GLOBAL: To coincide with this year’s global mobilization against precarious work, the latest issue of Metal World, out now, features the struggle for permanent work in Thailand and the work of IMF Thai affiliate TEAM.

With a rich history of struggling to improve the lives of working people, the Thai labour movement is campaigning to move temporary workers to permanent jobs. IMF affiliate TEAM is playing a leading role and will also be an active participant in this year’s global week of action against precarious work.

IMF general secretary Jyrki Raina provides a summary overview of the IMF’s work over the next four years as set out in the IMF Action Programme. Organizing, collective bargaining, trade union rights, union networks and sustainable development are key areas of work as decided by the IMF Congress in May 2009.

Sinter Metal striker Lale Balta talks about her hopes that an eventual victory will inspire workers throughout Turkey to stand up and defend their right to join a union.

Text / Kristyne Peter 
Photo / Elif Sinirlioglu

Lale Balta joined the union, Birlesik Metal-Is, on December 19, 2008. Three days later, she was fired.

A CNC operator at Sinter Metal Imalat San. As, Lale, aged 23, is one of 350 workers fighting for the right to belong to a union and at the centre of the biggest struggle in Turkey’s massive Dudulu Organized Industrial Zone in the last 20 years.

In October 2008, Birlesik Metal-Is began an underground organizing drive inside the auto components manufacturing plant. "It was a very secret process because it was obvious that if the employer would learn of this he would fire the union members," explains Lale. "On December 19 the employer learnt of the union activity and fired our 38 friends and then almost all of the workers went to the notary to be a union member in reaction to the dismissals," Lale says, pointing out that this is how she entered the trade union movement.

On December 22, the company fired another 312 workers, including Lale. The company claimed the firings were due to the global financial crisis, however almost all of those dismissed were trade union members. Weeks later the Labour Ministry in Turkey issued a report upholding the union’s assertion that the reason for the dismissal of the 350 workers was not the economic crisis as the employer attempted to claim, but rather their trade union membership.

Still, workers remain at the company gates defending their right to union representation and demanding their immediate reinstatement. "We are fighting for our honour and for the future of our children," Lale says. "This resistance became an issue of honour for everybody who is still in front of the factory. We want to leave a decent life to the generation which will come after us." However the nine month strike is taking its toll.

"Some people have lost their wives, because their wives didn’t understand the importance of our struggle and left them. Some people’s family relations went bad, some people could not go to the doctor to treat their children who were ill," Lale says adding she too feels pressure from her family to give up the struggle.

In Turkey, workers are regularly dismissed for their trade union activities on a massive scale and it is one of the biggest challenges trade unionists face today. Often, the fate of the dismissed workers remains in the hands of the courts who repeatedly delay rulings at the pressure of the company or government. "Being a union member is very difficult because the employers are very insatiable. Turkey is not a democratic and social state. The laws are not in favour of the workers, and even these bad laws are not implemented so workers are always unjustly treated."

Inside and outside of the country, the Sinter Metal struggle has come to symbolize the enormous challenges Turkish workers face when trying to form a union. "All workers are looking to us," Lale says, "because if we win, it will be hope for them also. Every day workers in Dudulu Organized Industrial Zone come to us and ask questions on the situation and they say that they are with us." She hopes that their eventual victory will empower other workers to resist repressive anti-union behaviour at other companies and inspire more workers to fight for the right to be in a union. "We chose resistance in a crisis atmosphere. All workers are experiencing similar problems in their work but they don’t have the courage to resist against it because they are afraid of losing their jobs. Our glory will give them the courage and hope to struggle against employers who try to use the crisis as an opportunity."

Sinter Metal workers are calling on the international labour movement to lend solidarity and tell the world about their struggle. They are also asking unions to put pressure on clients of Sinter Metal, such as Copeland and Getrag. "By this way," Lale emphasizes," we can show that workers are a class in the world and how powerful we are when we are organized."

The IMF and the European Metalworkers’ Federation are jointly campaigning in support of Sinter Metal workers demanding their reinstatement.

For more information go to: www.imfmetal.org/sintermetal

Text / Jyrki Raina, IMF General Secretary

Photos / IMF photo collection

The global trade union movement is confronted by an increasingly hostile political, economic and social environment, aggravated by the financial crisis. Neoliberal policies promoted by governments, business and international institutions have resulted in increased economic inequality, precarious employment and a reduction of bargaining power around the world. In order to turn the tide, trade unions around the world have to speak with one voice and take joint action. The things that unite us are greater than the things that divide us.

FROM CRISIS TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

As a global union federation our goal is to improve workers’ wages, working and living conditions, and to ensure that workers’ rights are respected. How we aim to do this is set out in one policy, the IMF Action Programme 2009-2013. The Programme was debated and adopted by the IMF Congress in May 2009, setting the direction of our work for the next four years.

The global financial and economic crisis is a bankruptcy declaration for a globalization model driven by neo-liberalism, deregulation, privatization and financial speculation. Now we have a historic opportunity to change this model to one with a real development agenda. Together we must tackle global problems such as precarious employment and climate change. And we will do more in defence of workers’ rights.

As the Action Programme states, we are focusing our efforts on:

• Building strong national unions
• Strengthening collective bargaining
• Defending and protecting workers’ rights
• Building a counterweight to the power of transnational corporations
• Fighting for sustainable trade, development and employment

We are also committed to improving the working methods of the IMF. A more dynamic and results-oriented IMF must be visible, transparent and offer all affiliates the possibility to influence decision making and participate in joint action. One such opportunity is the continuation of the campaign again precarious work.

GLOBAL ACTION AGAINST PRECARIOUS WORK

During the past years we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of temporary, casual and contract jobs at the expense of permanent jobs. Precarious workers are faced with job insecurity, low wages, limited or no access to social benefits, increased health and safety risks and the denial of rights at work, such as the right to join a union.

Around the world, unions are mobilizing, organizing and bargaining for better, more secure work. In 2008, 78 affiliates from 49 countries participated in a global week of action as part of our "Precarious Work Affects Us All" campaign to stop the rise in precarious employment.

The campaign against precarious work has being solidified in our Action Programme for the next four years. This year the second IMF global mobilization against precarious work will take place from October 3 to 10, 2009 in conjunction with the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) World Day for Decent Work, and in cooperation with other Global Union Federations (GUFs) and the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF).

This October we are taking the fight to governments, calling on them to strengthen legislation to limit the use of precarious employment, and to ensure equal rights and protection for precarious workers. The economic crisis has made this demand all the more urgent. Precarious jobs have been the first to be lost. There is already evidence that companies are using the crisis as a justification to replace permanent jobs with precarious jobs.

CUTTING EMISSIONS, TRANSFORMING JOBS

Climate change affects us all. The IMF family needs to take a proactive role in the climate change process to show that industry is not a threat, but part of the solution. We need to ensure a fair deal for the world’s metalworkers at the United Nations conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.

A resolution adopted by the IMF Congress calls for "a binding international agreement that provides for significant and rapid carbon reduction targets, whilst recognizing that the central debate must be on how to reduce emissions (a social cost) without sacrificing employment (a social benefit)."

In order to maximize the influence of industrial unions, we have agreed to cooperate on joint actions with our colleagues in the chemical, paper, energy and mining industries. We will also work with other Global Unions, European industry federations, ITUC, European Trade Union Confederation, and selected non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In October the IMF is holding a meeting in co-operation with International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM), EMF and European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation (EMCEF) to develop a united position in preparation for December.

A sustainable low-carbon future is possible, but the conversion has to take place over a sufficient amount of time, involving improved efficiency, technology transfer, joint development mechanisms and training. New and sustainable technologies offer considerable potential for new jobs. But green jobs have to be good jobs, with decent working conditions and respect for fundamental workers’ rights.

BUILDING STRONG NATIONAL UNIONS

Successful action on precarious work, climate change, union rights, and improving wages and conditions requires strong national unions. Therefore organizing and union building has been placed at the very heart of our work around the world. We are determined to provide practical support to unions attempting to organize workers. IMF affiliates have stated their commitment to offering solidarity support for organizing, particularly along the supply chains of TNCs.

Trade union strength is greater when workers act in unity also at the national level. All IMF affiliates should have a look at their structures to ensure that they are the best possible for serving the interests of the working people. The IMF will offer its support to building unity. Union building projects in developing countries will strengthen the capacity of unions to organize and train workers, bargain collectively and defend the interests of workers.

STRENGTHENING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Collective bargaining is a core activity of trade unions and the most effective way to improve wages and conditions and solve problems at the workplace. We work with affiliates around the globe to ensure that collective agreements continue to provide a framework for decent wages, working time, work organization, and health and safety.

As companies increasingly operate globally, international bargaining is fast becoming a goal. Following the groundbreaking global agreement on health and safety with ArcelorMittal, we will examine possibilities for such agreements with other companies and in other areas such as training, equal rights and information and consultation. The IMF will also look at developing mechanisms for sharing information and building common ground for positions on questions like precarious employment.

DEFENDING AND PROTECTING WORKERS’ RIGHTS

When fundamental trade union rights are violated, the IMF swings into action, launching international solidarity campaigns in support of workers. We pressure governments that violate ILO conventions and challenge employers that try to deprive workers from their right to organize and bargain collectively.

In recent weeks and months we have been engaged in solidarity action in support of workers at Ssangyong Motors in South Korea, Toshiba in Indonesia, Kawasaki in Thailand, Sinter Metal in Turkey. In July, a major international trade union delegation travelled to Mexico in defence of the persecuted mine and metalworkers’ union. We will sharpen our tools of solidarity and make it easier for IMF affiliates to participate in support action.

BUILDING A COUNTERWEIGHT TO THE POWER OF TNCs

Transnational corporations (TNCs) dominate IMF industries. They place and shift their production, research and development and other operations according to the logic of a borderless world, in the search for even bigger profits. Avoiding competition between workers and a race to the bottom requires a real sense of global solidarity.

The modern company runs on global knowledge and communications systems. So the modern union must match this approach by building its own capacity to link and communicate globally. By building trade union networks for exchange of information, joint initiatives and joint action, we will put into place mechanisms of solidarity among workers through TNC supply chains and across industrial sectors. Networks are also a tool for organizing unorganized plants.

Through global union networks and world works councils, we give workers and shop stewards an opportunity to participate in day-to-day international trade union work. We will develop guidelines for this work and present them to the IMF Executive Committee for adoption. In developing countries, we will help unions to bridge the digital divide.

The IMF has signed 19 International Framework Agreements (IFAs) with major TNCs to guarantee fundamental union rights and decent working conditions. We will use IFAs more efficiently for organizing and target new companies for more agreements.

FIGHTING FOR SUSTAINABLE TRADE, DEVELOPMENT & EMPLOYMENT

The growing inequalities between and within countries generated by neoliberal policies and free trade without a social dimension show that workers are not receiving an equitable share of the wealth they create. The IMF is fighting for sustainable growth and development based on good jobs, regulation of global financial markets, fair trade rules and democratic reform of international financial institutions.

Promotion of quality employment, sound industrial policies, and labour and social rights must be part and parcel of all trade agreements. The IMF will work closely with the ITUC, other Global Union Federations and like-minded social movements in the pursuit of this goal.

COMMITMENT FROM ALL

The preparation of this Action Programme prior to and at Congress was lively and democratic. We share common challenges and experiences, and a common analysis of the situation facing the world’s workers. In Gothenburg, we agreed on common goals for the next four years.

The difficult bit starts now. Turning words into concrete action will require a commitment from all. We will only be strong if we make international solidarity a living reality and part of day-to-day trade union work, involving union leaders, officers, shop stewards and rank-and-file members. Let us do it together.

Download a copy of the IMF Action Programme 2009-2013 at: www.imfmetal.org/AP2009-2013

Get involved and sign up for IMF Solidarity Action Alerts today at: www.imfmetal.org/actionalerts

Text & Pictures / Anaya Latter

Duangmanee Sopeng is 29 years old. She lives with her husband in a one-room bed-sit with just enough space for a mattress, a TV and a wardrobe. She works at Ford/Mazda in the Rayong Province, about two and a half hours’ drive from Bangkok.

For the past three years she has been employed as a sub-contract worker at Ford/Mazda, along with her husband who has been at the company for four years. In May 2009 the Sopengs luck changed. Due to the efforts of the Auto Subcontract Workers’ Union of Thailand, they were elevated to permanent worker status, which is no small thing.

Her home is one of a brightly painted row of rooms – almost like a dormitory. Inside her husband is sitting cross-legged watching TV, but ducks out of the way urgently as we enter. He is shy, and is wearing a cast on his left arm.

Mrs Sopeng explains that he severed an artery in his arm whilst cooking at home and the 50,000 Baht (US$1,400) surgery to repair it was covered by their new permanent worker benefits. One of the benefits of permanent worker cover is that it includes injuries incurred at home as well as work.

If this accident had happened whilst he and Duangmanee were still subcontract workers, they would have struggled to find enough for the surgery on their own.

Precarious work in  precarious economic times

The Auto Subcontract Union has been striving to get a provision at Ford/Mazda to get all subcontract workers the right to seek permanent status after one year of subcontracted work.

In essence, subcontract workers do the same job as permanent workers. They take their breaks at the same time, clock in and out in unison, and they work on the same machinery. The difference is that permanent workers receive better rates of pay, access to crucial social security benefits, and wider protection from the hiring and firing whims of employers.

In Thailand employers recruit subcontracted workers from sub-contracting companies, a separate entity to the big name companies such as Toyota, Ford/Mazda or Isuzu that physically utilize the workers’ skills.

It is both a cost saving measure and a means of splitting up the workforce in an attempt to reduce the bargaining power of unions, as Yongyuth Menta Pao, General Secretary of TEAM explains.

There are around 300,000 union members in Thailand overall and around 1,300 unions countrywide. TEAM, or the Confederation of Thai Electrical Appliances, Electronic, Automobile and Metalworkers, is an unregistered one, he explains with a smile, because it allows them to work without the Government interfering.

He outlines four reasons why employers prefer subcontract workers:

• Employers only want to reduce costs, they don’t want to have to pay social security;
• Everything is done according to the contract companies and doesn’t have to be managed by the employers themselves;
• They are seen as ‘flexible’, when the company has work they call in the subcontract worker, when work is not available, they don’t; and
• They attempt to reduce the bargaining power and industrial strength of unions.

Precarious work in Thailand

Bangkok is full of workers busy selling wares, clambering over construction sites or walking past in neat uniforms. Many of these workers are precarious workers, the casual, subcontracted and informal workers who must live and survive under the constant knowledge that they may not have work tomorrow, and do as much overtime as they can in order to make ends meet. These workers are found in nearly every industry – in particular, electronics and electrical, garment and textiles, and automotive industries.

Arunasalam, IMF Regional Representative in South East Asia and Pacific region describes precarious work as a global epidemic. "It is all over the world and it is spreading. It is being abused by employers; they want 80 to 90 per cent of their workforce in precarious employment, and be able to fire workers at any time."

Thailand has a rich and varied history of union struggle: against the Government; at times the Military; or against employers who undermine the unions’ successful campaigns and wage gains by pursuing ever-cheaper labour.

Sitting at a long table in the upstairs room of the TEAM union office in Samutprakan Province, one hour’s drive from Bangkok, were TEAM General Secretary Menta Pao, TEAM Vice President and Electronic Industry Union President Charlie Loysoong, and TEAM Information Officer and Automotive President Visut Ruangrit.

"In 1992 there were 300,000 workers in Auto," says TEAM General Secretary Menta Pao. But the effects of the Asian economic crisis in 1997 drastically decreased output. "They used to sell 600,000 vehicles but since 1998 they could only sell less than half of this."

His dark eyes focus on the thought as he says, "30 per cent of workers were laid off after that."

From 1999 onwards, export to overseas markets helped the industry and economy to recover. In 1998 the Government passed a labour protection law that improved the situation for workers, but there were loopholes. Prior to the 1998 law, companies could only go to one subcontracting company, but the new laws meant anyone could supply subcontract workers.

"Now, in 2008 there are more than 350,000 workers in the automotive industry 50,000 are sub-contracted or precarious workers. The employers call them "flexible workers" to make them look good. But they go first when jobs are lost," Menta Pao explains.

From the outset, unions in Thailand have campaigned against the exploitation of these vulnerable workers, but the Government is keen to attract overseas investors and is reluctant to do anything to jeopardize this.

Like many other countries, the global financial crisis has seen a spike in Thai companies shutting down, without the money to pay workers their rightful compensation. Further, many companies are using the crisis to lay off older more experienced workers to relieve themselves of the responsibility of larger wage and social security payments.

TEAM Vice President Charlie Loysoong points out that precarious workers are in the highest risk group: they are the first to be fired, or told to stay at home when work is slow.

"As a subcontract worker you can go to work and clock in, only to be told that you are not required tomorrow, there’s no security," he says.

Responding to the financial crisis

The Government’s lack of response to the crisis and its effects on unemployment, and even companies using it as an excuse to reduce their workforce, prompted TEAM and the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee (a coalition of unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)) to establish independent Appeal Centres.

"To receive instruction from the workers themselves – we couldn’t depend on the Government to supply the information but we had to do something ourselves," says Visut Ruangrit, Information Officer for TEAM

There are seven centres across Thailand and they operate almost like tribunals. Any worker, union member or not, can raise a grievance here, and get advice on how to pursue mediation or legal hearing.

"We opened the centres on January 21 this year, and 80 per cent of the workers making submissions are subcontracted workers."

"Most cases are about unpaid compensation that employers refused to pay despite the law that demands it. The centre takes the evidence to the auditors at the Labour Federation who will then try to get employers and workers to resolve their problem.

"Subcontract workers face more difficulties, as often [these] workers receive less compensation than they are supposed to get," says Visut Ruangrit.

For concerns about wages or compensation the Appeal Centre directs them to the local Labour Relations Committee. This is a tripartite committee of representatives of government, employers, and the workers. Workers do not usually know their rights, and will most often accept the committee’s ruling on how much they should be paid.

Since their establishment in January 2009, the Appeal Centres have received 11,988 cases of complaint, against 43 companies. So far, 180 of the subcontract workers have received compensation at this first level of appeal. The next tier of appeal for these workers is the Labour Protection Office (Ministry of Labour). Finally, the Labour Court is the highest level of appeal. Right now there are two cases in this higher court of appeal.

Menta Pao explains with a wry smile, saying, "in many cases the employer does not want to go to Labour Court, they say: "If we pay you half is that ok?" This is because the court takes time. Most often, workers will settle for half."

"Normally, the decision is in favour of the workers, except in cases where there may be lack of evidence. Employers have full time lawyers and resources to spare, not so for the workers," says Charlie Loysoong.

Ms Wilaiwan Saetia, President of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee explains: "The Government does not have a good strategy to deal with the global financial crisis. This is why we try to push the government to take action, to put up more committees so that workers, employers, industry and government can work together to find a solution."

Organizing Precarious Workers in Thailand

Thai unions face some difficulties in organizing precarious workers. Thai Labour Relations Law from 1975 covers only formal sector workers and does not cover subcontract or casual workers.

The fact that there are a number of subcontracting companies for corporations such as Ford/Mazda to choose from, who may have workers across different industries, can make it difficult for the union to stake any sort of organizing claim based on industry. The subcontracting companies can be quite large and spread over a great distance, so locality and organizing activities are hard
to coordinate.

The companies try to redefine the categorization of their workers to stop the unions’ attempts to get better conditions for precarious workers. "When you try to recruit them to the union the company will say they are in the services industry, but your union is for auto workers," explains TEAM Information Officer Ruangrit.

Despite the law which requires companies to put aside a minimal social security contribution from workers to pay out when they are laid off or if something goes wrong, the companies often neglect this duty. They take the workers’ money from their wages, but don’t pay it when required.

Another problem is wages. Very few companies pay more than minimum wage, which is arbitrarily based on the living requirements of a single person, set at 203 Baht per hour (US$5.90). For families dependent on a single wage, this rate is barely sufficient. As a result subcontract workers must do substantial overtime simply to make ends meet.

A Path to Permanency

The Auto Subcontract Workers’ Union of Thailand, which represents subcontract workers at Ford/Mazda, meets at the Branch office in Rayong Province on a Saturday. It is the only chance these workers will have to vote, discuss strategies and plan campaigns.

The new President Watchapin Insonajai is a subcontract worker with Ford/Mazda, a softly spoken young man with long black hair that frames his face. He begins by saying that none of the subcontract workers are happy with their status, they want to be permanent workers. "We do the same job, why should we be paid less? We know it is unfair."

"The reason we set up a union for subcontract workers is to ask for better benefits and better pay," he says.

Ex-President Artit Panomma spent four years as a subcontract worker, until successfully negotiating permanent status at the company, and will now switch to the permanent workers’ union at Ford/Mazda.

Artit Panomma explains that before the union the difference between the wages was very big. After the union was set up the gap has narrowed, and the benefits have improved.

"Permanent workers receive rent support of 1,500 Baht (US$44), compared to 1,000 Baht (US$30) for subcontract workers. Discrepancies like this are common with benefits. Now we have achieved better benefits for subcontract workers."

Under the labour protection law from 1998 all workers should be treated equally if doing the same job, but employers do not put this into practice.

"In November last year I asked the employers to treat subcontract workers equally. Permanent workers make the left side of the car, subcontract workers make the right side – but it is the same job, they are equal," Artit Panomma explains.

An average subcontract worker’s wage is 8,400 Baht paid monthly, not including overtime. However the expenses they must pay each month include:

• Rent and utilities: 2,000 BahT
• Food: 3,000 BahT
• Personal expenses:1 to 2,000 BahT
• Total 7,000 BahT

With overtime, a subcontract worker can potentially take home 10,000 Baht which equates to US$293 a month.

Job security is most important

For Duangmanee Sopeng, she and her husband could not save any money with a subcontract workers’ wage. They send money back to her mother, who looks after their four year old son. The Sopengs can’t afford to have their son live with them in their single room which costs 1,800 Baht (US$53) per month.

"If it is possible I would like to go back to my home town, a room like this is not healthy for a child to grow up in, so it is better that he lives with his grandparents. Ideally, in the future, my goal is to save enough money to go home with my husband and set up a small business there."

Mrs Sopeng relates an experience that made her realize the instability of being a subcontract worker. "I got suspended for two months by my employer. They said it was because of economic problems, but I could see the company was still recruiting other new employees who were doing overtime, so I felt that this was really bad," she says.

Has her recent move to permanent status made it easier for her then? "Yes, it is better, but more important than the extra money is to feel secure. It is no longer as easy to lose your job, you have the protection of the law so you feel much more secure."

Solidarity through struggle

The solidarity and passion of the unions in Thailand, and their concern for subcontract workers is palpable. TEAM and the Labour Solidarity Committee dedicate time, energy and resources to helping subcontract workers become permanent. "They are our brothers and sisters, so we must help them too," articulates TEAM General Secretary Menta Pao.

The unions have a strong history of advocacy on social justice issues and workers’ rights. Wilaiwan Saetia captures this ethos well: "The problems have always been solved by workers uniting and pushing the government to create change."

An issue that is in their minds and campaigns at present is convincing the Government to ratify two fundamental International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. The Right to organize and collective bargaining convention (No. 98) and the Abolition of forced labour convention (No. 105). This is one common interest for all unions in Thailand. In October, as part of the World Day for Decent Work, the unions will be uniting to mobilize and put pressure on the Government to commit to the protection of workers’ rights by adopting these labour standards.

TEAM and the Labour Solidarity Committee call on other unions and international affiliates to help raise awareness about their ILO convention adoption campaign and their struggle to protect precarious workers.

TEAM Vice President Loysoong’s comments reflect the challenges they face. "The Government and employers are increasingly anti-union. Out of 390,000 companies, only one per cent is organized. It is a miracle that we survive against these forces, but it is also why we must continue the fight. If we don’t try to stop the problem of precarious work, our sons, daughters, grandchildren, our descendents will face the same difficulties."

GENEVA: A group of IMF affiliates actively engaged in supporting union building work around the world met in Geneva with IMF regional officers, industrial officers and head office staff on September 17 and 18 to examine how to join forces to strengthen IMF’s work on union building and collective bargaining.

During the meeting IMF started by giving a report on the background and priorities of the world wide union building and collective bargaining projects that IMF is currently implementing through its regional offices. The externally-funded IMF projects have mainly focused on organising the unorganised workers in IMF industries, including precarious workers, and on building strong national unions.

Participants at the seminar made a commitment to improve the coordination of IMF union building projects, sharing information about the very diverse bilateral union building activities that many IMF affiliates are currently implementing and seeking to identify focal points on which to jointly concentrate future efforts. Participants also reiterated the importance of using the IMF Action Programme as the political framework for all work, centred on organizing and education to strengthen unions and their collective bargaining capacity.

The second day of the seminar addressed the issues of collective bargaining in the context of the financial crisis and the priority of building strong national unions, taking into account  that enterprise unions prove inadequate to respond globally to the situation.  A panel of affiliates and regional officers discussed recent merger experiences in our industries sharing views about the different co-existing national union structures in the IMF. The debate followed by highlighting the need to clarify political principles and objectives before launching merger initiatives, aiming to build commonality of action and strategies and avoid pitfalls such as merging for purely financial considerations. IMF affiliates re-affirmed their commitment to continue working together to strengthen trade unions presence in our industries and to press for national collective bargaining and unity of action..

Recommendations of the meeting included:

• IMF coordinating and collecting information on the affiliates’ bilateral activities, mapping out who is working where and disseminating more information on the externally-funded projects, in order to develop a union building network;
• To identify priority countries where synergies can be developed during a two year period and evaluated in 2011;
• On a longer term basis, IMF should identify principles and guidelines for union building and assist national unions organising in transnational corporations to set up union-building networks; and
• To continue sharing experiences and perspectives about building strong national unions, through mergers or common action and collective strategies at national level.

Affiliates from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom and a representative from the EMF participated in the seminar.

CANADA: Some 3,000 people crowded into the Sudbury, Ontario, ice hockey arena on September 19 and enthusiastically greeted global trade union leaders in what was billed as an "International and Community Rally in Support of Sudbury’s Strikers".

International union leaders, including IMF general secretary Jyrki Raina, Manfred Warda, general secretary of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM), Sharan Burrow, president of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, joined others to tell striking miners of the United Steelworkers (USW) that their nine-week strike against Vale has gained worldwide attention, and brought trade union pressure on Vale in all its global operations.

The strike started on 13 July after USW Locals 6500 in Sudbury and Local 6200 in Port Colborne, joined in a common labour contract, gave the world’s number two nickel producer a ten-week extension back in May. But instead of reaching agreement, based on Vale’s vast profit margins despite the global downturn, managers of nickel entity Vale-Inco pressed ahead with concession-ridden proposals that would deflate the livelihoods of 3,500 workers and their families in Sudbury and in Port Colborne.

Those concessionary proposals, still on the table, include retirement reductions, a two-tiered pension scheme, steep downgrades to a production bonus, and loss of value in cost-of-living adjustments. As well, Vale-Inco is seeking greater flexibility on outsourcing, standing as a serious affront to job security.

On August 1, 450 workers of USW Local 9508 in Voiseys Bay, Labrador, struck. Saturday’s rally by the USW was to show strikers – as well as the rest of Canada and the world’s mining industry – that global labour will stand together to prevent a prosperous metal-mining house from boosting its profit sheet at the expense of workers.

More coverage on the strike can be found at http://www.fairdealnow.ca/.

COLOMBIA: Members of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de Tubos Caribe (SINTRATUCAR) union at Tenaris Tubos del Caribe Ltd are going through a difficult time. The company has refused to recognize the union and the union president has received death threats.

On August 31 of this year, Jairo del Río, union president, received a letter threatening himself and his family with death. The union said that its president "does not and has never had problems with anyone and the only dispute he has been involved in is the one with the company about the creation of the union and its presentation of a list of demands."

The union is currently involved in a dispute with the transnational company Tenaris Tubos del Caribe Ltd after presenting a list of demands. The union says that the threats received by Jairo del Río "aim to frighten the workers into halting the fight in support of their just demands and against the disgraceful working conditions to which workers at Tenaris Tubos del Caribe are subjected."

The union is asking union leaders at other Tenaris plants to demand protection of the lives of Sintratucar union activists and to write to Álvaro Uribe, President of Colombia, with the same demand.

The IMF has closely followed the situation of union leaders in Colombia who have been threatened and persecuted and we know that more than 5,000 union leaders have been killed in Colombia during the last 20 years. The IMF therefore offers its solidarity to Sintratucar, in its fight for the freedom of association and its pursuit of the demands made to the company. It condemns the intimidation of the union president and the threats received by him and calls on the Colombian government to ensure the trade union leader’s safety.

Three Global Union Federations (GUFs), representing 55 million industrial workers, call on G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Pittsburgh, USA, this week to prioritise the global jobs crisis in their deliberations, and to create real measures that stop the epidemic of job losses throughout the world.

The GUFs, the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM), and the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), stress the immediate need for economic ministers to recognise that true recovery can only happen if job retention and job creation become the priorities.

The three workers’ federations join to state that the full ripple effect of the year-old crisis is only now being felt as tens of millions of jobs are cut, with a forecast of more job losses to occur in 2010 and 2011. The ITGLWF, ICEM, and IMF stand staunchly behind the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) statement last week that "any talk of recovery has little meaning until people are getting back to work."

The federations call attention to the "Pittsburgh Declaration," a statement by the ITUC, the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD, and all GUFs that demands a changed mindset by international financial institutions regarding jobs, human and trade union rights, and more stringent financial governance and market regulation.

The declaration, found here, calls on the G20 to implement the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Jobs Pact, developed in June 2009, as well as adding the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda to the G20’s Charter for Sustainable Economic Activity. Such adoption would effectively incorporate workers’ rights, social protections, and meaningful social dialogue between business, labour, and government to economic and social decision making.

The "Pittsburgh Declaration" also calls for the G20 to prioritise the creation of green jobs and protecting workers who are unfairly affected by actions related to climate change.

Stated Neil Kearney, General Secretary of ITGLWF, "For workers in textiles, where nearly 13 million jobs have been lost in the past year, the global crisis is deepening, not bottoming out. Stimulus packages must be continued and extended to promote sustainable manufacturing that provides decent work and a living wage, leading to a consumer-demand recovery."

ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda added, "Talk of recovery now is not only premature, but inhumane in view of unemployment rates rising into double digits in many countries. A new social model must take hold, starting with this G20 meeting, and it must begin with serious reforms to the neoliberal financial model, as well as a sustainable social plan that addresses the needs of millions of people that have been negatively impacted by this crisis."

"What has occurred thus far," said IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina, "is that huge sums have been poured into financial institutions, while these same institutions have failed to manage their fundamental task – to finance a viable industrial economy. We demand that governments address the critical issue of employment, particularly the human adversity brought on by precarious labour, a form of work that undermines the industrial structures of the global north and destroys equitable development opportunities in the south."

The G20 meeting in Pittsburgh is scheduled for 24-25 September. The ITGLWF is the global voice for 217 trade unions in 110 countries; the ICEM represents 467 trade unions in 132 countries; and the IMF covers over 200 trade unions in 100 countries.

EUROPE: Due to recent developments at Opel and the current restructuring of GM Europe/Opel/Magna the European Metalworkers’ Federation is calling for mobilisation and solidarity with the workers at the Opel plant in Antwerp, which is facing the threat of closure.

The IMF adds its support to this action, and calls for solidarity with the workers in Belgium. The workers at the Antwerp plant have a long history of building quality vehicles that have contributed to the success of General Motors Europe.

For more information go to: http://www.emf-fem.org/Press/Press-releases/Mobilisation-of-GM-workers-in-Europe

ITALY: On September 9, 2009 at the Ministry of Labour, an agreement was reached by the Italian metalworker trade unions about the CNH plant, avoiding closure of the plant in Imola that the Fiat group had announced a few months ago.

The workers, organized by FIM, FIOM and UILM, assembled and approved the collective agreement, which was reached after 81 days of picketing the plant and eleven days of hunger strike by an employee.

The agreement was reached in co-operation with the local union structures and the regional government. The Agreement provides for:

• keeping in Italy all the productions for construction equipment machines. CNH in Lecce will build backhoe loaders and wheel loaders,
• use of "Cassa Integrazione (public subsidy) for crisis" (12 months). Imola workers will not be dismissed,
• establishing a working group with the participation of CNH-Fiat Group at the Ministry of economic development, in order to find industrial solutions for Imola plant.

Through the action of the unions the closure of the Imola plant was prevented and Fiat was obliged to take social responsibility towards the workers and their community. Now, a new phase will start, when there still will be a need of workers’ participation and unity.