MEXICO/GLOBAL: Parliamentary and trade union leaders from 13 countries, including Jyrki Raina and Manfred Warda, General Secretaries of the IMF and ICEM, joined Mexican union leaders and legislators in Mexico City to call for an end to the persecution of the Mexican mine and metalworkers’ union and its leader, Napoleón Gómez Urrutia.

Jack Layton, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, raised the delegation’s concerns in a meeting with Mexico’s Labor Secretary Javier Lozano.  "We made it clear that the government’s interference in union governance, its jailing of union leaders and freezing union bank accounts, declaring strikes illegal and failing to prosecute the killers of union leaders, are serious and unacceptable violations of basic human rights," he stated.

Layton, Australian Labor MP Graham Perrett, and a group of union leaders including Raina and Warda also met with Marcelo Ebrard, the Governor of the Federal District of Mexico City.  The delegation visited Juan Linares, one of the leaders of the union, in the prison where he has been held for several months without charges.

Members of the delegation held meetings with the Embassies of Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United States to inform them about the Mexican government’s actions.  The delegation’s message, according to United Steelworkers District 7 Director Jim Robinson, was that, "when NAFTA was passed, we were told that it would raise wages for Mexican workers. Now the Mexican government and Grupo Mexico are trying to destroy the Mineworkers because they are doing just that."

On Sunday, the delegation joined 6,000 workers to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Los Mineros union, marching loudly through the industrial city of Lázaro Cárdenas.  "The IMF and ICEM with their 45 million members worldwide, will never let you down. Your struggle is ours.  Workers fighting for free, democratic and independent trade unionism in Mexico will never be defeated," IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina told jubilant union members, clad in red shirts to demonstrate unity and support for their leadership.

MEXICO/GLOBAL: Trade union and parliamentary leaders from 13 countries are visiting Mexico this week to support the National Union of Mine and Metal Workers (SNTMMSRM). The delegation will be calling on the Government of Mexico to cease assisting the multinational mining company Grupo Mexico in its campaign to destroy the SNTMMSRM, release all union accounts illegally seized by the government, and prosecute in a court of law all those responsible for crimes committed against SNTMMSRM members.

"We are concerned that the Calderón government, which claims to be fighting for rule of law, practices impunity when it comes to the rights of the mineworkers," said IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina.

The Mexican government has twice removed the leader of the union, Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, from office.  The Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labor Organization (ILO), ruling in a complaint brought by the IMF, found that "the labour authorities engaged in conduct that is incompatible with Article 3 of Convention No. 87, which establishes the right of workers to elect their representatives in full freedom."

In Mexico City, the delegation will meet with Congressional and union leaders and will visit Mineworkers’ official Juan Linares Montufar who has been jailed by the government. The delegation will attend the Mineworkers’ 75^th anniversary in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán and will visit the Pasta de Conchos mine where 65 workers were killed in an explosion in 2006.

The delegation is being jointly organized by the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM), the United Steelworkers (USW) and the SNTMMSRM. 

The delegation is headed by Jack Layton, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and includes parliamentarians from Australia and Peru. The delegation includes trade union leaders from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, Peru, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.

GLOBAL:  Following the IMF World Congress held in Gothenburg May 24 to May 28, Metal World reports on the key debates carried out by 800 trade union delegates from the unions all over the world. In addition to the coverage in Metal World, visit the IMF Congress website which contains lots of reports and all the texts, declarations and resolutions adopted by the IMF Congress.

One of the first branches severely hit by the current financial and economic global crisis is the automotive sector. This issue of Metal World includes a Special report on the global crisis in the automotive industry which gives you update information on the situation in the industry, repercussions of the crisis and related restructuring so far. The report also examines measures taken by the governments in response to the crisis and as well as trade union responses.

The back page profile features the newly elected IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina who talks about lessons from the past for unions today and his ambition to use modern technologies more intensively in IMF’s daily work to render IMF more transparent, open and accessible to trade unionists and workers of the world.

The magazine can be accessed from our main page as well as here.

ASIA & PACIFIC: Implementation of the IMF Action Programme for 2009-2013 was one of the key topics for discussion at the he 2^nd Asian Metalworkers’ Liaison Conference, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 25 and 26.

Organising and building strong unified union structures were identified priority areas of work under the Action Programme for the Asia-Pacific region. Delegates to the conference recognised that tackling precarious employment and fighting for the rights of workers are central to achieving greater union strength in the region.

The conference opened with a discussion on the world economic crisis and the responses of trade unions in the Asia-Pacific region. Hideyuki Wakamatsu, IMF-JC General Secretary, opened the session reporting on rise in unemployment of non-regular workers in Japan and IMF-JC’s efforts to pressure the government on measure to ensure job security. Other speakers from around the region reported similar rates of job losses during the crisis, noting that government initiatives aimed at maintaining employment were the preserve of rich countries where as in poor countries jobs were lost with little or no social security provisions for the unemployed.

The conference also discussed specific actions that unions are planning as part of the International Metalworkers’ Federation’s ongoing campaign against precarious employment. There was unanimous agreement that the promotion of decent work and the reduction of precarious work were vital issues for workers in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hosted by IMF-JC, trade union representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand participated in the meeting, along with representatives from the IMF.

THAILAND: After a two week strike at a Kawasaki Motors plant in Thailand an agreement was reached between the union and management on July 3, 2009.

The agreement between the plant union, which is affiliated to TAW/TEAM, and Kawasaki was reached with assistance from IMF-JC and the International Metalworkers’ Federation.

About 900 workers at the Kawasaki plant in Chonburi/Rayong Eastern Seaboard Industrial Zone went on strike on June 22 after management unilaterally changed the working time and then sacked all 11 shop stewards who opposed the change.

Seeking to reduce costs, the company introduced a new working time on May 11, moving from 8 hours per 5.5 days a week to 8.5 hours per five days a week. While the company claimed they had a tripartite agreement for the change, no written agreement existed.  The company then dismissed 11 shop stewards accusing them of agitating the workers and the general public about the changes to the working time.

Both parties have agreed on the reinstatement of all 872 workers, including the 11 union leaders, with workers returning to work on July 6. The agreement sets out further discussions on adjusting working time, subject to the approval of the workers by a vote in August.

IMF representatives visited the plant on June 24 where they met senior management personnel and urged them to resolve the dispute through negotiations and in good faith. IMF-JC has also actively intervened in the dispute to assist the union and company in reaching this agreement.

GERMANY: Germany’s two biggest industrial unions, IMF affiliate IG Metall and ICEM affiliate IGBCE, urgently called upon elected officials and employers within Germany to begin a constructive dialogue on overcoming the consequences of the current global crisis. The unions recently issued a joint statement to draw attention to the fact that economic and industrial policy challenges cannot be undertaken with mere "cosmetic adjustments without a genuine substance."

In cooperation with the Hans Böckler Foundation, IGBCE and IG Metall organised a joint conference in Oberhausen, Germany, on June 26 entitled "Industrial Policy for Tomorrow."

"The industrial base of our economy must be strengthened to lay the foundations of sustained growth and prosperity," said IGBCE board member Michael Vassiliadis.

Added Berthold Huber, President of IG Metall, "We need a bridge over the crisis and it must lead to the other shore and not back to the same shore. We must now have a model for a sustainable industrial policy."

In the joint statement, the unions warn of the danger that industrial cores could be lost and entire value-chains in industrial processes might collapse. Therefore, the unions call on the German government to provide "short term loans and guarantees, and to generate additional demand."

Specifically, IGBCE and IG Metall call for a public equity fund, effective protections for companies to secure jobs, the adoption of a sustainable industrial policy that would replace unregulated markets, comprehensive social-democratic participation rights, decent work, regulated labour markets, and a coordinated industrial policy for all of Europe.

INDONESIA: The International Metalworkers’ Federation calls on its affiliates to provide financial support to struggling Toshiba Indonesia union members who have been locked out of the plant with no wages or healthcare benefits since April.

More than 700 members of IMF-affiliate Federasi Serikat Pekerja Metal Indonesia (FSPMI) went on strike at PT Toshiba Consumer Products Indonesia on April 16 after the company refused to recognize the collective labour agreement signed both by the union and management. Toshiba Indonesia also fired 15 elected trade union leaders at the plant despite stern recommendations from the Indonesian government to withdraw threats of employment termination.

The workers are demanding that the company honours the collective labour agreement and registers it with the Indonesian government and that all fired workers are reinstated immediately and without sanction.

To support the struggling Toshiba workers, IMF calls on its affiliates to contribute to the Toshiba Indonesia strike fund in support of the 700 locked out workers.

The Co-ordinating Committee of the IMF Asia-Pacific Regional Conference met on June 26 in Bangkok and adopted a proposal for action calling on all IMF affiliates to provide financial assistance to the striking workers and to urgently educate their membership about the dispute. Earlier, in May, the IMF Congress passed a resolution in full support of FSPMI and Toshiba workers, condemning the company for its total disregard of workers’ rights.

IMF is continuing to work closely with its affiliates in Japan and Indonesia to bring a resolution to the dispute. Affiliates are also encouraged to send letters to Toshiba management in Japan and Indonesia as well as Indonesia’s Minister of Manpower and Transmigration.

Send letters to:

Mr. A. Makino
Managing Director
PT. Toshiba Consumer Products Indonesia
EJIP Industrial Park Plot 5G
Cikarang Selatan – Bekasi 17550
Indonesia
T. +62 21 897 0462
FAX: +62 21 897 0465
Email: [email protected]

Mr. Erman Suparno
Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration
Email: [email protected]

Toshiba Corporation
FAX: +81 3 3456 1631

FSPMI
FAX: +62 21 841 3954
Email: [email protected]

IMF Southeast Asia and Pacific Office
Email:  [email protected]   

TURKEY:  Metalworker unions in Germany, Italy and the U.S. have written to four major auto companies that use components supplied by Sinter Metal, via the auto parts supplier Gertag, urging them to demand an end to the violation of workers’ rights at the plant in the Dudullu Organized Industrial Zone in Turkey.

In December 2008, Sinter Metal used false pretexts to fire 38 workers involved with trade union activity. Days later, the employer refused to allow the remaining workers to enter the plant, firing 312 of them, most of whom the company had learned were trade union members.

The Labour Ministry in Turkey issued a report on January 12, 2009 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.

Despite repeated requests from the IMF and the EMF, the company has not considered the workers’ demands, reinstated the dismissed workers or commenced negotiating with the union, Birlesik Metal Is. As Sinter Metal ships parts to Gertag, which in turn supplies BMW, Daimler, Ford and Fiat, IMF and EMF affiliates in Germany, Italy and the U.S. are reaching out to the first tier manufacturers urging them to seek an end to the violations at Sinter Metal in Turkey.

BMW and Daimler have both signed International Framework Agreements with the IMF, which state that the companies expect suppliers to recognise workers’ rights as a criteria for lasting business relationships.

Text / Alex Ivanou

A quick glance at Jyrki Raina’s CV reveals a person with lots of experience in a rich variety of jobs including newspaper deliverer, carpenter’s assistant, journalist and even court assistant (Raina was awarded Master of Laws in 1985). Jyrki, whose mother tongue is Finnish, also has impressive language skills covering English, Swedish, French, German and Russian. One of his hobbies is political and labour history.

With great enthusiasm, Jyrki describes his favourite period of labour history, the time when the trade union movement first began. He cites as an example a story of London journeymen bookbinders who in the mid-1780s decided that their 14 hour working day was too long and should be shortened. "The bookbinders met in pubs discussing the situation. Later, five of the leaders were arrested and one of them even died in prison before the story went up to King George III who, surprised with the length of working hours, agreed to the world’s first reduction in working hours to 12.5 hours a day," he recounts.

Jyrki is fascinated with this period of history and that of the more recent labour movement born in the late 19th century, a time when people found their courage and continued fighting despite being beaten, thrown into prison and even killed.

Jyrki believes that we can learn many lessons from the past when considering how to assist unions fighting for their rights in developing countries today. Taking the example of Nordic countries, where the trade union movement developed into its present form within a century, Jyrki underlines that, "unfortunately we don’t have the luxury of a hundred years now in developing and emerging-economy countries, here we have to get the results more quickly."

While keen on history, Jyrki is also fond of new technologies and sees their potential in bringing improvements to the IMF. One of his first steps as IMF General Secretary was to restart his account on Facebook in order to communicate with unionists all over the world in an open way. Jyrki believes that Facebook is a tool for IMF trade union work, where groups can be formed and one can share information and direct people to the IMF website for more information.

In his address to the IMF Congress, Jyrki stressed that it is "important to review the working methods of the IMF. A dynamic and results-oriented IMF has to be visible, transparent, and offer all affiliates the possibility to influence decision-making both globally and in the regions, and engage affiliates in joint action."

The IMF is not Jyrki’s first job with a Global Union Federation. In 1991 he worked for the International Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation as a researcher. Later, in 1995, he became the Energy Officer for the International Chemical, Energy and Mine Workers Federation (ICEM). In 2000 he was Director of Organisation at ICEM. Then in 2001 Jyrki moved back to Helsinki where he worked for Finnish industrial trade unions. In 2003 he was elected General Secretary of Nordic Metal coordinating activities of 14 Nordic (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland) trade unions with the European Metalworkers’ Federations and the IMF.

In 2006 Jyrki was elected as General Secretary of the newly formed trade union federation Nordic IN, coordinating the activities of 22 Nordic unions in three European and three Global Union Federations. From 2005, Jyrki was a substitute member of the IMF Executive Committee and took an active role in the IMF Action Programme committee, elaborating IMF’s main policy that gives direction to the work of the organisation and its affiliates for the next four years.

Jyrki is married. His wife, Jaana, also a Finn, is working in Sweden for the German company Bosch/Siemens and is a member of the Swedish trade union Unionen. He has a 14 year old daughter, Daniele. Aside from political and labour history, Jyrki’s hobbies include philosophy, sports, chess, cooking and music.

Find Jyrki on Facebook by searching for Jyrki Raina.

IMF affiliates in all regions are fighting to protect workers, their families and communities through collective negotiations with employers, by mobilizing for government actions to defend and support employment and incomes, and pushing for industrial policies to advance the sector’s recovery and progress towards a lower carbon future with good jobs. Affiliates have put forth programs and positions on what needs to be done economy-wide and for the automotive sector. Metalworking union demands and actions call for:

• Prompt adoption of stimulus programs that benefit and protect workers economy-wide. This should include and be based on broad public investments to renew and expand transport and technology infrastructures, strengthen public education and universal health care, and expand training and upgrade skills for workers. Support should be coordinated regionally and provide needed resources at both national and local levels.
• Full implementation of measures to prevent redundancies and retain workers in jobs with company and government-financed benefits that secure workers’ income and purchasing power. Coverage should include not only large companies, but SMEs as well. When needed, allowable time periods for such benefits should be extended. At the same time, safeguards should be in place to ensure that employers do not abuse short-time work, temporary downtime, or partial and administrative unemployment as preludes to permanent redundancies.
• All alternatives should be considered and if any restructuring is unavoidable, it must be done in a sustainable and socially acceptable manner. Regardless of ownership and enterprise structure, it is essential that companies negotiate with and governments involve unions from the outset to ensure a long-term commitment and employment safeguards for workers and their communities. Trade unions strongly oppose layoffs and plant closures.
• Effective restoration of access to credit lines for automotive and metalworking companies across the sector’s production chains, as well as loans for households and enterprises to finance the purchase of new cars and trucks and other final products. Regulatory protections should ensure that no publicly provided or guaranteed capital is used to fund payouts to shareholders, to pay excessive executive compensation, or to subsidize the outsourcing or shifting of production to the detriment of workers.
• Acceleration of investments in R&D, design and production of advanced motor vehicle and fuel technologies that lower emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Government policies that support reducing the industry’s carbon footprint over time should do so via means that generate and maintain high quality jobs for metalworkers.
• Rejection of attempts by employers and government to exploit the crisis to undermine trade unions and workers’ rights.

With challenges for workers and their unions as great as any time in decades, it is imperative to strengthen solidarity. Effective actions are needed to broaden and deepen trade union efforts to organize workers across metalworking enterprises, to block attempts by companies to substitute precarious jobs for permanent ones in the aftermath of the crisis, and to mobilize for coordinated and concerted policies that protect and advance the interests of workers, their families and communities.

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