Unions are well-established and common in most affluent and well-developed countries. Still, they are subject to variations in power, support, and resources in regions such as Central America, where unions must find new strategies to prompt engagement and participation while recruiting new members.
In some countries, unions are broadly seen as interest groups that might support campaigns or lobby for change. However, they play an important role in domestic politics and legislative reforms in others, including Ecuador and Mexico in neighboring North and South America.
A similar picture applies to key union elections in Asia. In some countries and jurisdictions, unions are perceived as a core part of the local infrastructure, while they are rare and lack influence elsewhere.
The variations between memberships and participation in union elections in Central America are significant. From highest to lowest, the proportion of the workforce who were union members in 2020 is as follows:
Some analysts believe countries with historical communist party leadership, including Cuba, are more receptive to unions. Cuba is ranked as the country with the second-highest global union memberships, behind only Iceland.
However, those same analysts think that part of the gap between trust in unions and the union election process may be due to the connections between politics and unions. Guatemala, for instance, has a history of violence and human rights offenses targeting workers who attempt to form or lead unions.
Charities indicate that this may be due to aggression used by industrial business owners and leaders to prevent attempts to unionize. There are also suggestions that a lack of implementation of the human rights agreements brokered by the UN in 1994 has a part to play.
The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, part of Harvard Kennedy School, published a study in 2020 on ways to expand voter participation in unions. It found that:
Interestingly, this research also determined that union members who are familiar with the right to vote on decisions such as the election of board members and voting around strike action are also more involved with other democratic processes and political elections.
By fostering trust, credibility, and transparency, unions can work to attract new, active, and engaged members, boost voter turnout during all union elections and voting processes, and cement their positions as part of the local Central American landscape.
One of the many options for unions to consider is the introduction of more advanced, cost-effective, and streamlined voting solutions–which can be particularly meaningful in Central American countries where members may be looking to protect their anonymity or wish to avoid voting in person.
Software platforms like ElectionBuddy are designed for this very purpose. We provide union boards and memberships with equal discretion and privacy through digital and online voting, alongside transparency, reporting functions, and clear audit trails.
Firming up the infrastructure behind a union, especially in jurisdictions with fractious past union representation, creates a foundation for growth. It is one of the best ways to ensure voters feel valued, engaged, and informed about their voting rights!
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