Trade unions and the crisis of democratic principles as a reality

Trade Unions were born out of political, economic and social struggles several years ago when the concept of freedom was virtually invincible to many around the world. The struggle to recognize the autonomy and respect of workers as “humans” and stakeholders with vested interests in the existence of companies became possible through mobilization, consistent organizing, loss of blood and flesh. 

While struggle and resistance have been key characteristics of Trade Union existence, today, democracy sits as the central element of its continued existence and survival. The relationship between democracy and unionism is evident in the core principles of unionism, which are widely laid out in the constitutions of local, national and international trade Unions.

It is worth of noting that while democracy may be a fallacy in certain countries across the globe with one-party states or under the rule of dictators, trade unions within their jurisdiction posit and affirm their commitment to the concept of freedom of association and its existence as a right. The question of whether Trade Unions should be a reflection of democracy is a critical one when linked with the question of whether Unions should politically align with political parties in government or those seeking office.  

This article also explores some of the critical benchmarks of democracy or its components that Trade Unions should epitomise or mirror in their existence as democratic institutions with representation as their main sustainability point. Meanwhile, the concept of Trade unionism means several things for different workers worldwide.  To some, it is basically about advancing the benefits of members in their employment relationships, while others in modern contexts see Unionism as an organization established for them to participate in the governance systems of work and country. 

The historical construction and exhibition of democracy has labor as one of its pivotal stakeholders in the struggle for independence from colonial rule across Africa, as evident in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc. As Kraus and Jon posit, Trade Unions at the time played key roles even in the toppling of some authoritarian governments in Africa after the independence struggles, acting as a single social force in the democratization process. 

The role played by workers and their representative Unions at the time, if overlooked, distorts history. Similarly, these roles were later used to witch-hunt Unions and plunged many Union leaders into exile, a challenge which is bearing its head once more in some countries. The cases of countries like South Africa, Namibia, Ghana and others showcase the double-edged sword of the good and the bad of Trade Unions aligning with government or political parties. In the case of Ghana, after its highly successful 13-day strike to support the Convention People’s Party call for “positive action”, the TUC became almost an arm of government. It therefore came as no surprise when the 1966 coup d’état marked the end of a beautiful “marriage” between Trade Unions and Political parties in Ghana. This subsequently led to the status of the TUC as an A-political party, which bars any of its leaders from contesting for a political party position while in active service. There were attacks on TUC’s properties, its leaders, archives and the attempt to erase the contributions of Unions to the struggle for independence. All these, coupled with the step to erase our legitimacy as an equal stakeholder in governance, social life and most importantly, eroding already better working conditions, were part of a grand scheme to cancel the TUC. 

In South Africa, the relationship between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) led to a breakaway and fragmentation between and among Unions, leading to the creation of another national center. Political analysts like Sanet Solomon have posited that the relationship has led to the ANC’s weakened power, accounting for why workers have lost faith in their labour leaders. 

While Trade Unions give a shot at exploring the causative factors, we need to understand that “our power lies in our numbers”, numbers which are eroding more and more due to the standard forms of employment, dwindling faith in leadership and fragmentation. With the dwindling membership becoming more and more intense around the world, we are witnessing “democratic institutions losing ground in numerous countries throughout the world”. 

This is also evident in how Unions have been under tremendous assault and attacks by governments sanctioned by draconian laws or authoritarian regimes that see Unions as threats. The emergence and growth of enterprise or management-sponsored unions, coupled with the increasing fragmentation, can also be linked to this, including differences in ideologies. In part, this is also hinged on the absence of democratic leadership in some Unions with evidence of dictatorship, victimization, favoritism, nepotism and suspicion of leadership aligning to managements and governments across the sub-region. 

The key philosophy of Trade unionism is built on uniting workers to protect their collective interests, solidarity, collective bargaining, and industrial democracy. The transformations we witness in mainstream politics have found their way into Unions as our principles and philosophies are challenged by threatening interventions of the state and employers. These challenges, ranging from monetization, militancy, external political influence in our elections, and declining membership, are part of the reasons we cannot delink Union existence as an ingredient for building democratic states. Sadly, Trade Unions today are failing to exhibit democracy internally due to electoral arrangements by a few powerful ones with an interest to continue ruling from the outside, coupled with the monetization of elections,  which altogether threatens ‘our legitimacy as a democratizing force’. 

The chaos around whether Unions can or should freely align with political parties or governments challenges our autonomy and independence, and our ability to be discerning voices at the table always. It challenges our ability to exhibit our right to safeguard against abuse of power by the government to uphold the interests of workers. Another core component is the ability of Trade Unions to uphold their liberty and counter oppressive restrictions, systems and structures that do not help in upholding the economic and social interests and conditions of workers. 

A key component that contributes to building democracy is the existence of the Rule of Law in Democratic societies with no distinctions or exceptions during application to fundamental human rights. This ensures that our rights and freedoms are guaranteed in democratic processes in all spaces we exist in. This has been defeated in most cases, as several workers are unable to assert their right to freedom of association to join or form unions. A right guaranteed through the ILO core convention 87, Labour Acts and Codes of countries and the Constitutions of countries across the sub-region. The ITUC’s primary mission is to promote and defend workers’ rights and interests through uniting and mobilizing the democratic and independent forces of the world. Meanwhile, Unions and workers experience difficulty in asserting this right.  

To address these, Trade Unions need to explore opportunities for strategic partnerships, especially with social movements and work towards having new organizing strategies. It is also important to promote an inclusive agenda which addresses the interests of all categories of workers. 

Trade Unions need to reorganize towards an agenda that strengthens democracy through a participatory approach to secure representation for workers in all spaces internally and externally as part of a new social order. While striving for workers to have a voice in management of the work and workplace conditions, Trade Unions themselves as an entity should practice participatory democracy. 

This is particularly important because we can’t critique the democracy of others when ours sits on a one-legged table instead of four legs. By protecting and upholding the components and rights, democracies create an environment where individuals can pursue their goals and contribute to the collective good. Trade Unions should strive to mirror the saying of the late Pope Francis that “work or labour “builds society,” and is a “primary form of citizenship… it is through the relationships between persons and their economic and political projects that the fabric of ‘democracy’ is brought to life day-by-day.”