The Alliance@IBM
has announced that an IBM super-union is in the early stages of being formed,
to be known as the IBM Global Union Alliance.
In a statement, the Alliance@IBM
said a network of IBM unions worldwide,
including the Alliance@IBM CWA Local 1701,
will meet in Switzerland
in May to form the IBM Global Union
Alliance.
The statement released by Lee Conrad, national
coordinator of the Alliance@IBM, said: “For
many years IBM unions, including the Alliance,
have worked together as a network of information and cooperation. The new
Global Union Alliance, under the umbrella of the International Metalworkers
Federation (IMF) and Union Network International (UNI)
takes that network to another level and will include many more IBM
unions. This past year new IBM unions have
formed in Bulgaria,
Chile and Argentina.
Conrad said the meeting of the various unions will take
place in Nyon, Switzerland,
on May 5-6. Presumably, a global IBM union
would be able to exert significant leverage over IBM
to the benefit of its employees throughout the world. IBM
has more than 400,000 employees worldwide.
In a joint statement, the IMF and UNI said
of the new Global Union:
"As IBM has set
itself up as a truly global company, trade unions also need to set up a truly
global alliance cooperating to the maximum extent for the benefit of their
members and IBM employees. This meeting
creates an IMF/UNI Global Union Alliance at IBM
of trade unions with members working for companies owned by IBM
or companies in which IBM has a significant
interest."
According to the Alliance,
the purpose is to express the determination/commitment of trade unions at IBM
to work together at the global level based on shared values and objectives to
strengthen communication and cooperation and to implement action coordinated by
the IMF/UNI global union.
Moreover, the union’s objectives are:
Further the Alliance’s
statement said: “The partners of the Alliance
will work together with the aim of protecting and furthering the interests of IBM
employees throughout the world. The partners will take concrete action to
enlarge the network by improving contacts with unions in countries where
employees are unionized and make every effort to organize unorganized
plants/locations. The Alliance@IBM/CWA
Local 1701 looks forward to the forming of this new organization for IBM
employees and their unions.”
Alliance@IBM/CWA Local
1701 is an IBM employee organization that is
dedicated to preserving and improving workers’ rights and benefits at IBM.
“We also strive towards restoring management's respect
for the individual and the value we bring to the company as employees,” the
union’s mission statement said. “Our mission is to make our voice heard with IBM
management, shareholders, government and the media. While our ultimate goal is
collective bargaining rights with IBM, we
will build our union now and challenge IBM
on the many issues facing employees from off-shoring and job security to
working conditions and company policy.”
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