Stop repression in Eswatini

In support of the trade unions and civil society organizations, the ITUC is calling for Eswatini Global Day of Action on 12 April. 

Unions say there appears to be no political will on the part of the Government of Eswatini to start dialogue. Instead, unions say that their leadership and that of civil society organizations live in fear following the assassination of prominent human rights activist and lawyer, Thulani Maseko, who was shot dead on 21 January allegedly by hired “mercenaries.”

Maseko was the chairperson of the MultiStakeholders Forum which together with the Political Parties Assembly and other organizations are calling for democratic reforms through dialogue facilitated by the Southern African Development Community.

Hundreds of protesters have died from injuries sustained in brutal attacks by state security agencies while others have been hospitalised or forced into exile. Some have been imprisoned included two Members of Parliament.

King Mswati III, Eswatini’s absolute ruler, who as the head of state has all executive powers to appoint the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, judges, and with powers to dissolve parliament, appears not to be interested in the proposed dialogue. The king, who has a net worth of over $200 million, is known for a lavish lifestyle. For instance, in 2018 he bought 12 Rolls Royces, for himself and the royal family. This purchase met with heavy criticism from unions and civil society who argued that the money would have been better spent towards reducing poverty which is over 60 per cent.

IndustriALL Global Union supports the ITUC Global Day of Action and its 3rd Congress in 2021 adopted a resolution in support of democratic reforms for Eswatini in which it stated commitment to “support the people of Eswatini as they continue to fight for democratic reforms” and demanded “the respect and protection of human rights including the right to life, rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, and the rule of law.” Further the resolution called for “national dialogue for democratic reforms that will allow for the democratic election of the Prime Minister and to review the country’s constitution to allow for the transfer of executive powers from the kind to a democratically elected leadership.

At an official side event of the Summit for Democracy in Zambia on 20 March, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the International Domestic Workers Federation, the Solidarity Centre, ITUC-Africa, ITUC CSI IGB and the Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council, and the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland, gave solidarity messages in support of the campaign for democracy in Eswatini under the theme: “Amplifying the voices of workers to safeguard democracy in Africa.” The organizations concurred during discussions that there will be no democracy without workers’ rights.

Wander Mkhonza, Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA) secretary general says:

“We appreciate global solidarity in support of the working class struggle for democracy in Swaziland. The government must recognize that we have a role to play in the democratization and future of our country. The king must enter negotiations and respect freedoms and human rights.”

ATUSWA is affiliated to IndustriALL. 

Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary says: 

“We are concerned by the lack of the commencement of dialogue on democratic reforms in Eswatini. It is sad that a culture of fear has replaced the optimism that trade union and civil society had a few years ago on a possible transition to democratic rule. We call upon the government of Eswatini to start the engagement process with all key stakeholders.”

IndustriALL 3rd Congress, adopted a resolution for the democratization of Eswatini that includes the respect for the right to life, freedoms of association, assembly, and expression.

The work to keep garment factories safe must continue

The legally binding agreement has transformed factory safety in Bangladesh’ garment industry, given workers the right to refuse unsafe work, saved lives, supported freedom of association and increased collective bargaining.

But the work for safe garment factories continues. More brands need to join the Accord, especially in North America, to gain the leverage we need to make this a truly global Accord.

Towards the end of last year, the Accord was extended to Pakistan. To date, 45 brands have signed the Pakistan Accord.

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 and threatens to take their lives. Help us expand the Accord even further, and save lives.

Safe factories for garment workers still need to be fought for. For the anniversary of Rana Plaza, please join us on social media in the fight for safe factories and to support the demand for a global agreement on factory safety.

Garment workers, Bangladesh, March 2023

Using due diligence to build union power in Asia Pacific

“Corporate social responsibility has failed to prevent human and worker rights’ violations and the global union movement is campaigning for increased accountability of companies. IndustriALL demanded a legally binding UN treaty at our Congress in 2021; we need binding rules to create an enabling environment for decent work in the supply chain, where freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are indispensable,”

said Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.
 
The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (SCDDA) came into force in January 2023. It covers German or foreign companies headquartered in the country with more than 3,000 employees (the number will be reduced to 1,000 in 2024).
 
Companies fulfilling the requirements need to conduct annual risk analysis to prevent human and worker rights violation in its own operations and those of its direct suppliers. The companies will be held responsible if it has substantial knowledge of human rights violations.
 
The companies must respect workers’ freedom of association, free collective bargaining, safety and health, and eradicate forced labour and child labour.  Workers and unions can directly lodge a complaint for violations at the German Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA), or through IndustriALL or trade union partners in Germany.

“Trade unions are important stakeholders to implement the law and make sure it focuses on people’s risks instead of business risks. Unions need to get involved in conducting risk analysis, preventive measures, corrective action and remedies. Providing training for shop stewards to document violations is essential to build cases against multinational companies.

“But most importantly, unions should use the law to conduct strategic organizing campaigns to build a strong union base along the supply chains to develop strong bargaining power,”

said Claudia Rahman, director of global trade union policy at German union IG Metall, at the IndustriALL webinar on understanding and using human rights due diligence to build union power on 29 March 2023.
 
In September 2022, the Japanese government published Guidelines on Respecting Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains, covering all companies regardless of sizes and sector, direct and indirect suppliers, inside or outside Japan.
 
Although not legally binding, the government encourages companies to publish a human rights policy, to identify and assess any risk may adversely impact human rights. Businesses should prevent or mitigate adverse impacts and provide remedy to stakeholders suffering the adverse impact of human rights.
 
The Japan Council of Metalworkers' Unions (JCM) has urged the government to make workers and unions special stakeholders. JCM encourages affiliates to participate in the due diligence process through joining committees and to get involved in companies’ complaint and remediation mechanisms.

“JCM has published pamphlets on due diligence and included it in the spring offensive (Shunto) policy. The union will continue to demand that the government improves the guideline and monitors its implementation. If the guideline proves to be ineffective, unions in Japan will ask for legislation,”

said Hideyuki Hirakawa, JCM assistant general secretary.

“We believe that guidelines and legislations will not eliminate all existing labour disputes and union busting. Resolving issues through collective bargaining and consultation requires increased negotiating skills. Unions must work to improve capacity, and management must seriously commit to corporate social responsibility, international labour standards and human rights due diligence,"

said Akira Takakura, IndustriALL vice president.
 
Around 130 trade unionists from the Asia Pacific region participated in the webinar.

Cover photo: Industrial looms are operated at a rug factory in Mongolia. © ILO

Organizing along a changing minerals value chain

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director, said: 

“Trade unions have an opportunity to increase unionization at South32. With the focus on ESG demands from mandatory supply chain due diligence legislation, low carbon transition minerals provides an opportunity to advance workers’ rights. This is an important shift. But for effective unionization to occur unions must have supply chains mapping strategies to guide them. This entails building data bases on the supply chains and trade union density.”

These were the key issues discussed during an online meeting on 23 March – Mapping South32’s global footprint, unionization, and global supply chains; sustainability and environmental social governance (ESG), accountability gap; and opportunities for the global network.

Dominic Lemieux, IndustriALL mining sector co-chair, said: 

“Energy transition is an opportunity for organizing. However, in Quebec, Canada, workers from blasting, crushing, and transportation are employed by different subcontractors, making it difficult to build workers solidarity at the mines. Additionally, contract workers are reluctant to act against the employers for fear of losing jobs.”

Similar precarious working conditions are found in Australian operations, although some gains have been made in labour law changes that may financially benefit workers. At some mines, unions are considering strike action to improve working conditions, especially amongst the subcontracted workers.

Greg Busson, Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU) district secretary, said: 

“Australian mining unions have carried out successful campaigns at South32, with a lot of struggles taking place behind the scenes. This led to improved relations with the employe, and the signing of collective bargaining agreements.” 

According to the International Energy Agency, the green energy transition will be intensive with a tenfold increase expected in the demand for electric vehicles and battery storage. The focus on ESG and mining companies’ adoption of human rights due diligence and sustainable mining standards provides impetus for unions to push for the respect of fundamental rights at work and decent work. Suppliers and contractors must adhere to these standards or risk being recipients of adverse sustainability reports.

Currently South32 mines alumina, aluminium, bauxite, copper, manganese, nickel, lead, silver, and zinc in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mozambique, and South Africa. It also mines thermal coal for its refineries and smelters.

Israel: union pressure prompts suspension of proposed legislation

Under the new proposals, the government would control the appointment of judges, and parliament would gain the power to override Supreme Court decisions. These changes would threaten the foundation of Israeli democracy. 
 
Histadrut immediately called off the general strike after Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced the suspension of the proposed legislation.  The Prime Minister said that parliament will return to this decision after a recess which is set to start 2 April. 
 
Histadrut chairman congratulated everyone for this result and said:

“I thank all the partners in the movement: the heads of the economy and the representatives of the employers, the heads of the worker committees, the workers, the members of the Histadrut leadership, and the workers of the Histadrut. Together we will return the state of Israel to the right path.”

IndustriALL general secretary, Alte Høie, says

“while we were preparing to give support and solidarity to our sisters and brothers in Histadrut, we received this good news. IndustriALL believes that Histadrut made the final push in this decision, which shows its strength and influence. This legislative work must be completely abandoned. The proposed law would have set the Israeli justice system back many years and would have robbed the people of a fair justice system. We stand in solidarity with the Israeli people and Histadrut in fighting for their dignity and rights.”

 
IndustriALL Global Union has five affiliates from Histadrut in metal, electrical, eletronic, textile, garment, leather, pharmaceutical, energy, packaging sectors and engineering and technician professions.

Attack on workers’ rights in India

The Industrial Relations Code completely undermines the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Strike action, which is an inherent part of freedom of association will be deemed illegal as the conditions for a ‘legal strike’ will be harsh. Workers will now have to give two months’ notice for a strike as opposed to the current fourteen days.

In 2020, the Indian government passed four labour codes that consolidated the country's existing labour legislation. The new codes severely undermine workers' rights while advancing business interests. 

The Maharashtra state government drafted the rules under the Industrial Relations Code in 2021, said rules, namely the Maharashtra Code of Industrial Relations Rules, were approved by the state cabinet this month.

The new rules state that a trade union must represent more than 51 per cent of the workforce to serve as the sole representative in a factory.  

Previously, companies with more than 100 employees needed government approval to lay off workers, but this threshold has been increased to 300 employees. This means that companies with up to 300 employees can now lay off workers without government approval, which will make it easier for companies to hire and fire employees without providing job security.

Unions in India, including IndustriALL affiliates, have raised serious concerns and have protested the anti-worker labour rules since 2020.

Sanjay Vadhavkar, IndustriALL executive committee member, and general secretary of the Steel, Metal & Engineering Workers’ Federation of India (SMEFI), says:

“We condemn the constant undermining of workers’ rights under the current political regime. The new labour rules are geared towards facilitating ease of doing business. As trade unions, we will have to intensify our struggle to safeguard workers’ rights.”

Turkish workers dismissed after wage increase demand

Union members have been on strike since 27 February demanding an additional 25 per cent wage increase, improvement of working conditions, and better health and safety at the workplace.

Since the beginning of the industrial action, Mata Otomotiv management were resistant and hostile towards workers’ demands. Management locked toilets to prevent workers from using them, and instead of entering into good faith negotiations with Birlesik Metal-Is, they dismissed 650 union members. 

Workers, together with their union, and with the support from communities and civil society organizations, are demanding reinstatement, along with their initial demand for improved working conditions.

With high inflation and low purchasing power, many Turkish workers and unions have mobilized their forces to get ad-hoc wage increases in various sectors, including the large metal sector where Mata Otomotiv operates. 

As part of their campaign, Birlesik Metal-Is and union members decided to march from Istanbul to Ankara to voice their demands. However, workers were blocked by riot police on 27 March. 

Despite the disruption, workers reached Ankara to engage political parties and authorities about their demands.

Adnan Serdaroğlu, general president of Birleşik Metal-İş said:

“Turkey has become a 'paradise for bosses' that has been ruled for many years by a government in which the vast majority of its ministers and MPs are the spokespersons of capital. For this reason, they prevented us from making our just demands known to the authorities in Ankara by blocking our way.”

IndustriALL Europe general secretary Luc Triangle says:

“Turkey is a candidate country for the EU, but what we see in practice, like the blockade of Mata Otomotiv in March, is completely against European values, principles and rules. We reject and protest against this anti-democratic behavior. Peaceful demonstration is a human right. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the resisting Mata workers."

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary said:  

“We stand in solidarity with our comrades at Mata Automotive and Birleşik Metal-İş. Dismissed union members must immediately be reinstated, and their demands must be met. We can’t allow for workers to be dismissed when they are fighting for health and safety and better wages and their basic worker rights. We support this fight until justice arrives.”

Mata Otomotiv manufactures parts for high-end car brands such as Tesla, Bentley, Jaguar and Audi.

Iraqi unions demand input on draft social security and retirement law

IndustriALL affiliates are demanding that workers have three representatives who are from the most representative federations. The draft law also makes provision for later retirement: from 60 to 63 for men, and from 55 to 58 for women, if contributions to the fund have not been less than 15 years. Women who have 30 years’ service and children under 15 have the right to retire if they want. This was not included in the current law.

Hassan Juma, president of Iraqi Federation of Oil Union (IFOU) said, 

“The retirement law in Iraq was passed more than 35 years ago. Some articles are not appropriate for the current stage, and there is a need for new law. The preparation of the draft without the involvement of the stakeholders would lead to failures. Our mission is to provide amendments to address those failures.”

On 10-11 March IndustriALL and its Iraqi affiliates organized a workshop to discuss the bill. Kadhem Shamkhi Al-Sudani, former director of the department of retirement and social security in the ministry of labour, presented the draft law and explained the key articles. The presentation also compared the new bill to the current enforceable Law 39 of 1971.   

Participants checked its compatibility with the labour law and the Constitution of Iraq. Iraqi affiliates communicated their observations to the respective parliamentary work committee. The correspondence includes union proposals from the workshop. These observations focused on amending several articles to guarantee workers’ rights.  Union leaders emphasized the state’s financial responsibility toward workers, regarding the fund and that the state should finance it if there is a deficit. The observations also included certain formal legal aspects which examine necessary concepts to avoid any confusion that does not serve the workers. 

Hashmeya Alsaadawi, IndustriALL vice president, said:  

“The adoption of the trade unionists’ observations on new law will be fair to workers and retirees. The law will be fair to women if the amendment on maternity leave is accepted. Trade unionists will do everything in their power to ensure that the new law includes the amendments they proposed.”

IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Høie said

“It’s positive that the Iraqi parliament is working on issuing a new law.  We hope that it will respond to the workers' aspirations. We stress the need for the active involvement of workers and their organizations in Iraq in preparing this important law. We also call on the parliament to adopt the observations submitted by our Iraqi affiliates.”

Chinese power company bashes Ghanaian union

For two years GMWU has been fighting Sunon Asogli Power which it says violates workers’ rights with careless impunity. The power company, which runs a 560MW plant in Kpone is jointly owned by the China African Development Fund and plans to expand its operations to other countries in West and Southern Africa. Sunon Asogli Power is a subsidiary of Shenzen Energy Group, which is based in Guangdong, China.

The union organises workers at the plant and has obtained a collective bargaining certificate which allows the union to represent and negotiate on behalf workers, according to Ghanaian labour laws. But, Sunon Asogli Power has refused to recognise the union. They unfairly terminated three local union leaders’ contracts when they informed the company that they represented the union at enterprise level.

In a case at the National Labour Commission, in which the GMWU wanted to be afforded trade union rights, the Commission issued a directive on 27 April 2022, that Sunon Asogli Power should recognise the collective bargaining certificate that has been issued to the union. Further, the parties should constitute the standing negotiating committee to negotiate and resolve any disagreements they have, failing which, they must report to the Commission. The Commission emphasized that the company should comply with labour laws and stop making excuses for not doing so.

General secretary of the GMWU, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, says: 

“The actions of Sunon Asogli Power is an attack on the right to freedom of association and the right to organize and collective bargaining. Regrettably, the rest of the workers are being subjected to daily acts of intimidation, victimization, and naked abuse for simply deciding to freely exercise their right to freedom of association guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and ILO Conventions 87 and 98.”

The Trade Unions Congress (TUC) Ghana, to which GMWU is affiliated, supports the GMWU campaign against the rights violations.

“This unfortunate development, if not curbed, would amount to a violation of workers’ rights as enshrined in the Constitution and Labour Act (2003) and will impact on our organizing and unionization efforts,” 

says Joshua Ansah, deputy secretary general of the TUC. 

“We support the GMWU in their relentless support for defending workers’ rights at Sunon Asogli Power station. The company’s union bashing must be condemned. Its disregarding of national and international labour standards is unacceptable,” 

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

Although China stopped supporting the building of coal-fired power stations abroad under its Belt and Road Initiative in 2021, in favour of green and low carbon energy projects in developing countries, it still funds other non-renewable energy sources including gas/liquefied natural gas, and oil. Ghana is one of the beneficiaries of some of the loans that have been given to African countries.

Youth academy builds strong network of activists in South East Asia

The training has resulted in a concrete action plan crafted from the IndustriALL youth resolution, a campaign plan to increase young workers at all levels in trade union activities, building-up skills of young workers to become effective negotiators and campaign to end gender-based violence and harassment.  

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the youth academy met online, discussing the changing world of work, multinational companies and workers' rights, trade agreements and social justice, and the elimination of gender-based violence.

“The continuity of the South East Asia youth academy has created a strong network of activists who discuss and act collectively. We expect these future union leaders to have sufficient capacity to effectively run unions and continue to support each other,” 

said Sarah Flores, IndustriALL Global youth coordinator.

The first face-to-face session on 13-16 March in Manila, the Philippines, brought together young workers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. 

Participants visited the Bonifacio monument and Fort Santiago, taking inspiration from the Philippine liberation struggle, connecting their respective national histories with youth activism and realizing that youth plays an important role in political agendas. 

Returning to the meeting room, a dynamic debate revolved around the notion of work, new forms of work, just transition, organizing and campaign. The young unionists also discussed their youth policies. 

“We must continue to organize young workers. Unions should develop training modules for youth and organizing campaigns with the target to organize at least ten per cent of all young workers in the workplace,” 

said Intan Indria Dewi, secretary of the IndustriALL youth working group in South East Asia, East Asia and Pacific.

Participants have decided to organize a social media campaign and a flash mob in conjunction with IndustriALL Global Youth Conference on 19 June.

“Unions should ensure that young workers are part of negotiations concerning their future. We need to provide negotiation training for young activists. The youth resolution must be made known among all IndustriALL affiliates,”

said Jean Faye Daguman, co-chair of the IndustriALL youth working group in South East Asia, East Asia and Pacific.