News

As UNI launches its new video with highlights of the UNI Global Union’s World Engineers’ Conference, organised in the Olso head office of UNI affiliate, the Norwegian Society of Engineers and Technologists, it is important that all UNI affiliates become aware of the conference's key outcome.



The conference was held on 12 April 2013 to launch a global network that is to actively identify and address the challenges facing engineers worldwide. From inadequate access to professional development, to poor regulation of health and safety at work, to organising and building strong networks of engineers within multinational companies and elsewhere, UNI Global Union is determined to ensure that all engineers are respected as professionals in the workplace and society.

Objective of the conference

Help member organisations become strong, representative and effective unions that are capable of progressing the objectives of their members by understanding our common issues and developing a plan to win. Specifically we hope to better network affiliates to build power through organising and comprehensive or strategic campaigning.

Why is it important to engage engineers?

UNI is focusing on the engineering community because engineers are an essential part of every society, whether it is for building roads, schools, hospitals and so forth, or for the computer technology used in our workplace environment. Everything that we do in the world has, in some way or another, been developed or improved by engineers. Engineers are therefore an important community resource and we have an absolute need to protect them. UNI needs to assure that all engineers are given proper terms and conditions, proper support and training, proper development, in order to ensure that they continue contributing towards building a stronger, safer, prosperous community for everyone.

Questions raised during the conference

During the conference, which was attended by over 60 engineers, their unions, and representatives from industry and academia from each UNI region, participants established the key priorities for engineers in the world of work. They also examined the global challenges engineers face and the shortcomings of current regulations. Key questions that were addressed included: what are the trends in the profession? What is the impact of legislation? What is the impact of the economic crisis and of the current social and political developments in the world? Also, critically, what is the role of unions as a response to this? How can we shape and respond to the challenges that the world of work and engineers are facing in wider society? Most importantly: what role can engineers, as well as the trade unions organising and representing them, play in ensuring that engineers can do what they are best at doing, which is finding the solutions to the problems of the world?

Key outcomes

UNI affiliates who work to organise and represent engineers have pledged to support an international initiative to seek the protection and extension of health and safety guidance for workers involved in all aspects of engineering (see document attached). Under the auspices of UNI Global Union, an international working group is being established to identify, develop and share good practice guidance with campaign materials that can be used by UNI affiliates to build partnerships with government agencies and employers.