Six hundred years have gone by since the invention of the printing press. The graphical industry, which right from the beginning became a key instrument in democratising and disseminating knowledge universally, is still today one of the main pillars on which the information society builds its strategies.

The workers in this industry represent an uninterrupted continuity between those craftsmen of the past and the most advanced sections of today's workforce.

In this long chain of human experiences, the graphical trade unions have always been at the forefront – and have sometimes been the initiators – of each and every instance of struggle and organisation of the trade union movement at the international level.

This is why graphical trade unions all over the world are today called upon to engage in a deep process of reflection so as to be able to retain their roots in the past and at the same time be ready to meet the new challenges ahead.

In today's graphical industry, we find workers performing traditional tasks as well as practitioners of leading-edge technologies. Trade unions must represent the interests of both groups. To this end, UNI Graphical has set a number of priorities, such as launching a debate on the new job profiles, developing global strategies in relation to multinational corporations, building social dialogue, ensuring that the sector actively takes part in the regional integration processes under way in different parts of the world, analysing the place of the graphical industry in the information society, and struggling for better working conditions, particularly in relation to occupational health and safety.

UNI Graphical represents over one million members worldwide.

Website:

http://www.union-network.org/unigraphical.nsf/enindex?OpenPage