Unified Repository of Collective Agreements and Smart Contracts: GCTU Sets the Vector for Trade Union Digital Transformation
Trade unions risk losing their ability to effectively protect workers rights amid the growth of the platform economy without rapid digital transformation. Experts from the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) in the academic essay Social Dialogue in a Polycentric World view digitalization as a strategic priority, without which it is impossible to maintain the regulatory role of the trade union movement in labor relations.
«Achieving the goals of the integration process, including the establishment of unified standards in the socio-labor sphere, raises the question of the need for state regulators to facilitate the digital transformation of trade unions and their associations at both national and interstate levels», - the study states.
Against the backdrop of the rapid growth of platform employment and the widespread digitalization of the labor market, the main challenge is the lack of unified digital platforms that could ensure interaction among the three key parties—trade unions, employers, and governments. The shortage of resources for trade union organizations to develop their own IT infrastructure also takes its toll.
To overcome these barriers, the GCTU proposes systemic solutions. These include the creation of a Unified Repository of Collective Agreements - a publicly accessible information system for storing and providing services related to socially significant labor norms, developed through joint decisions by social partners in the labor sphere. The GCTU advocates for the introduction of smart contracts, which will automate the recording and monitoring of compliance with social guarantees in employment. Another demand to governments is to provide free hosting of trade union IT systems on state digital platforms.
The General Confederation of Trade Unions has initiated the updating of the model law On Social Partnership and proposed the establishment of a cross-border tripartite mechanism for labor regulation. The measures proposed by the WCTU could become a tool for preserving the role of the trade union movement in regulating labor relations in the digital economy.
GCTU News
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin Presents the Order of Honour to Viktor Pinsky
Viktor Pinsky, a member of the Russian State Duma and General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU), has been awarded the Order of Honour. The award was presented by Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation.
"My sincere congratulations! I am glad that your work has been duly recognised by the country's leadership," Vladimir Putin said as he presented the award to Viktor Pinsky.
The ceremony took place today in the St George's Hall of the Kremlin in Moscow.
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Kyrgyzstan marks Social Protection and Trade Union Workers' Day
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The holiday has national status - a rare practice for professional dates dedicated to the trade union movement.
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On 15 October, the State Duma unanimously adopted in its first reading a bill that would oblige employers to respond to trade union requests within one month at the latest. The bill received 418 votes. Among its authors is Viktor Pinsky, General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) and a State Duma deputy.