More brands must sign the Accord – say global unions on 10th anniversary of Rana Plaza disaster

More than a thousand workers were killed and over 2,500 injured when the eight-storey Rana Plaza building on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka collapsed on 24 April 2013. Deep structural cracks were discovered in the building, which housed factories making clothes for global brands, the day before the tragedy. However, garment workers were told to enter the factory complex the next morning or lose their jobs, despite their concerns over the building’s stability.

Ten years on, workers in Accord factories in Bangladesh are undeniably safer. The legally binding  Accord, orchestrated by IndustriALL and UNI in 2013 and signed with global brands and retailers, has since transformed factory safety in Bangladesh’s garment industry, given workers the right to refuse unsafe work, saved lives, supported freedom of association and increased collective bargaining.

Currently 194 brands and retailers are signed on to the Accord, covering around 2.4 million workers in Bangladesh, and 46 brands and retailers – and counting – have so far signed the Pakistan Accord, which will include 750,000 workers in that country once the inspection programme is implemented.

However, there are notable exceptions of brands who must take greater responsibility for worker safety in their supply chain – particularly U.S. companies like Levi’s, Gap, Walmart and Amazon who have refused to sign the Accord. The sign-on of brands like these will protect more garment and textile workers from dangerous conditions and will strengthen the push for the Accord’s renewal as it is set to expire in October 2023.

“Although significant progress in Bangladesh’s garment industry has been made, safe factories still need to be fought for,”

says Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary.

“Workers who produce the clothes that we wear deserve a workplace that provides them with a living wage and decent working conditions, not a workplace that threatens to take their lives. More brands need to join the Accord, especially in North America, to gain the leverage we need to extend it to more countries and make it a truly global Accord.”

Says Christy Hoffman, UNI Global Union general secretary:

“On this solemn anniversary, we mourn for the lives lost and forever changed by the Rana Plaza tragedy, and we honour them by making sure that another disaster like this never happens again. The best way to do that is to expand the Accord’s work and number of brand signatories.

“The Accord has a proven track record of making work safer, which is more than we can say for corporate-backed audits. In fact, some brands like Walt Disney demand that their factories meet Accord standards, and yet they have not committed to supporting its implementation by signing the agreement.”

To date, there have been nearly 56,000 inspections safety inspections across over 2,400 garment factories in Bangladesh. More than 140,000 safety instances corrected, and the total remediation progress rate across the factories currently covered Accord is 91 per cent. 

Labour needs a stronger position in UN binding treaty

Global unions are pushing for a legally binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

In a written submission, the global unions argue for a clearer role of labour rights in the Treaty, particularly clarifying the type of liability applicable to negligence. The global unions believe that there is a risk of losing much-needed detail to truly achieve accountability for corporate human rights harms.

“Negotiations this year are crucial. There was a strong effort last year to negotiate a watered-down text, where the idea of a framework convention was introduced, which attempts to dilute the substance of the Treaty. We stand against this,”

says IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan.

In response to the discussion from some countries to re-open the debate on the scope, excluding state-owned enterprises, the global unions are clear that any deviation that would weaken the transnational coverage represents a major
setback.
 
Say the global unions:

“Fundamentally, we believe that the approach taken in the third revised draft of focusing the operational provisions of the LBI on crossborder activities of business enterprises while maintaining a broad scope, which includes transnational and other enterprises, responds to the mandate given by Human Rights Council Resolution 26/9 of 2014.”

“In this context, the coming EU directive on human rights due diligence will play an important role, as it gives the EU a clear mandate and direction in the negotiations,”

says Kemal Özkan.

“Our next step is to reach out to our affiliates to approach their governments and we will take joint action with industriAll Europe to address EU authorities about their position.”

 
 
 

Record wage increase for Japanese metal workers

In Japan, spring wage negotiations between unions and management take place on an annual basis. The Japan Council of Metalworkers’ Unions (JCM), representing two million metalworkers from more than 3,000 affiliated unions, set the standard of a unified demand on wages and working conditions for the annual rounds of industry-wide collective bargaining.
 
This year, the big companies in the metal sector released their decisions on the wage negotiations very quickly, with many agreeing to fully meet the union demands, considering the rising inflation and labour shortages in the industry.
 
JCM president Akihiro Kaneko said:

“We were able to achieve great synergy during the annual spring negotiations. Unions quickly received responses that matched their demands. Not only does this contribute to stability and security in the daily lives of the union members, it also raises the workplaces and competitiveness in the metal industry.”

JCM president Akihiro Kaneko

For many years, wages in Japan were stagnant due to deflation. But from 2014 and onwards, when additional wage increases were achieved for the first time in ten years, it reached YEN2,801 (US$21) in 2015 and this year’s raise is the highest since 2020.
 
In addition to the wage increase, JCM emphasizing the following outcome of the spring negotiations:

Myanmar unions condemn EU garment sector initiative

The Multi-Stakeholder Alliance for Decent Employment in the Myanmar Apparel Industry (MADE in Myanmar) claims to promote social dialogue and collective bargaining mechanisms. 

The initiative says it supports the development of worker-management committees and training and capacity-building for workers and factory management to improve communication and collaboration. However, this is impossible in a country where the military regime in place, since the coup in February 2021, has aggressively cracked down on unions.

In a letter to the European Union , the Myanmar Labour Alliance and others argue that the banning of independent trade unions in Myanmar makes a mockery of freedom of association, and MADE in Myanmar helps the military junta in its quest for legitimacy.

IndustriALL Global Union and IndustriALL Europe have also sent a letter to the European Union expressing concerns over the EU initiative:

“Employers take advantage of the political situation to deprive workers of their rights. Serious violations of human rights and labour rights continue in Myanmar.”

Freedom of association is a fundamental human right and a fundamental EU principle, the restrictions on unions and the right to collective bargaining in Myanmar under the military regime are a serious concern which puts the legitimacy of this EU initiative into question.

The letter to the EU also emphasizes that:

“With the support of MADE in Myanmar, unrepresentative organisations, are registered under the union registration mechanism of the State Administrative Council (SAC). By creating workplace coordinating committees – with workers’ representatives vetted by the employer – MADE provides both employers and the SAC with propaganda designed to create the impression that social dialogue exists. This creates the false impression that Myanmar allows freedom of association, that unions are recognized, registered, and can operate freely, and that labour rights are protected.”

A report commissioned by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) in September 2022 shows that it is impossible for brands to conduct due diligence in Myanmar and adhere to globally recognized responsible business standards.

The message is very clear, the international trade union movement calls on EU to end its support for the SMART Myanmar / MADE in Myanmar programme.

“IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union express their strong opposition to the pretence by MADE in Myanmar to be protecting workers’ rights, and their activities which support and legitimize the SAC,”

says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie.

South Africa: 300,000 auto workers impacted by delayed wage deal

Collective wage deals only become binding on non-parties after the Minister of Employment and Labour publishes it in the Government Gazette. This is referred to as gazetting, and it is from this point that all workers can benefit from it. Delaying this process delays workers’ access to benefits in the agreement.

The minister of labour took more than four months to gazette the agreement which was signed in November 2022 after extended negotiations. According to the agreement petrol attendants were awarded a wage increase of 5 per cent, car dealership workers got 6.5 per cent, and component supplier workers 7.5 per cent. At some point during the negotiations, NUMSA considered going on strike to push for the wage demands.

“Employers must immediately implement the increase and stop short-changing workers. There is no basis for employers in the fuel retail sector and the rest of the motor industry sector to delay the increase from the date the agreement was signed at the Motor Industries Bargaining Council (MIBCO) in November last year. They did this to maximize profits at the expense of workers. NUMSA condemns the actions of employers for delaying implementing the increase. Moving forward, the union will take necessary measures to ensure that in the future the department of labour gazettes the settlement agreement immediately,”

said Irvin Jim, NUMSA General Secretary.

South African labour laws allow for the extension of the agreements reached at bargaining councils to entire sectors provided that the extensions are supported by most unions and employers. Bargaining councils are formed by employer organizations and trade unions, and the extensions are done through gazettes by the minister of labour. The extension of the agreement to non-parties improves wages in the entire sector. 

“Unnecessary delays in gazetting the agreement meant workers continued to struggle to meet the escalating cost of living while employers refused to pay what was due to them. We support NUMSA in its demands to end this prejudice,”

said Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa.

Ukrainian unions committed to peace and reconstruction

The meeting took place just before the East sub-regional meeting of industriAll Europe and affiliated trade unions from Poland, the Czech Republik, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia welcomed their Ukrainian sisters and brothers.

Participants discussed human and labour rights violations in the areas of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation. Representatives of the Human Rights’ Monitoring Mission in Ukraine attended the meeting and shared their work on how to best report violations of trade union rights.

Casper Edmonds from the sectoral policies department (SECTOR) of the ILO and Gocha Aleksandria from the ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) attended the meeting to exchange on violations of workers’ rights to freedom of association, forced labour and the right to a safe and healthy working environment.

“The war, occupation and aggression by Russia in Ukraine has a huge negative impact on our country's economy, and we welcome the opportunity in this meeting to discuss the problems and find ways to solve them,”

said Valeriy Matov, President of the nuclear energy workers’ union Atomprofspilka.

In the agricultural machinery sector, many companies have been destroyed and had their logistics and salesblocked. In the energy sector, infrastructure was deliberately destroyed by artillery fire, bombing and drones, but energy workers managed to repair substations and power lines, risking their lives in extremely difficult conditions.

In the oil and gas sector, companies were the first to be destroyed at the beginning of the war, and many oil storage facilities and oil products were burnt down. Likewise, twenty-one petrochemical companies were destroyed, resulting- in high risks of environmental disasters.

With five power plants, the nuclear energy sector has been a primary target and the Chernobyl plant was seized,whilst the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, was occupied. It is reported that Russian forces took over the plant and mistreated workers. Out of 11,000 employees before the war, only 1,200 remain at the plant. 

The coal sector has faced many difficulties and in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, ten mines were destroyed. On 21 November 2022, about 2,000 mine workers remained underground amid shelling and power outages. 40% of Ukraine’s steel industry was lost, and the Azovstal and Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol destroyed. Avdiivka Coke in Donetsk Oblast, home to Europe's largest coke plant, was surrounded by Russian forces.

Participants committed to continue reporting all the facts to international agencies in order to defend their members on the ground. IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll Europe will cooperate with the ILO to organise a joint event in Kyiv in the coming months to follow up on the agreed plan.

The meeting also discussed the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine towards a peaceful and prosperous future through a sustainable economy with a strong manufacturing sector, which used to be the backbone of the country’s economy. It was agreed to work together to develop an industrial policy vision in the context the Just Transition programme, which will play an important role in advocacy work.

Participants were clear that investment must not be at the expense of workers’ rights. In this context, modifications to various enacted and planned labour laws were discussed and concerns expressed. Social conditionalities will be requested in interactions with international agencies and European Union authorities in the context of Ukraine’s accession process.

“Our commitment to our Ukranian affiliates will continue with strong concrete support from our industriAll Europe family since Ukraine has been granted candidate country status by the EU. We will make every effort to prepare our Ukrainian affiliates in the integration process and for sure, social and labour rights will remain a priority,”

said Luc Triangle, General Secretary of industriAll Europe.

“With this important gathering we have reiterated our unwavering support for our Ukrainian sisters and brothers. Our two organizations will continue to respond to the needs our our affiliates in Ukraine by mobilising all our efforts and resources. Ukrainian unions play an important role in the reconstruction of their country with a viable social and economic life and our solidarity is with them,” 

said Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.

Thai unions urge government to ratify ILO Conventions 87 and 98

IndustriALL affiliates, the Confederation of Industrial Labour of Thailand (CILT) and the State Enterprise Employees Union of PTT Public Company Limited (PTTLU), have long campaigned for the ratification of ILO Convention 87 on freedom of association and the protection of the right to organise, and on ILO Convention 98 on the right to organise and bargain collectively. 

“The Thai government has the international obligation to protect workers' rights to form and join labour unions of their own choice. CILT urges the government to ratify ILO Convention 87 and 98 to protect Thai workers’ freedom of association and right to collective bargaining,”

said Apsorn Krissanasmit, the PTTLU chairperson.

Legal and institutional barriers in Thailand limit the ability for workers to exercise their rights. There is also little protection against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against workers who seek to exercise their rights under the ILO conventions 87 and 98.

The country has faced ongoing political instability and has experienced several military coups that have weakened labour laws with the aim of maintaining national security.

The Labour Relations Act 1975 (LRA), covering private sector employees, and the State Enterprise Labour Relations Act (SELRA), covering state and public service employees, still contains many anti -union policies that violate the principle of freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Less than two per cent of the workforce in Thailand is organized and current legislation has helped employers to disrupt union activity without consequences. 

“The government should revise the draft bill based on the recommendations of the unions, and pass the LRA and SELRA amendments as soon as possible,” 

said Prasit Prasopsuk, Confederation of Industrial Labour of Thailand (CILT) president.

In 2015, IndustriALL Global Union filed a complaint with the Committee of Freedom of Association (CFA) at the ILO with evidence showing how employers in Thailand repeatedly violated workers’ right to organize, to bargain collectively and to take industrial action.

In October 2020, the government said it was in the process of revising LRA and SELRA, and that the amendments would pave the way for the ratification of ILO Convention 98. The government also looked into ratifying Convention 87.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) also filed a complaint with the US Trade Representative, demanding the US government withdraw the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). The complaint led to the suspension of GSP for 573 Thai products in 2019.

In 2022, the Thai government published a draft amendment bill to the LRA, promising wider freedom of association. In response, CILT, PTTLU and the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee (TLSC) supported some of the amendments but disagreed with others arguing that the amendments were not enough to address the continued violations.

“Thailand must go through a demilitarization and democratization process to ensure the political power is always in the hands of elected civilian government leaders. Enlarging democratic space will increase the leverage of labour unions when their fundamental liberties are protected. The undemocratic provisions hindering the right to strike in the event of martial law or economic crisis must go,” 

said IndustriALL regional secretary Shinya Iwai.

Indonesia passes emergency decree for Job Creation Law

The IndustriALL Indonesia council, consists of 11 IndustriALL Global Union affiliates. Council chairperson, Iwan Kusmawan, said that the newly proposed law for Job Creation is identical the previous one which was declared conditionally unconstitutional by the constitutional court in 2021. 

“We are outraged that due process is ignored, many anti-worker provisions remain unchanged. All Indonesian unions, students and civil society organisations strongly oppose the decision. We will soon file a judicial review at the constitutional court,”

Kusmawan added.

On 11 April, one hundred members of the Labour Party of Indonesia joined a demonstration against the new legislation at the main gate of the national parliament.

Unions argue that the provisions in the Job Creation Law will erode workers’ rights. The party vowed to hold protests against the Job Creation Law every Tuesday. A nation-wide street demonstration on May Day is planned and over half a million workers are expected to turn up.

The Job Creation Law in Indonesia was issued by President Joko Widodo in response to the economic impact of the pandemic and was intended to stimulate economic growth and create jobs by making it easier for businesses to invest and operate in the country. 

However, the law has been consistently challenged by unions, they argue that it will undermine workers' rights and environmental protections. The law includes provisions that affect working hours, severance pay, contract work, outsourcing, and the ability of unions to organize and strike.

"IndustriALL stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the struggle against the Job Creation Law. As a democratic government elected by the Indonesian people, the government is duty bound to protect workers' rights, global crisis and economic slow-down should not be the reason to roll back workers' rights,"

said Shinya Iwai, IndustriALL regional secretary for South East Asia.

IndustriALL’s 3rd Congress passed a resolution urging the Indonesian government to cancel the Job Creation Law.

Kazakhstan needs genuine social dialogue

“In Kazakhstan, the situation within companies and society is very tense. Neither the authorities nor employers have learned from the tragic events in Zhanaozen during the protests in December 2011, which occurred due to a lack of social dialogue and resulted in the accumulation of unresolved social problems,”

said Kazprofmetal chairman Asylbek Nuralin. 

Instead of developing social dialogue with workers represented by trade unions, authorities targeted activists, passed a regressive law on trade unions in 2014, and banned independent unions.

Under pressure from the ILO, the government was forced to make some changes to labor legislation, but they were cosmetic.

The new policies led to social and political upheaval and triggered mass protests in January 2022. The government was forced to promise reforms. However, the redistribution of property between local elites continues, and makes it difficult for companies to operate. Workers regularly resort to protest action to raise their concerns, because social dialogue is impossible.

Participants noted that the Kazak government politicizes strikes making them almost impossible, even if the strike is based on labor issues unresolved at the workplace.

Unions proposed to simplify the procedures for a collective labor dispute and are actively working on labor legislation reform initiated by the government so that new draft laws do not worsen the situation for workers. 

Regional secretary, Vadim Borisov, proposed using international mechanisms applying to the ILO Committee of Experts, to push the government to ensure that changes in labor legislation comply with international norms and standards, both on paper and in practice.

It was agreed to hold similar capacity building sessions on organizing at enterprise level for local unions. 

Kazprofmetal chairman Asylbek Nuralin said that:

"This will help our union ranks to better see the ways and forms of union work at their enterprises in order to more effectively fulfill the task of strengthening the union team."

Morocco: phosphate sector workers benefit from protocol agreement

SNTP-CDT, an IndustriALL affiliate in Morocco, organized a national campaign to promote the protocol of the agreement with the OCP Group signed in 2022.

Other benefits include important provisions regarding protection, occupational safety, and aspects of health insurance. Women in the phosphate sector achieved important gains related to work flexibility, especially for breastfeeding women.

SNTP-CDT deputy secretary general, Khalil Kaanan, said

“this is agreement No. 18 since 2005. The protocol represents an unprecedented preservation of the continuity of social dialogue. Reaching an agreement for 2022 is an important achievement because it came in a difficult context, given the ongoing economic crisis and the transformations taking place in the phosphate and fertilizer sector locally and internationally. The agreement deals with the various challenges facing the sector, such as environmental and technological challenges, and objective of achieving sustainable development.”

Ahmed Kamel IndustriALL MENA regional secretary says,

“an agreement like this is a good example of genuine sustainable social dialogue. It is only with long standing trust and a well established dialogue that workers and business can face the crisis better. We congratulate SNTP-CDT leadership and members for such achievement.”

Phosphate, also known as white gold, is key to Morocco’s economy as the country has more than 70 per cent of the world’s estimated reserves.