First of May 1 date each year invites us to reflect, analyze and take stock of the situation of workers in our country who have made a crucial contribution to restoring democracy . Many gave their lives, others are still missing after being arrested, suffered appalling repression jail, torture and exile. Mass and courageously mobilized to promote equality, social justice, freedom, democracy and better living conditions. This effort with sacrifice, shared by many Chileans, to progress in the process of democratic reconstruction of our country, however few of these seem to us, constituted a significant step for the mere fact of having put an end to Pinochet's dictatorship.
Political democracy is indispensable to guarantee the fundamental rights at Work, but not enough by itself. Put another way, its advent has not meant the automatic respect for fundamental rights at work. Violations of the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining committed, in fact, more subtle , and evening.
deficit persists in the institutional recognition of trade unions, attacks on freedom of association and the failure of collective bargaining as a tool for conquest of rights and creating enabling environment for development production, continue to hamper growth and that union results in exploitative working conditions, discrimination and social intolerance, in addition to erode and undermine the foundations of coexistence and democracy, becoming a barrier to decent work social.Pero equity and development has also contributed to disperse the union movement.
Today four trade unions are fighting among them the few organized workers. Our country has a common denominator: the trade union movement has suffered a serious decline in recent years. This decline is also reflected in a decrease in the number of agreements signed and workers covered, the impoverishment of its content and weight loss industry of trading against the company or individual negotiation. Fewer workers are that they can exercise their fundamental rights.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) through the three annual reports of its Committee on Freedom of Association and the annual report of its Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations realize persistent violation of these rights and limitations to the free exercise thereof.
The recent report on the State Department Human Rights of the United States, very little known in the media, aware of the limitations and the disturbing increase in violations and limitations of Fundamental Rights at Work in Chile. In addition to what we referred to freedom of association and the effective recognition of collective bargaining, adding that in our country in the last year saw an increase in child labor and forms of forced or compulsory labor.
's own official figures show us that discrimination in employment and occupation.
are countless cases could be cited on all types of violations of Fundamental Rights at Work has been done this last year and persisting limitations
exercise and from previous years. The report of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), widespread in media, puts us as the most unequal among its members.
The increasing openness to the outside of our country, trying to get the best competitive positions, with the consequent attempts to lower production costs, resulting in deregulation, low wages, irregular contracts increases, corporate restructuring, and generally in a climate of fear and instability in industrial sectors, bangs sindical.Chile movement is the most economically open country in the world, holds the record of treated free trade agreements with various countries.
Because of its importance we can point to the FTA with the United States and the FTA with the EU, both social treaties contain clauses that commit to respect the Fundamental Rights at Work But since they were signed there has been an increase in violations of those rights. Trade unions should be aware that given an instrument at any time they can operate to defend those rights.
The issue becomes even more complicated when we realize that in our country today union split reigns, making it difficult, obviously, any effort to conclude the trade union movement. We saw almost daily through the statements of the CUT, the UNT, the CAT and CGT or we observe in the negotiations of wage tax workers, and massive layoffs of ; public.
The ideological and personal conflicts have affected the trade union unity, and primarily to the negotiations taking place on the top step serious, and the plurality of partners, which often compete with each other and the pressures that are sometimes spared, become extremely difficult if not impossible, to negotiate. The result is a network of trade unions not only reduced their coverage, but politically weak. It is this weakness that ultimately has limited the ability of workers to negotiate redistributive policies and thus prevent the growing concentration of income.
Today unification of the labor movement appears which is possible only in the long term, but nothing would prevent the different strands of the union movement agreed on a common policy to defend the fundamental rights of workers and unions trabajadoras.Si insist on staying divided for reasons other hand, can be fully legitimate, must not forget however, that today many social sectors with the right to require them to develop a common position and that put on the negotiating table , which may come to discuss issues of concern to society whole. It is in this valuable space where the unions, if they seize the opportunity, can increase their bargaining power and representation.
The union agenda has expanded beyond the strictly wage and labor laws, lapolítica macroeconomic issues, social policy and governance in general. But it still has received little in the way of concrete agreements, only limited progress in the public debate and discussions that take place in some areas of dialogue and consultation.
It becomes essential to make joint efforts to overcome the severe limitations that affect the status of unions, and wealth and enhance existing capabilities in order to transform it into an actor of development and deepening of democracy. The aim is obvious, face
a joint process of repositioning the union actor in civil society, the force of dialogue with governments and business, rescuing their new potential to socialize and make them an integral part of a new consciousness of national actor.
in 1989 put an end to the dictatorial government. What was achieved was not enough to reform the political and economic system built by its ideologues and implemented by their guardians. That is the task of the hour to start from and the effort to replace an economic system that has been immoral and dehumanizing, and inefficient in solving the great problems of the Chilean society and in particular the workers.
jmssepulveda@hotmail.com
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