SWITZERLAND: In the face of widespread cuts to public services, leaders of private and public sector trade unions, municipal governments and civil society groups have made the unprecedented joint commitment to work together to promote investment in quality public services backed by fair taxation policies as the key solution to the economic crisis, and the best way to build peaceful, equitable, democratic and ecologically-sustainable societies.

It’s "our turn, our future" concluded participants in the international Quality Public Services-Action Now! conference in Geneva, Switzerland from October 12 to 14. The Council of Global Unions, sponsor of the three day conference attended by 400 delegates, announced the launch of a major global campaign guided by a charter and action plan that links local, national and international efforts to promote quality public services. The CGU collectively represents more than 176 million working men and women.

CGU chair Aidan White said, "This is a call to the trade union movement to advance its historic responsibility to work in broad social coalitions and act as a force for social change that improves the quality of life for all citizens. We don’t have time to lose."

Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International and council member of Global Call to Action Against Poverty, called for "a new activism" to back demands for quality public services as the foundation for social justice policies.

"History teaches us that when decent people take risks and engage in struggle peacefully, principally and courageously, pursuing civil disobedience where necessary, then those who occupy the instruments of power, whether in government or in the financial sector, will listen and respond," he said.

Susan Hopgood, president of Education International, said, "We are conveying a powerful message in uniting as advocates for strong schools, decent health services and social services, clean water and proper sanitation, effective fire and security services, affordable housing and utilities, accessible communications and transport, public media and culture, and good public administration and municipal services. Quality public services provide the foundation for sustainable growth, equitable redistribution of wealth, and the means for justice, good governance, and the exercise of democracy."

David Cockroft, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, said the new campaign would start in selected cities as "a rallying point for the industrial and political power of the global union movement" and was needed "because public services benefit both private and public sector workers, our families and our communities."

Peter Waldorff, general secretary of Public Services International, said the campaign will show that as governments break collective agreements with impunity while cutting public services and benefits, unions and allies are applying new strategies that will build a more sustainable world and ensure social protection for all. "It’s time for action now!"

See Quality Public Services-Action Now! conference speeches and summaries at: www.qpsconference.org

INDIA: Janardhan Choudhary, a 28 year old ship breaking worker, working in M/s Bansal Infra Co. Ltd. at yard no.154 Alang Shipbreaking yard, died as a result of a fatal accident at work on October 12, 2010 at about 3.00 pm.  While he was working as a Malpani (helper), scrap material from the ship fell down in the open wing tank manhole of the ship.  He was shifted to hospital at Bhavnagar, 50 kms away from Alang and Sosiya ship breaking yards, where he died. Janardhan is a migrant labour from Siddhartha Nagar, an impoverished district of Uttar Pradesh. He is married and his family stays at his native place.

Mr. Ram Patel, Vice President of Alang Sosiya Ship Recycling & General Workers Association (ASSRGWA) along with colleagues rushed to the hospital. The ASSRGWA demanded strict action against the employer and the Labour Department for non-enforcement of safety measures and the yards statutory compensation and dues to the family members of the deceased worker.

The ship breaking industry in Alang and Sosiya employs over 55,000 workers. Despite the number of deadly accidents and hundreds of workers’ death, a full-fledged hospital is 50 kms away. According to a survey published by International Metalworkers’ Federation in 2007, on average 50 workers per day get injured and some of them seriously. As per records of the union ASSRGWA since January 2010, 17 workers died at work.  Most of the workers are poor migrants from poor areas of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Gujarat and work for meagre wages in a hazardous and toxic working environment.

RUSSIA: European Works Council (EWC) of the Ford Motor Company met in Saint-Petersburg from October 4 to 7, 2010. Representatives of works councils at Ford plants in Germany, United Kingdom and Romania took part in the meeting. The delegation was led by Ford European Works Council president Dieter Hinkelmann. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung also took part in the meeting, which it helped to organize.

Mark Ovenden, president and CEO of Ford Moscow, addressed the delegates. He announced that Ford was determined to maintain its positions on the Russian market even when the crisis would be over and the car sales would achieve three million or even four million per year level. Ovenden’s evaluation was based solely on the price of oil on the international markets, which of course is essential for the future of Russian economy; however, another important factor – namely, the dependence of the internal market on the purchasing power of workers – was not taken into account.

On the second day of the meeting delegates visited the Ford plant in Vsevolozhsk near Saint-Petersburg and met with the director of the plant. The general impression of the meeting was positive. Due to the influence exercised by the union a regular social dialogue between the workers and the employer was established. Foremen enthusiastically recounted the fact that some labour-intensive processes were automated due to the innovative suggestions of the workers. However the delegates noted that in their countries the very same processes were robot-aided.

During the meeting with union activists at the plant, the EWC coordinator explained that EWC meetings are held four times a year. Ford management takes part in two of those meetings. Despite the fact that Russia is not a member of the EU, a representative from Ford Vsevolozhsk takes part in all the meetings with observer status.

The EWC coordinator was asked if it was necessary for the future cooperation with EWC to establish a works council at the plant in Vsevolozhsk. He replied that the Council does not dictate the form of collective organization of employees and relied on the choice of workers themselves. IMF representative Vadim Borisov, who also took part in the meeting, noted that in CIS countries unions have already faced the situation when works councils were established by the management to weaken the positions of existing unions.

Participants of the meeting agreed on the forms of joint work and cooperation in the future.

The Gerdau Workers’ World Council, composed of trade union representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, the U.S., Spain and Peru, are working together to defend the rights and improve health and safety for Gerdau employees around the world.  

The Council condemns violations of workers’ rights whenever and wherever they occur, taking action around the world in solidarity with each other.

The Council’s main focus is demanding company recognition of the Council, negotiating an International Framework Agreement, and establishing a joint global health and safety committee.

GLOBAL: When Korea took a seat at the international global table for economic development in 1996 it made a commitment to reform its labour laws and meet international standards on workers’ rights.

Fourteen years later, Korean laws still do not comply with international standards on protecting workers’ rights and Korea is one of the worst countries in the world for the repression of its workers, trade unions and people.

The laws in Korea are used by the government and employers to routinely:

• Jail trade unionists for exercising their rights
• Stop subcontracted workers from joining a union or bargaining collectively
• Prevent many public sector workers from joining a union or bargaining collectively

The G20 is meeting in Seoul on November 11 and 12. The International Metalworkers’ Federation and trade unions around the world are calling on the Korean government to honour its international commitments.

In the week leading up to the G20, unions are taking action in their workplaces, streets, cyberspace and airways and visiting Korean embassies in solidarity with Korean workers.

To support this action, IMF has released a series of campaign resources, including posters, stickers, leaflets and a government briefing note all available for downloading and printing on the IMF website here.

Unions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK and the U.S. are contacting their governments participating in the G20, a government briefing note can be found on the IMF website.

This action is taking place in conjunction with ITUC, TUAC, BWI, EI, ICEM, IFJ, ITGLWF, IUF, PSI and UNI.

GLOBAL: Hong Kong labour rights organization Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM) released an investigative report on October 12, entitled ‘Workers as Machines; Military Management in Foxconn’.

Between January and August 2010, 17 Foxconn workers attempted to commit suicide – resulting in the death of 13 young people. The new report makes clear that thus far Foxconn and its high-profile customers including Apple, HP, and Dell have failed to effectively and transparently address underlying labour issues at the Foxconn production facilities.

GoodElectronics, SACOM, Bread for All, makeITfair and the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF) urge the electronics industry to show leadership by taking responsibility for decent labour standards for the workers in the global electronics supply chain. Reforming buying practices would be a first urgent step.

The overall conclusion of the SACOM report is that Foxconn’s labour practices are illegal and unethical. The purchasing practices of brand companies sourcing from Foxconn put direct pressure on workers. SACOM bases its conclusions on desk research and on interviews with 100 Foxconn workers at the Longhua and Guanlan plants in Shenzhen as well as the Foxconn plant in Hangzhou, undertaken between May 22 and September 21, 2010.

In a joint press release, GoodElectronics, SACOM, Bread for All, makeITfair and the IMF summarize the key finding of the report on substandard wages, excessive working hours, shocking corporate management systems, forced relocation of plants, the status of trade unions, inappropriate use of student labour and inadequate health and safety protection.

A copy of the full report, ‘Workers as Machines: Military Management in Foxconn’, published by SACOM, can be found here.

GENEVA: Members of IMF Working Group for Non-manual Workers from Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, UK, and the U.S. gathered at the IMF head office on October 6, 2010 to discuss on the agenda as follows:

• Mainstreaming non-manual workers’ issues in IMF’s  activities
• Communication and improving visibility of non-manual workers in IMF
• Activity proposals for 2011
• Towards a global federation of industrial workers
• Progress report by Working Group members on 2010

In the meeting, while the definition of ‘Non-manual’ varies in respective countries, all the members shared a common sense of the term which includes wide-range/cross sectional workers such as young workers, ICT workers, professionals, technicians, engineers, administrative staffs, etc. 

The Working Group confirmed that IMF would develop the activities focusing on mainstreaming non-manual workers’ issues in all IMF activities and union-building projects. The members also noted that they would provide materials, data, news, and information of their activities on organizing non-manual workers to improve visibility mainly through IMF website.

A workshop on organizing non-manual young workers proposed by Unionen and Unite the Union was also discussed in the meeting, and the Working Group decided to develop the process to hold the workshop as its main activity for 2011.

Reports of specific activities on organizing non-manual workers were also given by each of the members, and the group actively exchanged opinions to promote the activities in worldwide.

For further information, please contact Kan Matsuzaki , who has commenced working as the IMF director for non-manual workers.

     

SWITZERLAND:  Since the beginning of the year, the situation in the Swiss machinery, electrical equipment and metalworking sector has witnessed a significant improvement, with a 17 per cent increase in domestic orders and a 15 per cent increase in orders from abroad.

Moreover, SWISSMEM, the Swiss employers’ association, is expecting sales to continue to improve in the second half of the year. The 150 delegates at the UNIA conference recently held in Berne approved a two to three per cent pay claim for the negotiations that will soon begin at company level. The sector employs more than 300,000 workers in Switzerland.

Closing the conference, Fabienne Kühn, member of the UNIA executive and Conference President said, "before the crisis, wages in the sector were not keeping pace with the very high profits recorded in the sector. And when the crisis came, workers were the first to suffer the consequences. Now that we are experiencing an increase in growth, it is high time that wages reflect the new situation and reward the efforts made by workers."

Delegates also adopted a resolution on temporary work. After a small decrease, temporary work is once again on the increase in Switzerland. "It is unacceptable that companies sometimes have more than 20 per cent of their workforce on temporary contracts even though they are in practice employed on a permanent basis. These employers actively contribute to the increase in precarious work in the labour market and by-pass the sector’s collective agreement. The conference resolution made the following demands to employers:

• After six months employment, temporary workers’ contracts should be changed to make them permanent.
• Employers must not by-pass the provisions of the collective agreement.
• Current local or sector wage levels (including sick pay and holiday pay) should also apply to temporary workers.
• The collective agreement should include minimum and mandatory wage rates for temporary workers.

KYRGYZSTAN: Members of the IMF-affiliated Mining and Metallurgy Union of Kyrgyzstan (MMUK) at a gold mine owned by Canadian-based TNC Kumtor Operating Company won the strike.

Workers achieved their main goal: 50 per cent wage hike.

During the CIS Sub-Regional Committee meeting in Kyiv on September 28-29 unions in the region adopted a letter expressing the support for the striking workers.

"We wouldn’t have achieved such results without your support… Your letters encouraged workers, gave them new strength to reach their goals," stated Eldar Tadjibaev, MMUK president, in a thankful letter to the unions and IMF.

Actions of Kumtor management in Kyrgyzstan illustrate double standard policy of TNCs: wages of Kumtor workers in Kyrgyzstan are a fraction of those of their colleagues in Canada. However, this last strike proves that regional and global solidarity is an effective instrument against the bad treatment of workers on the part of TNCs.

Copy of Tadjibaev’s letter in Russian is available here.

Zambia: The workshops will be run by union educators using educational materials that they have developed through an IMF initiative started two years ago to build capacity in NUBERGW.  Union educators attended a planning workshop on 7 and 8 October to develop a common approach to the training delivery. Present at this workshop was IMF Regional Representative Steve Nhlapo and Birgit Birgersson Brorsson from Swedish affiliate IF Metall, that has given solidarity support to this project.

The shop stewards workshops will be held in the four key industrial areas of Zambia which are Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola and Chingola. The workshops will cover topics like trade union structures, occupational health and safety, gender and labour laws. Through this educational drive, NUBERGW hopes to mobilise shop floor engagement on worker issues, increase participation in union structures and renew interest in the union that ultimately will build its membership base.