The IMF co-ordinates trade union activities at the global level in ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel producer that operates in over 60 countries.
In 2008 an agreement on health and safety was reached with the company and through the ArcelorMittal Joint Global Health and Safety Committee the IMF and trade unions from around the world are working towards improving health and safety at all ArcelorMittal plants.
Trade union representatives of Tenaris workers in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Italy, Romania and the IMF are working together in the fight for better conditions at Tenaris plants globally.
The Tenaris Workers’ World Council has extended solidarity support to Colombian union leaders of Tenaris workers who have received death threats, subcontracted workers seeking permanency in Argentina, workers facing job losses due to restricting in Italy and Romanina workers during wage negotiations.
The Tenaris Workers’ World Council is seeking recognition from Tenaris management and negotiations for an International Framework Agreement.
INDIA: Trade union leaders and workers who were arrested on October 9 have not been released so far. The state government apparently pressurised the Kanchipuram district sessions court Judge to go on casual leave so that, the workers jail term can be extended. If the session’s court denies bail on Friday, it will leave little time for the union to approach High court tomorrow itself. Thus the arrested leaders and workers can be kept in jail during the weekend as the High court will be on leave.
Workers, local trade unionists and opposition party leaders from Tamilnadu gathered at City memorial Hall and staged massive protest demonstration on October 21 and called upon the government of Tamilnadu to unconditionally release the arrested trade union leaders and withdraw all the charges. Trade union leaders in Tamilnadu expressed their outrage over gratuitous handcuffing of the arrested trade union leaders and workers, when they were brought to the court. CITU leaders warned the government of Tamilnadu that, unless the leaders are released, they will launch a state-wide continuous protest.
See IMF’s previous story and the letter to Indian Authorities.
See Labour Start’s Action alert – India: Over 500 workers jailed in dispute with Foxconn
Kenya: AUKMW successfully negotiated wages well above government calculated cost of living pitched at just below 6% which General Secretary Maero Tindi says is not a true reflection of the reality workers face with regard to ever increasing prices for basic goods. Other gains made were leave travel allowance of KS3,000 and a housing allowance of KS5,000. The minimum wage in this sector for the lowest pay grade, inclusive of allowances, will now be KS20,000 or US$250 a month.
Preparations for negotiations have paid off, AUKMW conducted seminars for shop stewards and negotiating workshops in preparation for negotiations. The auto sector employs 4,000 workers that will be covered by the bargaining agreement. These workers represent a majority of the union membership which is currently at 7,000. AUKMW is currently busy preparing for negotiations with the rubber industry employing 600 workers scheduled to begin next week.
Tindi reports that labour rights have greatly improved in Kenya as workers have made huge gains in the country’s newly adopted constitution. Amongst the achievements enshrined in the new constitution are the right for workers to be unionised, the right to bargain and the right to strike.
Tindi says that the union is looking positively to the future and making preparations for 2011, when union elections will be run at all levels and its Congress will be held.
EUROPE: The global economic crisis since fall of 2008 has had a serious impact on manufacturing industries and employment in Europe. At an industrial policy conference held on October 18 and 19, 2010, three European trade union federations confirmed that Europe needs a strong industrial base by implementing policies on sustainable development, to protect over 40 million workers in European manufacturing industries.
"Industry remains vitally important for a successful European economy to create jobs, to boost productivity, to fuel innovation and to raise social standards. Industrial policy must try to anticipate and manage change in a socially responsible way, with adequate financial and regulatory tools", stated the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF), European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation (EMCEF) and European Trade Union Federation of Textiles, Clothing and Leather (ETUF:TCL).
The three industrial federations outlined six principles for a strong and credible European industrial policy capable of tackling the challenges of the aftermath of the economic crisis, climate change and intensifying globalization pressures:
In light of the COP 16 negotiations in Cancun, the three federations have called for measures to ensure a level playing field (including border adjustment mechanisms). In the absence of such conditions, the European Union should review its proposal to unilaterally increase its own emissions reductions target from -20% to -30%.
For further information and details, please visit EMF site at: http://www.emf-fem.org/Areas-of-work/Industrial-Policy/What-future-for-European-manufacturing-workers
MEXICO: The International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF) held a Strategic Meeting on Union Building in Mexico City on October 13 and 14, to find ways to jointly build democratic union power in Mexico.
Los Mineros and SME, the two oldest and leading democratic unions in Mexico who are under violent attack by the Mexican Government, opened the meeting. Sergio Beltran, speaking on behalf of Los Mineros General Secretary Napoleon Gomez, denounced the increasingly precarious working conditions due to 95 per cent of contracts being protection contracts, which deprive the majority of Mexican workers of their rights to have a union.
Martin Esparza, SME General Secretary announced that the Mineros-SME Pact represents a giant step forward to jointly fight for the restoration of the State of Law. The leadership of both national unions expressed their full support of the meeting, highlighting the utmost urgency to expand and build the membership and capacity of the democratic unions.
Each of the independent Mexican unions and organisations present condemned the corruption and brutal anti-union tactics deployed by employers with overt complicity of governmental authorities. "In Mexico we continue fighting for collective contracts at gunpoint," said Hector de la Cueva from Centro de Investigación Laboral y Asesoría Sindical (CILAS).
Jorge Robles from Unión Nacional de Trabajadores (UNT), stated, "For 80 years we have been subjected to corporative unions engaged with governmental institutions to protect employers and maintain workers under control; in Mexico there is no drop in unionisation rate because most workers are unionised unknowingly! Here the companies continue to choose which unions they want. Our first objective is to survive; if we stop fighting we will disappear. Our second urgent task is to strengthen the unions that can defend us."
The meeting brought together over 50 participants including the leadership of the six main independent unions in Mexico, unions affiliated to IMF, ICEM, representatives from IMF, ICEM, UNI and ITF, and international and Mexican civil society organisations, who supported the need to build a co-ordinated approach with solidarity from trade unions around the world.
Following up to the Toronto meeting in June this year, Joe Drexler from ICEM, together with representatives from the Global Unions Federations present, emphasized the need to continue educating the membership regarding the situation in Mexico and to develop broad alliances to condemn the Mexican Government’s attacks on independent unions.
During the two-day meeting, participants discussed the complexities of organizing democratic unions and the positive role that civil society organisations such as Centro de Apoyo al Trabajador (CAT), Comité Fronterizo de Obrero(a)s (CFO) and Proyecto de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (PRODESC) in particular, have recently played in training workers on their labour rights to form part and affiliate to the national Los Mineros union.
IMF presented the conclusions of an evaluation of the 2004-2009 IMF Organising Project in the Maquilas, while Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) updated participants about the extension of the Campaign against Protection Contracts to Puebla and research being carried out regarding existing collective agreements. AFL-CIO and the Solidarity Center expressed their commitment to continue supporting the independents unions in Mexico.
The participants reaffirmed their commitment to work together and reinforce alliances with the democratic unions. "This meeting expressed great solidarity and unity to go forward together in building strong and democratic unions in Mexico," said IMF Assistant General Secretary Fernando Lopes. "We need two legs to stand and walk. The Toronto agreement to fight at all levels for freedom of association and trade union rights is only one leg, the expansion and capacity building of the democratic unions in Mexico is our second leg. Each organization has different capacities and needs, we must examine each case and strategically coordinate our union building efforts," added Lopes.
Responsibilities and tasks were shared among participants and the report of the main decisions from the meeting will be posted at the end October. An email network will function until the next planning meeting scheduled for early 2011, to work on the global union-building proposal with each of the participating unions.
INDIA: Twelve Foxconn workers and union leaders remain in prison on October 13 in Chennai, India after hundreds of workers striking the plant were arrested on October 9.
The International Metalworkers’ Federation is writing to Foxconn and Nokia global management demanding they intervene and ensure workers’ rights are respected at the Foxconn plant located in the Nokia Special Economic Zone in Chennai, India.
More than 1,200 permanent workers belonging to the Foxconn India Thozhilalar Sangam (FITS) union, which is affiliated to Center For Indian Trade Unions (CITU), at the plant have been involved in weeks of struggle to have their union recognized by management so as to negotiate wage rises and other demands.
On October 9 police arrested hundreds of workers who had been picketing and striking the plant for several days. Around 319 workers including the trade union leaders were remanded into judicial custody and transferred to Vellore central jail. Remaining workers were let off and around 200 women workers were taken to a bus stop and asked to leave. When the women refused and demanded to be arrested also, they were abused and forced off the police vehicle.
On October 13, the court granted bail to 307 workers. The remaining 12 workers and union leaders remain in jail, including A. Soundhirarajan, CITU State General Secretary and E. Muthu Kumar, CITU District Secretary, Kanchipuram and FITS President.
Workers at the plant with four years experience earn INR 4,800 (US$ 106) per month. FITS is demanding a basic pay of INR 10,000 (US$221), other additional bonuses and health checks and medical insurance.
In addition to the latest rounds of arrests, the company has retaliated by deducting eight days of wages from striking workers’ pay, suspending 23 union activists and leaders, and refusing to negotiate with the union on the grounds that it has entered an agreement with an alternative union the Foxconn India Thozhilalar Munnetra Sangam (FITMS).
It is understood that Foxconn management reached a wage agreement with FITMS 15 days after FITS lodged its wage demands. FITMS claims memberships of 696 workers and reached a wage agreement with Foxconn for a wage increase to INR 8,999 (US$ 177).
Throughout the dispute, the FITS sought assistance from the Deputy Labour Commissioner (DLC) to resolve the issues, including calling on the government authority to conduct an election to determining the majority union at the site. Despite the DLC advising the company to negotiate and not take actions that would lead to the victimization of the workers, the government has failed to take steps to remedy the situation. Instead, police have been used to repeatedly harass, arrest and detain the striking workers.
To send an email protest letter to the Indian authorities in support of these Foxconn workers go to the LabourStart campaign page at: http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=790
To send your protest directly to Foxconn, please fax a letter to Gou Tai-ming, CEO, Foxconn, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. in Taiwan at: Fax: +886 2 2282 2825
The IMF demands that Foxconn:
There are approximately 7,800 workers at the Foxconn India plant, of this 1,800 are employed on a permanent basis and 6,000 are contract or trainee workers.
See a timeline of recent events at Foxconn India here.
ITALY: On October 16, hundreds of thousands of Italian metalworkers marched in Rome in a rally organized by FIOM the metalworkers’ federation of the national centre CGIL.
Two separate protests marched peacefully to Piazza San Giovanni, where a final rally took place and two trade union leaders, the general secretary of FIOM, Maurizio Landini, and the general secretary of CGIL, Guglielmo Epifani, addressed the public.
Maurizio Landini general secretary of FIOM said, "We take to the streets to defend the national contract, which risks to be cancelled, to defend work and democracy and to show a different exit from this crises from that shown by the government and the Italian Association of Employers, given one of the biggest assaults of all times on the rights of workers."
The CGIL stated it will take again to the street on November 27, and if no response from the government, the union will call a general strike.
During the rally FIOM also voiced its objection against Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne’s plan to curb strikes and increase shifts at the company’s Pomigliano d’Arco car factory in southern Italy.
"Competition is not pursued by cutting salaries and rights," and "it’s not true that companies don’t have social responsibility," said Maurizio Landini, FIOM general secretary. He called for a general strike in his speech if they not get an agreement by the next rally on November 27.
Three workers at a Fiat plant in Italy’s south who were fired in July on accusations of blocking machinery during a strike were among those who marched in the protest.
UNITED KINGDOM: Meeting in Cardiff on October13-14, the International and European Metalworkers’ Federations (IMF and EMF) issued a call for a social and environmental pact for a strong and sustainable steel industry.
Millions of steelworkers globally have found themselves victims of the global crisis, together with many more workers in the local supply chain and subcontractors dependent on the steel industry.
Faced with this situation, the EMF-IMF call is for the enforcement of five pillars of sustainability for the global and European steel industry:
The joint EMF-IMF steel statement: Anticipating change for a sustainable global and European steel industry can be found here: http://www.emf-fem.org/Press/Press-releases/Anticipating-change-for-asustainable-global-and-European-steel-industry
The conference in Cardiff was attended by some 60 trade union representatives from 16 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Spain, Finland, India, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
CHILE: All 33 of Chile’s trapped miners were lifted up a narrow escape shaft to freedom on October 13 in a rescue operation that ended their two-month ordeal deep underground. One by one, the miners climbed into a specially designed steel capsule barely wider than a man’s shoulders and took a 15-minute journey through 625 meters of rock to the surface.
The miners spent 69 days in the hot, humid bowels of the collapsed mine and, for the first 17 days, they were all believed to be dead. The miners were immediately taken away for medical checkups and found to be in "more than satisfactory" health, except for one who is being treated for pneumonia and is thought to suffer from the lung disease silicosis.
The dramatic scenes at the San Jose mine have attracted world attention to the question of mine safety. Chile is not a signatory to the main international mining safety standards and almost 50 miners died in accidents last year. The country is home to just one per cent of the world’s mine workers, but notches up eight per cent of the fatal accidents.
Jorge Almeida, IMF regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, went to Copiap in the last week of September for an official visit that was planned with the support of IMF’s affiliates in Chile.
Almeida said the high level of companionship between the 33 workers was essential for the survival of the miners until their eventual rescue and called on the Chilean government to properly investigate the causes of the accident, indentify those responsible and put in place mechanisms to prevent another disaster.
During the IMF mission, Almeida visited the camp where the families of the trapped workers and mine workers were waiting for news. "I had the opportunity to talk with workers and relatives of the trapped miners. I delivered a message of solidarity and hope for a prompt rescue from IMF general secretary Jyrki Raina," said Almeida.
Following the successful rescue of the miners, the IMF remains concerned about the reemployment of the 365 mine workers (included the 33 rescued). Now all these workers have no job and the future of the mine is not yet clear.
"I also reminded the government of the need to listen to workers and engage with them and their organizations in prevention efforts. It is essential that the country signs and ratifies Convention No. 176 of the International Labour Organization related to mining safety," said Almeida referring to the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions’ mine safety campaign that IMF supports.
