Conference participants raise the alarm

Transcription

1 Conference participants raise the alarm Europe is in the midst of a permanent economic, political and ideological crisis. Despite the tangibility of social problems, trade unions as an institution have not strengthened their position. Why is that? In order to take stock and map future prospects, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), the European Solidarity Centre (ECS) in Gdańsk and the Solidarność trade union have jointly organised a conference entitled. Warsaw, 17 th October Appropriately enough, it is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Scientists and trade unionists have gathered at the Foksal Press Centre in Warsaw in order to examine the social situation in Europe and along with host Knut Dethlefsen (FES) to ask what makes the essence of contemporary trade unions and where they are heading. When President of Solidarność: Piotr Duda addressing present and future problems, one should also recall historical issues. In his opening words, Basil Kerski (ECS), co-organiser of the conference, refers to the civilisational revolution of 1989, which not only put an end to the Cold War, but also marked the beginning of the age of the Internet. Sounding a Marxist note, Piotr Duda, leader of Solidarność, points in his introduction to a constant revolution we have had since 1989, at least in the world of employment. At present, we are dealing with a rapid growth of teleworking and home working, selfemployment and fictitious self-employment. And as the nature of work changes, trade unions have to change as well. Duda reminds the participants again that the meeting takes place on the Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Improving the financial situation of the population remains the key task of trade unions, regardless of the changing circumstances. In the words of Hans-Jürgen Urban, president of the board of IG Metall, the alarm has been raised already in the first panel by a practitioner and a scientist. In this part of the conference, Urban holds a debate with Richard Hyman from the London School of Economics. IG Metall president Hans-Jürgen Urban 1

2 The discussion is moderated by Krzysztof Jasiecki, a Polish sociologist. Urban claims that European integration will continue to face a loss of support if the EU does not deliver on its promises related to the unification of the continent welfare, growth and social security. Instead, the gap between rich and poor has been widening. Moreover, "high youth unemployment rates cast a shadow over the perspectives of a whole generation. A time bomb is ticking. The picture painted by the representative of IG Metall is gloomy. Nevertheless, Urban believes that solidarity is feasible when based on a positive European utopia. It is his response to the central question of the panel: Solidarity without borders? Cooperation among trade unions in Europe. Richard Hyman from Great Britain is even less optimistic. Once a crisis has started, it is too late to create solidarity structures. According to Hyman, there is no doubt that the crisis captured trade unions already a long time ago. The erosion of national industries in the wake of globalization led to the erosion of influence of national trade unions. In other words, since today s companies operate globally and feel free to relocate their production, trade unions also have to take David Ost from the Hobart and William Smith College New York a wider perspective and act on an international basis. Such solidarity can only be created from the bottom up and cannot be imposed from above. However, this process cannot take place overnight though the current trade union crisis requires quick solutions. At the beginning of the second panel discussion, Trade unions and society: legitimacy and self-awareness, Rebecca Gumbrell-McCormick from the London Birkbeck University outlines the profundity of the crisis. Trade unions are stuck in a vicious circle of membership decline and the loss of influence. Gumbrell- McCormick explains that the loss of support goes in line with the loss of power. If you have less power, people who need help turn away from you. At present, the only strategy trade unions can adopt is that of firefighters who tackle the crisis on all fronts where problems escalate. Richard Hyman from the London School of Economics 2

3 This panel discussion is moderated by sociologist Vera Trappmann from the University of Magdeburg. Trappmann asks David Ost, social scientist and expert on Europe, about the political sources and consequences of the crisis. The picture painted by Ost is rather gloomy. There is a real danger of marginalization of employees interests, particularly Rebecca Gumbrell-McCormick from the Birkbeck University of London in the new Member States. In Hungary and Poland, the situation of social democratic parties is very difficult. Because of the poverty spreading among ordinary citizens, right-wing and even extreme right-wing parties have gained popularity. Ost points to the Polish Law and Justice Party led by Jarosław Kaczyński, the Hungarian Fidesz party under Victor Orban, and in particular to the neo-fascist Jobbik party. He comes to a depressing conclusion: There will be no immediate solutions to the crisis. Trade unions have to operate from the bottom up in order to lay the foundation for a better future. In the words of Ulrike Geith, social secretary at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Germany, during the third panel discussion six trade unionists from Germany and Poland portray the situation in a more favourable light. In her introduction, Geith points to a paradox in the fact that despite the crisis which has led to the growth of unemployment, precarious employment and the low-pay sector, trade unions do not flourish. Although Józef Niemiec, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, agrees with Geith, he emphasizes the fact that we can feel the support against social cuts and unilateral austerity policy in Europe. However, this support does not translate into higher trade union density in the Member States. Gabriele Bischoff, Federal Executive of the DGB 3

4 Gabriele Bischoff, Federal Executive of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), also expresses cautious optimism. Our time perspective is very broad. Bischoff stresses the fact that the situation of trade unions in Europe is extremely diverse. In the wake of the economic crisis, employees in the South are desperate. At the same time, Scandinavia remains a paradise for trade union activities, Eastern Europe is still coping with the consequences of the political transformation, and Germany, located in the middle of Europe, falls somewhere in-between. Piotr Ostrowski from the Polish trade union OPZZ claims that the discourse concerning trade unions is essentially negative, not only in Europe but all over the world. The communication environment debases trade unions as it presents the employee as a beggar and the employer as a benefactor. Moreover, the communication with and union recruitment of young people has become a major problem in the age of the Internet. Ostrowski claims that young people support us but are reluctant to join trade unions. His colleague, Roman Michalski, is even more pessimistic: We urgently need young trade unionists. This issue is raised also by another participant of this discussion panel, Sławomir The president of OPZZ, Jan Guz and Tadeusz Chwałka, president of Forum ZZ sum up the results Ulrike Geith from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Olivier Höbel, district manager of IG Metall Berlin- Brandenburg-Saxony Adamczyk, member of Solidarność. For a long time, trade unions have been perceived as dinosaurs. With a touch of irony, he consoles himself that despite all difficulties, we still exist. In his eyes, it is an urgent problem that international companies in Europe relocate their production to other countries, which allows to further constrain labour rights. Olivier Höbel, district manager of IG 4

5 Metall Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, indicates that solutions to the crisis have to be searched for at the plant level. He is the most optimistic speaker during this panel discussion. Höbel reports on the collapse of industry in East Germany in the 1990s, which left its mark on trade unions. However, he claims that in recent years the situation has been improving and union density has been growing thanks to revised strategies. It is no longer only typical industry workers that we take care of, but we also think about other employees along the value-added chain. At the end, he asks himself: When are we responsible and who are we responsible for? The answer he gives can indicate the perspectives which the participants of the conference have been searching for: We are responsible when we are ready to accept the responsibility. 5