Decent Work for a Decent Life

Home , Carlos Tomada, Greater Buenos Aires

MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM FOR DECENT WORK, GENERAL LABOUR CONFEDERATION OF ARGENTINA (CGTRA)

Decent Work for a Decent Life Decent Work for a Life 2 Decent Work for a Decent Life

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General Labour Confederation (CGT), Argentina Decent Work for a Decent Life: the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work, General Labour Confederation of Argentina (CGT). Buenos Aires: Oficina de País de la OIT para Argentina, CGT, 2012. 89 pages.

Trade union, trade union role, decent work, training programme, training workshop, advocacy, Argentina. 13.01.1

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Printed in Argentina Decent Work for a Decent Life

Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work, General Labour Confederation of Argentina

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forewords 9

Chapter 1. Decent Work 13 1.1. Scope of the concept 13 1.2. The international context 18 1.3. Recovering from the crisis: a Global Jobs Pact 19

Chapter 2. Creation of the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW), General Labour Confederation of Argentina 23 2.1. The national context 23 2.2. The Decent Work Country Programme 2005-2007 26 2.3. Creation of the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW), General Labour Confederation of Argentina 27 2.4. MTDW Objectives and functions 27 2.5. A little history 30

Chapter 3. MTDW Trade union platform for Decent Work 33

Chapter 4. Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2008-2011 41

Chapter 5. MTDW reinforced capabilities 47 5.1. Provincial Teams for Decent Work 52

Chapter 6. Our strategic partners 65 6.1. ILO’s Decent Work Agenda 65 6.2. ILO’s global approach 66 6.3. The ILO Country Office for Argentina 66 6.4. ACTRAV Programmes 68 6.5. Regional Programme to Promote Social Cohesion and Dialogue in Latin America 69

Chapter 7. World Day for Decent Work 73

Chapter 8. Final Evaluation of the DWCP 2008-2011 79

Chapter 9. Our future challenges 81

Annex 83

Foreword by Gerardo Martínez, Director, Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work, CGTRA Secretary for International Relations

Concurrently with the completion of the DWCP (Decent Work Country Programme) 2008- 2011, it is my pleasure to introduce this publication that shows our commitment to oversee fulfillment of this tripartite programme. I am honoured to have been given this responsibility by the CGTRA Executive Committee that appointed me as Director of the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW), which was and still is the voice and action forum of workers, in support of this Plan and the promotion of decent work. I am convinced that the task carried out by the MTDW is and will continue to be a contribution to the transformation of this reality, which can be considered unfulfilled until full Decent Employment is not achieved across our country.

Strengthening of male and female workers, their leaders and organizations is an essential task to ensure a fairer and more democratic society. Actions described herein reflect the activist and professional work of a group of fellow workers –both men and women- who are committed to Social Justice within the International Secretariat. I would like to explicitly point out that the technical, professional, human and financial support provided by the ILO Country Office for Argentina has been relevant. Without such assistance it would have been practically impossible to carry out our activities. I would also like to thank the representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and the Argentine Industrial Union, for their technical and professional inputs, as well as for their encouragement and acknowledgement of the MTDW’s work.

It is worth highlighting that CGTRA is the first workers’ confederation worldwide to have created a forum for promoting Decent Work, and to have conveyed this experience to other countries and regions. In that regard, we wish to thank the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) for its support. The MTDW’s efforts to federalize the promotion of Decent Work have been made possible thanks to the activism and commitment of leaders across the country that supported this initiative, in the most remote areas of Argentina, a large country indeed.

Finally, I wish to express my gratitude from a personal and institutional standpoint to the hundreds of fellow workers that are part of the MTDW and coordinate its activities, for their relentless efforts to favour “DECENT WORK FOR A DECENT LIFE”.

Gerardo Martínez, MTDW Director, CGTRA Secretary for International Relations, member of the ILO Governing Body. 9

Foreword by Marcelo Castro Fox, Director, ILO Country Office for Argentina

The role of workers’ organizations within the International Labour Organization has been mentioned in many instruments and in several debates. In Argentina, however, the trade union movement once again places itself at the forefront of the activities, not only enabling the preparation but also the implementation of an agenda, which allowed fulfillment of the commitments undertaken in the 2008-2011 Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP). Actions were carried out across the country through the different Multidisciplinary Teams for Decent Work, within a pluralistic, participatory and democratic spirit, as promised by the CGTRA Secretary for International Relations, our dear friend Gerardo Martínez, at the beginning of this stage that we have just completed.

A Country Office that has such an active, qualified and committed counterpart as the CGTRA must show a level of excellence to allow responses that are in line with the expectations arisen. This was and will be our challenge during the forthcoming period. Therefore, my dear CGT fellow workers, please rest assured that this Office will continue to provide technical cooperation with renewed enthusiasm as required by you, the Government and employers’ organizations, to further our goals of urging respect for labour standards, promoting the creation of more good quality jobs; enhancing social protection coverage and, above all, continuing to encourage an effective social dialogue that, based on trust and good faith, will allow social actors to advocate for labour and social policy formulation.

To conclude, I would like to thank Gerardo Martínez for his vision and leadership; Marta Pujadas for her permanent dialogue with this Office to define the best ways for contributing to CGTRA tasks; Antonio Jara and Marita González, for their excellent coordination of the Multidisciplinary Teams for Decent Work and, through all the above, I would like to convey my recognition to hundreds of trade unionists that are part of and support the MTDW, with a view to achieving a fairer and more equitable society. Finally, I wish to thank Carlos Rodríguez –our expert in workers’ activities- for his technical support, and Atilio Bleta for his help in systematizing this valuable experience.

Marcelo Castro Fox, Director, ILO Country Office for Argentina.

11 Chapter 1

12 1. Decent Work

1.1. Scope of the concept

Work identifies people with regard to their insertion into a community and with the idea of modern human development; work not only defines someone’s place in the social structure but, furthermore, the individuals’ social relations and modes of social affiliation. Decent Work is not only an aspiration but also a full recognition of the right to work as a human right, according to the international definition thereof. The rights inherent in work entail a desire and a commitment of all on our planet to ensure the full realization of men and women. This was so defined in the Millennium Development Objectives, and the International Labour Organization has promoted the challenge of having Decent Work for a Decent Life.

The notion of Decent Work launched by the International Labour Organization in 1999 attracted attention at times of full hegemony of neo-liberalism, with its aftermaths of suffe- ring for most of the world’s population and the loss of millions of jobs. The promotion of this notion within such an unfavourable context recognizes work as a generator of wealth, and as a factor that favours insertion into community life, builds the countries’ social progress and allows citizens to access a decent life.

Decent Work thus entails the free choice and practice of work and, therefore, eliminates and bans forced labour, slavery and child labour. Secondly, it means holding a job that includes social security from the very beginning of the labour contract, with payments into the pension system, the prevention of work-related risks and compensation in case of an occupational accident or disease. Thirdly, it has to do with the protection of maternity, chil- dhood, marriage, vacations, illnesses, deferred compensation salaries, old age and all those atypical circumstances that happen throughout the life of individuals. Fourthly, it is the right to free association and affiliation with organizations that defend the interests of workers: trade unions. Without trade union freedom and the right of association, all other rights would be seriously restricted and, in the medium run, would also be infringed. Side-by-side with this right goes the strengthening of social dialogue among employers, governments and workers, and its correlation with collective bargaining. In the fifth place, reconciliation of family life and work indicates it is necessary to develop shared family responsibility policies, under equal conditions and opportunities for men and women. In the sixth place, Decent Work imposes the elimination of all forms of discrimination either by sex, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, etc. Decent Work requires all employment policies to aim at

13 job generation. In brief, Decent Work means re-establishing decent conditions for workers, and framing labour rights as human rights. It is not, therefore, a matter of just any kind of job, but one grounded on basic principles arising from an international tripartite agreement, and of understanding that work plays the essential role of creating wealth, and is a mechanism of full integration into society.

The notion of Decent Work includes four dimensions: international labour standards, employment, social protection and social dialogue. The integrality and interdependence of all four components of Decent Work was agreed upon by consensus at the international level in the 2008 ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair globalization; and this consensus gives rise to commitments.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR STANDARDS

DECENT SOCIAL EMPLOYMENT WORK PROTECTION

EFFECTIVE SOCIAL DIALOGUE

Workers’ rights

The key aspect of Decent Work consists of guaranteeing the rights all workers, particularly those in a more precarious situation. The list is long but it suffices to highlight the following: eight hours of work, rest as established by law, regulation of unhealthy tasks, and freedom of association, among others.

Labour rights and principles are, above all, human rights and, as such, are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the American Convention on Human Rights.

Human rights are an expression of a humanity that stands against social exclusion and arbitrariness. They entail basic standars of behaviour among people and on how the State

14 should treat citizens and the population overall. And they seek to reaffirm the dignity of people in their social relationships and towards the State, recognizing a series of attributes inherent in all human beings, without any distinctions.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION ELIMINATION OF COLLECTIVE FORCED LABOUR BARGAINING RIGHTS (29 AND 105) (87 AND 98)

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

EFFECTIVE DISCRIMINATION IN ABOLITION OF CHILD EMPLOYMENT LABOUR AND OCCUPATION (138 AND 182) (100 AND 111)

Employment

As a priority issue for ILO, the Organization proposes to “Create additional job opportunities for men and women to ensure them a decent income and work”.

Employment means having a productive occupation that allows individuals to meet their needs and expectations and access training opportunities. It is thus essential for the State to generate public policies to guarantee the full enjoyment of such rights.

ILO Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (C. 122), is the international regulatory instru- ment by excellence for this purpose. It instructs nations to formulate policies to guarantee: a) that there will be work for all people who are available and seeking a job; b) that such jobs will be as productive as possible; c) that there will be freedom to choose a job, and that each worker will have full access to the necessary training, to fill the most convenient post and to use his/her training and competencies in that job, without taking into account the individual’s race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, nationality or social origin.

The employment pillar of Decent Work is backed by a great number of ILO Conventions, as illustrated in the following graph:

15 VOCATIONAL EMPLOYMENT REHABILITATION SERVICE AND EMPLOYMENT (C88) PROTECTION (C159) OF WAGES DISCRIMINATION (C95) (C111)

MINIMUM EQUAL WAGE-FIXING REMUNERATION MACHINERY (C100) (C26)

PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT SOCIAL POLICY AGENCIES (C117) (C181)

PAID JOB CREATION EDUCATIONAL IN SME LEAVE (R189) (C140) EMPLOYMENT

MIGRANT TERMINATION OF WORKERS EMPLOYMENT (C97) (C158)

PROTECTION OF WORKERS’ EMPLOYMENT CLAIMS, RELATIONSHIP EMPLOYERS’ (R198) INSOLVENCY (C173) EMPLOYMENT MIGRANT PROMOTION AND WORKERS PROTECTION (SUPPLEMENTARY AGAINST PROVISIONS) UNEMPLOYMENT HUMAN (C143) (C168) RESOURCES PLANTATIONS DEVELOPMENT (C110) SOCIAL SECURITY (C142) (C102)

Social Protection

All workers must be ensured safe and secure working conditions, appropriate access to health services, and the possibility to enjoy their leisure time. This protection must also include a fair compensation (through unemployment insurance) should the individual be left without a job or suffer a reduction in working hours.

Social protection is to be placed within the framework of a “Social State”, that is to say, one that develops the necessary mechanisms to balance the different starting points of people, correcting inequalities, unbalances and inequities, through income distribution – by means of a tax system-, the regulation of the labour market and working conditions, and public policies on basic services and utilities (education, health, access to water and sani- tation, housing, etc.).

16 CONVENTION 130 MEDICAL CARE AND SICKNESS BENEFITS

CONVENTION 103 AND 183 CONVENTION 128 MATERNITY INVALIDITY BENEFITS PROTECTION CONVENTION 102 MINIMUM SOCIAL SECURITY STANDARDS

CONVENTION 168 CONVENTION 121 PROMOTION AND EMPLOYMENT INJURY PROTECTION BENEFITS AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT

Social dialogue and collective bargaining

Social dialogue is an essential condition to promote Decent Work: without the effective participation of workers’ representatives in decisions on the economic, labour and social conditions of the labour market, it would be difficult to address the other objectives of Decent Work. In this regard, social dialogue is a fundamental tool for trade union actions and a starting point to achieve labour rights.

The main objective of social dialogue is to promote consensus and the democratic participation of the main players in the labour world. Successful social dialogue structures and processes help to solve significant economic and social issues, encourage good governance, improve peace and social and labour stability, and promote economic progress. Social dialogue is above all an attitude which entails “cooperation” among economic and social agents that may assume on several forms, levels and dimensions according to the context, social practices and their needs.

The participation of employers’ and workers’ organizations is a requirement to increase productivity and avoid conflicts. Collective bargaining is already a customary practice and eloquent evidence of how vital dialogue can be between representatives of trade union organizations and employers in Argentina.

ILO Tripartite Consultations Convention, 1976 (C. 144) (international labour standards) is solely applied to ILO regulatory activities. Although there is no specific Convention for social

17 dialogue within the framework of relationships between governments and those organizations representing workers at the national level, there is a Resolution concerning tripartism and social dialogue adopted by the International Labour Conference in 2002, in which ILO urges governments to promote social dialogue, ensuring the necessary conditions for such dialogue, particularly emphasizing respect for the rights of freedom of association, trade union freedom and collective bargaining.

Although there is no international standard on social dialogue within each country, there are several ILO Conventions that set forth the obligation to hold prior consultations with employers’ and workers’ organizations so as to draft rules on those subjects encompassed in the Conventions. For instance, Article 7, Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (C. 154) states that “Measures taken by public authorities to encourage and promote the development of collective bargaining shall be the subject of prior consultation and, whenever possible, agreement between public authorities and employers’ and workers’ organizations”.

1.2. The international context

Year 1999, when ILO decided to promote the notion of Decent Work worldwide, seems to be so far away. Those were the times of full domination of the neoliberal creed, which supported the full enforcement of a free market, and the shrinking of services provided by States. Very few voices warned about the consequences that the model of accumulation was already bringing about. The most dramatic was the 150 million unemployed workers, which would have been even worse if job-creation policies had not been implemented, ensuring decent work, too. ILO Director-General, Juan Somavía, decided to promote Conventions, Recommendations and Declarations of the International Labour Organization to face the emergency.

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe reinforced the conviction of the neoliberal Apostles of achieving even more, which led employment –as happened in many places worldwide- to be one of the model’s tuning variables, accelerating the incipient globalization process. Vis-à-vis this reality, ILO chose the path of defending Decent, Dignified Work. Despite the correlation of adverse forces in the world scenario, the idea of aiming at Decent Work was enhanced and achieved synergies, even in those regions in which the hegemonic discourse imposed the rules of an unlimited market.

Tripartite dialogue among nations, business and workers’ organizations is ILO’s raison d’être and, to a great extent, explains why the campaign to favour Decent Work has been so much supported and continues to grow.

In these 13 years of the ILO Decent Work Agenda, the world has experienced several unrests which led to questioning neo-liberalism and the so-called Washington Consensus, which acted as an “umbrella” for those unpopular policies. After huge difficulties which are

18 still being faced by whole continents (Europe, for instance), the forecasts contained in many essays and that made their authors famous and wealthy when talking about the end of history and thus of politics, and the victory of neo-liberal capitalism, are at present somehow considered ugly museum objects.

The Mexican financial crisis (the Tequila effect of 1994), the Asian crisis of 1997, the quagmire of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy of 15 September 2008, and the cascading of the great fraud brought about by junk mortgages, placed the financial system at the forefront and questioned its primacy over the rest of the economy. These were and still are events that showed things were not working out well on our planet, globally.

There immediately came voices from all five continents pointing to the opportunity for putting in place the necessary regulations for the financial world.

ILO’s response did not take long. Anticipating the effects of the financial and economic crisis that is nowadays upsetting Europe, at its 103rd meeting held in November 2008, the ILO Governing Council addressed future consequences and the best options to face the complex problems of this downfall. The certainty that encouraged the meeting was that the Decent Work Agenda promoted by ILO in normal times to bring about a fairer development was also essential to face the crisis. At the time, and given the evident risk of significant levels of unemployment, social protection continued to be a key factor for helping the affected workers and their families.

Furthermore, the above tripartite body urged to carry out clarification campaigns to ensure the support of society to the adopted strategy. Within this complex context, ILO reiterated that social dialogue is a powerful tool to agree upon solutions and avoid, to the maximum extent possible, an increase in precarious working conditions and unemployment.

Another recommendation put forward by ILO was the implementation of active policies that take into account measures to support employment, the funding of companies and the most disadvantaged groups. All these were essential initiatives to foster the economy and exit recession. Along these lines, the Global Jobs Pact was drafted and signed on 19 June 2009, with the purpose of offering an overarching tripartite response to the decline in economic activities, maintaining or creating employment. That is how it was viewed by the General Labour Confederation of Argentina (CGTRA) that firmly supported the Argentine Government to avoid the loss of jobs.

1.3. Recovering from the crisis: a Global Jobs Pact

The Global Jobs Pact was adopted in June 2009 by delegates representing governments, workers and employers at the 98th ILO International Labour Conference. It was the most urgent and broad response in the 90 years of ILO’s history, and was adopted to face

19 a crisis that is unsettling the world. The Pact asked governments and workers’ and employers´ organizations to work jointly to address the global unemployment emergency, through policies aligned with ILO’s Decent Work Agenda.

The Global Jobs Pact proposed a series of initiatives to face the crisis, which countries could adapt to their specific needs and situations. It is not a single solution for all but instead a portfolio of proposals based on successful experiences, designed to inform and support multilateral actions. Furthermore, ILO used this document to request measures to keep people in their jobs, support businesses and promote employment generation and recovery, in conjunction with social protection systems, particularly for the most vulnerable social sectors, mainstreaming the concern for gender equality in all cases.

Tripartite Meeting on Policies to face the Crisis: the Global Jobs Pact in Argentina. Marcelo Castro Fox (Director, ILO), Daniel Funes de Rioja (UIA – Argentine Industrial Union) Carlos Tomada (Minister of Labour), Guy Ryder (ILO Geneva), Gerardo Martínez (Secretary for International Relations – CGTRA).

A response based on Decent Work

The collapse of the world economy and its consequences have placed almost all nations in a situation of increased, prolonged unemployment and worsening of poverty and inequality. Overall, in other cases, the recovery of jobs has only been achieved several years after an economic upturn. In some countries, the recovery of pre-crisis employment levels will not suffice to effectively contribute to building strong economies or to make Decent Work a reality among men and women.

It is necessary to have coordinated policy options at the global level to reinforce the effi- cacy of national and international efforts deployed in the field of employment, sustainable

20 companies, good quality public services and utilities, and protection of individuals, while preserving their rights and promoting their opinions and participation.

The world should be different after 2008

Responses aimed at revitalizing the economy should favour a fairer globalization, promote social justice, more respect for the protection of the environment and a more efficient development as regards employment creation and sustainable businesses, respect for the rights of workers, the promotion of gender equality, protection of vulnerable individuals, assistance to countries so that they can provide good quality public services and training, in order to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals.

ILO – that is to say, governments and workers’ and employers’ organizations- undertook the commitment to work side-by-side to contribute to the success of the Global Jobs Pact. The Decent Work Programme is the context in which this overarching proposal is framed.

Principles to promote recovery and development

Actions must be carried out pursuant to the guidelines of the Decent Work Programme and the commitments undertaken by ILO and its constituents in the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization. This document sets forth a reference framework for this period, including the following:

+ Social Dialogue. + Collective bargaining. + Statutory or negotiated minimum wages, which should be regularly reviewed and adjusted. + Governments should promote respect for the negotiated wage rates. + Elimination of the gender pay gaps should be a part of these efforts. + Employment generation. + Design and financing of social protection models. + Active labour market programmes.

The Global Jobs Pact defines four strategies to be followed.

1. Accelerating the creation of jobs and employment recovery, and rendering support to companies. 2. Establishing social protection systems. 3. Reinforcing respect for international labour standards. 4. Promoting social dialogue and bargaining collectively –identifying priorities and fostering actions to exit the crisis.

21 Chapter 2

22 2. Creation of the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW) at the General Labour Confederation of Argentina

2.1. The national context

The modification of the economic-productive and social matrix in Argentina, which began back in the 1940s, required the instatement of the worst military dictatorship (1976-1983). Besides its systematic violation of human rights and its tragic defeat in the Malvinas war, the regime attacked the labour movement with no consideration whatsoever, to the extent that there are still dozens of disappeared 1 fellow workers that were members of internal commit- tees or delegates. CGTRA and all the intervened trade unions, as well as thousands of dis- missed trade union leaders, are a reflection and witness of the harsh repression, which silenced protests and brought about a tremendous drop in workers’ wages.

The military government, however, did not have the social support expected by its leaders. The first significant mobilization which happened only three days before the occupation of Puerto Argentina on the Malvinas Islands, on 2 April 1982, was headed by CGTRA workers and was wildly repressed.

The last dictatorship –an unprecedentedly cruel one- resulted in 30 thousand disappeared, and dozens of thousands of people in exile. It also showed the world how heroic the activists from the different human rights organizations were. Another consequence was the escalating debts found in public accounts and the stagnation of the national productive machinery.

In December 1983, the country returned to a constrained democracy. Raúl Alfonsín’s Government was marked by external pressures from the banks and international financial organizations, which opposed any attempt to restructure the external debt. Trade and fiscal deficits overwhelmed the economy ministers in office who tried, in vane, to negotiate a way out with the International Monetary Fund. Despite the above context, in 1988 a majority of the political parties in Argentina enacted Law No. 23,551 on Trade Union Associations, which is still in force at present.

As a result of hyperinflation, Carlos Menem took over the Presidency prematurely. After a period of initial hesitation, Menem put in place a neoliberal plan, which included the privatization

1. This is the name given to people who were victims of the crime of enforced disappearance during the military government of 1976-1983 in Argentina.

23 of State-owned companies and surprised the whole world because of its radical nature. The consequences were soon noted, and unemployment in Argentina climbed to surprising figures.

Although it is true that the currency board designed by Carlos Menem’s Economy Minister, Domingo Cavallo, helped the middle class to recover its levels of consumption, this mechanism of having the Argentine peso converted into US currency on a one-to-one basis (a peso was worth a dollar) could not last long without the population paying a high price, and the national industry being unable to compete with imported goods. During Menem’s second term in office, the country suffered the consequences of the State’s break-up and the privatization of public companies, with the aftermaths of unemployment and deindus- trialization. The destruction of the national railway system and the privatization of gas and oil, among others, are unequivocal evidence of the atrocities committed by neo-liberalism.

Debt accumulation, an increase in unemployment and the throes of the international crisis (in Mexico and Asia) led to the flight of capital, and to still another recession that affected Argentina in the last two years of Menem’s administration and the two-year term of Fernando de la Rúa’s government.

Some data better explain the size of the disaster brought about by neoliberal policies in Argentina. Between 1998 and 2002, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP, all goods and services produced in the country) dropped at a 5% annual pace. This was one of the worst –if not the worst- negative cycle of the national economy. The social outburst of December 2001, with deaths and destruction, triggered the fall of De la Rúa’s administration. There followed a default on payments and the confirmation of an unprecedented crisis.

Graph 1. Evolution of GDP and unemployment 1994-2010 Source: prepared by the authors based on Ministry of Economy and INDEC (Statistics Institute) data

19.70 17.20 UNEMPLOYMENT (%) 15.10 13.70 12.90 17.4 0 17.5 0 11.70 15.60 14.90 14.30 10.00 9.10 11.50 8.80 8.70 8.30 5.50 7.4 0 9.00 9.20 5.80 3.90 8.50 8.50 7.4 0 8.10 6.80 0.90 -0.80 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

-3.40 -2.80 -4.40

-10.90 GDP (%)

Poverty affected 51.7% of the urban population, abject poverty was over 25% and the unemployment rate impacted 19.7% of the economically active population. Hard cash disappeared from the pockets of millions of families, and there appeared the quasi-curren- cies and barter as a palliative to access food and goods.

24 Graph 2. Evolution of poverty and abject poverty 1988-2003 Source: prepared by the authors based on PHS information

2003 51.7

25.2

39.4

16.3

2001 34.1

11.3

24.5

7.9

1998 25.1 PERSONS LIVING IN POVERTY 6.1

18.0 PERSONS LIVING IN ABJECT POVERTY 4.3

1995 23.5 HOUSEHOLDS LIVING IN POVERTY 6.0

17.3 HOUSEHOLDS IN ABJECT POVERTY 4.4

1991 25.2

4.1

19.1

2.9

1990 38.1

9.6

29.5

6.7

1989 36.6

12.3

29.0

8.8

1988 31.1

9.7

23.3

6.3

The Heads of Plan Jefas y Jefes (Head of houshold plan) implemented in 2002-2003 was the first step towards social inclusion. Most of society believed that a new stage and the desired recovery would only be possible through the generation of Decent Work, that is to say, by creating more and better jobs, an essential objective to promote social inclusion and reinforce democratic governance.

25 2.2. The Decent Work Country Programme 2005-2007

The priority attached to Decent Work in Argentina to combat unemployment on dated back to 2003, when the Argentine Government, in line with the United Nations System, included among its priorities in the Millennium Development Goals, the objective of promoting Decent Work, as well as of reducing poverty and hunger, which have been historical ILO aspirations.

President Néstor Kirchner encouraged the inclusion of Decent Work promotion in national legislation and national, provincial and municipal public policies. In this regard, in March 2004, the National Congress enacted Law 25,877 on Structuring of the Labour Regime which -in Section 7- provides for the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MTEySS by its acronym in Spanish) to promote the mainstreaming of Decent Work provisions into national public policies.

Likewise, with the support of employers’ and workers’ representatives, he promoted a series of policies such as the National Programme for Labour Regularization, the Comprehensive Programme for the Promotion of More and Better Jobs, the Training and Employment Insurance, the National Plan to Eradicate Child Labour, and the full operation of the National Council for Employment, Productivity and Minimum Adjustable Wages.

With the support of ILO, Argentina developed its first Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP, 2005-2007), which helped to implement policies and placed Decent Work at the core of the development model.

Social players – employers and workers – urged this Programme to be used to strengthen those working areas that had been “dismantled” due to the application of structural adjustments back in the 1990s.

ILO’s support consisted of reinforcing the technical capabilities of the Labour Ministry in professional training, labour inspection, youth employment, as well as in the creation of employment offices.

The implementation of the Decent Work Country Programme 2005-2007 was coordinated on the basis of two main pillars, taking into account the critical reality of the times the country was facing. On the one hand, the need for integrating labour and employment policies with other policies that would have an impact on the quantity and quality of jobs, within the framework of the follow-up recommendations at the national level, of the Report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization. On the other hand, the mainstreaming of actions of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security into priority areas, to formulate active employment and training policies, as well as those to regularize unregistered work, improve working conditions, and policies to extend coverage of the social protection system.

26 2.3. Creation of the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work – MTDW-, General Labour Confederation of Argentina

Along the same wavelength as ILO’s work of promoting a broad Decent Work Programme, CGTRA decided to include this initiative in its priority agenda. Therefore, the possibility of accessing Decent Work for all, through the promotion of social dialogue, social protection, the creation of employment and respect for international labour standards, are all basic tools of the Workers’ Confederation.

Within this framework, the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW) was set up under the Secretariat for International Relations, headed by Gerardo Martínez.

MTDW works directly under the guidance of the General Secretariat, and its actions are coordinated by this Secretariat for International Relations, given its relationships with and the official participation of CGTRA in ILO. It also coordinates activities with other Secretariats.

The MTDW meets every thirty days. The coordinators submit a meeting agenda at least five days in advance so that the team members can participate actively.

2.4. MTDW Objectives and Functions

The preparation of a Political-Trade Union Platform on the different dimensions of Decent Work is among the MTDW’s objectives.

The MTDW is made up of trade union representatives, leaders, advisors and professionals from several organizations, which come together under CGTRA and provide their vision and experience on the trade union-related agenda.

27 MTDW IS A SPACE FOR REFLECTION ON DECENT WORK AND ITS DIMENSIONS. MTDW HAS THE PURPOSE OF FEDERALIZING THE NOTION OF DECENT WORK TO ALL ITS REGIONAL BRANCHES, DEMOCRATICALLY BUILDING A TRADE UNION PLATFORM AIMED AT DECENT WORK.

At UOCRA offices, the MTDW team discusses actions under the Global Jobs Pact.

The MTDW carries out tasks related to research, training, information, follow-up, monitoring, and submission of proposals on progress made by the Decent Work Country Programme, within the framework of ILO’s Decent Work Agenda.

To that effect, it keeps in permanent contact with the ILO Country Office for Argentina, and with the representatives of the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) in Santiago de Chile and Lima.

The MTDW also relates to those national State structures that are directly or indirectly linked to the promotion and creation of Decent Work in our country, particularly the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security.

Since its creation, the MTDW has been holding seminars, workshops, technical meetings, conferences, courses, campaigns, and preparing publications to disseminate Decent Work. With the purpose of achieving an impact with regard to its presence and the priority of the topic for society, in general, and particularly among CGTRA trade union members, the

28 MTDW proposed a logo to the National Secretariat so as to identify the Team. It was posted on a web page link at: www.cgtrainternacional.com.ar, which is managed by the Secretariat for International Relations, in coordination with Secretary-General Hugo Moyano, and the participation of the following Secretariats:

+ Equal Opportunities and Gender (Noé Ruíz) + Interior (Gerónimo Venegas) + Institutional Relations (Andrés Rodríguez) + Social Action (Armando Cavalieri) + Human Rights (Julio Piumato) + Economic and Social Policies (Carlos Suiero) + Statistics and Consumer Defense (Horacio Ghilini) + Employment Policies (Jorge Lobais) + Education and Professional Training (Juan Carlos Schmid); + Occupational Health and the Environment (Viviana Córdoba)

The organizations participating actively in the MTDW are the following:

+ Asociación Argentina de Trabajadores de las Comunicaciones (Communications Workers - AATRAC) + Asociación de Empleados de Farmacia (Pharmacy Employees - ADEF) + Asociación de Personal Legislativo (Legislative Staff - APL) + Asociación de Personal de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (University Staff - APUBA) + Asociación del Personal de los Organismos de Control (Control Agencies Staff - APOC) + Asociación Modelos Argentinas (Argentine Models - AMA) + Asociación Obrera Textil (Textile Workers - AOT) + Federación Argentina de Empleados de Comercio y Servicios (Shop Employees and Services - FAECYS) + Federación Argentina de Luz y Fuerza (Electricity - FATLYF) + Federación Argentina de Trabajadores de la Imprenta y Diarios (Printers’ and Newspapers - FATIDA) + Federación de Trabajadores de la Alimentación (Food Industry Workers - FTIA) + Federación Obrera Nacional de la Industria del Vestido y Afines (Clothing and related sectors - FONIVA) + Federación Latinoamérica de Trabajadores de la Industria y la Construcción (Industry and Construction Workers - FLATIC) + Federación Única de Viajantes de Argentina (Traveling salespersons - FUVA) + Sindicato Argentino de Docentes Particulares (Private School Teachers - SADOP) + Sindicato de Trabajadores de Dragado y Balizamiento (Dredging and Buoying - SIPED y B) + Sindicato del Seguro (Insurance - SS) + Sindicato Empleados de la Ex Caja de Subsidios Familiares para el Personal de la Industria - ANSES - (Former Family Subsidy Fund, Industry Personnel - SECASFPI) + Sindicato Único de Trabajadores del Espectáculo (Show business workers - SUTEP)

29 + Sindicato Único del Personal Aduanero de la R. A. (Customs Staff - SUPARA) + Sindicato Único Empleados del Tabaco (Tobacco Industry Employees - SUETRA) + Sindicato de Vendedores Ambulantes (Street Vendors - SIVARA) + Unión Docentes de Buenos Aires (Teachers - UDOCBA) + Unión Argentina de Trabajadores Rurales y Estibadores (Rural Workers and Stevedores/ Dockers - UATRE) + Unión de Empleados de la Justicia de la Nación (Justice Employees - UEJN) + Unión del Personal Civil de la Nación (Civil Servants - UPCN) + Unión Obrera de la Construcción de la República Argentina (Construction Workers - UOCRA) + Unión Obrera Metalúrgica de la República Argentina (Iron and Steel Workers - UOMRA) + Unión de Personal Empleadas Domésticas (Domestic Employees - UPACP) + Unión de Trabajadores del Instituto Nacional de Servicios Sociales (National Institute for Social Services Workers - UTINSSJP) + Unión de Trabajadores de Sociedades de Autores y Afines (Authors and related trades - UTSA)

2.5. A little history

As from November 2006 -after the institutional creation of the MTDW- and until 2008, the challenge was to build capacities among advisors, leaders, technicians and delegates for preparing a trade union platform to favour Decent Work. Thirteen working groups on specific topics were created according to the interests and knowledge of MTDW fellow workers.

CGTRA Gender Secretary, Noé Ruiz, talks about gender equality at an MTDW meeting

30 MTDW Working Groups

1. Equal opportunities and gender 2. Youth 3. Health, safety and the environment 4. Employment policies and the labour market 5. Income distribution 6. Migrations 7. Social security 8. Social dialogue, trade union freedom and collective bargaining 9. Eradication of child labour 10. Workers’ professional education and training 11. Social responsibility 12. The informal economy and unregistered employment 13. Mercosur

31 Chapter 3

32 3. MTDW Trade union platform for Decent Work

After the 2001 crisis, Argentina experienced high growth rates through a transformation of the economic model that privileged employment creation, a continuous increase in domestic demand, and a policy for promoting industry, infrastructure and the sustainable development of the services sector. Indicators evidenced that Argentina was experiencing an unprecedented recovery that was praised worldwide. Nonetheless, there were still many social and labour debts to be settled before the benefits of growth could have an impact on the full enjoyment of the Decent Work dimensions.

To that effect, the MTDW set up a Trade Union Platform for Decent Work.

Introduction

CGTRA joined efforts to serve the needs of those pockets of poverty and marginalization that economic growth had been unable to include in the process. Undoubtedly, youths have been and still are the most affected group. CGTRA urged all parties to deepen labour registration policies, since informal employment has been and is one of the most pressing problems for millions of workers; to promote Decent Work as a strategy to eradicate child labour and exploitation; to strengthen trade union and employer organizations to ensure an efficient coordination of employment policies; to promote occupational health, safety and security; to enhance professional training and trade-union education, through the inclusion of labour rights into educational syllabuses; and to train trade union leaders and cadres.

Furthermore, it is essential to promote trade union freedom and collective bargaining by supporting –as currently done- permanent social dialogue forums and instances. CGTRA believed that gender equality and promotion as well as the inclusion of migrant workers’ rights and free circulation of workers called for a preferential treatment.

First pillar: employment policies

Economic growth is not neutral: depending on the development model, such growth will be targeted or not to the creation of Decent Work. For many years, employment policies were

33 subsidiary to the economic policies. CGTRA believed and still believes that employment policies which improve the quality of life of men and women must aim at coordinating productive, social, economic, educational, and trade policies, with the purpose of creating Decent Work.

In order to generate Decent Work it is necessary to have a conjunction of policies in the fields of macroeconomics, investment, technological innovation, infrastructure, rational use of natural resources and the environment, trade, production, migration, education, pensions, with the purpose of directing them towards the generation of decent work and good quality employment. These policies should be targeted at:

+ fostering public and private investment; + developing and reinforcing the domestic market; + technological innovation; + fostering productivity and the development of micro, small and medium-sized businesses; + encouraging and promoting social economics programmes within a framework of solidarity and cooperation; + developing the rural sector and family agriculture; + strengthening social dialogue in its different formats and levels, through national tripartite consultations and collective bargaining (Convention number 144)

Second pillar: Decent Work as a strategy for eradicating child labour

In a Latin America with great inequalities, youths are mostly poor, have insufficient schoo- ling, and few working opportunities. Precarious employment, particularly as regards hiring conditions and its temporary nature (high levels of turnover, instability and seasonality) have drawn and still draw a fragile line between employment and unemployment and, conse- quently, the only prospect for youth is social vulnerability.

The vast group of youths who do not study, work or look for a job, evidenced and as yet evidences the persistence of labour vulnerability, which calls for specific interventions by the State. In this regard, CGTRA promotes the adoption of the following public policies:

+ to promote education, professional training and insertion into decent jobs of the youth population so as to contribute to eliminating those barriers that hinder entry into the labour market; + to offer an educational option linked to the needs of the productive sectors, consistent with a development model based on Decent Work; + to foster knowledge of youths’ labour rights in Argentina, by including Decent Work components in the curricula, and disseminating national regulations, both at schools and in professional training courses. + to promote youth participation in trade unions and establish youth quotas in social dialogue and collective bargaining forums.

34 Third pillar: Decent Work as a strategy for eradicating child labour

Poverty and marginalization have not sufficed and are still not enough to account for the persistence of child labour. Apart from a socioeconomic reality, there is also a family situation in the closest family circle. During the application of the neo-liberal model of the 1990s, the mass of excluded persons increased, thus worsening the problem of child labour. From this standpoint, CGTRA proposed and continues to propose Decent Work for adults as a strategy to eradicate child labour.

Social and labour inclusion of workers appears as a requirement for girls and boys to be considered as such and go back to school, thus being able to play and have their basic needs met.

CGTRA proposes specific actions for awareness-raising and promotion of child labour eradication, as well as for advocating policies by CONAETI (the National Commission for Child Labour Eradication).

Fourth pillar: workers education and professional training

Professional training is a fundamental right of workers, which translates into a better quality of life. The strategy to face and advocate the evolution of society would only be fea- sible by promoting the participation of all players in the labour universe, promoting Decent Work and supporting fair and equal development, to allow doing away with the scourge of social exclusion.

CGTRA believes that all professional training policies must bear in mind a training for life.

Professional training is a part of Decent Work and, therefore, must be guaranteed on a permanent and universal basis to all workers, with the participation of the State, employers and workers in the outlining of curricula, and considering the impact on their professional careers.

Certain progress has been noted in the strengthening and categorization of professional training, although it has not been possible to realize joint actions to allow homologation of grades or a guarantee that knowledge accreditation of workers is carried out on a basis of a real and tangible validation system. Such failure has an impact on workers in a two-fold manner: on the one hand, no validation has as yet been granted to their credentials nor do they qualify for the certification of knowledge or experience under other modalities.

As regards training of workers by trade unions, there is little recognition of this education as such and the State’s intervention in providing technical and financial support is insufficient. This difficulty significantly harms social dialogue and workers’ participation, since trade union institutions –save for some of them- do not have the economic resources or the necessary infrastructure to organize, carry out and fund qualification processes for their

35 members, which places them in a disadvantageous situation with respect to other social players. CGTRA promotes the strengthening of its trade union organizations and cadres, based on permanent workers’ training, at trade unions and in coordination with official State programmes.

Fifth pillar: promotion of occupational health and safety

Occupational health within the framework of ILO’s definition of Decent Work is one of the pillars for defending human and labour rights.

The accident rate in Argentina rose in proportion to employment growth. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly re-think current paradigms and re-locate occupational risk prevention as a pillar in all occupational health policies.

For prevention purposes, it is necessary to generate collective actions as a way to ensure induction of individual actions. Being aware about risks, selecting individual and collective measures to be applied, following up on them and assessing their proper application have always been and are still a part of the occupational risk prevention process.

The added value of this process is the training of all sectors involved in labour. Occupational health and safety are an indivisible part of it; to work is not merely a technical activity but instead it also entails the appropriate working conditions and an environmental component.

Sixth pillar: High levels of formal work and employment registration

Informal employment is a complex, heterogeneous, multidimensional phenomenon and a pending matter in Argentina.

Firstly, CGTRA states that informal employment within the framework of wage-based labour relations is a fraud and labour crime and, as such, policies should contribute to the inspection, punishment and correction of this kind of hiring modality.

Secondly, informal work as a heterogeneous phenomenon, calls for different actions with the participation of trade union players.

Thirdly, informal employment must be placed as a priority item on the agenda of social bipartite and tripartite dialogue.

Fourthly, CGTRA expresses it is necessary to legislate so as to protect workers that carry out activities under atypical forms of hiring, sub-contracting and outsourcing.

36 Seventh pillar: social dialogue and collective bargaining

Social dialogue is one of the guarantees of stability and contributes to the consolidation of the democratic system. It includes all forms of relationship among players of the labour relations system and, therefore, considers the dimensions of information, consultation, collective bargaining, participation, and social harmonization. Its roots essentially lay in trade union freedom, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. It is also linked to the political will of all parties to achieve the objective of promoting Decent Work.

CGTRA calls for the creation of permanent institutional fora for social dialogue, and the promotion of trade union freedom and collective bargaining.

In order to reach consensus it is necessary to strengthen all players within the labour relations system. For social dialogue to be successful it is essential to provide it with “institutionality” and a regulatory framework based on relationships of trust, commitment and respect between parties.

Pillars that cut across the Trade Union Platform for Decent Work

Promotion of equal opportunities and gender

In Argentina there has been a constant increase in the economic participation of women. The analysis of the activity rate, segmented by age, shows that in the group aged 19-29, the rate diminished considerably. This suggests that it does not suffice to promote the participation of women in the labour force, but instead it is also necessary to adopt work-life reconciliation policies, draft public policies for the care of minors and appropriate rules to make it mandatory to have children’s daycare centers at companies.

+ To promote women participation and the visibility of their actions in trade unions and, as from that point onwards, progress in the promotion of equality at all workplaces. + To identify and characterize the needs and obstacles of men and women as regards equal opportunities. + To develop integrated strategies in response to violence against women at work.

An aspect related to the achievement of gender equality, which is unavoidable for trade union organizations, has to do with recognizing, backing and reinforcing the actions of women, who tirelessly carry out jobs that are not always valued but that are essential to help towards the achievement of active policies to improve the quality of life of workers.

The above-mentioned points justify the insistence of contributing to trade union strategies aimed at installing gender equality, and fostering greater collective awareness on the importance of achieving such objective.

37 Promoting respect for the labour rights of migrants and the free circulation of persons in MERCOSUR

The contemporary international order based on the idea of free access to markets for goods and services contrasts with the impossibility of having a free movement of persons. The concern of developed countries regarding indices of displacement of inhabitants due to economic-labour issues is usually separate from the concern about the movement of capital. Men and women make a dramatic decision to abandon their habitats, their places of origin, their families, their roots; ultimately such decision is made on an individual basis but within a framework of coactive social conditioning factors.

Reasons for emigration are usually the lack of prospects, unemployment, poverty, marginalization, and sufferings at the place of origin. Money is not worried about where the workers generating wealth are located. However repetitive this premise may seem, it is still necessary to highlight it: men and women will continue migrating to places where there are better employment opportunities and quality of life. A comprehensive approach of such problems entails understanding and avoiding the gradual loss of capabilities among people to build their identity.

+ The State’s first obligation is to develop the necessary policies to guarantee the freedom of not migrating, within a model of sustainable and socially fair development. + CGTRA advocates the elimination of restrictions that hinder the free movement of persons in MERCOSUR. + The State must guarantee full application of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. + It is necessary to promote public policies to provide employment opportunities and social protection to those returning to their countries.

Chapter 4

40 4. Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) Argentina 2008-2011

Progress in the economic and social situation of Argentina attracted the attention of experts and leaders from all countries. From 2003 onwards, the increase in GDP was on average 8.5% per annum. Almost four million jobs were created, and unemployment rates dropped from 19.7% to 7.4% per annum. Argentina demonstrated that by putting into practice the recommendations of Decent Work and supporting re-industrialization and the domestic market, the country could exit the crisis rapidly.

The evaluation of the first Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) included a series of suggestions and recommendations that were used to help in the preparation of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2008-2011. An unavoidable element which came up from the study was the need for greater participation of workers and employers in the design, implementation and evaluation of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2008-2011.

The Government, CGTRA and UIA took stock of this first stage of the Decent Work Programme. The evaluation document underscored that “the exceptional nature of the crisis (that hit the country as from the end of 2001) is over and many of the indices of Argentine social and labour reality reflected a very favourable evolution”. The tripartite document then stated agreement on the fact that Decent Work Country Programme for 2008-2011, as well as ILO’s activities in Argentina, aim at reducing poverty by mainstreaming the topic into public policies –with Decent Work as a guiding pillar-, and at using social dialogue to coordinate efforts. Consistent with the recommendations set forth by the ILO Country Office for Argentina for the new phase that started in 2008, CGTRA proposed the need for greater social harmony.

The Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCP) is a tool that –based on results oriented management- allows efforts to be concentrated in a limited number of priorities during a given period, thus integrating several technical sectors, actions and sources of information in support of a single programme. On the other hand, the DWCP defines –in agreement with national ILO constituents (the Government and workers’ and employers’ representatives)- what ILO proposes to do in the country, thus allowing for an objective evaluation as regards the achievement of envisaged outcomes.

41 It is important to point out that the DWCPs are not based exclusively on country demands. The Governing Council defines ILOs general directions and priorities. Full participation of ILO constituents as well as partnerships with national and international players and institutions are essential for successfully implementing DWCPs.

The national Government, social players – the General Labour Confederation of Argentina (CGTRA) and the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA)- together with the ILO Country Office for Argentina prepared DWCP 2008-2011, with the purpose of placing Decent Work at the center of national policies.

The document included a series of precedents, established priorities with a brief descrip- tion of the potential strategies to address them, and the foreseen modalities for their management, follow-up and performance assessment. The preparation of this DWCP entailed an important process for collective building between the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, UIA, CGTRA and the ILO Country Office for Argentina. Its drafting started in February 2008 and, in the following months, a series of workshops and working meetings were held.

This Programme has been a timely example to show the excellence of the tripartite work and, no doubt, it must be treated and implemented in an interdisciplinary and cross-cutting manner.

The diversity of problems to be addressed showed that joint work would allow influencing corrections of the Decent Work deficit, as well as outlining proposals and guidance for its implementation; anyhow, the Decent Work Programme had to be implemented at the national level. Therefore, to that effect, there was the need to ensure an organic participation of organized labour in social and political dialogue. CGTRA headed the task of studying, pro- posing, discussing and monitoring economic and labour policies that would have an impact on the implementation of these programmes.

Priorities, direct effects and strategies

Priority 1: to coordinate national labour policies with policies that impact the quantity and quality of employment

The foreseen strategy to address this priority included actions aimed at strengthening the capacities of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MTEySS) and of social players, according to their specific responsibilities, to appropriately combine labour policies with economic and social ones, always within the context of Decent Work. The perspective of gender equality and equity was included in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of labour, employment and social protection policies. Furthermore, an agreement was reached for constituents to prepare a System of Decent Work Indicators that would help to monitor the labour situation in Argentina.

42 The purpose was to reinforce the capability of the Ministry of Labour to organize the periodic national examination of the social dimension of globalization, and to strengthen social players in their specific capacities to coordinate and implement policies aimed at improving income distribution.

Specific MTEySS capabilities and those of social players to regularly produce, apply and disseminate a System of Decent Work Indicators brought about another challenge, just like the systematic incorporation of employment and Decent Work into policies, programmes and actions in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the provincial and local levels.

Priority 2: to improve employment and employability conditions, emphasizing the promotion of decent work for youth and local economic development

The foreseen strategy to meet this priority included an upgrading of the capabilities of MTEySS and of the social players, according to their specific responsibilities for developing active employment policies and implementing local economic development strategies; and an increase in their specific capacities to design, implement, monitor and evaluate policies and programmes for promoting youth employment.

It was necessary to move ahead in promoting effective exchanges at MERCOSUR level of active employment policies, especially regarding employability, employment services, professional training and local economic development.

Furthermore, also within the context of Decent Work, a re-formulation of the traineeship regime agreed upon by consensus should ensure that youths have learning objectives, and should include promotion and control schemes. The direct effects to be achieved within this priority objective took into account the gender dimension so as to equally benefit men and women.

Priority 3: to contribute to preventing and eradicating child labour

The proposal identified the need to create and strengthen Provincial Commissions for Preventing and Eradicating Child Labour (COPRETI, by its acronym in Spanish), within a context of social dialogue, and to perfect inspection systems for prevention and eradication of child labour and the protection of adolescent work, under Law No. 26,390. Likewise, it promoted the implementation of two intervention projects to eradicate child labour, one in garbage dumps and, the other, in the rural areas.

43 Priority 4: to enhance social protection coverage

One of the core aspects of the plan has been the drafting of social protection policies, mainstreamed into and coordinated with employment policies. so as to enhance coverage and social inclusion. Progress in the prevention and improvement of occupational health and safety conditions through social dialogue has led to improvements in the coordination that is necessary to achieve accessibility, coverage extension and quality of social protection services. An agreement was reached to draft a Bill agreed upon by consensus to amend Occupational Risk Law No. 24,557.

Priority 5: to strengthen effective social dialogue so constituents can promote the dimensions of Decent Work in social and labour policies.

During this period the Programme for Strengthening the Business Network (PROFOREM) was set up, and trade union technical teams were deployed to take actions in all the fields of Decent Work, such as the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW) in the framework of the CGTRA and the Trade Union Committee on Child Labour.

In this regard, CGTRA promoted the consolidation of dialogue at existing institutions: the National Council for Employment, Productivity and the Minimum Adjustable Wage. It also fostered the creation of operational social dialogue forums to improve quality and the participation in collective bargaining, as well as the quest for a notion of Corporate Social Responsibility, agreed upon by consensus with the constituents.

Priority 6: to contribute to reducing the informal economy and unregistered employment

This priority set forth the need to implement mechanisms and tools to formalize informal economic activities; it also introduced actions aimed at: reducing unregistered employment, through compliance with labour standards in force, particularly in activity sectors that have been traditionally critical; and elaborating and implementing an information and follow-up system that includes knowledge on Argentina’s informal economy.

Management, follow-up and performance evaluation

The Decent Work Country Programme for Argentina 2008-2011 was implemented under the coordination of the ILO Country Office for Argentina, with the technical support of an expert in labour markets and social protection from the Decent Work Team in the Americas –stationed in Buenos Aires- and the ILO technical services of Geneva. The Coordination Committee comprised the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the Chairman of the UIA Social Policy Department, the Secretary for International Relations –CGTRA- and

44 the Director of the ILO Country Office for Argentina. Furthermore, monitoring and management of DWCP was carried out through a tripartite follow-up group coordinated by ILO.

DWCP Follow-up Group, from right to left: Diego Schleser (MTEySS), Victoria Giulietti (UIA), Alejandra Pángaro (ILO), Marita González (CGTRA), Silvana Gurrera (MTEySS), Luis Casanova and Liliana Maceiras (ILO).

45 Chapter 5

46 5. MTDW Reinforced Capabilities

Within the activities approved by the CGTRA Executive Council upon the creation of the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW), our tasks focused on reinforcing knowledge of our Team fellow workers and disseminating their presence in our member trade unions.

The CGTRA strategy consisted of increasing the capacities of our fellow workers, which led to improving outcomes and achievements of all trade union actions.

With ILO’s support, the MTDW implemented a Programme for Strengthening the knowledge of trade union leaders, technicians, advisors and workers, in the fields of income distribution, macroeconomics, international trade, corporate and trade union social responsibility, food sovereignty, social security, climate change, employment policies, among others. Ten different MTDW reinforcement activities were organized.

In 2009 training to promote Decent Work was provided to 325 trade unionists from different Argentine provinces, and provincial teams were set up in Formosa, San Nicolás, Santa Cruz and several places in Greater Buenos Aires.

Closing session attended by Gerardo Martínez (MTDW Director), Antonio Jara (MTDW Coordinator), Rubén Cortina (FAECyS) and Gerardo Corres (MTEySS). MTDW Meeting on Multinational Companies

47 + 50 fellow workers trained in the ILO Tripartite Declaration on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy. + 10 workshops for strengthening the MTDW, held at different trade unions that are CGTRA members. + 50 leaders and advisors trained in the different Decent Work dimensions. + 5 provincial Workshops for creating MTDWs in the following localities: a) Formosa: 70 participants. b) Tucumán: 80 participants. c) Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz): 45 participants. d) Caleta Olivia (Santa Cruz): 40 participants. e) San Nicolás de los Arroyos (Buenos Aires Province): 50 participants. f) Lomas de Zamora (Greater Buenos Aires - South): 70 participants. + 325 leaders, delegates, advisors trained in different aspects of Decent Work.

In 2010, through the Project to Promote Social Cohesion and Dialogue in Latin America, the MTDW carried out training in dialogue and collective bargaining in Argentine provinces.

+ 41 trainers trained in Social Cohesion and Dialogue

Marcelo Castro Fox (Director of the ILO Country Office for Argentina), Carlos Tomada (Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security), Gerardo Martínez, (MTDW Director), Daniel Pujol (Director, Programme for Social Cohesion and Dialogue in Latin America) at the closing session of the First MTDW Training for Trainers Course

48 TRAINING OF TRAINERS IN SOCIAL COHESION AND DIALOGUE AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN LATIN AMERICA 14, 15, 22, 28, 29 SEPTEMBER

Venue: Fundación UOCRA - Azopardo 954, Buenos Aires City. Topics: Social dialogue. Notions – Scope. Trade unionism’s role in the generation of culture and of national institutionality in social dialogue. The origin of trade unionism in the emergence of the capitalistic system. The rights of male and female workers. Freedom of association and trade union freedom in practice. Trade union freedom in ILO conventions. The Trade Union Freedom Committee, application and promotion of standards. Evolution of collective bargaining – ILO Instruments – Players in collective bargaining. The role of collective bargaining. Levels of collective bargaining. Law 23,551 on Trade Union Associations in Argentina. Core elements of the Labour Contract Law – Comments of ILO Argentina. Collective bargaining and its different forms: collective bargaining agreement, company-based agreement, voluntary arbitration. Collective bargaining bodies, State intervention. Collective bargaining agreement: definition. Contents, clauses, different types. Format requirements. Publicity. Records. Validity. Nullity. Interpretation and evidence. Collective conflicts. Labour conflicts. Types: individual and collective, de facto and interest-based. The right to go on strike. Preparation of negotiations – Objectives – Strategies in the negotiation process. The right to information. Trade union strategies vis-à-vis the global production systems. Social responsibility. Transnational collective bargaining. Global framework agreements. Regional sector-based agreements, scope and limitations. Speakers: Carlos Tomada, Gerardo Martínez, Marcelo Castro Fox,. Daniel Pujol, Noemí Rial, Héctor Recalde, Gerardo Corres, Antonio Valiño, Gustavo Ciampa, Marta Pujadas, Mónica Rissoto, Pablo Topet, Rubén Cortina, Diego Maza, Laura Montanaro, Marita González and Antonio Jara.

+ 1 workshop for training of trainers (48 hours) during six intensive training sessions. + MTDW organized a conference by French sociologist Robert Castel, on 31 August 2010, on “The boom of social insecurity and uncertainty vis-à-vis the transformations of capital and labour”. Venue: UOCRA Training Center - Rawson 42, Buenos Aires City. Participants: 150. + 6 workshops in the interior of Argentina attended by new trainers selected in view of their technical and pedagogical capacities:

49 a) Formosa b) Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz province) c) San Juan d) Tucumán e) San Nicolás de los Arroyos f) Northern Area of Greater Buenos Aires (Acassuso)

Within the framework of the Trade Union Self-Reform Programme, the MTDW carried out a diagnosis and study on Productive Changes and Business Management in Argentina, and validated that study in a workshop attended by 60 trade union leaders in the Regional CGTRA facilities in La Matanza.

CGTRA Workshop in La Matanza on Trade Union Validation of Trade Union Self-Reform, ILO Programme for Strengthening Trade Unions (FSAL)

+ 413 delegates and workers trained in Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining in the above-mentioned localities.

As from 2011, a scenario of coordination needs was defined with the Global Trade Unions and International Trade Union Federations to hold sector-based training in the topics of collective bargaining, considering Occupational Health and Safety as a core dimension.

50 Creation of Provincial MTDWs: - Tierra del Fuego - Córdoba - Rosario - Santa Fe

The elements of Decent Work were addressed in these provinces through the Cooperation Programme with ACTRAV Lima, in coordination with UNI (Services Sector International), BWI (Building and Wood Workers International) and PSI (Public Services International).

+ Furthermore, the MTDW generated tax proposals to promote Decent Work. + Awareness-raising campaign to ratify Conventions number 102 and 155, with a very positive outcome when enacted by the National Congress.

MTDW Trainers Trained, July 2011

The following activities were carried out within the second phase of the Regional Programme to Promote Social Cohesion and Dialogue in Latin America:

+ an intensive 44-hour seminar to reinforce the MTDW in different topics, namely: body language and public speaking, pedagogical tools, gender, youth, public policies, outsourcing and subcontracting and value chains, for trainers trained during the first phase;

51 + within the Cooperation Programme with the ILO Country Office for Argentina, the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work was created in the city of Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego Province, where 45 fellow workers were trained; + among all those activities, a special chapter was developed to sensitize, train and promote the Global Jobs Pact.

5.1. Provincial Teams for Decent Work

First Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the First Provincial Team for Decent Work, Formosa Date of creation: 15 and 16 September 2009

Venue: Formosa (city) Objectives: CGTRA Plan to Promote Decent Work in Argentina Opening session: Hilario Martínez, CGTRA Regional Secretary, Formosa Regional Branch Speakers: Marita González, (Employment Policies, Income Distribution) Mauro Posada, (Health and Safety; Professional Training), Anabella Rosemberg, (Climate Change), Pablo Topet, (Democracy – Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining; Social Protection) Coordination:Marita González, Antonio Jara Participants: 70 fellow workers from the following Trade Unions: UOCRA (Construction), FOECOP (Post Office), UDA (Teachers), Panaderos (Bakers), SUETRA, APINTA (Crops), APEF (Professors), SOIA (Cotton Industry), SITRASA (Physicians), Trabajadores del Mosaico (Mosaic workers), SADRA (Soccer Referees), UATRE (Rural workers), STITA (Tannin Industry), Bancarios (Bank employees), Unión Ferroviaria (Railway), UPCN (Civil Servants), APOPS (Pension system employees), SECASFPI, Sindicato de Empleados de Caja de Previsión Social (Trade Union of Pension Fund Employees), Sindicato de Jubilados (Pensioners’ Trade Union), SICAUF (Formosa Newspaper Vendors’ Trade Union), SATSAID (Television Trade Union), SIPREFOR (Formosa Press Trade Union), SOETFOR (Formosa Trade Union of Telephone Workers and Employees), Trabajadores Viales (Road Workers), UTEDyC, ATSA (Nurses), SMATA (Metal-mechanics Trade Union), UTI (PAMI Workers), Luz y Fuerza (Energy).

Creation of the first Provincial MTDW – Formosa. 15 and 16 MTDW Formosa: Programme on Social Dialogue and Collective September 2009 Bargaining, October 2010

52 Second Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Second Provincial Team for Decent Work, Tucumán 21 and 22 September 2009

Venue: SUTERH Headquarters, San Miguel de Tucumán. Objectives: CGTRA Plan to Promote Decent Work in Argentina. Opening session: Ricardo Cáceres (CGTRA Regional Secretary, Tucumán Regional Branch). Speakers: Marita González (Employment Policies; Income Distribution), Mauro Posada (Health and Safety; Professional Training), Pablo Topet (Democracy – Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining; Social Protection). Coordination: Marita González, Antonio Jara. Participants: 80 fellow workers from the following Trade Unions: UPCN, SUEL, Camioneros (Truck Drivers), UTA, UOCRA, SUTERH, SITRIGAN, Profesionales del Turf (Turf Professionals), UOM, Sindicato de Empleados y Obreros de Comercio de Tucumán (Trade Union of Shop Employees and Workers), Sindicato de Empleados y Obreros de la Estación Experimental “Obispo Columbres”(Trade Union of Workers and Employees of Experimental Station “Obispo Colombres”), among others.

Creation of the Second Provincial MTDW, Tucumán, 21 and 22 September 2009

Third Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Third Provincial Team for Decent Work, Santa Cruz 13 and 14 October 2009

Venue: Tourism Office, Santa Cruz Province Objectives: CGTRA Plan to Promote Decent Work in Argentina. Opening Session: Rubén Aguilera (UTA) and José Castro (UPCN). Speakers: Marita González, (Employment Policies, Income Distribution) Mauro Posada, (Health and Safety; Professional Training), Pablo Topet (Democracy – Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining; Social Protection).

53 Coordination: Marita González, Antonio Jara. Participants: 45 fellow workers from the following Trade Unions; UTA, Luz y Fuerza Patagonia, SI-PE-TAX, UOCRA, SECASFPI de Río Grande, Panaderos (Bakers), FETRAM, UPCN, APAP, Sindicato de la Carne (Meat Trade Union), SEC (Commerce).

Creation of the Third Provincial MTDW, Rio Gallegos Regional Branch, Santa Cruz, 13 and 14 October 2009

Fourth Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Fourth Provincial Team for Decent Work, Buenos Aires 10 and 11 November 2009

Venue: Port Administration Objectives: CGTRA Plan to Promote Decent Work in Argentina. Opening Session: Luis Herrera (CGTRA Secretary-General, San Nicolás Regional Branch). Speakers: Marita González (Employment Policies, Income Distribution), Mauro Posada (Health and Safety; Professional Training), Marta Pujadas (Democracy – Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining; Social Protection). Coordination: Marita González, Antonio Jara, Marta Pujadas. Participants: 50 fellow workers. The workshop was attended by trade union leaders from the following Trade Unions: Camioneros (Truck Drivers), FAECyS, ATSA, UOM, PUERTOS - APDFA, UOCRA, ASIMRA, SAT-SAID, UEJN, Sindicato de la Madera (Wood Trade Union), SPOERA

54 Creation of the Fourth Regional MTDW: San Nicolás, Buenos Aires province, 10 and 11 November 2009

Fifth Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Fifth Provincial Team for Decent Work, Buenos Aires 2 and 3 December 2009

Venue: El Mangrullo Objectives: CGTRA Plan to Promote Decent Work in Argentina. Opening Session: Secretary for Institutional Relations, Regional Branch, CGTRA, Lomas de Zamora. Speakers: Marita González (Employment Policies; Income Distribution; Technological Changes and Business Management, Challenges for the Workers’ Movement), Mauro Posada (Education and Professional Training), Guillermo Zuccotti (Social Protection), Pablo Topet (Democracy – Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining), Alejandro Tesoro (Occupational Health and Safety), Romina Castro (Climate Change), Susana Santomingo (Child Labour Eradication). Coordination: Marita González. Participants: 100 trade union leaders from the following organizations: AJEPROC, AOT TEXTIL, Federación de la carne (Meat Federation), AATRAC, UTERYA, UOM, UDA, Químicos (Chemists), ATSA, SUTACA, La Fraternidad (Engine drivers), ASESO, ADEF, Municipales (Municipal workers), SECASFPI, UOCRA, STP, La bancaria (Bank employees), Pasteleros (Patissiers), SOEGESLAPE, Estaciones de servicio (Service Stations). Closing Session: Oscar Cuartango (Minister of Labour, Buenos Aires Province). Carlos Gdansky (CGTRA Secretary-General, La Matanza). Sergio Oyhamburú (CGTRA Secretary-General, Lomas de Zamora). Gerardo Martínez (Secretary for International Relations, CGTRA).

55 The CGTRA Secretary for International Relations and Director of the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work, Gerardo Martínez, closed the Seminar together with Carlos Gdansky, CGTRA Regional Secretary (La Matanza); Sergio Oyhamburu, CGTRA Regional Secretary (Lomas de Zamora); and Oscar Cuartango, Minister of Labour, Buenos Aires province.

Sixth Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Sixth Provincial Team for Decent Work, Santa Cruz 7 and 8 December 2009

Venue: SOEMCO Objectives: CGTRA Plan to Promote Decent Work in Argentina. Opening Session: Julián Carrizo (Secretary-General SOEMCO). Expositores/as: Marita González (Employment Policies; Income Distribution), Alejandro Tesoro (Health and Safety; Professional Training), Romina Castro (The Environment), Pablo Topet (Democracy, Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining; Social Protection). Coordination: Marita González. Participants: 35 municipal trade union leaders, delegates and representatives.

Creation of the Sixth Regional MTDW: San Nicolás, Buenos Aires province, 7 and 8 December 2009

56 Seventh Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Seventh Provincial Team for Decent Work, San Juan 12 and 13 October 2010

On 12 and 13 October the “Workshop on Social Cohesion and Dialogue for Trade Unionists” was held at the CGTRA Regional Branch in San Juan, within the context of the Regional Programme to Promote Social Cohesion and Dialogue in Latin America, with the support of the Government of Spain and ILO, and coordinated by the CGTRA Secretariat for International Relations.

Over 60 trade union leaders attended from UTEDYC, SOEVA, STIA, SOEME, UOCRA, SMATA, SUGARA, SEMADDIS, STOTAC, APUNSJ, SUOES, STV y ARA, LUZ y FUERZA, UDA, AMET, AGUAS GASEOSAS, UPCN, COMERCIO, UOM. A delegation from the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW) including Marita González, Marina García, Sebastián Sandri and Antonio Jara made presentations on the following topics: Social Dialogue, Trade Union Freedom – Collective Bargaining, Child Labour Eradication, Global Framework Agreements and Social Security Promotion.

Our fellow worker Eduardo Cabello, Secretary-General of the local CGTRA and of UOCRA –the Construction Workers’ Trade Union- opened the seminar and highlighted the importance of reinforcing social dialogue and its institutionalization to enhance and guarantee democracy in our country.

Workshop participants held intense debates, exchanging experiences and knowledge. The workshop was closed by Carlos Tomada (Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security of Argentina), Eduardo Cabello (Secretary-General of the CGTRA Regional Branch), Rubén Uñac (Vice-governor of the Province), Emilio Fernández (Government Minister), Luis Salcedo Garay (Under-Secretary of Labour) and Julio Figueroa (Secretary-General of UOM – Iron and Steel Trade Union).

Minister Tomada highlighted his satisfaction and gratitude for having been invited to this meeting, and recognized the significant work being carried out by the national CGTRA, as well as the commitment of the local CGTRA to implement such important actions as, for instance, training of trade union cadres in topics that are essential for democratic life, and reinforce the government’s policies on the core nature of employment and work in labour policies. Eduardo Cabello thanked the Minister for his words, closed the workshop and con- gratulated participants and the MTDW team for their commitment in reinforcing the skills of workers’ representatives.

57 Minister of Labour Carlos Tomada and CGTRA Secretary of the San Juan Branch, Eduardo Cabello, speak at the Creation of the MTDW team in San Juan, 12 and 13 October 2010

Eighth Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Eighth Provincial Team for Decent Work, Tierra del Fuego 18 and 19 April 2011

This first workshop held in Ushuaia had two main purposes: that of setting up the First Sector-Based MTDW of UNI, and the creation of the Tierra del Fuego Provincial MTDW. Present at the opening session were National Congresswoman Rosana Bertone; CGTRA Ushuaia Secretary-General; Miguel Angel Olivares, from the Health Trade Union (Sanidad); Antonio Jara, MTDW Coordinator; Eduardo San Roman, Representative of the Global UNI Union (Commerce and Private Services) and Mauro Posada, BWI Representative (Building and Wood workers).

The Programme on Strengthening the CGTRA Decent Work Team was supported by the International Labour Organization and, within the framework of the ILO Lima ACTRAV Programme, Global Unions topics were also included.

Fifty-four leaders and delegates from the following Ushuaia trade unions participated in the meeting: Health (ATSA), Printed media (FATIDA), Construction (UOCRA), Municipal workers (SOEM), National Government Civil Servants (UPCN), Social Security Trade Union - Anses (SECASFPI), Teachers (UDA), Union of Sports and Civil Entities Workers and Employees (UTEDyC), the Judiciary Union, Paper Union (APEL), Waterworks Trade Union (FeNTOS), National Civil Defense Staff (PECIFA) and SMATA (Mechanics and Transport-related Trades). During the first two days, participants analyzed the different dimensions of Decent Work, the Global Jobs Pact, Health and Safety, Collective Bargaining, ILO Conventions. For the first time it was important to access specific information on the Global Unions – UNI and BWI. This led to setting up the first UNI Sector-Based MTDW. The MTDW team included Marita González, Antonio Jara, Pablo Topet, Mauro Posada and Eduardo San Román.

58 Upon the finalization of the second day, the recently created Ushuaia MTDW evaluated the priority topics for the city, focusing its initial actions on policies regarding employment, the labour market, the informal economy and unregistered work, occupational health and safety, youth, migrations and MERCOSUR. On the other hand, the unions, members of UNI, undertook the commitment to call upon all UNI affiliated unions in the province to centralize issues concerning informal employment, workers’ education and professional training, and to develop actions to internalize the UNI mission in the country.

Creation of the Eighth MTDW in Ushuaia City, Tierra del Fuego, 18 and 19 April 2011

Ninth Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Ninth Provincial Team for Decent Work, Santa Fe 10 and 11 May 2011

During a two-day meeting, trade union representatives from several unions exchan- ged their experiences as trade unions, as well as their knowledge to coordinate actions to promote Decent Work: ATSA (health), Asociación Bancaria (bank employees), FATIDA (printed media), UTSA (intellectual property), Municipales (municipal workers), FAECyS (shop employees), UOCRA (construction), SAT (television), SUTEP (public shows), among others. Sixty fellow workers from the cities of Rosario, Villa Constitución, Santa Fe and Villa Gobernador Gálvez analyzed pending issues in the field of Decent Work, the promotion of global unions’ activities as well as the preparation of a joint work agenda in these areas.

Laura Benítez and Federico Chipponere (APUBA) represented PSI (Public Services International); Eduardo San Román, represented UNI (Private Services International), and Mauro Posada represented BWI (Building and Wood Workers International). The meeting was coordinated by MTDW experts Marita González, Pablo Topet and Antonio Jara. The opening session was headed by FATIDA – UNI leader, Lucio Castillo.

59 The only recently established Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work of Rosario – Santa Fe- considered the deficiencies in Decent Work in the province, the topics of informal employment and unregistered work, the problem of youth, workers’ education and professional training.

Creation of the Ninth CGTRA Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work, City of Rosario, Santa Fe province, 10 and 11 May 2011

Tenth Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Tenth Provincial Team for Decent Work, Tierra del Fuego 31 May and 1 June 2011

On 31 May and 1 June 2011, in the city of Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, 57 fellow workers from the following trade unions: SMATA, Petróleo y Gas Privado (Private Gas and Oil), UTI, UDA, AATRAC, UPCN, SETIA, Sindicato Vial (Road Trade Union), Sindicato de Peones de Taxis (Taxi Drivers’ Union), SIPREN, UTA, UTA, Asociación Bancaria (Bank Association Workers), AOT, SUPEH, SECASFPI and Sindicato de Gas de la Patagonia Sur (Southern Patagonia Gas Union) undertook the commitment to establish a Decent Work Team in this city, to act in conjunction with the Ushuaia team created in April. Therefore, Tierra del Fuego province is on the way to promoting Decent Work and carrying out activities and training in the most deficient aspects: the informal economy and unregistered work, occupational health and safety, migration policies, workers’ education and professional training, and the Industrial Promotion Law of the province (No. 19,640).

During a two-day meeting, participants discussed topics of interest to trade unions such as, the role played by ILO, its organization, the different dimensions of Decent Work, Social Security, Trade Union Freedom, Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining, Professional Training, Health and Safety, Informal Employment, and the Global Jobs Pact.

60 The meeting was declared of municipal interest and this statement was handed over to the national MTDW members: Antonio Jara, Marita González, Sebastián Sandri, Alejandro Tesoro and Pablo Topet. CGTRA Secretary-General in Rio Grande, Walter Campos, participated in the meeting thus showing support for the activist commitment of the region’s organizations and trade union leaders. He closed the Workshop by thanking ILO for its cooperation and calling upon the Tierra del Fuego MTDW to turn the agenda agreed upon by participants into specific actions.

Creation of the Tenth Provincial MTDW in Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, 31 May and 1 June 2011

Eleventh Provincial Workshop to promote Decent Work. Creation of the Eleventh Provincial Team for Decent Work, Córdoba 7 and 8 July 2011

Participants analyzed problems and challenges faced by trade unions, especially regarding fundamental rights and the promotion of Decent Work, the ILO Global Jobs Pact and its enforcement in Argentina, informal work, social protection of workers, and occupational health and safety. During the second day, they discussed international trade unionism based on the International Federations or Global Unions, and heard about the different cases: UNI (Commerce and Services), BWI (Building and Wood Workers) and PSI (Public Services).

The Secretary of Labour of Cordoba, Omar Sereno, participated in the opening ceremony at which he highlighted the CGTRA Programme based on the promotion of Decent Work. At this meeting, the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work included Eduardo San Román, Mauro Posada, María Laura Benítez, and Federico Chipponere, and the Coordinators were Marita González and Antonio Jara.

The meeting was a part of the activities encouraged by the Secretariat for International Relations, General Labour Confederation of Argentina, headed by Gerardo Martínez. This

61 year’s feature has been the activities carried out with the Global Unions which backed the idea of achieving a better coordination with sector-based union actions, and the creation of Decent Work Teams such as the one recently set up in Cordoba.

Creation of the Eleventh Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work, CGTRA, Cordoba Province, 7 and 8 July 2011

Chapter 6

64 6. Our strategic partners

6.1. ILO’s Decent Work Agenda

The Decent Work Country Programme set forth a definition of the strategy and actions, promoting Decent Work and the pursuit of comprehensive public policies. The ILO Country Office for Argentina has been able to ensure, improve and increase the participation of the partners involved in this tripartite scheme, providing appropriate and good quality technical assistance, generating innovative outputs and contributing to an increase in the capabilities of the national partners.

In this regard, having reinforced the bond between partners, and having mainstreamed and aligned strategies and actions through a virtuous dialogue has been a positive experience indeed. Partners fully participated in the design, management, monitoring and evaluation stages, and the recommendations provided by the independent evaluation of the ILO Country Programme for Argentina 2001-2006 were duly taken into account. This led to greater levels of trust and effective dialogue. The existence of a Follow-up Group proved to be an essential and efficient tool in the building of strategies and actions between partners.

The ILO Country Office for Argentina was able to draw up a common terminology for planning and programming, with clear, tangible and measurable objectives, a follow-up system during its implementation and the advantage brought about by the recommendation of implementing results-oriented management. With regard to resources, the 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 two year periods were characterized by the exceptional nature of their amount. The allocation of resources to the Decent Work Country Programme has been enough to meet the foreseen implementation requirements.

65 6.2. ILO’s Global Approach

Given the size of the crisis, ILO defined initiatives to assist governments and social players. For instance:

+ to continue documenting the responses of those countries that face difficulties, utilizing the Decent Work Agenda and ILO’s recommendations as a conceptual framework; + to analyze the response vis-à-vis the crisis, taking into account the initial budgetary and external situation of each country, impact on employment of different measures (tax reduction, increase in public investment, support to families, etc.), and a chance to better coordinate strategies among Latin American countries; + to foster horizontal exchanges among the region’s countries, at the political and technical levels, with the purpose of learning from good practices, as well as coordinating the region’s policies; + to provide technical advisory services as per the constituents’ requirements, to outline specific measures in the field of labour market and social protection policies, as well as in furthering tripartite forums to discuss responses to the crisis; + to promote social dialogue at company, sector and country levels, to achieve agreements that would allow buffering the uneven impact of the crisis with appropriate measures; + on the basis of tripartite dialogue, to contribute to striking new balances between the State’s regulatory tasks and private initiatives, financial economics and the real economy, capital and labour, at the global, regional and national levels. This entails building a global, consistent policy in the economic, social and environmental fields, and fostering a new balance between governments, markets, society and individuals.

6.3. The ILO Country Office for Argentina

The Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work decided to devote this Chapter especially to mentioning all the support rendered by the ILO Country Office for Argentina and to thanking them for such assistance. The Office has been a great promoter not only because of its technical and financial cooperation, but also because of its human support and daily encouragement to all tasks carried out by the MTDW. Firstly, we would like to thank its Director, Marcelo Castro Fox, as well as his predecessor, Javier González Olaechea. We would also like to very especially acknowledge the work, support and commitment of Alejandra Pángaro and Liliana Maceiras. Our utmost recognition for their work also goes to Fabio Bertranou, Jorge Arroyo, Gustavo Ponce, Luis Casanova; Evelyn Vezza, María Eugenia Quintana, Graciela Sánchez, Romina García, Verónica Parsiale, María Teresa Solari Bosch and Mariana Sebastiani.

With the support of the ILO Country Office for Argentina, we have carried out several activities which have been explained in other chapters. The office also acted as a facilitator of all cooperation projects. Many actions were performed with CGTRA resources and those financed by our strategic partners also had MTDW counterpart funds.

66 + 11 workshops to reinforce the activities of the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW), held at different trade unions that are members of CGTRA; + 9 Provincial Multidisciplinary Teams for Decent Work: Formosa, Río Gallegos, Caleta Olivia, San Juan, San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Northern Area of Greater Buenos Aires (Acassuso), Tucumán, San Juan and Río Grande. + Bipartite and tripartite activities within the framework of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for Argentina 2008-2011. + Review of the ILO Tripartite Declaration on Multinational Companies and Social Policy. + Several MTDW workshops included technical assistance for capacity strengthening.

Tripartite Meeting: Southern Cone Multi-forum. Promoting responsible practices during a crisis.

67 6.4. ACTRAV Programmes

The MTDW wishes to thank the Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) for its support, and particularly Hilda Sánchez and Anna Biondi, who have helped in all the Decent Work promotion activities.

The ACTRAV Office for the Southern Cone promoted several MTDW activities, particularly the Workshop for Validating the Diagnosis of the Trade Union Movement vis-à-vis productive changes, which was held in La Matanza city, as well as other activities that brought together different teams addressing the topic of Decent Work. Likewise, this Office cooperated in all MTDW strengthening activities. In that regard, we wish to express our gratitude to Carlos Rodríguez and his predecessor, Eduardo Rodríguez Calderón, for their commitment and activism in support of the MTDW, motivating and strengthening our task. Our thanks also go to Luis Fuertes for the work he implemented within the Programme for Reinforcing Union Activities in Latin America.

Furthermore, we thank the regional expert in workers’ education, Carmen Benítez, who guided us and helped to consolidate the sector-based activities, thus allowing for the creation of the sectoral MTDWs, consistent with Global Unions UNI (Commerce and Services International), BWI (Building and Wood Workers International) and PSI (Public Services International). It is worth highlighting that, through the above expert, our MTDW participated in the creation and setting up of the MTDW in Mexico.

+ Creation of Provincial MTDW in Ushuaia, Santa Fe and Córdoba, with the participation of UNI, BWI and PSI. + Programme for drafting a tax proposal to reinforce Decent Work. + Programme for capacity strengthening of workers in Mexico, Tlaxcala.

Our special recognition also goes to Jesús García Jiménez and all his team at the ILO International Training Center in Turin, which allowed us to implement the Social Security Programme. We participated in the Programme for Strengthening Trade Unions, within the Global Jobs Pact, and in the Intercontinental Programme to strengthen Trade Union Capabilities, through which we were able to disseminate our MTDW programme to trade union fellow workers in Asia, Africa, Costa Rica and Venezuela. This last specialization course provided our team with many educational tools.

68 6.5. Regional Programme to Promote Social Cohesion and Dialogue in Latin America.

The Programme aims at contributing to social dialogue and at reinforcing social interlo- cutors. Through this Programme, MTDW was able to train trainers –mostly youths- to promote dialogue and collective bargaining and, during a second phase, reinforce knowledge about public policies, gender, youth, and pedagogical tools, among others. We wish to thank Daniel Pujol for his enthusiastic collaboration with this programme.

+ 41 Trainers trained in Social Cohesion and Dialogue in Latin America. + Workshops on Social Cohesion and Dialogue for trade unionists:

TUCUMÁN: 12 and 13 October 2010 Speakers: Ricardo Cáceres (CGTRA Secretary-General, Tucumán), Guillermo Zuccotti (CGTRA/MTDW), Mauro Posada (UOCRA), Darío Lacuadra (UATRE), Manuel Troncoso (UOCRA).

SAN JUAN: 12 and 13 October 2010 Speakers: Eduardo Cabello (CGTRA Secretary-General, San Juan), Marita González (CGTRA/ MTDW), Antonio Jara (CGTRA/MTDW), Marina García (FAECyS) and Sebastián Sandri (UTI/ PAMI).

FORMOSA: 19 and 20 October 2010 Speakers: Hilario Martínez (CGTRA Secretary-General, Formosa), Pablo Topet (CGTRA/ MTDW), Guillermo Zuccotti (CGTRA/MTDW), Darío Lacuadra (UATRE) and Alejandro Tesoro (UOCRA).

RÍO GALLEGOS: 25 and 26 October 2010 Speakers: Rubén Aguilera (CGTRA Secretary-General, Río Gallegos), Guillermo Zuccotti (CGTRA/MTDW), Hernán Ruggirello (UOCRA), Federico Chiaponnere (APUBA), María L. Benítez (APUBA) and Julia Kaimen (UOM).

SAN NICOLÁS: 25 and 26 October 2010 Speakers: Luis Herrera (CGTRA Secretary-General, San Nicolás), Pablo Topet (CGTRA/ MTDW), Marina García (FAECyS), Liliana Sued (FAECyS), Romina Castro (UOCRA) and Mauro Posada (UOCRA).

69 NORTHERN AREA (Greater Buenos Aires): 7 December 2010 Speakers: José Luis Casares (CGTRA Secretary-General, Northern Area), Marita González (CGT/MTDW), Antonio Jara (CGTRA/MTDW), Mauro Posada (UOCRA), Alejandro Tesoro (UOCRA) and Pedro Taddei (UOCRA).

Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining Programme for Trade Unionists, San Juan, 12 and 13 October 2010

Chapter 7

72 7. World Day for Decent Work

The International Trade Union Confederation –ITUC- instated the 7th. of October as the World Day for Decent Work. CGTRA, which is a member of ITUC, organizes public activities, seminars, TV and printed media campaigns on 7th. of October to sensitize people about the challenge of achieving Decent Work for a Dignified Life.

First World Day for Decent Work 7 October 2008

CGTRA adhered to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) campaign, so as to commemorate the “First World Day for Decent Work” on 7 October, which is celebrated simultaneously in all countries worldwide. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the importance of Decent Work and the world unions’ strength, based on three topics: labour rights, solidarity and the end of poverty and inequality.

Within this campaign, CGTRA has organized seminars, workshops and awareness-raising, sensitization and dissemination activities under the slogan “Decent Work for a Decent Life”.

Second World Day for Decent Work 7 October 2009

The General Labour Confederation of Argentina (CGTRA) and the Argentine Workers’ Confederation (CTA), through their Secretaries for International Relations, Gerardo Martínez and Adolfo Aguirre, respectively, jointly mobilized over 5,000 workers to commemorate the Second World Day for Decent Work, promoted worldwide by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), under the coordination in our continent of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA).

Workers marched to Palacio San Martin, the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Argentina, where the OAS Sixteenth Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour took place. They organized a ceremony with the participation of over 30 trade union leaders from the Americas, which was closed by Rafael Freire, Secretary for Social Policies, TUCA, who emphasized the importance of this ceremony and underscored the unity of action of the Argentine workers’ movement.

73 World Day for Decent Work. Marching to Palacio San Martín. Adolfo Aguirre (CTA), Rafael Freire (CSA), Gerardo Martínez (CGTRA)

Third World Day for Decent Work 7 October 2010

Different activities were organized across the country to celebrate the World Day for Decent Work, convened by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), with the endorsement of the Executive Council of the Argentine Labour Confederation (CGTRA) that channeled actions through the Secretariat for International Relations, headed by Gerardo Martínez.

Under the slogan “Decent Work for a Decent Life”, the CGTRA Secretariat for International Relations carried out a series of dissemination and awareness-raising activities in academic and workers’ environments, as well as in the streets and means of public transport so as to make more visible to workers, employers and governments, the need to guarantee effective compliance with all labour and social rights included in the notion of Decent Work, within the context of ILO conventions and recommendations, and considering that these standards are the leveled playing field for male and female workers worldwide.

The Day’s celebrations were held simultaneously in the main cities throughout the world, with the presence of leaders and workers’ representatives from different union organizations. In Buenos Aires city, an event was organized in the Plaza de los Dos Congresos Square and other important points of the city, where brochures and flyers were handed out to passers- by. Balloons were also released with related slogans.

Similar events were held in different cities across Argentina, with the participation of the Regional CGTRA Branches.

74 The effective implementation of the notion of Decent Work aims at carrying out occupational activities within the context of decent, good quality conditions that take into account, among other things, access to fair salaries, the fight against labour precariousness and informal work, the eradication of child exploitation and labour, access to social security rights and direct or indirect workers’ participation, through representative organizations freely elec- ted by workers.

Mobilization and balloon release at de los Dos Congresos Square, MTDW - CGTRA

Fourth World Day for Decent Work 7 October 2011

Under the slogan “Say no to Precarious Work. Say yes to Decent Work for a Decent Life”, the Fourth World Day for Decent Work was celebrated under the auspices of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), in front of the building of the General Labour Confederation of Argentina (CGTRA), and organized by its Secretariat for International Relations, headed by Gerardo Martínez.

On that occasion, CGTRA organized activities across Argentina, through the MTDW and member unions. The meeting ended with the release of light blue and white balloons in front of the CGTRA premises, with the presence of workers and members of the Confederation’s Executive Council.

75 Decent Work demonstration: Ignacio López (Paraguay), Daniel Jorajuría (CTA-Argentina), Marta Pujadas (CGTRA-MTDW), Carlos Cúster (CTA- Argentina), Eulogia Familia (the Dominican Republic)

Chapter 8

78 8. Final evaluation of the DWCP 2008-2011

Meeting of the Follow-up Group on the 2008-2011 Decent Work Country Programme for Argentina Evaluation, progress and future challenges 6 December 2011

The evaluation of the 2008-2011 DWCP for Argentina showed a widespread conformity of employers, workers, Government and the ILO Country Office with the tasks that have taken place during this period.

All participants recalled “the challenge of starting the process back in 2003”. At the time of taking stock, the world considered the experience of “agreeing in a tripartite manner at the national level to improve workers’ conditions” to be an “unprecedented” experience. Along that same line, they undertook the commitment to carry out more tripartite activities within the 2012-2015 Decent Work Country Programme, which will be started up in the next few months.

In the summary of actions that have taken place in the last few years, the representatives defined “the greater involvement of employers and workers” as something fundamental, and expressed the will “of carrying out more federal, specific and permanent actions”, an aspiration also shared by the ILO Country Office for Argentina, the Government, CGTRA and UIA, who in their statements have favoured the federalization of the Programme and the prioriti- zation of the fight against child labour and informal work.

79 Chapter 9

80 9. Our future challenges

The CGTRA Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work aspires to continue growing and disseminating the promotion and defense of Decent Work across the country’s territory. Activist efforts would be targeted at reinforcing the capabilities of our trainers in a more systematic manner, with appropriate syllabuses for adult education. Therefore, our actions for 2012 would be focused on generating trade union training material on the dimensions of Decent Work. In that manner, we will start up the third stage of trainers training, to set up more teams that would thus reach out to the provinces that have not yet been visited. Our idea is to have at least 24 Regional MTDW for the whole country.

The challenge of building and implementing the Third Decent Work Country Programme (2012-2015) in a tripartite manner is an essential task for preparing proposals to create or reinforce public policies agreed upon by consensus.

The priorities for the General Labour Confederation are the following: the informal economy, youth employment, tax reform, social protection and creation of the Economic and Social Development Council. Progress in these fields is an indispensable requirement for achieving Decent Work in Argentina. The definition of these priorities does not entail leaving aside the topics already addressed but instead seeking better coordination with the notions and dimensions of Decent Work.

As regards standards, we will promote the ratification of Conventions numbers 122 on employment policies; number 156 on workers with family responsibilities; and number 117 on social policies (basic standards and objectives). Furthermore, the MTDW intends to carry out the following actions in the period 2012-2015:

+ an updated diagnosis on the needs of male and female workers and workplace or shop- floor union representatives; + effective training programmes; + follow-up and strengthening of provincial MTDWs; + carrying out its own research work to assist the Argentine trade union movement; + preparation of training modules to address all four dimensions of Decent Work in a coordinated manner; + strengthening of the MTDW thematic sub-groups, by redirecting all their actions to the four Decent Work pillars.

81 Annex

82 Activity Schedule Programme for strengthening the MTDW CGTRA – ILO Country Office for Argentina

First Meeting to strengthen the MTDW 25 March 2009

Venue: FAECyS (Argentine Federation of Services and Shop Employees). Objectives: The purpose of the workshop was to analyze the outcomes of the Decent Work Country Programme agreed upon in 2008. A union-based examination was also carried out of the impacts of the international economic crisis, with the purpose of mainstreaming this variable into the objectives proposed by CGTRA in the Decent Work Country Programme, and coordinating it with the DWCP. Speakers: Alejandra Pángaro (Programme and Technical Cooperation Officer at the ILO Country Office for Argentina), María Victoria Giulietti (Coordinator, Social Policy Department - UIA), Diego Javier Schleser (Labour Statistics Coordinator - MTEySS), Javier González Olaechea (Director, ILO Country Office for Argentina) and Rubén Cortina (Secretary for International Relations - FAECyS). Coordination: Marita González, Marta Pujadas, Antonio Jara. Participants: 30 fellow workers.

Second Meeting to strengthen the MTDW World economic crisis: evolution, impact and future prospects for Argentina 20 April 2009

Venue: CGTRA. José Ignacio Rucci Conference Room. Keynote speaker: Bernardo Kosacoff: “Argentine and Global Macroeconomic evolution since the crisis”. Bernardo Kosakoff (Director, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean – ECLAC). Opening Session: Hugo Moyano (CGTRA Secretary-General), Gerardo Martínez (Secretary for International Relations, CGTRA), Javier González Olaechea (Director, ILO Country Office for Argentina).

83 Speakers: Gerardo Martínez (CGTRA, Secretary for International Relations), Eduardo Rodríguez Calderón (Senior Expert in workers’ activities, ILO Sub-regional Office for the Southern Cone of Latin America), Carlos Sueiro (Secretary of Economic and Social Policies, CGTRA), Jorge Lobais (Employment Secretary, CGTRA), Viviana Córdoba (Secretary for Occupational Health and the Environment, CGTRA), Juan Carlos Schmitd (Education and Professional Training Secretary, CGTRA). Coordination: Marita González, Marta Pujadas, Antonio Jara. Participants: 80 fellow workers.

Third meeting to strengthen the MTDW Social security within the framework of the international crisis 29 April 2009

Venue: UOCRA (Building Workers’ Union of Argentina). Objectives: reinforcement of the CGTRA Action Programme in social security, within the framework of the DWCP. To draft lines of action in social security, particularly with regard to the appropriateness and the need to ratify ILO Convention Number 102, on social security. To draft lines of action within the context of the crisis, with regard to medical aid, monetary benefits, unemployment benefits, family allowances, maternity, disability and old-age benefits, equal treatment of migrants. To develop lines of action with regard to Law No. 26,425, Reform of the Pension System. Opening Session: Gerardo Martínez (Secretary for International Relations, CGTRA). Speaker: Fabio Bertranou (Senior Specialist in Social Security, ILO Sub-regional Office for the Southern Cone of Latin America) Coordination: Marita González, Marta Pujadas, Antonio Jara. Participants: 35 fellow workers.

Fourth Meeting to strengthen the MTDW Income distribution policies 11 May 2009

Venue: UATRE (Argentine Union of Rural Workers and Stevedores) Objectives: To train in the field of individual and functional income distribution. To draft lines of actions for the trade union platform for Decent Work of the CGTRA’s MTDW, and its coordination with the DWCP as regards income re-distribution policies (fiscal policies, monetary and non monetary transfers, social policies, active employment policies, passive policies, among others).

84 Opening Session: Gerónimo Venegas (Secretary of the Interior, CGTRA; Secretary- General, UATRE), Gerardo Martínez (Secretary for International Relations, CGTRA). Speaker: Saul Keifman (Ilo Country Office for Argentina). Coordination: Marita González, Marta Pujadas, Antonio Jara. Participants: 50 fellow workers.

Fifth Meeting to strengthen the MTDW Labour Market and Employment Policies 20 May 2009

Venue: SECASFPI (Trade Union of Employees of the former Family Subsidy Fund for Industry Staff). Objectives: To train in Labour Market and Employment Policies. To internalize DWCP lines of action. To develop lines of action for the CGTRA Decent Work Country Programme. Opening Session: Guillermo Zuccotti (Secretary-General, SCASFPI). Speaker: Emilia Roca (Under-Secretary for Social Security Policies, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security). Coordination: Marita González, Antonio Jara. Participants: 45 fellow workers.

Sixth meeting to strengthen the MTDW Global Food Crisis 3 June 2009

Venue: FTIA (Federation of Food Industry Workers). Objectives: To train MTDW union cadres in addressing the Global Food Crisis, the impact of Climate Change, its prospects in the global economy and poverty eradication policies. Opening Session: Luis Morán (FTIA Secretary-General). Speaker: Gerardo Iglesias (UITA Secretary-General). Coordination: Marita González. Participants: 45 fellow workers.

85 Seventh Meeting to strengthen the MTDW The Informal Economy and Unregistered Work 10 June 2009

Venue: UEJN (Union of National Justice Employees) Objectives: To train MTDW members in addressing and systematizing the dimensions of informal work. To provide instruments to the trade union movement for taking into account the problem of the informal economy. Opening Session: Julio Piumato (UEJN Secretary-General). Speaker: Fabio Bertranou (Senior Specialist in Social Security, ILO Sub-regional Office for the Southern Cone of Latin America). Coordination: Marita González, Antonio Jara. Participants: 45 fellow workers

Eighth Meeting to strengthen the MTDW Labour and trade union relations 17 June 2009

Venue: SS (Insurance Trade Union). Objectives: To analyze trade union challenges regarding the current action structures and strategies in the new forms of labour relationships, with special emphasis on precarious insertion into the labour market of the marginalized groups of the economic structure. To explore trade union challenges on management changes in labour relationships. Opening Session: Raúl Martínez (Secretary-General of the Insurance Trade Union). Speaker: Eduardo Rodríguez Calderón (Expert in workers’ activities, ILO Sub-regional Office for the Southern Cone). Coordination: Marita González. Participants: 45 fellow workers.

Ninth Meeting to strengthen the MTDW Social dialogue and collective bargaining 8 July 2009

Venue: UTSA (Trade Union of Associations of Authors and related trades) Objectives: To develop lines of action for a trade union platform for Decent Work in the CGTRA’s MTDW, and its coordination with the DWCP in social dialogue and collective bar-

86 gaining, using as a starting point the work carried out by the MTDW in 2008. To analyze pending matters. Opening Session: Oscar Francisco Laino (Secretary-General, Trade Union of Associations of Authors and related trades) Speaker: Pablo A. Topet (MTDW, Advisor to the CGTRA International Secretariat, former National Director of Labour Relations, MTEySS). Coordination: Marita González, Antonio Jara. Participants: 55 fellow workers

Tenth Meeting to strengthen the MTDW Corporate social responsibility, trade union challenges and strategies 18 August 2009

Venue: UOCRA (Construction Workers’ Union of Argentina). Objectives: To inform and train on the scope and limitations of the corporate social responsibility dimension. To report and train on the evolution and future of ISO 26000 on Social Responsibility. To develop a Trade Union Policy on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To analyze the CSR vision in Collective Bargaining Agreements. To train on more global agreements, codes of behaviour, in the Americas and worldwide. Opening Session: Gerardo Martínez (Secretary for International Relations, CGTRA, and Secretary-General UOCRA), Noé Ruiz (Secretary for Equal Opportunities and Gender, CGTRA and Secretary-General of AMA). Speakers: Antonio Jara (Secretariat for International Relations, CGTRA, CGTRA representative on the ISO 26,000 Committee), Pablo A. Topet (Labour Advisor to several CGTRA Trade Unions, Member of MTDW, Advisor to the CGTRA International Secretariat, former National Director of Labour Relations, MTEySS), Rubén Cortina (President of UNI-Americas, Secretary for International Relations, FAECyS) and Marta Pujadas (Secretary for International Relations, CGTRA). Coordination: Marita González, Marta Pujadas, Antonio Jara. Participants: 55 fellow workers.

Pilot experience of the first teams for training of trainers 6 October 2010

Topics: Dialogue and Negotiation exercise. Professional Training. Climate Change. Eradication of Child Labour. Social Security. Speakers: Marita González, Marta Pujadas, Guillermo Zuccotti, Susana Santomingo, Antonio Jara.

87 CGTRA workshop to promote Decent Work 21 and 22 July 2011

Gerardo Martínez, Secretary for International Relations, CGTRA, and Marcelo Castro Fox, Director, ILO Country Office for Argentina, opened the Trade Union Workshop on Decent Work on Thursday, 21 July. It was held within the framework of the Programme for Strengthening the CGTRA Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work that the UOCRA leader has conducted since its creation in 2006. Representatives from several trade unions participated in this two- day meeting at the Building Workers’ Trade Union: APUBA, SECASFPI, FAECYS, UEJN, SUETRA, UTI, UTSA, SIVARA, SUTEP, UOM and UOCRA, among others.

In his speech, Gerardo Martínez said that the crisis currently faced by European countries and the USA has led the world to attach greater importance to the need for enhancing the implementation of the ILO Global Jobs Pact and abandoning the economic orthodoxy which “requires peoples to socialize losses” every time a financial or productive crisis comes upon them. The Argentine Labour movement kept up with changes –said Martínez – and renewed its agenda and work plan, reinforcing the battle for an effective enforcement of social and labour rights, at the international level and throughout the country. Furthermore, he clarified that the Multidisciplinary Team for Decent Work (MTDW) installed in 12 provinces proves that such change is taking place.

Marcelo Castro Fox (Director, ILO Country Office for Argentina) closes the Workshop to Strengthen the MTDW; next to him is Gerardo Martínez (Director, MTDW), Marita González and Antonio Jara (MTDW Coordinators)

In turn, Marcelo Castro Fox, Director of the ILO Country Office for Argentina, highlighted that in this country he came across an effective promotion and application of the tripartite notion as promoted by ILO. He added that the MTDW has been able to disseminate, sensitize and train leaders, delegates and workers. All the above, thanks to the work of a great

88 leader such as Gerardo Martínez who is recognized at the international level and is a reference person of the group of workers of the Americas at ILO. Finally, he underlined that ILO is aware that the MTDW, as a first experience of the Trade Union Team for Decent Work, is a model to be imitated and replicated in all Nations.

89 Book printed at Talleres Trama, Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 2012. 91 Decent Work for a Decent Life

MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM FOR DECENT WORK, GENERAL LABOUR CONFEDERATION OF ARGENTINA (CGTRA)

Decent Work for a Decent Life Decent Work for a Life