ITCILO COURSE A106025 Capacity Building for Organizing and Managing Trade Unions 13 to 24 May 2013

1. ITCILO COURSE A106025Capacity Building for Organizing and Managing Trade Unions 13 to 24 May 2013 Managing Workplace Problems

2. ORGANIZING • Workplace Problems 0

3. What are Workplace Problems?

4. Workplace problems are the fuel that drives organizing • Many workers get involved because they want to help solve problems and improve conditions.

5. Give Some Examples of Workplace Problems

6. Examples of workplace problems: • Salaries that are too low • Fear of HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination • No collectively negotiated agreement • Lack of respect for workers’ rights & poor morale • Management’s refusal to accept the contract’s language on grievance • Poor quality heath care benefits • Mandatory overtime

7. Continues… • Cut back on benefits • Job security concerns • Compensation problems, health insurance changes • Whistle blowing • Harassment • Pressure for higher productivity with less resources • Offensive behaviour • Perceived favouritism

8. Describe what you know about the problems workers are facing. • What have the workers done in the past to try to address these problems?

9. Why are Workplace Problems Important?

10. Why are workplace problems important? • Motivate workers to get involved. • Show that, together, workers can make a difference. • The fuel that drives the union. • Win concrete improvements.

11. Be as specific as possible.

12. How can we make a problem more widely felt? • How can we make a problem more deeply felt? • How can we make a problem more “winnable”?

13. Communicate, educate and find a common cause. • Appeal to the workers’ sense of justice and fairness. • Break it down into smaller, more “winnable” pieces.

15. Deeply Felt Problems are Real Examples • HIV and AIDS stigma • Harassment • Workload and stress • Language and cultural conflicts in the workplace • Are these problems difficult to talk about? • How can we discuss them more easily? • Are there any solutions? Sometimes giving a voice to the voiceless is the beginning of a solution.

16. If workers cannot talk openly about their problems… • Use common allies - universities, NGOs, industry groups, organizations of concerned citizens - to take action rather than the union. • Publish anonymous stories of workplace problems. • Distribute at: • The workplace • Sporting or social events • Fairs and markets • Central business or transport locations

17. If we begin to organize around workplace problems too early, we could face retaliation. • We can risk losing, rather than gaining, momentum. • Even increased discussion among workers about problems can alert the employer. • Spend time learning about the problems so that we will be ready to act when the time is right.

18. Resolving problems never ends Once we resolve one problem, we look for another that is widely felt, deeply felt and potentially “winnable”.

19. Anything else to discuss regarding workplace problems?

20. Thank you! 