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UNI Telecom: 'Human Rights' for Workers
CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen opened Union Network International's World Telecom Sector meeting with a call for human rights at all telecommunications workplaces around the globe.
"Telecom managements worldwide are leading the race to the bottom," Cohen told delegates from 44 unions in 29 countries attending the meeting May 5-6 in Nyon, Switzerland. They represented 2 million workers comprising the Telecom Sector of the worldwide trade union secretariat.
Cohen, as Telecom Sector president, called for greater transparency concerning executive compensation and the financial operations of companies, and for quality jobs and quality telecom service around the world.
He pointed out that some top managers are paid as much as 500 times the earnings of the average worker and still complain, and that regulators appear to be obsessed with price while ignoring quality.
"We stand for universal, affordable service whether we are in the global north or global south," Cohen said.
UNI General Secretary Phillip Jennings called for "a new generation of international trade unionism" to match a new generation of telecom technologies. He praised unions for negotiating global agreements with multinational companies to ensure global labor standards, and noted that outsourcing has become a key challenge for UNI and for national unions.
"We are turning national bargaining structures into international bargaining structures, and we are giving our best efforts to help the local unions," Jennings said.
UNI announced an agreement between European telecom unions and employers to a set of guidelines stressing high quality workplaces; performance targets based on customer satisfaction as well as response times; effective stress management; coaching and training for staff; consultations over business strategies and policies; staffing levels that balance the needs of customers and employees; notification of any monitoring by the employer.
The guidelines embrace unions, collective agreements and works councils and build upon the core labor standards of the International Labour Organization, including the right to join unions and bargain collectively.
The delegates signed letters seeking workplace justice at Telus, the number-two Canadian telecom firm. Workers there have not had a collective bargaining agreement for three years. Letters went to both the management of Telus and to Verizon, a principal shareholder. They urged Telus to "immediately stop the anti-union actions" the company has been taking against TWU, the Canadian telecom union, and "to start meaningful bargaining," issuing a warning: "your company will not be welcome in any of our countries." They urged Verizon to use its influence to convince Telus to renew its collective bargaining agreement.
"Telecom managements worldwide are leading the race to the bottom," Cohen told delegates from 44 unions in 29 countries attending the meeting May 5-6 in Nyon, Switzerland. They represented 2 million workers comprising the Telecom Sector of the worldwide trade union secretariat.
Cohen, as Telecom Sector president, called for greater transparency concerning executive compensation and the financial operations of companies, and for quality jobs and quality telecom service around the world.
He pointed out that some top managers are paid as much as 500 times the earnings of the average worker and still complain, and that regulators appear to be obsessed with price while ignoring quality.
"We stand for universal, affordable service whether we are in the global north or global south," Cohen said.
UNI General Secretary Phillip Jennings called for "a new generation of international trade unionism" to match a new generation of telecom technologies. He praised unions for negotiating global agreements with multinational companies to ensure global labor standards, and noted that outsourcing has become a key challenge for UNI and for national unions.
"We are turning national bargaining structures into international bargaining structures, and we are giving our best efforts to help the local unions," Jennings said.
UNI announced an agreement between European telecom unions and employers to a set of guidelines stressing high quality workplaces; performance targets based on customer satisfaction as well as response times; effective stress management; coaching and training for staff; consultations over business strategies and policies; staffing levels that balance the needs of customers and employees; notification of any monitoring by the employer.
The guidelines embrace unions, collective agreements and works councils and build upon the core labor standards of the International Labour Organization, including the right to join unions and bargain collectively.
The delegates signed letters seeking workplace justice at Telus, the number-two Canadian telecom firm. Workers there have not had a collective bargaining agreement for three years. Letters went to both the management of Telus and to Verizon, a principal shareholder. They urged Telus to "immediately stop the anti-union actions" the company has been taking against TWU, the Canadian telecom union, and "to start meaningful bargaining," issuing a warning: "your company will not be welcome in any of our countries." They urged Verizon to use its influence to convince Telus to renew its collective bargaining agreement.