THE ROLE OF TRADE UNION IN REDUCING CHILD LABOUR

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Melina Holland
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1 THE ROLE OF TRADE UNION IN REDUCING CHILD LABOUR Tanzania Child Labour Conference Pathways to Sustainability: Together we can Eliminate Child Labour in Agriculture Serena Hotel, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania May 12-14, 2015

2 INTRODUCTION Trade Unions significant contribution in the national efforts to combat child labour in Tanzania: (a) mobilizing trade union members to campaign against child labour abuses, (b) pressing for action on education, training and apprentice for children and young people, (c) advocating for the inclusion of child labour concerns in poverty reduction strategies, (d) lobbying for the ratification of the ILO Conventions Nos: 138 & 182 and (e) implementing direct actions on child labour in the different sectors at district and community levels and e) implement direct action 2

3 Role of Trade Unions in Combating Child Labour 3 Workers organizations are logical leaders in discovering and denouncing child labour at all levels the local, They can become credible advocates for the protection of children against exploitation and abuse in the workplace They have access to large numbers of adult workers and their families. As a potentially strong pressure group, they have a role to play in collective bargaining and in social mobilization efforts

4 Child labour: A trade union issue 2.2.Child labour undermines the bargaining power of trade unions Working children represent a plentiful source of cheap labour. This contributes to the depression of wages and leads to the weakening of trade unions ability to negotiate improvements in workers wages and conditions of service. 4

5 Child labour: A trade union issue 2.3.Child labour contributes to unemployment of adults A child may be doing work an adult can do - but at a much lower wage. If children are removed and rehabilitated, the job may be filled by an adult worker. There are many instances where the parent is unemployed, and the child is working, which is bad for both of them. Children out of work and into school; adults into work 5

6 Child labour: A trade union issue 2.5. Solidarity and social justice Trade unions were formed to give workers the collective strength to fight injustice, to resist exploitation and to demand fair conditions of employment. It is in the interest of trade unions to help create the social climate which will contribute to the elimination of child labour. 6

7 TRADE UNIONS AND CHILD LABOUR 7 Trade unions are human rights organizations because workers rights are human rights. They have fought for the rights of workers since their foundation. _ There are a number of forms of action against child labour which only trade unions can undertake because of their specific and unique role. Trade unions should not begin work on child labour in an ad hoc manner, but develop first a policy, and build a plan based on the policy

8 4.0 Areas of trade union action Fact-finding, investigation and information Finding out the facts about child labour, putting names and faces to the child labour problem, are necessary tools to build a mobilization programme, Trade unions must undertake investigation and ensure documentation of the concrete cases of child labour so as to be able to take effective action against the problem 8

9 Areas of trade union action Awareness-raising, mobilization and campaigning Awareness-raising and mobilization are important tools for the prevention and elimination of child labour. Collective bargaining Trade unions can negotiate with employers at several levels for the elimination of child labour, for support for rehabilitation, or other measures. 9

10 Areas of Action Using international labour standards. It is a campaign objective of Trade Unions that national governments should ratify the ILO child labour Conventions. Tanzania has ratified both ILO Convention No 138 and No 182. Trade unions promote and use existing tripartite committees to consult on and advocate both the Conventions No.138 and No

11 Areas of Action Using the tripartite structure for improvement of legislation and enforcement Law enforcement needs to be reinforced through the training of law enforcement personnel, including labour inspectors. Where legislation does not exist, trade unions can pressure governments to pass new laws. Trade unions also campaign for governments to devote adequate budgetary resources to labour inspectorates in line with ILO Convention No. 81 on Labour Inspection. 11

12 Area of Action Action against child labour through education The provision of education is an effective way to stop most forms of child labour. Trade unions work with teachers organizations to promote quality, free basic education as a means of preventing child labour. Trade unions have included education in some form in their programmes of action, to demonstrate that it is possible to provide education and to use the education issue to mobilize the community. 12

13 Area of Action 4.7. Rehabilitation through the provision of support services Without viable alternatives, children may find even more hazardous work to participate in. Leaving work must be accompanied by rehabilitation. Some trade unions have become directly involved in the provision of rehabilitation services. Trade unions should campaign for adequate resources to be devoted to this type of activities by governments. 13

14 Area of action Promotion of income-generating opportunities for families Many children are forced to work in order to supplement the family income. Removing children from either full-time or part-time work must be combined with alternative income-earning opportunities for their families. Trade unions can work with other civic groups to develop such income-generating schemes for the benefit of those families who have lost income because the child is no longer working. 14

15 Conclusion/Recommendation In order to achieve a more sustainable and effective Trade Union Action on child labour in the country, a strategic action for mainstreaming child labour in the national trade union policy framework and other national operational plans plans such as the NAP The overall national coordination mechanism under government auspices needs to be strengthened especially by reactivating the National Inter-sectoral coordination committee (NISCC) as well as the revival of its secretariat, that is the Child Labour Unit 15

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