UNI Global Union supports the World Day of Decent Work

The International Trade Union Confederation has organised a World Day of Decent Work (WDDW) on the 7th October 2008 with a focus on three core labour relations issues: “Ending Poverty and Inequality, Rights at Work and Solidarity”.

As an affiliated Global Union Federation, UNI Global Union will participate in the WDDW promoting the theme: “Global Work, Global Agreements, Global Decency”.

The World Day of Decent Work is an opportunity for the global trade union movement to mobilise members and raise awareness about essential labour relation issues locally, nationally and globally.

Global Work, Global Agreements, Global Decency
UNI’s contribution to achieving decent work is to make global agreements with multinational employers. These agreements apply in every country where the companies operate, promoting fundamental labour rights and helping workers to build trade unions so that they have a real voice at work.

We currently have agreements with more than a dozen of the world’s largest companies. The latest company to sign a global agreement with UNI is Danske Bank, who signed this month. Negotiations continue with many more employers as UNI works towards securing decent work through global agreements.

Please visit the complete list of UNI’s agreements

Global agreements are an effective way to achieve decent work and contribute to all of the themes of the WDDW “Ending Poverty and Inequality, Rights at Work and Solidarity”.

UNI Global Union activities for the campaign
UNI will launch a webpage in the next few days to promote the World Day of Decent Work. The site will feature ‘On the Street’ interviews with the public answering the question “What does decent work mean to you?” You will also find a listing of UNI activities happening in regions around the world. These activities will be updated as new activities are forthcoming. The UNI WDDW website

UNI sectors will be making contact with some multinational companies in the lead up to the 7th October to promote global agreement as a way of supporting the WDDW. Those affiliates involved with those multinationals will be informed of the contact being made.

UNI Moscow
UNI Moscow will be supporting the WDDW through the action month for customer service workers. Customer service centres are an area where there are a lot of young workers, workers with atypical employment contract arrangements and workers working outside of traditional boundaries. They often work long and unregulated hours in jobs that can be monotonous and repetitive with few opportunities for promotion. Find the campaign at: www.its-your-call.org and in Russian at: http://www.uni-cis.ru/

Get involved
UNI Global Union encourages all affiliates to contact their national union centres to get involved in local activities and support the World Day of Decent Work. For a list of planned global activities please go to the ITUC World Day for Decent Work website. If you are planning your own activities please register your activity on the same website by following the instructions provided. Please also inform UNI of planned activity so we may include it in our website.