World Day for Decent Work

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Zagreb, Croatia

Decent Work Campaign including a round table

UATUC

Dear colleagues,
We would like to update you on the activities already taken and to be taken by the UATUC to mark the Day of Action 7 October 2008 – World Day for Decent Work.

Among the major activities are the following:

  • A survey based on the questionnaire with a view of gathering data and analysis on the decent work in Croatia. Survey will be done among workers as well as shop stewards in 5 chosen (largest) companies per each branch of activity where the UATUC affiliated unions are active. The data will be gathered until 19 September 2008, upon which they will be analyzed in order to get insight into the situation in particular activity as well as in different counties of Croatia.
  • The results of the survey, as well as the list of the five best and five worst employers in Croatia will be presented at the press conference to be held on 7 October 2008.
  • On 7 October (10.00 to 14.00) a round table will be organized on decent work in order to discuss the activities aimed at improving the working conditions in Croatia. The central high-level round table will be held in Zagreb, however a number of round tables will also be held at the county level where the results for individual counties will be presented.
  • Women’s Section will continue with its activities aimed at ratification of the ILO Convention No. 183 on Maternity Protection, as a follow-up to a number of activities already taken.
  • Youth Section will continue with the already started campaign “Complaints Book”, together with the youth sections of NHS and HUS trade union confederations. The Book will be signed until 7 October 2008, when the protest rally and march will be organized through the capital Zagreb, with big leaves from the Book put on the long rope, and the Complaints Book will be handed in to the Prime Minister Mr. Ivo Sanader, at 11.00. Based on the comments in the Book, Youth Section will develop an action plan on decent work and decent life for young people.

Please find below a letter that was sent to the Prime Minister urging the Government of the Republic of Croatia to take measures and actions to return dignity to workers in Croatia, and enclosed the translated questionnaires.

I remain yours in solidarity,

Dijana Šobota
Head of UATUC International Department

Letter to the Primeminister

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
With the aim of returning the dignity to labour and workers, in line with the International Labour Organization Decent Work Agenda adopted in 1999, International Trade Union Confederation, Global Progressive Forum, Social Alert and Solidar as well as the European Trade Union Confederation formed an Alliance for Decent Work which has been running the campaign (World Social Forum, Nairobi, Kenya) for marking the 7 October 2008 as the World Day for Decent Work. Decent Work is based on the conviction that all four components are needed to create the best prospects for social progress and development: employment, rights, protection and dialogue. The objectives of the campaign are the following:

  • Raising awareness on decent work among citizens, policy makers and key institutions;
  • Emphasize that the decent work is the only sustainable way out of poverty and a key for building democracy and social cohesion;
  • Integration of decent work in the core of developmental, economic, commercial, financial and social policies at the national, European and international level.

In solidarity with workers around the globe, the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia, as a member of the International Trade Union Confederation and European Trade Union Confederation, has actively joined this campaign, within which through different activities it wants to contribute to the realization of the mentioned objectives. Among other things, the UATUC will organize a round table Decent Work for Decent Life where we will present the results of the survey that is being carried out by the UATUC with regard to working conditions of workers in Croatia.

Following the conclusions of the UN World Summit held in September 2005, where the leaders of 150 countries committed to responsible national and international policies in order to achieve full and productive employment and the achievement of decent work, we are determined that Croatia too, as a member of the International Labour Organization, should actively work towards meeting the objectives of the ILO Decent Work Agenda. The aim of each government should be to enable each and every worker a job which can enable him/her and his/her family a decent life and meeting of their basic human needs, ensure complete respect of workers’ rights and social protection and safety, as well as the creation of more and better jobs. Decent work is also the best method of fighting poverty also in Croatia where at the moment there are around 700 000 threatened citizens.

The Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia hence urges the Government of the Republic of Croatia to become actively involved in marking of the World Day for Decent Work and by taking adequate actions contribute to raising awareness on the need to return dignity to work and workers!

Yours respectfully,

UATUC President
Ana Knežević

For info:
Office for Social Partnership, mr. Vitomir Begović, head

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2 Forum messages

  • Decent Work Campaign including a round table

    7 October 2008 12:01, by UATUC-NHS-HUS’

    Youth Sections of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (UATUC), Independent Trade Unions of Croatia (NHS) and Croatian Trade Union Association (HUS) are actively involved in the above stated Campaign and through different activities they want to contribute to realization of its aims. In the last few months, Youth Sections of the UATUC, NHS and HUS have been carrying out a research by gathering signatures and complaints in the Complaints Book among young people in Croatia in order to gain insight into their opinions regarding their position at the labour market and draw attention to the scope and nature of problems they are faced with. Due to large interest of young people, the Complaints Book Project continues throughout Croatia and the Book will be handed in to the Croatian Prime Minister on 1 May. The future of the young people, and hence the future of the country, is endangered due to negative trends in economic, social and educational policy. In Croatia, 30 percent of the young people are unemployed, 85 percent of the newly employed have fixed-term employment contracts, young people have temporary or seasonal work, they work through employment agencies, they work overtime without decent bonuses, they are faced with “last hired, first fired” principle, they earn on the average 20 percent less then adult workers, they do not have appropriate social protection and occupational safety and health protection, they are often being used as cheap labour, they are discriminated against on the basis of their age and lack of experience without the possibility of vocational training and promotion; they are often not registered, their wages are often paid in cash, they are in constant fear of being dismissed so they even do not demand their fundamental rights. In this way we ask the Government of the Republic of Croatia to develop horizontal strategies which would include all areas of society – social policy, responsible labour market policy and education and would guarantee their implementation. Trade unions and representatives of their Youth Sections must be included in this process. We demand true social dialogue, full-term employment contracts, easier procedures of obtaining full-term employment, more vocational training, harmonisation of educational system with real labour market needs, safe working conditions and employment relationships with wages which ensure decent life. The aim of every government should be to provide every worker, hence also young workers, a decent work so they and their families can have decent life and to provide full respect of social rights, social protection and security. Young people need future, because there is no future without us! It` s time! BECAUSE WE WANT …

    „... Croatia to become, in the first place, a country of satisfied people!“ (from Strategic Development Framework for 2006-2013)

    Dijana Šobota, UATUC Youth Section, project coordinator Marija Jukić, NHS Youth Committee Gordana Ilakovac, HUS Youth Coordination

    Reply to this message

  • Decent Work Campaign including a round table

    7 October 2008 12:07, by UATUC’
    In solidarity with workers around the globe, the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia, as a member of the International Trade Union Confederation and European Trade Union Confederation, has actively joined the campaign Decent Work Decent Life, within which through different activities it wants to contribute to the realization of the mentioned objectives. Among other things, on Monday 6 October 2008, on the eve of the World Day for Decent Work, the UATUC, in cooperation with NHS trade union confederation, organized a round table “5 do 12 za dostojanstveni rad” (Last Call for Decent Work). The round table was a huge success and it had a wide media coverage with several national televisions and journalists from different newspapers and magazines. At the round table the results of the survey that was being carried out with regard to working conditions of workers in Croatia was presented. Head of Industrial Democracy Department, Marina Kasunić Peris presented the survey, with the focus on working conditions. A survey based on the questionnaire with a view of gathering data and analysis on the decent work in Croatia was carried out among workers as well as shop stewards in 5 chosen (largest) companies per each branch of activity where the UATUC affiliated unions are active. The survey also comprised the questionnaires gathered by the NHS trade union confederation. Round table also gave special focus to women workers, with the emphasis on the position of women on short-term contracts. The results of this survey were presented by the UATUC President Ana Knežević. Dijana Šobota, head of UATUC International Department and youth officer gave a presentation on the position of youth at the labour market in Croatia and in the SEE region as well as the project It’s time and youth Complaints Book. The opening and final remarks at the round table were given by UATUC and NHS presidents Ana Knežević and Krešimir Sever. The general conclusion was that the working conditions as well as the overall situation of the labour market in Croatia, of the two most vulnerable categories in particular – women and youth, are far from decent. It is only together that we will be strong in the defense of the dignity of workers and decent working conditions of all workers in Croatia. The current burning issues - amendments to the Act on Labour are a battlefield where we will have to show our unity and power fighting for decent work! The youth sections of UATUC, NHS and HUS are actively working together on the Decent Work for Decent Life for youth. Today, on 7 October 2008 youth sections of these three confederations sent their demands and positions to the Croatian Prime Minister Mr Ivo Sanader. The Complaints Book that was a highlight of the campaign, as an ad hoc analysis of the position of youth and as a basis for the concerted trade union youth strategy, will however not be submitted to the Prime Minister, though it was first planned so, because of the huge interest expressed by young workers to contribute with their comments in the Complaints Book. We will continue with gathering signatures/comments until the International Labour Day 1 May 2009. The comments have however already confirmed the problems and theses we noticed as predominant when it comes to the position of youth and problems they are facing. UATUC has also widely covered the event and the whole campaign in its newsletter Sindikalna akcija, as well as at the internet page www.sssh.hr.

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