I presume Amnesty have given some reason for their actions:

‘Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty …. senior management are “fully behind the right of all staff to collective bargaining and union membership”’.

Is there some problem with Unite specifically?

Nice to know nothing changes.

@Falco;
It looks like early days but going by the what Unite statement says whether or not there is ‘’ some problem with Unite specifically’’ why does such an organisation like AI make such threats? No little wonder people appear to be paranoid.
‘’disbelief ‘’ and ‘holding a gun to the heads’’ is the language used. Bullies.
And what about the, ‘’ right to choose their own trade union representation, free from coercion.’’
Are senior management supposed to choose for them??
What are union rights like in Beirut, Dakar, Paris, Moscow, Geneva, Hong Kong, Kampala, and New York? Beside isn’t it supposed to be Amnesty INTERNATIONAL?….setting by example?

@gb I tend to agree with your points but I’m cautious because we only have one side of the story, (no fault of Sunny’s so far as I can tell, Amnesty just aren’t making their case).

While it is very unlikely indeed to be the case here, there are circumstances where a business might take on a Union and be doing so to help their workers, (if the union is intimidating non member staff into joining for instance). I’m not discounting the “people being idiots” explanation but you’d think there must be some vaguely sensible reason behind Amnesty’s actions given the obvious bad publicity their actions would attract.

You have to wonder what UNITE could have possibly done to offend Amnesty considering the company they are willing to keep these days.

@Falco
Shetty’s been brought in to do a job. One hopes a good one. Shetty has history with what he did at action aid and elsewhere. Couple this with general debates about the ‘colonial north-south divide’ and then these moves on rights of global workers, people have put 2±2 together and prepare for big change at AI. One hopes that’s its not a bulldozing demolishing job, breaks it while trying to fix it, but with these THREATS, caution indeed.

Wow, this is extraordinary – think I’ll cancel my membership.

quick correction though – Unite can’t have represented Amnesty workers since 1973 – it’s only excisted a couple of years. Presumably they are in ACTS, which was in the T&G, which is now in Unite…

No point punishing AI (withdrawing membership etc) just put some pressure on management to consulate and maybe withdraw threat?

Everything in todays world has a value.that applies as it seems to those who suppossingly work for equality and human rights.It just makes more obvious the fact that humans care only and primarily for their own backside.and if we can spare some help ,then maybe we help some weak guys in these undeveloped countries ,so we have a quiet consiouysness,and sleep at night with no nightmares.
It is another reason why today the only hope for the downfall of humans is to totally destroy the present social system and start building from scratch.and we will need to clear the field before we start ,thats also obvious.because you cant teach an old dog new tricks ….

@ gb: No idea really, though given that AI still haven’t come out with any response I can find, it does look like Amnesty are wearing the skull and crossbones in this spat.

Good old Unite.

Labour wants to slaughter hundreds of thousands of foreignors and they’re happy to bankroll the spin behind the effort.

But suggest that some of their members lose a couple of quid and they’re suddenly all principles and conviction.

Sheesh. These self-serving clowns would be funny if they weren’t so pathetic.

Can Unite represent workers in other countries? I’m not sure how unions demarcate their areas of responsibilities, but surely this is only a major issue if the workers based overseas are not allowed to be represented by local unions – unless Unite claim the right to represent workers overseas as well?

And can Amnesty International actually derecognise a union chosen by the workers – that seems slightly odd in itself?

Contrary to what Unite has suggested, management at Amnesty’s International Secretariat has no intention of derecognising the union. The rights organisation won’t weaken the principle of collective bargaining among its staff and definitely doesn’t intend to threaten its own workers’ rights. Amnesty remains committed to its staff belonging to any union of their choice.

Management at the International Secretariat, Amnesty’s headquarters, were advised that staff based outside the UK who are governed by local national employment law would be better represented by a local union or staff association with local knowledge and expertise. Staff remain free to join a UK-based union if they choose to do so.

These fresh negotiations with Unite are simply to put in place a proper working agreement that replaces one from 1973. It’s certainly not the intention of Amnesty to threaten its own workers’ rights. That would go against the very principle of Amnesty International.

Hang on – you mean Unite are misrepresenting the situation?

Doesn’t sound at all likely to me… Oh, you mean that Unite. Right.

@Eulette
The threat was made and you know it was, pure and simple. Could it be that what you say arises from some desperate back peddling!!

Just realised what Elutte wrote was also a Sunny ‘a roll over backwards’ update. Whatever one thinks of Unite they are merely relaying the deplorable tone taken by AI management to its own staff and making public the threat that was issued to them. Or were they lying?! AI management need to take a long hard look at themselves and they know it. (Payouts anyone?) Good to see some back peddling though. What’s the reason for all this union bashing posturing? ….?

Human rights? Right to free association? Right to collective bargaining? Right to join an independent trade union? I had a conversation with a number of Amnesty chuggers a couple of years ago in North West London. They were not directly employed by Amnesty but the agency they worked for expressly forbade them from joining a trade union. I’ve never been able to take this lot seriously since.

@ 18

“I had a conversation with a number of Amnesty chuggers a couple of years ago in North West London. They were not directly employed by Amnesty but the agency they worked for expressly forbade them from joining a trade union.”

You’ve got to really WANT to blame that one on Amnesty, though, seeing as by your own report it was the agency that enforced that rule.

Hold on a mo, are you suggesting that Amnesty (an organisation promoting human rights) hasn’t got any responsibility to ensure that the agencies they use respect the fundamental human rights of their employees? Perhaps you don’t, I do.

@ 19

To an extent, and if they’ve been made aware of the issue but dismissed it then I’d say that was cause for concern. But there’s a limit to which I’d expect them to proactively check this stuff. I’m sure many human rights organisations buy supplies from companies whose employees wear uniforms made in sweatshops, for example.

I guess I’m just wary of smears via third parties.

@12
The whole point is unite HAS been representing those abroad and helped base a universal set of ‘rights’ based on european law, for obvious reasons.
De recognition is something a corporation can do, I believe it stems from laws brought about under Thatchers union bashing, yes its odd that AI can do it, but they can and they
threaten too….

@ LC Prestes
We’re surprised to hear that the agency expressly forbade the street fund-raisers from joining a union. Here at Amnesty UK’s fundraising team we make every effort to ensure our agencies demonstrate an ethical approach to fundraising. To date we’ve not received any complaints of that nature from our street fundraisers but we would make sure that we followed up any complaints we did receive.

I am just looking forward to Ethical Consumer doing a report on ethical organisations. Amnesty International clearly no longer a best buy, and perhaps soon subject to a boycott call? Unite, like all unions will no doubt come up out of this as a best buy for workers rights*.

Brothers – and Sisters! – whilst there is no doubt grounds for improvement here, lets focus our attention on the real threats to human rights, including those of workers.

* The professional’s union, Prospect, on the other hand would get Ethical Consumer black marks for their links to the Nuclear Industry and the Armaments industry. Their magazine is full of articles by Nuclear Industry workers citing the need to build more Nuclear Power stations, whilst MOD and defence industry workers are worried about cuts to defence spending. Does not stop me being in Prospect, as they are still a net force for good.

The problem with these type of posts one has to be respectful, keep stum, and wait till the next round goes public! But that time I guess the post would be swallowed-up..oh hum…Sunny?

I thought the point of unions was supposed to be to protect employees from evil selfish employers.

Is Amnesty International evil and selfish?