Trade union education in Central and Eastern Europe
By: Wolfgang Weinz, IUF Coordinator of Eastern and Central Europe

Political transformation in Eastern and Central Europe (ECE) has presented new challenges for workers’ education. In this edition, two affiliates present their perspectives.

Trade union education in ECE remains at a very modest level. At the same time, sub-regions such as the Baltic countries, come close to being "union-free" zones. This is particularly the case where transnational corporations or other foreign investors are active. Trade unions in ECE have not entirely accepted that in this situation trade union education is a matter of survival. Why?

Firstly, the historical heritage and the structural situation of the trade union movement in ECE, has meant that trade union education and information policy are not given sufficient attention. This is not only a product of financial weakness. It is also a question of political will and of the determination of priorities. There are few competent trade union educators in the region. Their function is regarded as secondary in organising work. In this respect, a thorough restructuring of organisational policy has not taken place.

Secondly, these problems have been compounded by Western trade union organisations. With the best of intentions, they have intervened with finance, technology and personnel. Often this has been counterproductive for the independent and sustainable development of trade unions in ECE. One gets the impression that too often the wrong experts presented wrong themes to the wrong audience at the wrong time. Activity for its own sake became more important than its relevance for practical union work.

Are trade union experts from West European countries the only people who can appropriately train trade unionists in ECE? They have a background in industrial relation systems which are highly developed, mature, legally and institutionally formalised and which developed over decades in the prosperity phase of the Cold War period.

The unions in ECE are facing a situation where no industrial relations system exists. In contrast with their colleagues in the West after 1945, the social and economic context of their activity is not one of reconstruction and prosperity. Their political and moral image is at a low point, whilst their social counterparts are mostly bandit capitalists (if not organised criminals) and corrupt government officials.

Is it not more appropriate to involve trade union experts from Africa, Asia and Latin America? They have experiences which are often more relevant to the circumstances of trade unions in ECE. This would also help widen the horizon to include parts of the world where trade unions deal with worse problems than those in ECE. There is a need to break through the sense of collective self-pity and lethargy. The repetitive themes of "privatisation - transformation - collective bargaining: what can be done?" needs to be turned into the core of trade union strength: building an organising and fighting capacity.

Contact Wolfgang Weinz at: IUF, Rampe du Pont-Rouge 8, Petit-Lancy 2, CH-1213 Geneva, Switzerland; +41-22-7932233 (phone); +41-22-7932238 (fax); iuf@iuf.org (e-mail); http://www.iuf.org (www)

email to IFWEA Journal: alana.dave@mcr1.poptel.org.uk