ACV-CSCIASIA.ORG, JAKARTA – On October 7, known as World Decent Work Day, the world labor organization or what is known as the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) stated its stance, namely “It’s Time to Increase Wages” to ease the enormous pressure on workers and the home. their ladder due to inflation driven by profit taking by companies.
The share of global wealth used to pay wages has fallen by 13 percent over the past 40 years, even as the world economy has quadrupled. This is largely due to declining union density caused by the long-term erosion of workers’ rights detailed in the ITUC Global Rights Index.
Workers are increasingly forced to go on strike because employers take advantage of profits for themselves and shareholders, while refusing even small wage demands.
Instead of supporting workers and their dependents, many countries favor employers and keep the real value of wages at such low levels that many families struggle to survive. The right to strike was violated in nine out of 10 countries last year.
New Social Contract
ITUC Acting Secretary General Luc Triangle said, Wages are at the core of the New Social Contract and are the basis for a sustainable and fair economy. Many employers refuse to share welfare with the workers who produce the goods and provide the services that generate wealth, and with record levels of tax evasion and evasion, the public sector also lacks the resources necessary to ensure decent wage levels.
“When employers suppress wages, the government needs to intervene by guaranteeing trade union organizing and collective bargaining rights, as well as a decent, statutory or negotiated minimum wage. About 20 percent of formal economy workers in the world depend on the minimum wage.”
“Central banks also need to move beyond the old and debunked approach of lowering wages to beat inflation. It has been proven that corporate greed and profit-making have driven up prices. Last year, 722 companies pocketed US$1 trillion in windfall profits, while the real wages of one billion workers fell by US$746 billion.”
Union members earn between 10 and 25 percent more than non-union workers, and although in unionized workplaces this wage premium may be lower, this is because all workers, including non-union members , benefit from the salary levels negotiated by the union. labor union.
The gender pay gap, which currently stands at around 20 percent globally, is much lower when female workers are unionized, and in many cases, the gap can be eliminated through collective bargaining.
Trade unions around the world are also fighting against wage gaps, sub-minimum wages, and exploitative wage levels for migrants, young workers, and other groups targeted by discrimination.
The recent ITUC report provides direct evidence of how significant minimum wage increases have been achieved through union action.
“The best, and often the only way for workers to earn a living wage is to join their union,” added Luc Triangle. (source: ITUC)
