Trade unionism

Warning : This milked page of the trade unionism says "working" (organization of paid). For the other directions of "trade union", to refer to the corresponding page.

Synopsis

1 Definition
2 Trade unionism in Europe
- 2.1 Trade unionism in France
3 Trade unionism in the world
4 Internal bonds
5 Bibliography
6 External bonds

Definition

trade unionism (of syndic, coming itself from the Greek sundikos, which assists somebody in justice) is the movement which aims at unifying the workers in organizations, them trade unions, to defend their common interests (rise of the wages, better working conditions, lowers working time, fights against the dismissal...).

The trade unionism also indicates the militant action which seeks to work towards the ends of a trade union.

In its direction more running and more accepted, the term trade unionism apply to trade unions professionels and to a lesser extent with student trade unions and high-school pupils.

It is a law of 1884 which authorized the creation of trade unions in France. More generally, years 1880 marked birth of the trade-union phenomenon in Western Europe.

Trade unionism in Europe

See: History of the trade unionism in Germany | List trade unions in the world | Birth of the trade unionism in Europe

Trade unionism in France

They result from the corporative groupings (trades, compagnonage...) of the modern and medieval societies. They are prohibited by law the Hatter of 1791 and undergo an obstinate repression at the time of the first industrial revolution. But in 1884, whereas the III° République is softened and is anxious to settle the social question, the law of radical Waldeck-Rousseau regularize the working trade unions.

Employers' federations are created on this example. Consequently, the trade unionism tends to embrace the whole of the company of work and posts political objectives: CGT east creates in 1895. The trade unionism French, known as of direct action, is characterized by its revolutionary inclinations and of independence with respect to the political parties. These principles are marked at the time of congress of the CGT of Amiens in 1905.

After Large War, a part of the trade unionism adopts the ideas Socialists then Communists, whereas a minority is directed towards reformism. The evolutions of the trade unionism towards the policy made forget that it is before a a whole economic organization, organized according to principles' of the direct democracy, with its disadvantages. The delegates must return accounts before the sovereign assembly, made up of the union members.They are elected with life but must frequently obtain plebiscite. There are many independent trade-union organizations, but CGT gathers the majority of it. It consists of a confederal office, federations which gather all the trade unions of the same profession, and unions local which gather all the trade unions of a city or a department around the labour market. One thus should not confuse trade union (for example the trade union of the carpenters of the Seine) and trade-union organization (for example CGT).

So today, the large trade-union organizations are less powerful, the trade unions are still present in the reality of work, even if they lost a great part of their tertiary base since years 1970.

This decline is due to the crisis ofindustry (trade-union bastion), an insufficient taking into account of the tertiary sector and SME by the trade unions, privatization companies, a phenomenon of externalisation, the insufficient taking into account of female work, the fall of Communism and trade-union division.

Whereas the rate of unionisation in the private sector is hardly higher than 5%, France treats to the luxury to have five "representative" conférations (CGT, CFDT, Force working, CFTC and CFE-CGC) with which associated itUNSA, FSU and Interdependent (CUS).

According to Ministry of Labour, 8 % of the French workers are syndicated in 2003.

According to a study of the Ministry of Labour on the unionisation (DARES, October 2004), the rate of unionisation in the companies of less than 50 paid is 3,5 % (against 5,2 % in the private sector); it is only 2,4 % at the employees in CDD or in interim (against 9,5 % at the employees in contract at unspecified duration and full-time).

Trade unionism in the world

List trade unions in the world | International confederation of the free trade unions

Internal bonds

Bibliography

"trade unions in France", Domenica Andolfatto (collective), Paris, French documentation, 2004.
History of the trade unionism in the world, Jean Sagnes (dir.), Privat, Toulouse, 1994
Trade unionism in France since 1945, Rene Mouriaux, The Discovery, 2004
Trade unionism in France, Rene Mouriaux, PUF, Paris, 2005

External bonds

Gate Trade unionism - Reach the articles of Wikipédia concerning the trade unionism.