Governance, democracy and trade unions

Democracy without elections is a farce. Equating election with democracy is also a mockery. Similarly believing that regular elections will improve the quality of democracy and governance is a fallacy. This has been proved by recent political developments around the world. In the words of Fareed Zakaria, liberal democracies turned illiberal. He argued that democracy without constitutional liberalism is eroding liberty, promoting conflict and war. Though I tend to agree with the effects of the illiberal democracy, I am reluctant to agree that it is due to the absence of the cause. Renowned American scholar Jonathan M Katz observed, “… the faltering of our democracy is directly connected to the impunity with which we wage wars. Not for the first time, the violence, unaccountability and dehumanization the United States has long employed overseas is being brought home as a strategy for securing political power.”

How did that impunity develop? Does its sustenance require discussion? Most European powers are believed to have become ‘fully’ democratic during the peak of colonisation. Yet, the colonial powers failed to resolve their conflicts through dialogue and negotiations, which resulted in two world wars within 20 years. The Western states viewed the ‘others’ as a threat. However, this appears to be a misperception. Consider the invasions of Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Nicaragua, Haiti, Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, we cannot ignore the imposition of inhuman sanctions on Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, etc. These tools were used to gain power at home. However, each invasion was also used to suppress anti-war and social movements within the US and beyond.

While agreeing with Mr Katz’s analysis, it seems most of the liberal and conservative scholars appear to ignore the socio-economic factors that have played a crucial role in the backsliding of democratic governance globally, especially in the West.

The Global State of Democracy report 2021 shows that most countries are suffering from democratic erosion. It further notes that today more than two-thirds of the world’s population live in [so-called] non-democratic countries.

If the faltering of democracy could be linked to unjust invasions, its downfall may also be related to corruption, inequalities, poverty and ignorance. For instance, the so-called advanced democracies of the West have failed to eliminate racial discrimination and the ever-widening inequalities within their own countries. Even in India the uninterrupted electoral democracy could not provide good governance, end poverty, and do away with violence based on religion, caste and gender. The rise of Narendra Modi in India, Boris Johnson in the UK and Donald Trump in the US are perhaps the best examples that reject the much-touted argument that regularity of periodic elections would improve the quality of democracy and governance.

So, what can guarantee the quality of democratic governance? Global indices and ranking reports on poverty, inequality, union density, democracy and governance show a strong connection between union density and the quality of democracy and governance.

In Western countries where membership of unions is higher, the quality of democracy, governance and women’s position is also better than countries where union density is lower. For instance, in Nordic countries, the union density varies from 60% to 91%. These countries also have the highest score in the World Democracy Index 2020. According to the Equality Trust, the Nordic countries are the most equal societies in the Western world. On the other hand, in the US and the UK, the union density was just 10% and 24% respectively in 2018. No wonder both countries rank poorly in quality of governance and quality of democracy indices. The US stands at 36^th and the UK at 17^th position on the quality of democracy index. Successive reports of the Equality Trust also categorised them as the most unequal Western countries.

In our part of the world, Pakistan has one of the lowest (5.6%) union densities in the world, while India has 12.8%. This discrepancy was seen in the World Democracy Index too. Pakistan stands at 123^rd and India at the 85^th position. Briefly, country-wise and region-wise comparisons show a strong correlation between union density and quality of democracy/governance. Historically too, the decline in union membership shows the decay in democracy. For instance, union density declined in the US from 13% in 2000 to 10% in 2018. During the same period, in the UK it dropped from 30% to 23%. During this period, the rise of ultra-nationalist and anti-immigrant tendencies was witnessed in both countries. These tendencies were also present during the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. These unjust wars affected the well-being of the citizens of the invading states too. It built public outrage and allowed the respective governments to fool the ignorant.

Globalisation had already caused the closure of industry in the West. However, the foundational work to weaken labour unions was initiated as early as the mid-1980s when the neo-liberal economic model was aggressively imposed by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Efforts for unionisation and strikes were restricted. Academic studies were commissioned to prove the negative impact of unions and to establish that the state must not play any role in the economy and social sector development/services. Resultantly, by 2011, the membership of the Trade Union Congress (UK) declined from 12.17 million in 1980 to just 6.13 million by 2000. This explains why conservative leaders attempted to destroy the power of labour unions not only in their countries but across the world.

The weakening of unions triggered the ever-widening inequality. According to US Senator Bernie Sanders, 745 billionaires own more wealth in the US today than the bottom 60% of all people combined. This has been confirmed by Oxfam and several other research institutes. “From 2018 to the end of 2020, global billionaires’ wealth increased by $3.9 trillion, while global workers’ combined earnings fell by $3.7 trillion.” It seems to be the result of “the cut in top tax rate by more than half”. Also, between 1980 and 2017, relative poverty and inequality increased in most European countries and the top 1% grew much faster than the bottom 50%. The advanced democracies also miserably failed to tackle Covid-19 effectively compared to developing countries and China.

How do unions make democracy better and help improve governance? Simply, organised and conscientious social movements act as equalisers to the power of capital. They negotiate on behalf of their members, which helps curtail the power of the employers and the state. The labour movement provides huge input in public policymaking including tax rule, holding officials accountable and rising demands for improved services. They could use their cumulative vote bank to influence the election outcomes. Here in Pakistan, those who want to have quality governance must help build strong and responsible unions all over the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2022.

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