Unions and Their Role in Political Transition: Syria as a Model

Introduction:

Amid the political and social transformations taking place in Syria, the importance of activating the role of unions emerges as one of the main pillars for achieving a peaceful and sustainable political transition. Unions are mass organizations that represent the interests of workers, employees, artisans, and various professionals, playing a vital role in promoting democracy and popular participation in decision-making.

Activating the role of unions in Syria can contribute to balancing different political forces, enhancing national dialogue, and ensuring the rights of workers and citizens amid political changes.

Unions are a social force capable of influencing public policies and contributing to building strong democratic institutions by organizing workers and defending their rights. They can be a powerful voice for civil society, working to achieve social justice and sustainable development. In this context, empowering unions in Syria becomes an urgent necessity for achieving a successful political transition and building a better future for the country.

History and Development of Trade Unions in Syria:

The emergence and development of trade unions in Syria date back to the early 20th century when labor unions began to appear as a reaction to harsh working conditions and the difficult living situations faced by the working class. During the early decades of the 20th century, Syria witnessed the formation of many labor unions that aimed to improve working conditions and secure better rights for workers.

In 1933, the General Federation of Workers in Syria was established as the first official labor federation in the country. This federation focused on organizing workers, defending their rights, and advocating for better working conditions. In 1947, the “General Federation of Syrian Workers” was founded, becoming the main body responsible for organizing labor unions in Syria.

Over time, labor unions in Syria experienced significant growth, gradually expanding to include a broader range of social and professional groups. In 1963, the “General Union of Syrian Workers” was established to organize labor unions and defend workers’ rights in Syria.

However, in recent decades, following the rise of the Ba’ath Party and Assad’s rule, Syrian labor unions faced major challenges that led to their subjugation—similar to all other civil institutions—placing them under the control of the security apparatus.

Thus, labor unions in Syria, as in many other countries, perform several traditional roles that can be summarized as follows:

• A. Defending Workers’ Rights:
  • Unions play a key role in defending workers’ rights and advocating for better working conditions and wages. They represent workers in negotiations with employers, whether these negotiations concern wages, working hours, or workplace conditions.
• B. Awareness and Education:
  • Unions contribute to raising workers’ awareness of their rights and duties and familiarize them with labor laws. They organize workshops and training courses to enhance workers’ capabilities and develop their skills.
• C. Providing Social Support:
  • Unions offer a range of social services to their members, such as healthcare, education, and housing support. These services contribute to improving the quality of life for workers and their families.
• D. Strengthening Unity and Solidarity:
  • Unions strengthen the unity and solidarity of workers, enabling them to stand together to achieve their common interests. Often, unions serve as the collective voice that represents workers’ demands.
• E. Contributing to Decision-Making:
  • Unions play a role in participating in decision-making at the national level by pressuring the government and policymakers. They strive to bring about positive changes in labor-related legislation and policies.

The influence of unions on Syrian society stems from their role in defending workers’ rights and improving working conditions, contributing to raising the standard of living for workers and their families.
Unions also strive to achieve social justice and reduce the gap between different social classes.
Additionally, by representing and defending workers’ interests, unions contribute to social stability and the reduction of conflicts.
Unions also help increase workers’ awareness of political and social issues, enhancing their participation in public life.

Unions and Political Transition:

Unions play a vital role during political transitions in many countries. In this role, unions contribute to achieving political stability and social justice. Some of the key roles that unions play during political transitions include:

1. Promoting Democracy:
   • Unions work to promote democratic participation by encouraging workers to engage in the political process and vote in elections. Unions also encourage dialogue and cooperation between different social and political groups.
2. Defending Workers’ Rights:
   • Unions play a key role in defending workers’ rights during periods of political transition. They work to ensure that workers’ rights are not overlooked in political processes and economic reforms.
3. Contributing to Social Stability:
   • By mediating disputes between workers and employers, unions contribute to achieving social stability and reducing labor conflicts. This stability is essential for a successful political transition.
4. Pressing for Political and Economic Reforms:
   • Unions leverage their numerical strength and political influence to push for political and economic reforms that benefit workers. These reforms include improving working conditions, increasing wages, and providing social protection.
5. Building Alliances:
   • Unions work on building alliances with civil society organizations and political parties to achieve common goals. This cooperation can help enhance the unions’ influence in political processes.

Examples from history of the role of unions in contributing to successful political transitions:

1. A. South Africa: Labor unions played a key role in the fight against the apartheid system and in supporting the democratic transition in South Africa. The “Congress of South African Trade Unions” (COSATU) was one of the main members of the opposition alliance that led to the end of apartheid.
2. B. Poland: The labor union “Solidarity,” led by Lech Wałęsa, was a key catalyst in the transition from the communist regime to democracy in the late 1980s.
3. C. Tunisia: The Tunisian General Labour Union played a major role in the political transition after the Tunisian revolution in 2011. The union was part of the “National Dialogue Quartet,” which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 for its role in achieving national dialogue and pushing for stability and democracy.

These examples, among others, show how unions can be a driving force for positive change during periods of political transformation.

Challenges and Difficulties:

Unions in Syria face numerous challenges that affect their ability to represent workers and defend their rights. Some of the main challenges include:

1. A. Legal and Political Challenges:
   • Strict Laws: The former Syrian government, under the regime of the late Assad, prohibited the formation of free unions and restricted workers’ rights to protest and demonstrate. Even after liberation, these laws still require urgent amendments.
   • Political Pressure: Unions face significant pressure that seeks to limit their influence and restrict their scope of work.
   • Rebellions and Disturbances: Armed conflicts and internal unrest hinder the work of unions and make it difficult for them to carry out their tasks effectively.
2. B. Economic and Social Challenges:
   • Inflation and Economic Deterioration: Difficult economic conditions affect the ability of unions to provide financial support to workers.
   • Unemployment and Informal Employment: Rising unemployment rates and informal employment mean that unions face difficulty in representing all workers.

Social Changes: The social and political changes in the country affect the relationship between unions and workers, making it difficult for unions to maintain their support.
The Role of Unions in Promoting Democracy and Political Participation:

Unions play a vital role in promoting democracy and political participation during political transition periods, which are often crucial for the future of democracy in the country. Therefore, the importance of unions lies in:

1. Stimulating Political Participation: Unions encourage workers and members of society to engage in the political process, whether through voting in elections or participating in peaceful demonstrations and protests.
2. Community Awareness: Unions raise awareness among workers and society about their political rights and duties, including spreading awareness of laws and rights related to work and political participation.
3. Political Pressure: Unions use their numerical strength and political influence to pressure governments to adopt democratic policies and achieve necessary reforms, through organization and peaceful protest. Unions can be a powerful voice for civil society.
4. National Dialogue: Unions contribute to enhancing national dialogue between various political and social groups, helping to reach a comprehensive national consensus on vital issues.

It can be said that unions contribute to building democratic and sustainable institutions through the following:

1. Transparency and Accountability in Public and Private Institutions: By monitoring policies and practices and working to expose corruption, unions help build honest and effective institutions.
2. Ensuring Workers’ Rights and Improving Working Conditions: This includes negotiating wages and working conditions, providing legal support to workers in case of disputes. Through these efforts, unions can improve the quality of life for workers and their families.
3. Promoting Sustainable Development: By defending workers’ rights and participating in shaping economic policies, unions can contribute to achieving sustainable and balanced economic growth that ensures social justice.
4. Enhancing Community Unity and Solidarity: This contributes to building a strong social fabric capable of facing challenges. By providing support to workers and engaging in social work, unions play a vital role in building a cohesive and sustainable community.

Therefore, activating the role of unions in Syria during the transitional phase is not just an option, but a necessity for achieving a successful political transition and building a sustainable and democratic future for the country. Unions as a Social and Political Force:

Unions play a vital role as a social and political force in societies, through organizing and uniting workers and contributing to achieving political and social change.

Let’s review how unions can be transformed into a pressure force for achieving political change and their role in promoting national dialogue and reconciliation.

1. A. How to transform unions into a pressure force to achieve political change, through:
   • Organization and unification: Effective organization and unification are among the most important steps to transform unions into a pressure force. By organizing workers into strong and unified union units, unions can have a greater impact on the political process.
   • Education and awareness: Educating union members about their rights and duties and raising their awareness of political and social issues can contribute to strengthening the unions’ role as a pressure force. Unions can organize workshops and training programs to raise awareness among their members.
   • Alliances and cooperation: Building alliances with civil society organizations and political parties can increase the unions’ power to influence public policies. Through cooperation with various partners, unions can enhance their negotiating strength.
   • Peaceful demonstrations and protests: Organizing peaceful demonstrations and protests as a pressure tool can have a significant impact on political decision-making. These protests highlight workers’ demands and draw attention to the government and public opinion.
   • Participation in national dialogue: By actively participating in national dialogue, unions can be part of the political process, offering their insights and solutions to the challenges facing society.
2. B. The role of unions in enhancing national dialogue and reconciliation, through:
   • The bridge between different parties: Unions can serve as a bridge between various societal or political groups. By encouraging dialogue and understanding, unions can help reduce tensions and conflicts.
   • Calling for national reconciliation and promoting social peace: Through organizing reconciliation initiatives and conferences, unions can contribute to building trust between different groups.
   • Providing practical and sustainable solutions to societal challenges: Through active participation in policy formulation, unions can be a driving force for positive change.
   • Supporting the democratic process by encouraging political participation and protecting workers’ rights: This strengthens political system stability and promotes good governance.

In brief, unions can be an effective social and political force in achieving political change and enhancing national dialogue and reconciliation, contributing to building a more stable and just society. Strategies to strengthen the role of unions in political transition:

The Political Office of the Syrian Future Movement proposes four strategies to enhance the role of unions in the political transition:

1. Building organizational capacities: This involves providing training programs and workshops for workers and unionists to raise awareness about their rights, duties, and how to influence the political process. Improving the structure of unions and enhancing their ability to organize workers and unite their efforts to achieve common goals is essential.
2. Communication and cooperation: This includes building alliances and strengthening cooperation with civil society organizations, political parties, and other unions to achieve common objectives. Participation in national dialogues and political negotiations will enhance the role of unions as mediators between workers, the government, and employers.
3. Political pressure: This involves organizing peaceful demonstrations and protests to pressure the government for necessary reforms, and using media outlets to raise awareness about workers’ demands and the challenges faced by unions.
4. Participation in decision-making: This focuses on seeking representation in committees and government councils involved in formulating policies related to labor and the economy. Unions can contribute to shaping laws by submitting proposals and legislation that improve working conditions and guarantee workers’ rights.

A future vision for the role of unions in Syria:

In light of the political, social, and economic transformations taking place in Syria, unions must play a pivotal role in rebuilding society and enhancing democracy and social justice.

From here, we present a future vision for the role of unions in Syria, which may include the following:

1. Enhancing democracy and political participation: Unions are an essential part of the democratic fabric of any society. In Syria, unions can strengthen their role by encouraging political participation through educating workers about their rights and duties, encouraging their involvement in the political process, and being a strong voice advocating for workers’ rights and demanding political reforms that guarantee the rights of all.
2. Improving working conditions and protecting workers’ rights: Improving working conditions and protecting workers’ rights plays a vital role in achieving social and economic stability. This ensures a safe and healthy work environment, advocates for better wages, and secures social rights such as healthcare and retirement benefits.
3. Strengthening unity and solidarity: By promoting unity and solidarity among workers, unions can strengthen their position and increase their influence by building strong support networks and mutual assistance among workers, which enhances their negotiating power.
4. Pressure for economic and social reforms: Unions can be a driving force for achieving economic and social reforms that benefit workers and society as a whole. By pressuring governments and policymakers, unions can contribute to achieving social justice and sustainable development.
5. Participation in national dialogue and peacebuilding: Unions can play a key role in enhancing national dialogue and building peace in Syria. By working towards reconciliation and cooperation among different social and political groups, unions can help build a more stable and just society.

Of course, this vision comes with significant challenges, such as the volatile security and political situation. Unstable security and political conditions may hinder the work of unions and limit their impact.

Additionally, economic challenges may make it difficult for unions to achieve their goals and improve working conditions.

Furthermore, social changes, migration, and displacement may affect the composition of unions and weaken their cohesion.

It can be said that unions in Syria have a pivotal role to play in the transitional phase, but their success depends on their ability to adapt to challenges and developments while working in the spirit of solidarity and unity.

The potential scenarios for Syrian unions in the future:

The future of unions in Syria can be influenced by many political, social, and economic factors and variables.

Therefore, we believe that there are several potential scenarios for the role of unions in the future:

1. The positive scenario: Recovery and development:
   • In this scenario, unions manage to recover and develop significantly. This includes achieving political reforms that guarantee workers’ rights and improve working conditions, such as better wages, providing social protection, and ensuring the right to organize and peaceful protest. Unions contribute to enhancing democracy by encouraging political participation and cooperating with civil society organizations and political parties, while offering educational and training programs to workers to improve their skills and raise awareness of their rights and duties.
2. The challenging scenario (resistance and endurance):
   • In this scenario, unions face significant challenges but manage to endure and resist. This scenario involves continued political and economic pressures on unions, hindering their ability to fully achieve their goals. As a result, unions may focus on organizing peaceful protests and demonstrations as a means of pressuring the government and demanding reforms. Additionally, unions work on building alliances with civil society organizations and political parties to strengthen their negotiating power.
3. The negative scenario (weakness and decline):
   • In this scenario, unions suffer from weakness and a decline in their role. This includes the continuation of repressive policies that hinder the freedom to organize and protest, leading to a reduction in the unions’ influence. With the worsening of economic crises, unions’ ability to provide financial support and social services to workers is negatively affected. Additionally, the fragmentation of unions and the weakening of unity and solidarity among workers further diminish the unions’ impact on the political process.
4. The realistic scenario (adaptation and gradual improvement):
   • In this scenario, unions gradually adapt to challenges and achieve tangible improvements in the long term. This includes achieving gradual reforms that improve working conditions and guarantee workers’ rights, as well as developing a positive cooperative relationship with the government and employers to achieve common goals. Additionally, there is an increase in public awareness of the importance of unions’ roles, leading to enhanced popular support for unions.

Conclusion:

Regardless of the scenario, unions in Syria will face significant challenges, including the volatile security and political situation, which hinder their work and limit their impact. Economic challenges may make it difficult for unions to achieve their goals and improve working conditions, while ongoing migration and displacement affect the composition of unions and weaken their cohesion.

In conclusion, the future of unions in Syria largely depends on their ability to adapt to challenges and capitalize on available opportunities to enhance their role and achieve their goals.

Political Office
Bilal Mohieddin
Research and Studies Department
Articles
Syrian Future Movement