Motion no: 36
Conference believes that good citizenship and active participation in the wider political sphere can be fostered by the introduction of ‘Industrial Democracy’ in the workplace. Allowing workers to have a greater say in decision-making at work helps improve political democracy by reducing the imbalance that exists in society on account of the unfair advantages enjoyed by those with wealth and social influence.
The tenets of democracy, namely freedom of expression, access to information, participation in decision-making and equality of opportunity, must be made available to every member of society in order that there can be a truly democratic system. These principles must extend into every facet of life, not least of all, the workplace.
Given the importance of work as a means of making a living, and the very prominence that work has in the has in the lives of most people, having a say in the conditions and future of the workplace is of vital importance.
Conference recognises that Industrial Democracy must have trade unions at its core and rejects the forms of workers participation introduced by employers to exclude trade unions and purely to benefit the agenda of the employers.
Conference calls on the incoming NIC to:
- Organise a seminar to examine the benefits of, and opportunities for pursuing Industrial Democracy in the NI context.
- Produce an Industrial Democracy Charter that can be used to build campaigns around.
