KENYA: AUKW has been organising at General Motors since the company began operating in Kenya in 1976 and the company is fully unionised. 

The union has achieved 31% wage increase over two years, a housing allowance, and transport to and from work for workers. AUKW successfully negotiated with General Motors to eliminate contract work. Under the agreement, workers will be come permanent after a 90 day period. Gains were also made in securing food for workers, medical treatment and a pension scheme.

The significance of these negotiations is that it is the first time the union has negotiated a company level agreement with General Motors.

General Motors recently pulled out of the Kenya Association of Vehicle Assemblers, a move that concerned AUKW; the union was worried that this would undermine long established centralised bargaining in the sector.

The reason given by General Motors for the withdrawal was that, as an international company, they had policy that required them to establish higher standards in working conditions than could be achieved through the association, as some of the other companies are unable to make the same offer.  

"Initially we thought that the withdrawal of General Motors from the employers association would mean that workers were going to be forced to accept inferior working conditions compared to others in the sector." said Maero Tindi, General

Secretary of AUKW, "This has not been the case, we have enhanced the conditions of work and achieved a lot in a very short time for this workplace." 

Tindi acknowledges that the gains made are attributed to the company policy internationally.Kenyan workers are benefitting from worker struggles in the company’s operations in other parts of the world.

In recent collective bargaining negotiations with General Motors, United Auto Workers of America (UAW) was able to reach an agreement in September this year which raises the bar for the US auto sector, benefitting tens of thousands of workers.  UAW kept the demand for an International Framework Agreement (IFA) and a World Works Council for the US auto makers on the table during the talks.

There is a clear need for an IFA, through which organised labour will be able to ensure acceptable working conditions are maintained at all General Motors plants worldwide. 

Earlier this year, workers in Gujurat India went on a two month wildcat strike resulting in a lockout after the company, located in a remote area, abruptly stopped providing meals for workers. Workers added excessive working hours and health concerns to their grievances and lodged a complaint with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

ZAMBIA: The main activity was a strategic planning workshop, where NUBEGW began preparing for the union’s action plan to be proposed at the next congress.

Gabriel Phiri, General Secretary of NUBEGW opened the workshop with a presentation on the current state of the union, with updated membership figures and dues, recruitment targets and projections for the following years. The current leadership inherited a poor financial situation and has done a good job to clear some the outstanding debts, whilst ensuring that the union is able to run as a financially viable entity. One of the major achievements is the relative stability in leadership with a highly motivated staff at the head office and in the regions. This has allowed the union to focus on making gains for NUBEGW members with steady growth in salaries and improved conditions.

During the workshop, regional and national leadership worked together with the union heads of department in six groups. They discussed organising, education, occupational health and safety, the National Executive Committee, women workers, administration and finance and research within the concept of building a sustainable union. Participants then came together to share and discuss the proposed objectives, priorities and actions in each area within an overall vision for the union. The union will hold another workshop ahead of the congress to consolidate the plan.

Women workers also met to coordinate and articulate their plan of action for inclusion in next years Congress. It was agreed that the union has made some progress on the inclusion of women in the union but that more can be done. Participants discussed the requirements for more representation and participation of women in NUBEGW. This included needs for recruitment and retention of women members and a proposal for the inclusion of women in collective bargaining processes at all levels.

During the week, an excellent awareness raising workshop on HIV/AIDS was conducted for the union by Edith Maziofa, regional coordinator for the Swedish Workplace HIV/AIDS Programme. The workshop agreed that HIV/AIDS workplace interventions by NUBEGW need to be strengthened, in order to be truly effective.    

ZIMBABWE: NEWU and ZMEAWU signed a memorandum of understanding to work towards a merger in 2009, soon after the formation of ZMEAWU, which was born out of the merger of a number of unions. The memorandum of understanding provided for a number of areas of cooperation such as in education and training, skills development, promotion of occupational health and safety, organizing and recruitment as well as industrial research and the development of HIV/AIDS programmes.

The unions have worked together on the development of resource material, held joint educational activities and recruitment drives, and have assisted one another on sector level dispute resolution. In October 2011, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) facilitated a workshop for staff of the two unions to devise practical approaches that can be taken at an organisational level to ensure that the merger is a success.

The unions recognise that merging will make them stronger to address worker concerns with one voice. They also acknowledge the 2006 ZCTU resolution on mergers, which calls on unions with similarities in industrial operations, collective bargaining, administration and socio-economic challenges to merge for the creation of fewer but larger and hence stronger and more viable union.

Article by Lovemore Mazenge, General Secretary of NEWU

TANZANIA: As the unemployement rate in Tanzania continues to grow with limited opportunities in formal employment, many unemployed workers are absorbed into the informal sector. At the same time, retrenchment, outsourcing and the negative impacts of globalization also swell the numbers in the informal sector. As a result, the informal economy is growing very fast but there are insufficient plans in place to accommodate the needs of informal workers.

TUICO has taken up the challenge to organise workers in the informal sector. They are mainly characterised as vulnerable workers, engaged in precarious work. Most are small scale traders, hawkers and street vendors who earn very little, living from hand to mouth and facing enormous difficulties to sustain their basic needs, with no access to social protection.

TUICO recognises that poor working conditions and low income does not constitute decent work and that these workers need to be organised and require representation. Thus far TUICO has organised more than 1000 workers in five marketplaces, in spite of the challenges this presents. As informal sector workers, they move from one place to another which hinders organising efforts. Also their needs are very different from the traditional services provided to formal workers by the union. For example, Access to finance and basic business skills are desperately needed. 

TUICO has organised these workers into a structure in each of the five marketplaces making it easier to service their needs. The union then successfully linked these groups to loan agencies and has managed to train 250 members on bookkeeping and business management skills. Such activities show the value of union membership to informal workers and have encouraged more workers to join the union. 

The potential for recruitment in the informal sector is huge but organising requires intensive work, as the union learns how to build representative structures and service these workers. TUICO efforts are commendable not only for the gains they are making for informal workers but also for building solidarity amongst all workers. These efforts potentially hold valuable lessons that the union can share and TUICO should be supported through collaborative efforts with the global labour movement to ensure that this good work continues to grow.

Article by Margaret Ndagile of TUICO

KYRGYZSTAN: On December 6 the minister of natural resources Zamirbek Esenamanov, the president of the IMF-affiliated Mining and Metallurgy Trade Union of Kyrgyzstan (MMTUK) Eldar Tadzhivaeb and the president of the Association of Geologists and Mining Operators of Kyrgyzstan Arstanbek Dyisheev signed an industry agreement for 2012-2014.

The agreement is aimed at taking concerted action to ensure effective industrial and economic development of Kyrgyzstan’s metal operations, create favourable conditions for productive labour work and decent life for workers. The agreement also sets basic requirements and norms concerning wages, work and leisure time regulation, health and safety, social protection of workers.

The agreement extends the rights, guarantees and benefits of metalworkers wider than is stipulated in labour laws. The employers will have to include the articles of the agreement in the CBAs.

“Social and economic protection of workers will be much stronger than before,” concluded Eldar Tadzhibaev.

INDONESIA: On the second day of IMF’s Central Committee meeting on December 8, 2011 in Jakarta, the 300 delegates unanimously voted to convene an extraordinary Congress to dissolve the International Metalworkers’ Federation and to found a new global union organization, which will unite the workers of metal, mining, chemical, energy and textile industries. The new global union, which will represent 50 million workers in 140 countries, will be launched on June 18-20, 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Introducing the discussion on creation of the new global union, IMF President Berthold Huber said: “Many of our members are working in companies that cut across different industrial sectors. We need to bundle up our forces to speak with a single voice of workers in the manufacturing industries.”

In a lively debate, delegates expressed hope about building a stronger counter-power to transnational corporations, and more focus and resources for organizing, fighting precarious work and defending trade union rights. Speakers emphasized the need to further improve gender balance in the different structures, including a 30 per cent minimum share of women.

The Central Committee returned the proposal on presidents of IMF’s industrial departments back to the Executive Committee in order to find a better gender and north-south balance.

The Central Committee adopted a resolution on solidarity support and assistance to the members of PT Freeport Indonesia Workers’ Union who have been on strike since September 15, 2011. The workers are fighting for decent wages at multinational Freeport-McMoRan. The strike has been declared until December 15, and if the conflict is not resolved, it will be extended till January 15, 2012. A collection of money was organized among the participants to the Central Committee to provide food supplies to the striking workers at Freeport.

EUROPE: Actions at ArcelorMittal sites were organized in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Macedonia.

A press conference was organized in London near ArcelorMittal’s key Corporate Finance and Investor Relations offices. "Although it is logical for a company to try and make profits, we do not believe that it is logical for ArcelorMittal to behave like a merchant banker rather than a steel producer" stated EMF Deputy General Secretary Bart Samyn. The trade union representatives then made a symbolic pile of 581 steelworkers’ safety helmets, representing 581 jobs under threat in Liège, in front of the company’s offices.

The EMF called on ArcelorMittal to respect its commitments in terms of maintaining sites, investments and the development of competence and human capital, especially in slack production periods.

EMF also called on ArcelorMittal management to return to a genuine social dialogue, to commit to the provisions of the agreement signed in 2009 and to take into account the proposals put forward by the workers and their representatives to prepare the future.

For more information, see the EMF website here.

INDONESIA: Tata Steel, one of the world’s largest steel producers, has continued to extend its global reach by acquiring and building production facilities throughout Europe, Asia and South East Asia. The company more commonly identified as an Indian producer is now a truly trans-national company. It has production facilities in many countries such as India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Netherlands and Great Britain. Distribution centers in Australia and New Zealand add to its coverage. Tata has also announced plans to develop a mining operation in Canada.

Although Tata promotes social values and its operations in India have enjoyed good industrial relations for nearly 100 years, the story has been different elsewhere. For example, the trade unions in Great Britain had to seek intervention from Indian trade unions and the highest level of management to restore good relations following a planned closure and idling of production facilities in 2009.

In addition unions in Europe have concerns over changes in the way information is now shared since Tata purchased Corus. These concerns will be addressed by the network’s future action plan and it is hoped that management will be open to proposals to improve the current information system.

Tata has a code of conduct which establishes how the company should operate in all of its locations. The trade unions can play an important role in insuring that these values are upheld through monitoring and implementation. In Indian locations trade unions have already established mechanisms to achieve this and unions in other countries would like to do the same.

In order to develop the network unions agreed to exchange information and work on an action plan that would be updated following a meeting in 2012. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Thailand, where the unions will take coordinated action aiming for company recognition of the network. Tata Steel has invested heavily in Thailand and has a fairly new production facility on the Eastern Seaboard.

The IMF plans a steel project advisory meeting in India in March 2012 and it’s hoped that this forum will provide an additional opportunity to present these ideas to senior management.

Rob Johnston, IMF Executive Director, commented "The Central Committee provided a good opportunity for us to meet and commit to some action points in preparation for the network meeting in 2012. We want to work with Tata in good faith and achieve recognition of the network".

INDONESIA: 10,000 mineworkers have blocked all production from Freeport-McMoRan’s Grasberg mines in Indonesia, the world’s largest recoverable gold and copper deposits, since September 15.

The union is seeking uniform wage increases for all workers, with a goal of US$7.50 per hour for non-staff workers in the second year. Workers earned a wage of between US$2.13 per hour and US$3.54 at the start of the strike.

The striking workers experience harsh conditions. The union supplies them and their families from five mass kitchens in the rural areas of Papua Province, and also offer hardship help in the form of humanitarian assistance to families.

IMF has extended financial support to the strikers. The ICEM has called trade unions to assist the union in feeding striking families, see November 10 ICEM letter.

See the latest ICEM report here.

GLOBAL: Among other decisions for the year 2012 the Council agreed to increase the internal support by adding a second coordinator, to continue communicating regularly about the situation in each country and each plant, to increase the pressure for the recognition of the Council by Gerdau and to fight for the creation of a Joint International Health and Safety Committee. Manuel Campos, IMF representative in Brazil, will be the second coordinator of the international council. Jorge Garcia-Orgales (USW) will continue serving as coordinator of the Council.

The Council resolved to show support to workers in Tubos Caribe/Tenaris. Tubos Caribe is trying to weaken the union by firing unionized workers. Support was also given to workers of Proenvases Crown and Aluminios Reynolds, two companies in Barranquilla, Colombia, announced to be closed due to the free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States. See the attached letters, approved by the Council.

The last day of the meeting participants visited the Gerdau plant in Tuta. The plant manager publicly welcomed the International Council at the cafeteria during the lunch hour. Many workers having lunch had the opportunity to mingle with the members of the Council.

For more information, see the IMF web page on Gerdau Workers’ World Council, and contact Jorge Garcia-Orgales ([email protected]).