Trade Union Rights Manual a Practical Guide for Teacher Organisations Defending Their Rights in South East Asia

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Trade Union Rights Manual a Practical Guide for Teacher Organisations Defending Their Rights in South East Asia T RADE U NION R IGH T S N E T WORK Education International Internationale de l’Education Internacional de la Educación Education International Trade Union Rights Manual A practical guide for teacher organisations defending their rights in South East Asia Education International Internationale de l’Education Internacional de la Educación T RADE U NION R IGH T S N E T WORK Trade Union Rights Manual A practical guide for unions defending their rights in South East Asia Education International Trade Union Rights Manual A practical guide for teacher organisations defending their rights in South East Asia - 1 - Education International Internationale de l’Education Internacional de la Educación Trade Union Rights Manual A practical guide for unions defending their rights in South East Asia - 2 - Education International Internationale de l’Education Internacional de la Educación Table of contents Trade Union Rights Manual A practical guide for unions defending their rights in South East Asia Table of contents 3 5. TURN Project: Cambodia Report 34 Acknowledgements 4 6. TURN Project: Indonesia Report 45 Introduction 5 7. TURN Project: Malaysia Report 55 Purpose of this manual 5 The goals of Education International 6 The TURN Project 7 8. TURN Project: Philippines Report 66 Defending the trade union rights of teacher organizations 7 The effectiveness of international mechanisms 7 9. TURN Project: Thailand Report 78 Trade union rights 8 Practices and strategies 9 10. General guidelines for lodging complaints 88 1. International Labour Organization (ILO) 12 ILO structure 12 11. Addresses 89 The role of employer and worker organizations 12 International labour standards 13 12. Resources 90 ILO supervisory mechanisms 15 Making submissions to the ILO 19 2. CEART (Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee) 21 1966 Recommendation on the Status of Teachers 21 1997 Recommendation on the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel 23 Procedure concerning allegations and reports 24 3. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 26 Structure of the OHCHR 26 Human Rights bodies 26 4. Asian Human Rights Bodies 31 ASEAN Charter 31 ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission 31 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) 33 - 3 - Education International Internationale de l’Education Internacional de la Educación Trade Union Rights Manual A practical guide for unions defending their rights in South East Asia Acknowledgements This Trade Union Rights Manual for South East Asia teacher organisations was funded primarily by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and in part by Education International. EI also wishes to thank Philip S. Robertson Jr. and William Conklin for the collaborative research and editing of the country chapters. Finally, EI would like to thank all the reviewers from member organisations who have given so generously of their time to improve the manuscripts. - 4 - Education International Internationale de l’Education Internacional de la Educación Introduction Trade Union Trade union rights are human rights and are considered as such and protected by human rights treaties. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, the Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Rights Manual Nations, and other agreements cover freedom of assembly and of association, workers’ rights to collective bargaining and action, and A practical guide for workers' rights to information and consultation. unions defending their Through such international and regional instruments, states have committed themselves to ensuring that trade union rights can be rights in South East Asia exercised. And yet, teacher organizations and trade unions in general are facing increasingly sophisticated attempts by governments to restrict their operations through a wide variety of legal, administrative, and informal measures. Governments in the five countries selected for the Trade Union organizations devoted to protecting their rights as workers and Rights Network (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines union members and the role of EI as the leading international and Thailand) are not showing a clear dedication to implement advocate for teaching personnel. human and trade union rights. When international human rights instruments have been ratified, their principles and values are EI believes that greater awareness of the existence of the not reflected in national constitutions or laws. Another important international labour standards and supervisory mechanisms will challenge is the persecution of union members and human rights result in a better identification and reporting of human and trade activists. The targeting of labour activists in Asia particularly in union rights violations. Cambodia and the Philippines, and the number of assassination of International supervisory mechanisms are available to be used union members, is of increasing concern to the international trade when a country fails to live up to its commitments guaranteeing union community. workers’ rights. This manual describes how teacher organizations In 2008, EI launched, with 13 teacher organisations in Cambodia, can appeal to these mechanisms when states seek to hamper or Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, the Trade Union prevent teacher unions from working on behalf of their members. Rights Network (TURN). With the support of the Friedrich Ebert It is a practical resource book on the rights of teacher organizations Stiftung and ILO ACTRAV, the TURN project aims to provide teacher to exist, operate, and represent their members. The focus is on representatives in those five countries a perspective on the trade organizational rights and actions, not on the options open to union rights issues both at national and regional level and a better individual activists or on the filing of grievances on behalf of understanding of ILO instruments and supervisory mechanisms. individual members. In certain cases human rights bodies allow The establishment of a network also provides opportunities for only individuals and not organizations to lodge complaints, and this sharing good practices and experience. manual shows how teacher organizations can be requested to assist their members in such an undertaking. The strength of unionism lies in the capacity of trade union organizations to translate the rights into a living reality for their & Purpose of this manual members. The country chapters describe the environment in which EI member organizations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the This manual provides basic information to member organizations Philippines and Thailand are operating. It gives details about the about their rights and on ways to convince states to implement structure of the teacher organisations. It also provides an overview trade union rights for teacher organizations and to spread best of the national regulations concerning freedom of association and practices. At the same time, the manual helps the reader understand the right to collective bargaining, with a particular focus on the both the impressive number and competence of international implementation of those rights for teacher organisations. - 5 - Education International Internationale de l’Education Internacional de la Educación & The goals of Education International » to further the cause of organizations of teachers and education employees; Trade Union Education International is the world’s largest global union » to build solidarity and mutual cooperation among member federation. It is the voice of 30 million teachers and education organizations; Rights Manual workers from pre-school to university. EI’s 401 member » to encourage through their organizations closer relationships A practical guide for organizations operate in 172 countries and territories. Its role can be among teachers and education employees in all countries and unions defending their expressed in terms of its principal aims: at all levels of education; rights in South East Asia Education and social goals » to promote and to assist in the development of independent and democratic organizations of teachers and education » to promote the right to education for all persons in the employees, particularly in those countries where political, world, without discrimination through the establishment social, economic, or other conditions impede the application and protection of open, publicly funded and controlled of their human and trade union rights, the advancement of educational systems, and academic and cultural institutions, their terms and working conditions, and the improvement of aimed at the democratic, social, cultural and economic educational services. development of society and the preparation of every citizen Union movement goals for active and responsible participation in society; » to promote the political, social and economic conditions that » to promote unity among all independent and democratic are required for the realization of the right to education in all trade unions both within the educational sector and nations; with other sectors; and thereby contribute to the further development of the international trade union movement; » to foster a concept of education directed towards international understanding and good will, the safeguarding » to seek and maintain recognition of the trade union rights of of peace and freedom, and respect for human dignity; workers in general and of teachers and education employees in particular. » to promote peace, democracy, social justice and equality through the
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