1. LATVIAN COMMERCIAL WORKERS TRADE UNION(LTDA) ORGANISING Maira Muceniece Chair woman of LTDA
Gdansk, 15 June 2011

2. Trade union (TU) density

3. New membership and the number of those members who lost their jobs
1 January 2008
3071
+ 604
- 866
1January 2009
2809
+ 412
- 511
1January 2010
2710
+ 337
- 545
1January 2011
2502
+ 499
1 June 2011 ?

4. Organising – the main activity of LTDA
Political decision
TU activities nominated by Congress
Plan of organising decided by Council
Timetable of organising decided by Board

5. 2 ACTION WAYS Introduction meetings with employers
Work with employees:
- directly,
- with mediation of shop stewards or/ and
contact persons in shops

6. H O W ? Existing of target companies list:
- companies with largest number of employees in retail and wholesale sector,
- multinational companies,
- socially responsible companies,
- companies where even one individual TU member works,
- others
Find of suitable contact persons – shop assistants

7. H O W ?
Distribution of advertisement materials ( info sheets, pocket calendars, pens etc.) :
- with mediation of existing members,
- during different events ( town festivals, fairs
etc.)
Publicity (web page, in newspapers,radio, TV etc.)
Organising meetings with potential members during lunch pauses in shops if employers alow it
Recruitment of individual members (outside the companies)

8. LTDA/ RIMI members in Vermane’s park ( Riga) during 1May campaign organised by LBAS

9. W H O ?
LTDA staff
Shop stewards and/or other active local TU committees’ members
Contact persons in shops as individual members
Leaders of regional TU centres of national confederation LBAS

10. Individual members – the first step to building of new organisation
Increase of number of individual members from the same company (minimum – 3)
Legal consultations and aid for them
(popular way by )
Invitation of individual members to TU seminars on theme: “ What is TU?Know your TU members’ rights!”
Etablishment meetings after seminars

11. New members in existing organisations – TU capacity and social dialogue strengthening at company
Shop stewards and/or other active local TU committees’ members - invitators of colleagues to join TU
Availability of advertisement materials and application forms at workplace
Concluded collective agreement with extra social guarantees – one of the main motivators
Training and free-time activities only for members (seminars,excursions, sport and other events)

12. YOUNG MEMBERS FOR YOUNG WORKERS
Involvment of young members in all TU activities
Action of Youth counsil in LBAS and negotiations about establishment of the same counsil in LTDA/RIMI

13. THE MAJOR OBSTACLES TO ORGANISING
A small chance to meet and speak with potential members at their workplaces ( intra-company )
Prohibition to distribute advertisement materials in shops
Negative covert attitude from many employers and employees’ fear to join TU
Concluded collective agreement relates to all company’ s employees not only to members
Difficulties to find suitable organizers
Lack of finansial and human resources

14. Success stories of organising in LTDA
Establishment of new TU organisations in multinational companies :
In RIMI (Sweden) in 2004, density – 22%
In MAXIMA (Lithuania) in 2010, density – 1%
In RAUTAKESKO ( Finland) in May 2011, density -8%
In IKI ( Belgium) in May 2011, density – 1,4 %
Existing more than 500 individual members in 200 companies, included STOCKMANN ( Finland), LINDEX (Finland), PRISMA (Finland), DROGAS (Honkong), JYSK
(Denmark, franchise)

15. Growth of membership in RIMI/ICA ( Sweden)

16. Growth of involved shops in RIMI/ICA ( Sweden)

17. First RIMI TU conference delegates in November, 2005

18. RIMI TU seminar on labour relations in 2006

19. Annual RIMI TU excursion in 2009

20. LTDA / RIMI TU team in Sport event of LBAS in 2010

21. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! GOOD SUCCESS IN ORGANISING TO ALL COLLEAGUES!
Maira Muceniece T , T Web page: