Say No to Unions

Unions

All over the world, working conditions deteriorate or worsen and around the world, people are scared and hungry. Beyond the media attention of this or that is sufficiently vile or a particular story well enough to challenge the average citizen which I belong, the media attention on modern slavery is fickle though denounced for decades . Topic of conversation for after-works, or coffee breaks, few links between this tide of slaves in the service of various criminal organizations and our own daily are made to us, apart from the reflex to contain, as of oysters in our shell a wellness we know more and more fragile.

The dominant official discourse on workers' rights, against corruption, on the conditions of poor and dangerous working and respect for human rights and the environment seem to increasingly be driven by their own dynamic machine without so much is regardless of the direction of their missions and their very existence or worse, allow even those who are paid to organize the collective action to try to put themselves in need of shelter by pillaging their members and forgetting please consider the fundamental reason they are there.

Among these institutions, there is one that I deeply respect: the unions. For historical side first, because if Western Europe attracts migrants in the world today because of its quality of life, rights for individuals and wealth, it is mainly because of struggles union that made Europe since the Industrial Revolution and courage of people who are organized, with their resources and in the spirit of their time, to fight for their rights. Secondly, because I know many unionists, Swiss and foreign, and I've always had a deep respect for their pragmatism, their sense of values ​​combined with a strong sense of responsibility, their tactical and strategic knowledge. Today, unfortunately, several elements come enter these beautiful convictions.

First, the advent of generations fed on concepts that have rarely had the sense of reality and that we hear before the others since it is those with the speech that "the best place in the media." The others, those who work daily in the shadows, we hear little or not at all. This leaves room has "until hardliners" who take their desires for reality and prefer confrontation rather than negotiation, denunciation rather than the solution.

Several cases are enamelled this reflection. The first was the mini earthquake in the union landerneau our French friends, touching the brunt of the privileges granted to the new Secretary General of the CGT, Mr. LEPAON. The scandal of transfer fees, renovation costs of private apartment in motion a great unpacking revelations about the waste of money syndicated for the benefit of some clans and some internal cliques.

Then the reports made by the umbrella organizations of trade unions, which we will question the legitimacy and the way the budget since these organizations do not already come to an agreement in one country, including the ITUC, an offshoot of the ILO (ILO) Geneva on the working conditions of migrant workers particularly in the Gulf countries, taking as focus those involved in constructiond art infrastructure to FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It is not will question the reality of these migrants whose conditions are appalling and fortunately tend to improve after these reports, but it is surprising however that the parallels between these specific conditions and those countless migrant workers in all the Gulf countries, the working conditions of all workers on large sites whether in China, Greece, Russia, Brazil, etc. Since our "ivory tower" European, we are quick to distribute good and bad points so that not only we rush all commes idiots before the matches of the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics, but what Moreover, the migrant who repairs our roads or our villa, picks up our garbage or deale cam to our children in the corner is in the exact same conditions. Before Qatar, it was Sochi and "Putin-Games" and even before the World Cup in Brazil. While the conditions may be unjust, appalling, certainly people die on construction sites. Certainly we expect those to whom we give our time and money are "greener" than others, and sometimes we even. But "best case" in this way are not by copies at all. It only reflects the usual practices are denounced for decades and on which not only we close our eyes but in addition we benefit greatly. While the media have all thrown their heart on reports and other reports denouncing the "atrocities" of these major projects, some media have done over the pragmatic work, discreet and often dangerous and underpaid trade unionists and local officials who actually helped to find solutions to improve the situation of these workers: higher pay, reduced hours, performance bonuses, better organization of construction sites, decent relocation and abandonment conditions "sponsorship" that concrete examples afforded to workers.

Another case also made me jump: the absentee Roman gendarmes. For those who do not speak Italian or we missed the info, it turned out that absenteeism Roman gendarmes have been updated in a rather violent day of the year 2015. If this is a common practice in Italy, as elsewhere, the Government decided for once to punish those individuals. The trade union response has not been to seek to understand the reasons for absenteeism, for example ridiculous payroll, the insane working hours or unsafe conditions .... no, we went on strike to defend absentee. This is what we mean primarily.

Nevertheless, these same unions are fighting in the exact same conditions as individuals they defend. Who knows for example that the ILO has laid off more than 600 people in recent months? Who knows the precarious conditions of international workers subject to annual contracts whose renewal depends ever more voracious leaders and still leaner budgets. Who is interested in the fact that more and more retirees working for free for trade unions that do not have the means to pay decent wages and respect travails conditions they themselves are responsible for defending. It was taboo to touch it just a hair of these organizations for ideological reasons, whereas they suffer from the same ills as the whole society, that some leaders who travel first class when employees are dismissed for "lack of budget".

This is all the more terrible that unionism has brought, and brings some still make big changes for the better, both in Europe and in the World. If the integration of Eastern Europe into the EU is, until today, failed, the unions of "new generation" can bring true revival based on working conditions and Living conditions in these countries' coal-land "of the East. This is how they can do évoler the lives of millions of workers in a globalized world. The solutions require transparency and negotiation, imagination and creativity to increase gradually the quality of life of these workers worldwide. Remember that our prosperity was made on 200 years of struggle for rights, popular, union, rights of women and migrants, and two world wars. We can not demand any other on what we have put so much time and so much suffering to acquire and create and what we put so much indifference now to destroy. This is not the battle on Human Rights which comes first. It's the Battle for Workers' Rights which, as it did in Europe throughout the twentieth century, will provide solutions not only in Eastern Europe but also in the world. This battle is the battle for Human Dignity. This confrontation should not be ideological but pragmatic, because if the organization of collective action is difficult or impossible, any entrepreneur like any worker or retiree knows that we each need the the other to ensure our prosperity and future of our children.