IndustriALL workshop for miners, metallurgical and jewelry workers of Armenia

Leaders and activists of the Armenian local unions at Rusal-Armenal CJSC, Pure Iron Plant OJSC, Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine CJCS, Agarak Copper Molybdenum Combine CJSC, and Dundee Precious Metals Kapan CJSC attended the workshop. Anastas Pahlevanyan, the Chairman of the Republican Trade Union of Miners, Metallurgists and Jewelers of Armenia, also participated.

The key issues of the discussion were the union challenges today and tomorrow, and what the union can offer workers.  Eduard Vokhmin, trade union trainer, facilitated the workshop.

The workshop participants discussed the role of the union and the relevance of workers' rights protection. The participants determined that at the moment the workers in Armenia for the sake of keeping their jobs are ready to sacrifice their rights and are not prepared to take risks for a potential improvement. Therefore, the participants concluded that the main role of the union at the moment is the professional representation to coordinate workers' interests with the employer. The union shall not only help people, but also fight for the control over the industrial relations.

While working in small groups, the participants reviewed actual cases, learnt to identify workers' and employer's interests and determine union's actions for the union to be a good representative able to use the moment and settle the matter for the benefit of both parties to make sure that the next time both the workers and the employer will ask the union to settle the conflict again.

During the workshop the issue of extending the collective agreement to non-members was discussed, and several variants of actions were given as an example in order for a union member to benefit from his membership, and to make non-members feel that it could be both beneficial and convenient for them to become union members. While working in small groups, the participants discussed the tools that provide benefits for union members.

Also during the workshop the activists spoke the necessity to participate in the production processes at the enterprises and to inform the employer about possible improvements in the interests of both the employer and workers. New ideas on optimization and improvement of production will help the union to remain strong and powerful, especially if the employer provides the workers with a good social package and respects workers' rights.

At the end of the workshop several models were discussed to satisfy the consumer interests of the workers who wish to benefit from joining a union, such as trade union discount cards, insurance, microloans, and solutions to solve housing issues.

Summing up the workshop results, the participants highly appreciated the training, thanked for the opportunity to learn about the work and positive experience of foreign unions and to get a new vision on what the trade union is, how it works and where it should develop in a future. The union chairman Anastas Pahlevanyan said about the plans to merge with the Trade Union of Light Industry Workers of Armenia and also about their intention to apply for affiliation with the IndustriALL Global Union before the end of the year.

During the workshop Vadim Borisov, regional representative of IndustriALL Global Union in Moscow told the participants about the history, structure and main activities of IndustriALL, such as the fighting against precarious work, and about the consequences of precarious work both for unions and workers. After the end of the workshop the union members participated in the "Armenia for decent work" flashmob as part of the preparation for 7 October, the World Day of Decent Work.