Americas Projects
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Regional education projects often have sub regional and national components for which activities are carried out. These projects can either be industry specific or cross sectional. The ITF currently has the following projects in the Americas, please click on the links below to go the desired project.
ITF/CAW Project Collective Bargaining Skills Project for the Caribbean Transport Unions
Caribbean trade Union movement is facing a number of critical issues, among them the lack of continuity, the creation of a Caribbean single market and economy (CSME) and finally lack of institutional capacity to deal effectively with some areas of operation.
A key fundamental weakness of unions is their difficulty to adopt effective collective negotiation processes and, as a result, the poor representation for their members in the workplace. This has been the result of the following factors:
- The increasing power of the multinationals and weaknesses in labour laws. The managers of these corporations have great capacity to negotiate for their own interests empowered by the new CSME deregulations.
- Poor preparation for collective negotiation. Trade union negotiators are not advanced in terms of negotiation and find it hard to adapt to the changes in the labour world.
- Loss of the unions’ power: the unions lost the power to ensure compliance with and update such laws.
- No database on collective negotiation of the sector at a regional level.
Therefore overall project aims to address the above weakness by strengthening the capacity of the transport trade unions in the Caribbean to organize more efficiently and negotiate better terms and conditions. In particular the project will;
- Provide Unions with greater capacity and knowledge to defend the rights of the workers of the multinationals.
- Strengthen unions by improving the collective negotiation processes carried out by skilled negotiator teams and officers. This strengthening of the unions will then lead to an increase in membership that, in turn, will give them better grounds to negotiate.
- Strengthened unions so that, they can put pressure on the government and multinationals to respect the labour laws.
Target Group: Caribbean Affiliates
Cooperating Organisation: ITF Affiliate, National Automobile, Aerospace Transportation and General Workers' Union of Canada (CAW)
Project Period:2008-2009
Building unions and solidarity in the Latin American aviation industry: Organising in Latin American Network (LAN Airlines)
The LAN group currently carries the highest number of passengers in South America making it into the world’s top forty airlines list. LAN (fomerly LAN Chile) has operated successfully within the region by establishing separate subsidiary companies in different countries which operate under a corporate strategy. The main emphasis has been to avoid trade union recognition and CBAs. Subsidiaries such as LAN Peru, LAN Ecuador and LAN Argentina operate on the basis that the company pursues a foreign bases policy that aims to optimise lowering costs and maximise the permitted length of working hours. The company in effect, appears to play one country off against another, constantly adjusting its labour force in terms of individual country requirements related to terms and conditions that are advantageous to the company.
These antiunion policies have ensured very low salaries and conditions in the countries where the policy has been successful in avoiding the formation of unions (like Ecuador).
The project aims to develop a strategy aimed at building union strength in order to impact upon collective bargaining in the company.This will be achieved through the conducting and dissemination of detailed research on the company and the use of regional seminars to develop joint strategies and build a network.
Target Group: Unions and countries where LAN operates
Cooperating Organisation: FES/FNV
Project Period:2008-2010
Building Organizing Capacities in Road Transport Unions: Strengthening Trade Union Structures and Developing Organizing Strategies
The project is a follow up on from the previous two phases 2001-2003 and 2004-2006 which focussed on strengthening road transport workers unions primarily in Latin America. In recognition of the different needs of unions in the region, the project is taking a duo approach with national activities supporting unions with specific organisation needs helping in targeting a larger number of rank and file members. Whilst subregional activities build the core strength of those unions through the development of links with other unions and skills.
The main objectives of the project are:
To reach different categories of workers including young workers, women workers and informal workers through training, recruitment campaigns and health awareness programmes
To consolidate the Road Transport unions network in the region through joint actions, campaigns and a permanent exchange of experiences and information.
Target Group: Road Transport unions in the Americas region
Cooperating Organisation: SASK
Project Period:2008-2010
Facing the challenges of Inland Transport Restructuring in the Mercosur Region
The focus of the project will be the establishment of a common agenda among all ITF Inland Transport Unions in Mercosur countries to continue the analysis of the effects of unfair competition and deregulation on the sector in the past years. If working conditions and trade union rights are not considered, an integrated market may lead to social dumping in the region. Education will be an integral component in developing strategies and campaigns. The development of efficient and well oriented campaigns will be crucial to support these objectives.
Target Group: Mercosur Inland Transport Unions
Cooperating Organisation: FES
Project Period:2008-2010
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