Armenian trade unions stand strong for fundamental rights

Participants underlined the importance of freedom of association and collective bargaining. Gocha Aleksandria, senior specialist at the International Labour Organization’s workers activities bureau (ACTRAV), said one of the ILO’s core objectives is to promote and realize international labour standards, particularly fundamental principles and rights at work. He noted that Conventions 87 and 98 offer important protections against anti-union discrimination and employer interference and promote an environment for voluntary, good-faith collective bargaining.

Karine Aloyan, chairwoman of the Republican Branch Association Electrotradeunion of the Trade Union Organizations of Armenia, stressed the importance of concrete steps toward Armenia’s ratification of ILO Convention 193. She said ratification would strengthen protection of workers’ rights and promote international labour standards.

Sectoral challenges and gender equality

IndustriALL sector directors Alex Ivanou and Emmanuel Adjei-Danso presented sectoral analysis on fundamental rights and collective bargaining. Alex Ivanou covered base metals, mechanical engineering, ICT and electrical and electronics. While Emmanuel Adjei-Danso covered mining and energy.

Aristakes Danielyan, chairman of the Republican Branch Union of Trade Union Organizations of Industry Workers of Armenia, said advancing gender equality in industry is fundamental to decent work and social justice. He said trade unions have a crucial role in ensuring women have equal rights and opportunities at work, including equal pay for work of equal value, decent wages, safe working conditions and equal access to career development.

Social dialogue and safety

ILO specialists Casper Edmonds, Verena Schmidt and Igor Zemlyanskiy discussed the basics of social dialogue: the involvement of workers, employers and governments in decisions on work-related issues, including information-sharing, consultation and negotiation. They stressed the importance of collective bargaining for job quality, equality, labour relations, enterprise performance and macroeconomics, citing examples from mining, manufacturing and energy.

Eduard Pakhlevanyan, chairman of the Branch Union of Trade Union Organizations of Miners, Metallurgists and Jewellers of the Republic of Armenia, said occupational safety and health must remain a top priority in mining and metallurgy. He called for effective implementation of ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines and urged Armenia to ratify Convention 155 on Occupational Safety and Health, saying this would align national legislation with international labour standards.

AI and the future of work

Casper Edmonds and Shreya Goel, also from the ILO, discussed artificial intelligence and social dialogue in manufacturing, drawing on international experience. Participants shared where they see or expect to see, AI in their sectors and what is driving it. All agreed that workers should be informed, involved and consulted, in good time, on AI likely to affect them.

Participants said innovation should make workplaces safer and more productive without undermining workers’ rights. AI can help identify hazards, predict equipment failures and prevent accidents, particularly in high-risk industries. But its deployment must be accompanied by meaningful social dialogue, workers’ participation, transparency and ongoing training, to ensure change is implemented responsibly and ethically, in the interests of workers and enterprises alike.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, said:

“There is a transformation in the Armenian trade union movement, and IndustriALL continues to contribute to it. This summer school with Armenian affiliates shows there is a huge appetite for capacity building and new capabilities in defending and promoting workers’ rights in the country. We will keep going through different programmes in Armenia in the period to come.”