International Activities
Unia: Active for international solidarity
Unia supports international solidarity in a number of ways. It takes an active part in establishing structures that ensure cooperation with trade unions in European countries and China, has union experts in European work councils and networks in Swiss transnational companies.
Main European activities
On the European level, Unia is affiliated with the European sectoral trade unions. Unia also engages in the activities of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). In term of social issues, Europe has come under strong pressure in recent years. Unia therefore focuses its European efforts mainly on
- a European minimum-wage policy
- a joint campaign against wage dumping in order to enforce the principle of «equal pay for the same work at the same location»
- a major investment plan for Europe.
Another important priority is cross-border cooperation with trade unions and Unia's work on European Works Councils.
Main international activities
On the wider international level, Unia has a proud tradition of commitment to international solidarity. Its activities primarily take place in international sectoral federations (IndustriALL, BHI, UNI and others) and on the International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC) via the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB).
The main areas in which Unia is active internationally are:
- Campaigns for human and trade union rights, conducted in a large number of countries. The campaigns are coupled with lobbying of international institutions such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Bank.
- Collaboration projects and campaigns with other trade unions in order to strengthen the trade union movement around the world and drive forward the claim for decent work. One positive example of this is the campaigns waged at major sports events.
- Framework agreements with multinationals in order to ensure compliance with the core standards of the ILO.
Non-governmental organisations (NGO) and social movements
We furthermore collaborate with many non-governmental organisations (NGO) and social movements. Many of these organisations take part in the World Social Forum. Our vision is one of a united Switzerland within a socially consolidated Europe, and a form of international cooperation based on sustainability.