group.There is a sample organisingcommittee agenda and anopportunity to conduct a practiceorganising committee meeting.



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Learning from each otherNETWON is organising trekking guidesin the tourism industry. The unionmade a significant achievement inlobbying the government for a tax onthe tourists who go trekking. A portionof the tax is the workersÕ share, and theunion will have input into deciding howit will be used.

There are about 9,000 licensedtrekking guides, but there are manynon-licensed guides. The governmenthas not checked this trend. There is nocompulsory system for officialinsurance for the trekking guides andno social security. The trekkingcompanies do not provide thenecessary equipment for the workers.There is not a permanent system ofemployment in the companies.

The union organised a three-dayeducation seminar to discuss problemsin the industry, what a union is andwhat a democratic union is like. The 22participants from the seminar thenrecruited 200 members by talking totheir friends in the workplace. Theunion keeps in touch with the 22, andthey came into the office every fewdays to meet and plan. After about ayear or more of person-to-personconversations with workers, we willhold a founding congress which willform a national organising committee.The newly elected leaders will hold atwo-day education programme andcontinue to organise and educate more workers.Ajay RaiITF affiliate, Nepal



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EMPLOYERÕS

ANTI-UNION

CAMPAIGN



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The fundamental conflict betweenlabour and capital will result insome effort by the employer tokeep the workers away from theunion. Predict what your employeris likely to do, whether it is positiveor negative. You will want toexplain the employerÕs campaignbefore it begins.

Stay on the offensive. If theunion gets stuck continuallyresponding to the employerÕsmessage, we will lose. Keep the

focus on improving workingconditions.

The employer will want to focuson dues, strikes and unions, usingscare tactics and temporary fixes.

The union will want to focuson improving working conditionsand having worker input indecision-making.

DonÕt be defensive.Responding directly to theemployerÕs false charges can givethem legitimacy and importance.

WHAT WOULD YOUR EMPLOYER SAY ABOUT UNION DUES?

Your employer might say:

The union can raise your dues or chargeyou other assessments whenever it feelslike it.

You canÕt afford to pay union dues.

The union will just spend your money oncorrupt schemes and big salaries.

The union is only interested in yourmoney.

Your employer wonÕt sayÉ

Only union members can decide to raisethe dues. The facts about the amount ofunion dues and the union finances.

You canÕt afford not to have a union. And you want a union thatÕs financiallystable.

Union members decide how to spend ourdues on services.

The union exists to organise and serveworkers.


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EMPLOYERÕS ANTI-UNION CAMPAIGN

WHAT MIGHT YOUR EMPLOYER SAY ABOUT UNIONS?Your employer might say:

The union will fine you for misbehaviour orfor not attending meetings or voting forcertain political candidates.

When you sign a union membership cardthe union will tell you what to do and howto act.

The union wonÕt let you take a problemdirectly to management.

The union will make false promises.


You will want to come to union meetingsand participate. If there are fines, whatthey amount to and why they exist.

Signing a union membership card simplymeans you want a union.

The union will help you talk tomanagement when you ask for help.

The union will answer all questionshonestly.

The union leadership is not good. The union leaders will meet with you atany time to discuss any issue or concern.

WHAT MIGHT YOUR EMPLOYER SAY ABOUT STRIKES?Your employer might say:

Unions love strikes.

The union can force you to strike.

Union strikes are violent.

Strikes are long.


Workers join unions to improve workingconditions. Strikes are sometimesnecessary.

Workers decide to strike.

What violence has occurred during paststrikes and why.

Give facts on length of time of past strikes.


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WHAT SCARE TACTICS MIGHT YOUR EMPLOYER TRY?Your employer might say:

We wonÕt ever sign acollective agreement even ifyou get a union here.

You will lose wages andworking conditions.

Union supporters will lose their jobs.

We wonÕt be one big happyfamily anymore.


Your employer will be legally required to negotiate. Ifthe employer believes they wonÕt have to agree toimprovements, why argue against the union?

Unions work to improve wages and conditions. Betterto negotiate together as a united group.

It is against the law and wrong to punish anyone forsupporting a union. We will work locally, nationally andinternationally to defend the rights of workers to organise.

Most union members have better relationships withtheir employers after they are unionised.

We will have to close or movethe company.

The decision to close or move a company is rarely donesimply because the workers unionise. The facts aboutcompany and industry finances.

WILL YOUR EMPLOYER TRY TEMPORARY FIXES?Your employer might say:

Give us another chance, we will change.

We have procedures for hearing yourcomplaints.

WeÕll change a few things that are reallybothering you.


A union is the only way to make sure theemployer changes.

Without a union, the employer still has thelast word.

If you can get changes just by talking abouta union imagine what you can get onceyou have joined.


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Learning from each other* Fear is a small word with a powerful

meaning.* We have all lived with fear.* We always live through it.* We are intelligent people who have

organised and educated ourselvesabout our rights.

* This is not a time to be manipulated,divided and oppressed by fear.

* We know what we need, we need toorganise.

Manny TavarezUnion organiser

If you have already discussed theissues with workers, you wonÕt needto respond defensively to eachemployer ÒfactÓ. If you have torespond, be clear, brief and positive.Refocus the discussion on theworkersÕ problems and what theemployer can do about them.

Strengthen the arbolitos(worker networks) and theorganising committee. Workersneed to get information fromsomeone they know and trust whois also informative and honest.Make sure that organisingcommittee members are alwaysinformed.

DonÕt let the employer divideworkers, especially by gender, age,work area or ethnicity. Plan socialevents that allow for more contact.Talk to workers and shareinformation across the divide.

Focus on the undecidedworkers. DonÕt alienate undecidedworkers by over-appealing to unionsupporters.

One of the first things that thecompany will do is try to getworkers to stay away from the

Learning from each otherSix railway workers were dismissed inThailand for participating in industrialaction in protest against a fatalaccident. Immediately after theaccident, the government blamed theworkers. They didnÕt see the fact thatsafety devices werenÕt workingproperly. These dismissals are unionbusting. Pinyo RuennpetchITF affiliate, Thailand


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Learning from each otherIn Mumbai, a number of port truckingcontractors in MaerskÕs GTI terminalresponded to union organising of portdrivers with violence.

In one incident, four drivers wereabducted by thugs and severelybeaten for wanting to join the union.In another, company thugs beatworkers with hockey sticks and steelrods on a company bus to persuadethem to join a Òyellow unionÓ.

The union organised against theattacks, with strong internationalsupport from the ITF. A collectiveagreement for port drivers waseventually signed with the largestcontractor, firmly establishing theright to union representation.Transport & Dock Workers Union,MumbaiITF affiliate, India

union and union supporters.Gather any still missing names andcontact details of workers. This willbe harder and harder to do as theanti-union campaign develops. Youwill need the contacts to keepbuilding trust through person-to-person conversations.

Encourage workers to keep intouch with the union, no matterwhat happens, as there may be alot of misinformation and rumours.If workers are fired or treatedunfairly for supporting the union, itwill be very important to maintaincontact between them and theunion and give them support. If theemployer improves workingconditions, it will be important forworkers to know that it is a result ofunion activity.

You may need to prepareworkers for meetings withsupervisors. List what might besaid. Plan together how to respond.Take turns practicing, one playingthe role of supervisor and one theworker. Supervisors may be trainedto gather information from workers.Share only information that you

In Australia, a home-grown union-busting company, ACIL, a think tanklinked to the right wing nationalHoward government, tried to breakthe MUA [Maritime Union ofAustralia] during its historic portsdispute with Patricks in 1997.


88


want to go back to the company, nomatter how friendly the approach.Supervisors are often pressured topressure workers.

You may need to prepare foran anti-union ÒloyaltyÓ committeeor ÒyellowÓ (company) union.Attacking the workers in the anti-union committee directly orindividually plays into theemployerÕs hands. It makes theworkers fight against each otherinstead of focusing on the need toimprove working conditions. Youmight consider sending an openletter to the employer. The lettercan remind the company thateconomic aid from an employer to aunion is illegal and/or immoral andthat the real focus needs to be onimproving working conditions.

Violence may occur. Sharewith workers any history of violencethat the union is aware of in yourindustry or with your employer.Discuss fear and predict what couldhappen. Prepare support teams thatworkers can contact in case of anemergency. Include trustedcommunity and religious leaders.

Learning from each otherAs soon as management becomesaware of our organising work, theyreact quite fiercely, attacking ourunion and the union workers.

Right now, we have 156 workersdismissed from UPS for organising.

The workers are picketing in frontof transport centres, and this is not aneasy thing to do, because they areunder huge pressure. The workerswho are still working inside are alsounder tremendous pressure.

The company has not succeededin getting even one worker to resignfrom the union.

The local management of UPSworks closely with the police. Theydetain union leaders as well asworkers quite frequently.

We have been very successfulorganising in these situations in thepast because of our deep and strongrelationships with the workers,combined with our internationalpressure. Kenan OzturkITF affiliate, Turkey


89


Learning from each otherUnite, the British transport union,decided to organise the low-cost airlineFlybe as part of co-ordinated sectoralstrategy. The company hired the BurkeGroup, notorious union busters, to tryand break the union from the start ofthe campaign.

The union used organising teamsof full-time organisers, peer-groupstewards and union officers to targetthe workers. All the organisers weretrained in core cabin crew issues ofworkplace environment, crewcomplements, schedulingarrangements, allowances and wagestructures. Additionally, the companyÕsownership, operations and workforcedemographics were mapped.Organisers visited and mappedworksites, setting up organisingcommittees at each workplace as thecampaign progressed. Meetings,national and local newsletters,petitions and sticker days wereimplemented. All grievances raised bythe workers were dealt with by theunion, including pay, scheduling,cleaning, rest breaks and premiumcrew issues.

Organisers spent time preparingworkers for the management tacticsthey could expect, including unionbusting presentations from the BurkeGroup and anti-union messages. ÒWehad to immerse ourselves in theoperations of the company,Ó saysSharon Graham, director of organisingfor Unite. ÒBy the end, the workforcereally understood what the union wasabout.Ó

The union put pressure on Flybe toget rid of the union busters. It looked atall aspects of the companyÕs marketand work activities to target reputationrisk. The union continued to demandthat company money was spent onresolving crew issues, not on unethicalunion busters whose purpose was todeny workers a decent wage.

The work paid off. When theworkforce was balloted, there was an89 per cent turnout, and 93 per centcame back with a yes vote for theunion. The union strategy to organisethe majority of new members fromyoung women under the age of 30 hadbeen successful.UniteITF affiliate, Great Britain


90


If there is a threat of violence, keepthe arbolitos (worker networks)quiet and ÒundergroundÓ. Workhard to stay underground and tobuild collective strength beforeconfronting the employer. Select atrusted organiser (perhapssomeone who does not workdirectly for the company) to keepeach arbolito informed andeducated.

If violence occurs, quietly andsystematically stick to our plan:mapping, training more leaders andorganisers and continuing to stayunderground wherever possible. Atthe same time, prepare for publicaction against the violence with ITFregional and global support.

You may be facing an anti-union consultant. Anti-unionconsultants or law firms counsel ordirect the employerÕs anti-unioncampaign. The USÕs $4 billion [£2billion] union busting industry isextremely profitable and growingglobally.

In summary, we need toremember (1) to keep focused onthe demand to improve workingconditions and (2) that informedand involved workers are our bestprotection against the employerÕsanti-union campaign.

(Information from the AFSCME (American Federation ofState, County and Municipal Employees) booklet entitledÒWe Won and So Can YouÓ was included in this chapter.)

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒEmployerÕs Anti-Union

CampaignÓ contains additionalinformation about how to identify andexpose anti-union consultants. Asample anti-union leaflet is included.There is an activity that will help youprepare for the employerÕs anti-unioncampaign.


91

TRAININGITF ORGANISING MANUAL


92

TRAINING

Without training and education,workers will not know what aunion is and how it can bestfunction.

If we do not train workers,misinformation in the workplace willincrease. Leaders may not grow inskills and experience. It will beharder to recruit additional leadersif we do not support our currentleaders. We will have too fewpeople who are skilled at doing theorganising work. Making decisionsand resolving conflicts becomemore difficult.

Through training andeducation, we canÉ* Exchange information, skills and

perspectives.* Develop and understand our

organising plans together.* Help recruit additional leaders.* Build deeper relationships

amongst workers.One of our benchmarks is for

union training.There are three key topics that

workers may need training in:1. The organising plan and how to

get involved in organising

Learning from each otherI am a flight attendant at JordanianAirlines. When I first got involved inthe union, no-one else was ready toparticipate. The leader of my unionrecommended that I attend an ITFeducation seminar on ÒTraining theTrainerÓ.

With the help andencouragement of my fellowparticipants, I gathered ideas abouthow to educate my co-workers aboutunions. One of the participantsbecame my mentor and friend.

I was able to recruit a small groupof my fellow flight attendants to assistme, and within a year we had won.

My education began with a one-to-one conversation followed by aseminar and then a mentor. I am nowhelping others in my union.

We need to take the education ofour leaders and co-workers seriously.Every worker needs to haveopportunities to increase skills, shareideas and learn from each other. Sawsan IbrahimITF affiliate, Jordan


93

TRAINING

2. The union, including the unionÕshistory and vision

3. The company, the industry andthe economy

Training can be done in avariety of ways. It does not need tobe in a classroom or at a meeting.Songs, quizzes, games, poems andeven just interesting questions thathelp start conversations can be goodeducational tools. We will look atseveral different methods fortraining workers.

Most people learn throughone-to-one, person-to-personrelationships. These one-to-onerelationships must be built onhonesty and trust. Workers do notusually commit to the challenge ofgetting involved in a union based onwritten materials.

Education in small groups ispart of strengthening our arbolitos(worker networks). Small groupmeetings can take place in workersÕhomes, caf�s or other safe locations.The meetings should be fun andbuild the sense of the collective.They should be a safe place to sharequestions. The small groups can

either be informal and social or berun with an agenda (as in a studycircle).

Mentoring supports the deepsharing of experience andknowledge. Mentors and menteesshould meet regularly and mightneed a list of topics to cover. Bothparticipants should be willing tochallenge habits and assumptionsand be open to new ideas. And bothneed to provide praise and supportfor each other. Clear, direct andhonest feedback should be givenwith kindness.

Industry events are usuallyheld away from the union officeand without a union ÒlabelÓ inorder to provide safe space for theworkers before they are ready topublicly confront the employer.Possible venues include radiostations, industry training centres,hotels or conference rooms, achurch or community facility, or acollege or university. Topics arevaried. There might be an interest inindustry law, particularly as it affectsworkers, a comparison ofconditions, or safety information


94

TRAINING

about injuries and how to prevent them.

Surveys use the arbolitos(worker networks) communicationstructures to gather data of interestto workers. Possible topics mightinclude (1) knowledge of the law orregulations covering workingconditions or (2) information aboutspecific conditions or problems (forexample, the frequency of backinjuries). We might collect

information about resources andneeds for childcare. The survey canbe from a college or university, asocial group, a Facebook group, anNGO, an industry academy ortraining organisation, the ITF or aunion. Include a request for workersÕcontact details. Promise to providethe final results to each workerparticipating in the survey.

Social events should be wellorganised and fun. You can either

Learning from each otherThere are 80,000 seafarers in Turkey,with 40,000 of them waiting for a job.The work is casual, usually with six-month contracts. None of the Turkishseafarers were with the union.

It took eight years to develop theteam that would organise theseafarers.

One place that seafarers gettogether is in their training courses.Eleven trainers were our nucleus.Officers are trained for two years,which was enough time for the trainersto develop deep relationships withthem. Each trainer recruitedapproximately 150 officers who theykept in touch with over the eight-year

period by phone, email and during resttimes. We shared friendship, politicsand helped each other with problems.There was no status, no money and noelected positions for any of us. By thetime we were ready, we had a group ofabout 800 trained seafaring officersready to act.

Last year, we were able tonegotiate 152 collective bargainingagreements, and we now have 800members who pay fees.

We understand that not everyonehas eight years. Our advice is to spendthe time on educating and training. Youneed a committed team that deeplytrusts each other.ITF affiliate, Turkey


95

TRAINING

create your own events or tap intoothersÕ social events. They mightinvolve sports, nightlife, dinnerparties, fundraisers, or shopping.You will want to maximiseopportunities for one-to-one,person-to-person contact with theworkers. For example, you might gofor drinks after you play soccertogether or you might want toorganise group transport forshopping. Make sure to follow up

Learning from each otherITF-affiliated driversÕ unions in WestAfrica are distributing music videosand cassettes to raise awareness ofdriversÕ problems, such as long hoursand police corruption. The musicproject promotes union messages todrivers. More drivers are now showingan interest in joining unions. Germaine OuedraogoITF education project co-ordinator

Who will we need to train?

Union MembersEspecially those who have contact with or

can relate to non-union or uninvolved workers

Non-union or uninvolvedworkers

Union leaders and staff

Training can help build links and trust between workers


96

TRAINING

Planning a training programmeWho would participate? Who would teach or lead? Whatfacilitation training and supportmight they need? How will you recruit participants? What training methods would you use?

One-to-one, person-to-personSmall groupsMentoringIndustry or educational eventsSurveysSocial eventsUnion eventsOther

Learning from each otherIn Sweden, audio books have beenproduced to educate truckers aboutHIV/AIDS. This is an ideal format forreaching union members on the road. ITF affiliate, Sweden

Learning from each otherWe had a three-week strike at AirFrance of baggage handlers, check-instaff and all the ground staff. Wehave legal access to workplaces aslong as we do not impede the work.

In France, we have one hour freeto train workers in the workplace. Theshop stewards contact the companyto set the location and date, and thenwe post a notice regarding the topicand the location. We had lots and lotsof these one-hour meetings tomobilise for the strike. We talked toworkers in rest areas and lounges butnot in front of passengers. We usedthis time to recruit members as well.

We had all three national unionfederations working together on thestrike, with inter-union meetings, jointpamphlets and a joint strike date. Wehad 70 per cent of the staff stopworking. We won the strike and therewas more confidence and trust in theunion afterwards.Liliane DebecheITF affiliate, France


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TRAINING

systematically with the newcontacts that you make.

We can use union events toeducate members about organising.You might make a shortannouncement at a well-attendedunion event, asking if anyone knowsanyone at the unorganised company.Or plan a five-day workshop todiscuss organising strategies. Try toalways include specific ideas of whatunion members can do to help.

* What do you think yourbenchmark for training should be?

Our training benchmark is ameasure of the percentage of non-union or uninvolved workerswho have a basic understanding ofthe union.

Learning from each otherWe need to get out there and educateworkers about what the union reallydoes. ItÕs not enough to say weÕre theunion and leave it at that.Tami RayITF affiliate, Bermuda

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒTrainingÓ includes more

thorough discussions of the topicsraised and an activity which will helpyou create a training programme.


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TRAINING

Learning from each otherMore than 3,000 seafarers attended anITF seafarers expo at the LunetaSeafarersÕ Center in Manila, the heart ofthe PhilippinesÕ seafaring community.

Seafarers interacted with theirunions, signed international ITFpetitions, wrote messages about keyworkplace issues and participated in arange of other activities Ð free medical

check-ups, quizzes and raffles. Theyreceived information about the benefitsof trade union membership and theemployment terms and conditions onboard vessels covered by the ITF.

It was a fantastic event, and onewe will be replicating in other regionsof the world.Graham YoungITF secretariat


99

TRAINING

Learning from each otherWe have to educate our membersabout collective bargaining, theirrights, union dues, everything.

We represent seafarers and fishersin Indonesia. Seafarers are alwaysmoving. The union goes to the manningagents and the shipping companies andwe advertise a three-day course for theseafarers to attend while they areashore. During this time they arevisiting the manning agency andlooking for work.

The union pays for thetransportation and food andaccommodation. We hold this trainingevery three months. You must be amember to go. When you join ourunion, we have a form, it is like acontract with your name and contactdetails and your certification. It lists themembersÕ responsibilities:* I will attend the three days of training

and all other union education coursesincluding the advanced courses

* I will pay my membership dues* I will attend congress and the

education and branch meetings thatoccur before congress and all other

union education courses including theadvanced courses

The union keeps a list of memberswho have and have not attended. Wesend out warning letters. If you arepaying your union dues and you do notknow about the union, you areunhappy. You will not be able to go tocongress. We have one delegate forevery 250 workers. Other members willlaugh at you because you are not ableto keep up with the discussions.

We now have 35,000 memberswith 5,000 of them in the fishingindustry. We are the major laboursupplying country for seafarers. Thereare companies that do not use ourmembers and they have a problem; theworkers will not have accidentinsurance for example.

We send our members, oureducated members to the companieswhere they will get more pay. They allmust attend the union training coursebefore they can join a ship. ThemembersÕ knowledge of the union isthe most important. Hanafi RustandiITF affiliate, Indonesia


100

WORKPLACE

PROBLEMS



101

PRIORITISING WORKPLACE PROBLEMSLook for workplace problems that are most:

widely felt

deeply felt

winnable in part

The number of workers who areconcerned about this problem.

How deeply and emotionallyimportant the problem is felt to be by the workers.

We need to have at least a chanceof winning some positive result for workers.

Workplace problems are the fuelthat drives organising. Manyworkers get involved because theywant to help solve problems andimprove conditions. Some examplesof workplace problems are: lowsalaries, HIV/AIDS stigma, nocollectively negotiated agreement,or a lack of respect, and poormorale. If you are organising to gaina collective agreement or takeindustrial action, this discussion ofworkplace problems may help you

prioritise one to three issues forbargaining.

* What do you know about theworking conditions and problemsthat workers are facing?

* What have the workers done inthe past to try to addressproblems?

Workplace problems motivateworkers to get involved. Resolvingproblems or even sharing


102

WORKPLACE PROBLEMS

information about problems canshow that by working collectively,we can make a difference. There aremany problems in any workplace,so we need to decide whichproblems to focus on.

We can make a workplaceproblem more widely felt if wecommunicate, educate and find acommon cause around it. If we wanta problem to be more deeply felt,we will need to appeal to theworkersÕ sense of justice and

fairness. And any problem can bemade more ÒwinnableÓ by breakingit down into smaller steps, thingsthat we can win along the way.

You will need to describeworkplace problems clearly so thatboth the workers and the generalpublic will be able to understandand relate to them. To make aproblem clearer to the workers, asksome of them to discuss theproblem whilst you take notes. Tomake a problem clearer to the

MAKE SURE THAT THE PROBLEM IS UNDERSTOOD BY THE WORKERS

Cabin crew have health andsafety problems

Cabin crew have problemswith back injuries fromlifting luggage into theoverhead racks.

MAKE SURE THAT THE PROBLEM IS UNDERSTOOD BY THE PUBLIC

Cabin crew want singlerooms.

No one, including cabin crew,should have to sleep in thesame room next to someonethey do not know, who maysmoke, act irresponsibly orviolate your safety.


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WORKPLACE PROBLEMS

general public, get feedback frompeople who are not involved in theworkplace or industry.

Deeply felt problems are real.They may be more difficult to talkabout. Examples of deeply feltproblems might be discrimination orharassment based on race, ethnicityor gender; the stigma of HIV/AIDS;workload and stress; or access toeducation for our children. Concretesolutions can sometimes bedifficult, but giving a voice to thevoiceless can be a powerfulbeginning.

If workers cannot openly talkabout their problems, you mightwant to publish anonymous storiesdescribing what workers are facing.These can be distributed in theworkplace or wider community.

If there is a likelihood of astrong anti-union campaign by theemployer, we might not want totalk about workplace problemsopenly right away. If we begin toorganise around workplaceproblems too early, we may riskretaliation. Even increased discussionamong workers about their problemsmay alert the employer. We risk

Learning from each otherWe surveyed women locomotivedrivers to find out more about theirproblems. The drivers raised toiletfacilities, the need for separaterestrooms, ergonomic design of cabs,and opportunities for flexible workingrelated to childcare. The surveycommittee then maderecommendations to the union abouthow to address these problems. Grethe ThorsenITF affiliate, Norway

It is difficult for seafarers to takeaction. They are isolated and havefew rights aboard ships. But aninternational online ITF petition to endpiracy allowed seafarers to showsupport for an issue they care about.Having a petition which was alsosupported by shipowners made iteasier to involve the seafarers. Overhalf a million seafarers signed thepetition.ITF seafarers section


104

WORKPLACE PROBLEMS

Learning from each otherIn the past, the union would wait forthe workersÕ anger to build and thencall a strike, without planning ahead.There werenÕt many ways for theworkers to participate in the union untilthey reached the stage of striking.

We are always looking for sharedproblems that are easy for the workersto get involved with. We did a survey tofind out how many are affected byunsafe practices during the typhoonseason. We had almost 600questionnaires returned. We receivedfeedback from the respondents thatsome workers were asked to keeplashing even when it is clearlydangerous, and there are not enoughshuttle buses provided to get theworkers out of the terminal to safeground.

We held a seminar at theMarinersÕ Club in Hong Kong andinvited workers and government

officials. The government said it wouldbe too difficult to have legislation for aspecific industry, which increased theanger of the workers. At the meeting,the group decided to leaflet theworkers about their right to stop workin unsafe conditions and to continue tolobby the politicians. We alsocommitted to gather moredocumentation about the unsafepractices. We are putting our demandsto the employer association. And if wedo not get results, we are prepared tothen go to the public and the media.

Now the terminal operators havebeen holding longer briefings forworkers about the coming typhoonseason and have purchased safetyequipment and hired more shuttlebuses during typhoons. It is a start. We are making progress, and moreworkers are getting involved.Doris Hiu Yan SinITF affiliate, Hong Kong


105

WORKPLACE PROBLEMS

Learning from each otherSometimes organising can happenquickly. We had a small success atCathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong.The company unilaterally announceda change in the rules on swappingflight duties, giving only one dayÕsnotice. The 4,000 affected cabin crewwere very angry and wanted to go onstrike. In ten days, we were able toget 600 more workers to join theunion. We directed the anger againstthe CEO. Some 850 members ralliedagainst the company and stoppedtraffic as we circled CathayÕsheadquarters. The company withdrewthe policy. We were able to use theanger from this issue to organisemore participation in the union.Becky KwanITF affiliate, Hong Kong

losing, rather than gaining,momentum. Instead, spend timecarefully and fully listening andlearning about the problems thatworkers are facing so that we will beready to act when the time is right.

If we are facing a strong anti-union campaign or violence fromthe employer, we might not useeven anonymous worker action.There may be too much risk.

Organising to improve workingconditions never ends. Once weresolve some problems, we look forother problems that the union canwork on.

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒWorkplace ProblemsÓ

includes an activity that will help youprioritise one to three workplaceproblems that are widely felt, deeplyfelt and potentially ÒwinnableÓ.


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WORKPLACE PROBLEMS

Learning from each otherWe are organising the bicycle couriersin Toronto in the same-day courier-service industry. They were not union.We knew that we would have to buildthe union from the ground up, and itwould not be a quick process.

We talked to the couriers andasked them what they wanted, whatwe can help them with. We havespent the year getting to know them.

They needed a clothes dryer anda courier worker centre in downtownToronto. One problem they have isthat they sweat when they aredelivering, the sweat freezes and thenthey have to go to a publiclaundromat to dry their clothes. TheycanÕt carry extra clothes with them ontheir bikes when they are working. Sowe helped them set up a centre with aclothes dryer. The centre holdsworkshops and information sessionsfor couriers on a regular basis, andcouriers can come there to learn moreand get involved in the union.Val�re TremblayITF affiliate, Canada

Learning from each otherA few years ago we were not talkingabout HIV/AIDS in our unions in theArab World. This is a very sensitiveissue for us. There is a myth thatHIV/AIDS happens to other people,that it is a problem of Western andAfrican countries.

We held two national educationseminars, one in Jordan and one inEgypt. There were men and women inboth seminars.

In Egypt, there were three womenand 20 male participants. At thebeginning, the men stopped thewomen from asking questions.However, by the third day, the women were educating people in the passenger van on the way tothe seminar.

HIV/AIDS is an occupationalhealth issue. It affects our membersdeeply, and we must educate eachother and learn how to talk to each other about this and otherdifficult topics.Bilal MalkawiITF Secretariat


107

MOBILISATIONPUBLICITF ORGANISING MANUAL


108

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

The public showing of support forthe union to the employer or decision maker may take manyforms:* Delivery of a petition about a

workplace problem* Delegation of workers to the

employer or labour ministry* Strike, demonstration or industrial

action* Surrounding a decision makerÕs

office with taxis or trucks* Other

The public mobilisationbenchmark ensures that our publicaction will be a showing ofstrength, not weakness.

* What do you think yourbenchmark for public mobilisationshould be?

If it is difficult to meet ourbenchmark, we might want to lookfor a different action that will showsupport for the union, one that asufficient number of workers willparticipate in. Meanwhile, we cankeep organising to build for themore difficult action. For example, ifworkers are not yet ready to strike,

you might first have them sign apetition supporting the strikedemands as a way to build toward astrike.

We will want to collectivelyreview our other benchmarks to see if we need to strengthen ourlist-building, our arbolitos or our training programmes.

To plan our public mobilisation, we will need to be clearabout who the decision maker is andwhat our public demand is.

The public demand mightinclude:* One to three clear workplace

problems that are widely felt,deeply felt and possibly ÒwinnableÓ

* Recognition of the union andcollective bargaining

* No retaliation against the workersfor union involvement

* Who is the decision-maker youmight be confronting?

* What would your public demand be?

We will need to survey theworkers to make sure we havemaximum support and involvement


109

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

Learning from each otherWe have organised nearly 35,000 non-union school bus drivers in the last 10years. In the US, we have to organisethem by location, usually between tento 250 workers at a time.

We focused on the largestcompany first, a UK multinationalcalled FirstGroup. In each yard, we stayon the ground and ÒundergroundÓ untilwe have 75 per cent support. Wedevelop lists and meet with everyworker in their home and assess theirlevel of union support. We shareinformation about the union and makelinks with union drivers. We build anactive and representative organisingcommittee.

Without 75 per cent support and arepresentative committee, we will nottake the next steps to more publiclyorganise the union. We might go witha few points less, but it is very, veryrare. We used to strike or threaten tostrike, hoping to gain more support,and the company would close downthe yard or engage in legal processes

that cost thousands of dollars andhopeless delays.

Once we are ready for the publicmobilisation, we move rapidly. The 75per cent of the workers sign thepetition saying they want Teamsterrepresentation. The workers, together,sign and deliver a letter to the managerdemanding they follow the law andtreat union supporters fairly. Wedistribute a leaflet with a photo of allthe workers who are supporting theunion. We use community and religiousleaders to support us and to helpdocument unjust treatment. Then if thecompany tries their usual threats andpromises against us, we fight them,with the full support of the workers, allthe way to the shareholders.

We have now succeeded in movingthe company to refrain from pressuringthe workers, but we stay with our 75per cent standard. We still need themajority support and see no reasonwhy we would build a union without it.Tammy EdwardsITF affiliate, USA


110

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

SURVEY THE WORKERS

ÒWould you be willing to participate in [action] on [date]

if everyone else did?Ó

ÒCan you do anything additional to help on that day?Ó

before we take action. We can useour arbolitos (worker networks)communication structure to contactthe workers.

We do not want to leave thelevel of worker involvement tochance. We need to know inadvance who will be participating.

We will want to escalate fromlow-impact to high-impact pressureon the decision maker, alwaysplanning activities that the majority

of the workers will want to do. Theactivities should gradually increase inintensity (see solid line); it should notpeak too early and then keep up aneven amount of pressure (see dashedline) or peak too early and decreasein pressure (see dotted line).

You might want to give theemployer or decision maker achance to meet your demandsbefore you escalate. This is veryimportant, particularly if workers


111

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

ESCALATE THE ACTIVITY

FEB MAR APR MAY25MAY

Learning from each otherWhen the Rail and Maritime

Transport Union of New Zealand settledits collective contract for unionisedrailway workers at 2.2 per cent plus arange of balanced conditions, theemployer immediately moved toundermine the settlement by offeringnon-union workers 3 per cent but withoutthe conditions (penalty rates, overtimerates, etc.) contained in the contract.

To counter this anti-union move,the union produced a badge for unionmembers to wear in the workplace:Ò2.2% and proud of itÓ. It was wornwith pride and defeated the employerÕsattempt to divide workers andundermine the union.

Today, the union represents 89 percent of the total workforce.Eddie DicksonRetired official of the Rail and MaritimeTransport Union of New Zealand


112

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

EXAMPLE: DEMAND FOR UNION RECOGNITION

___% of workersuse leaflets andbanners in theworkplace to

demand that theemployer resolvethe problems and

recognise theunion.

Allies, customersand the media join

in co-ordinatedregional andinternational

actions.

Delegation ofworkers deliverpetitions signed

by ___% ofworkers to theemployer (withcopy to labour

board).

EXAMPLE: STRIKE

Person-to-person training for all

workers on how to strike

effectively.

Strike begins.

___% of workerssign a petition

showing supportfor the strike.

Group of workersdeliver strikedemand toemployer.


113

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

have not confronted the decisionmaker collectively before. It makesthe employer aware of our strengthso that they are more likely to meetour demands. It also helps workersand our allies to defend the unionand to know that we are taking thecorrect steps. And it enables us totake the offensive: The employerhas to respond to us and ourtimetable.

Sometimes employers willmake improvements in workingconditions to show workers thatthey do not need the union. If thisoccurs, make sure to claim it as avictory for the union and as anotherreason why we need to continue toorganise.

Employers sometimes delaytheir responses, hoping that theworkers will get discouraged. Letthe workers know ahead of time toexpect delays. Give the employerdeadlines, and back up yourdemands with escalating activities.

Allies from the communitycan assist us. We can surveyworkers to find out whatcommunity organisations they are

involved in. There may beimportant industry, social orcommunity events that can be usedto publicise workersÕ concerns. Lookfor what organisations might helpus to influence the employer.

Think about what yourmessage is and who your audienceis. You might prepare to contactnews media sources (print, TV,radio, web, etc). You might want touse leaflets, banners, posters,letters, stickers, balloons or othertools to spread your message.

The accompanyingPowerPoint module onÒPublic MobilisationÓ

includes an activity that will help youreview your benchmarks to ensure themaximum involvement of workersprior to a public showing of supportfor the union. A second activity willhelp you plan your public mobilisationor showing of support.


114

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

Learning from each otherWe can stick to our benchmarks even inthe face of public confrontation andindustrial action.

LAN Airlines flight attendants inArgentina have been able to obtain 95per cent of the contact details of theirco-workers and have grown theirarbolitos, or worker networks. Whenthe company learns who the unionleaders are, they have beendisciplined, harassed and eventerminated. There is a Òyellow unionÓpresent and a strong anti-unioncampaign.

The collective agreement isexpiring for the unions representingLAN ground crew, pilots, supervisorsand flight attendants. These unions arepreparing for joint industrial action iffired flight attendants are not put back

to work and if improvements are notmade in salaries and workingconditions for all LAN workers.

Flight attendants would beaffected by the possible flightcancellations but will not be asked toparticipate directly in the stoppage.They will be kept updated andinformed, sharing information aboutthe union and the negotiations process.We are continuing to build andstrengthen our relationships andcommunications with the flightattendants and work on problems suchas fatigue, stress and scheduling. Ex-LAN flight attendants and flightattendants from other companies arethe public face of the organisingcommittee for right now.Dina FellerITF affiliate, Argentina

Learning from each otherCSAV (Compa��a Sud Americana deVapores) is the largest publicly tradedshipping company in South America.The ITF ran a successful campaign toimprove conditions for seafarers onboard CSAV and CSAV-charteredvessels. ITF inspectors visited vesselsand reported on conditions. New

agreements were won, and over 1,000seafarers are now covered by ITF payand conditions. A survey askingseafarers how their conditions hadimproved as a result of the campaignallowed seafarers to share thesuccesses and see the benefits of unionorganisation.ITF seafarers section


115

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

Learning from each otherWe have made contact with a majorityof the workers at a sub-contractor of aglobal delivery company. We wereshocked at how hard they are workingfor so little money. If we mobilisepublicly against the company now, the risk is very high that the workers will belaid off or the delivery company will getrid of the sub-contractor.

Instead, we are connecting ourunion workers with each of the sub-contracted workers. They are keepingin touch and building socialrelationships. Meanwhile, we aremaking contact with workers at theother sub-contracting companies.

The usual process for our union would be to elect a works councilas soon as we had contact withworkers. In Austria, when people talkabout organising, it is often eitherabout marketing to increase

membership or to elect a works council. We can provide legal protection for

the works council delegates, butwithout strong union density, theemployer usually fires the works councilcandidate. We win the legal case, but itcan take two years. Meanwhile, thereis conflict and fear at the workplace,and the unionÕs access to the workers isclosed off. Often the employer knowsthey will lose in the courts, so theysettle. The settlement will include anew election for the works council, butthis new works council is by nowneutralised from taking action againstthe company.

The way we are organising now inthe global delivery branch is slower, butwe think it will yield good results andwill provide better protection for thesub-contracted workers.Harald VoitlITF affiliate, Austria


116

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

Learning from each otherWe started to organise Maersk portworkers in Aqaba, then Tangiers andBahrain and finally Casablanca. Maerskwas a new company in Casablanca.There are 780 workers working eightcranes. The workforce is young Ð mostare in their twenties Ð and for many ofthem, this was their first experience ofworking life. So we watched themquietly for one year. We have unionmembers at the port authority inCasablanca who kept in contact withthem.

Then the company sent 30Moroccans to Aqaba, Jordan, fortraining. The union members at Maerskin Aqaba were able to get us a list of 30names and contact details. I madepersonal contact with the two thatwere reportedly the strongest. Whenthey heard my name, they wereuncomfortable, because my name is soassociated with the union. So I didnÕttalk to them about the union; I talkedabout the new equipment in Tangiers.The conversation gradually got intosalaries, and they asked me for acomparison. They were shocked at howmuch higher the other salaries were.The workers also understood that their

individual contracts allowed eitherparty to cancel, so in fact the workerscould be terminated without notice.

We gradually developed morecontacts. Six workers were sent fromCasablanca to work in Tangiers wherethe Tangiers union port workers madeconnections with them. By then, wehad 20 to 30 workers coming in andout of the union office. We didnÕt wantto catch the attention of the company,so we told people to come in smallgroups after shifts.

We held a seminar on the ÒSocialand Professional Effects of the GlobalFinancial Crisis on APM WorkersÓ. Welisted the problems that workers faceand divided them into those that (1)can be solved by law or (2) need theunion to solve. Workers left themeeting strongly in favour of the union.

Once we had sufficient supportfrom the workers, we finally confrontedthe company, with the support of theITF Maersk union network, at an ITFmeeting in Copenhagen where Maerskwas talking about how much theyrespect workersÕ rights to be organisedin a union.Said ElhayrashITF affiliate, Morocco


117

PUBLIC MOBILISATION

Learning from each otherWe organise taxi drivers in Cartagena.We started out having meetings at gasstations and at the car wash.

We put pressure on the city tocreate taxi staging areas (yellow areas).Without an official staging area, theauthorities were fining the drivers andtowing their taxis while we were waitingoutside of hotels for passengers. We gotinvolved in the electoral process topressure the mayor and the council. Weheld a grand march of taxis around thecity council. We won, and this formedthe foundation of our union.

Once we became stronger, we heldassemblies in each region of the city.We elected representatives from theseregions to form the main leaders of theunion. There are 5,741 taxis, and 3,200

are now affiliated with us as members.We are still growing.

We face repression for ourorganising. Our leaders are given deaththreats; some have died and some are in exile.

We are working now with thenational authorities to implementsocial security, health care, accidentinsurance and work-injury insurance fortaxi drivers. The companies are notcomplying with the law in this area.

The authorities respect us nowbecause they know we are able tocreate stoppages in the tourist zone aswell. The city is surrounded by water,and all the hotels have only oneentrance and one exit to the airport.Orlando OlierITF affiliate, Colombia


118

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Documents

44826 Int Trans - Coverglobal-labour.net/documents/ITF Organising Manual...5 This handbook serves as both an overview and an introduction to the ITF Organising Manual. The ITF Organising