PES Manifesto

Trade unions - the Czech experience

Published Friday, June 6, 2008 at 11:14
by Richard_Falbr (512 views and 0 comments)

In 1990 the Czech trade unionists had to solve a difficult task: how to transform or create trade unions which should be recognized by trade unions in democratic states?

In the totalitarian regimes the trade unions were a transmition belt of the communist party. They existed as a kind of social institution organizing holidays and socialist emulation. They were something like the vertical unions in Spain during the Franco's regime. There was no collective bargaining, and the only positive element of their attitude was the free of charge representation of the members before tribunals in labour disputes. After the great General Strike in November 1989 Strike Committees were created and then the Coordination Centre of the strike committees was created in the capital of Moravia, Brno. So a parallel structure with the former communist "Revolutionary Trade Union Movement" was born. At congresses in January 1990 sixty unions were established. Then in March the Czechoslovak confederation of trade unions was created. The Confederation became the member of the ICFTU in May 1999.

The important result of the Congress which was free, democratic and supervised by observers from trade unions of democratic states was unique: the new trade union structures took over all the assets of the old communist unions. And so the Czech trade unions did not face the problem which other trade unions in post communist countries had to solve: the problem of the takeover of the assets of the former communist unions.

I must say, that in some countries the solution was not found until now. This together with the friendly attitude of the political parties brought results: good laws on collective bargaining and freedom of association was adopted. The positive role of the unions played during the so called Velvet Revolution brought results. But this is another story for another article.

Tags: blogger of the week, employment, workers