North America cement workers join for network meeting in Pittsburgh

United Steelworkers’ union hosted the meeting on 5 December in their headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Delegates from United Steelworkers US and Canada, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Teamsters Canada and Unifor participated in the meeting.
 
While this year saw a very positive development of inclusion of the right to occupational safety and health as fundamental principle and right at work at the International Labour Conference in June 2022, the participants noted with regret that this year was very challenging for workers around the globe.
 
According to ITUC Global Rights Index monitoring the situation with trade union rights in 148 countries, 113 of them excluded workers from their right to establish or join a trade union, an increase from 106 countries in 2021. 41 per cent of countries denied or constrained freedom of speech and assembly, while workers experienced arbitrary arrests and detentions in 69 countries. 77 per cent of countries denied workers the right to establish and join a trade union. 87 per cent of countries violated the right to strike. In Belarus, Egypt, India, Myanmar, the Philippines and Sudan strikers and union leaders were arrested or faced with violent repression. In thirteen countries trade unionists were killed.
 
The two first biggest companies are of Chinese origin China National Building Material and Anhui Conch Cement. The third in the row Holcim changed its name back (previously LafargeHolcim) finished the year 2021 with 350Mt/y capacity, but in 2022 decreased cement capacity by 23 per cent from 270 Mt/y. In India the company divested 70Mt/y capacities to Adani Group for $6.37bn, which allowed the latter to enter the ten top producers of the world. This was the biggest deal since acquisition of Italcementi by HeidelbergCement in the sector.
 
The fourth biggest group HeidelbergCement in 2021 sold their Kuweit, Sierra Leone and US West Region cement businesses. In September the company removed "cement" from their name and became Heidelberg Materials, and most likely may follow similar approach as Holcim diversifying their portfolio from cement to other building materials and solutions.
 
The delegates noted problems with implementation of sustainable health and safety practices at work such as problems of lockout-tagout in some Holcim cement operations in US resulted in a series of near miss incidents.
 
Participants noted an increased pressure during their bargaining from the side of employers who use different tactics of delaying and pushing off grievances and try to undermine workers and their unions in their capacity to negotiate decent working conditions and improved living standards. Understaffing at workplaces is another problem felt by many in the post pandemic period.
 
Unifor reported details about the end of 16-month lockout at Joliet Ash Grove in Quebec, Canada. Workers returned to work in October 2022.
 
In the same time, the delegates reported of an increasing interest on the side of union members to give a stronger focus on Just Transition, green upgrades to decrease carbon dioxide emissions, carbon taxation and other.
 
Alexander Ivanou, IndustriALL materials director, said: 

“Information is power, and this network allows us to continue our exchange of information and update each other on fights and struggles in our unions. The delegates agreed to maintain the communication within the network and continue the activities of the network in the next year.”

IndustriALL stands in solidarity with affiliates in Peru

In a letter addressed to the country's authorities, general secretary Atle Høie repudiated the criminalization of social protest and the violence carried out by the police and armed forces that has already caused more than 20 deaths.

Høie also expressed his support for the demands of social organizations to put an end to the crisis.

In letters addressed to President Dina Boluarte and Congress president José Williams, Høie supports proposals calling for:

IndustriALL is urging authorities to open dialogue and build commitments with social movements and Peruvian society in order to create a fairer and more inclusive society.

Solidarity with Bekaert workers in Turkey

400 striking workers stood in front of the Bekaert factory in Izmit. Strike action started 10 days ago following failed negotiations towards a new collective bargaining agreement. 

Over the last years, Turkey has faced massive inflation and consequently a huge decline in workers’ purchasing power. Wages are not enough for workers to make ends meet.

Bekaert has refused to give a fair wage increase. Workers asked for an increase that compensates the inflation and reflects the good financial results that have been made by workers in the Turkish Bekaert company.

The government decree refers to ‘national security’ as reason to ban the strike, although the sector has no connection to anything relating to national security. Birlesik Metal-Is, the representative trade union in Bekaert Izmit and workers rejected this ban and continued their strike.


The president of Birlesik Metal-Is, Adnan Serdaroglu, said:

“The only way for workers to demonstrate their rights is for them to strike. This ban is illegal and therefore we stand here today, in front of the Bekaert factory, to demand that our voices are heard and our rights are respected. 
“We want to warn Bekaert management that the international management of the company must intervene to solve this problem and grant workers their basic rights.
The general manager of the factory has sent workers emails, threatening to dismiss them for their legitimate strike action and threatening them with damage costs which they would have to pay out of their own pockets.”


General secretary of industriAll Europe, Luc Triangle, told the Bekaert workers:

“You have our full support and solidarity. What Bekaert is doing in Turkey is totally unacceptable. We all know that inflation is skyrocketing in Turkey, and you deserve a good collective bargaining agreement. It’s a sign of weak management, if management must hide behind the Erdogan regime to block a strike. Employers need to negotiate, and you have the right to strike! The Bekaert group needs to take its social responsibility seriously, not only in Belgium but everywhere else, including Turkey. Together will be following this case closely and will widely publish the proceedings if this issue is not resolved fast. The new collective agreement must be signed as soon as possible. We are with you in this fight!”


IndustriALL Global Union asistant general secretary Kemal Özkan added:
 

“The right to strike is an essential part of a democratic society and a fundamental social and economic right. Its recognition and protection must be the rule and any restriction might be the exception. Therefore, the Turkish legislation is in a contradiction of these internationally recognized standards. As a matter of fact, the committee of freedom of association of international labour organization already expressed its regrets several times on the systemic practices of the Turkish government in banning the strikes on grounds of national security. This is completely unacceptable as far as trade unions are concerned and it brings us to a situation in Turkey where the right to strike is not in place practically. We urge the central and local management of Bekaert not to hide behind the presidential decree but instead recognise the right to strike and sit down with the union representatives of Birleşik Metal İş for a good faith bargaining without any delay.
Our struggle will continue until justice arrives on the plant.”

Sanofi trade union network building constructive relationship with management

At the IndustriALL Global Sanofi Trade Union Network meeting at the company offices in Paris on 16 December, Sanofi employee representatives from Asia, Latin America and Europe invited management to discuss the company’s policies for respectful operations regarding people and the environment.

While IndustriALL affiliates in some countries are facing challenging issues at Sanofi, the full network welcomed the constructive management message about building a relationship with IndustriALL and the Union Network.

Aline Eysseric, Chair of the IndustriALL Global Sanofi Trade Union Network said:

“Sanofi employees around the world are seeing their living costs rise and are working to increase their wages to keep up with inflation. Our Network includes worker representatives reporting a range of realities, from mature industrial relations, to deadlocked negotiations. We are committed to working together to improve the lives of Sanofi employees everywhere.”

Sanofi is a world leading pharmaceuticals company, headquartered in France. The company’s recent financial performance has been very strong, posting nearly 38 billion euros in sales last year, and growth this year of over 17 per cent. The company’s global workforce has reduced over the last six years from 106,000 to 95,000, with most of the cuts made in sales positions.

The company has 69 industrial sites in 32 countries, and 21 research and development sites in 7 countries.

IndustriALL affiliates in different Asian countries are dealing with Sanofi reducing or selling their operations. These cases in particular require follow up between management and the global network.

IndustriALL Pharmaceuticals sector director Tom Grinter said:

“This is progress for the IndustriALL Sanofi Trade Union Network. Management is working constructively with us, and we will be following up on the priority issues of the group. Our network has strong unity, an experienced Chair, good flowing communication between the members throughout the regions, and a common commitment to work together to solve issues facing Sanofi workers.” 

PROFILE: Ukrainian union works throughout the war

Union Profile

From Global Worker

no 2 November 2022

  

Country: Ukraine

Union: Nuclear Power and Industry Workers of Ukraine     

Text: Nazmia Leite

A nine-month Russian occupation and the bombing of nuclear plants has led many workers to lose their jobs, or even their lives. IndustriALL affiliate, the Nuclear Power and Industry Workers of Ukraine, Atomprofsilka, has not without challenges still managed to serve its workers during this destructive time. In a conversation with the Ukrainian union president Valeriy Matov and international officer, Lesia Semeniaka, we are exposed to how the union has been operating during a war.

Nuclear workers are suffering. Over 200 workers have been kidnapped and many have been tortured to death. Russian soldiers have occupied nuclear plants and workers are under everlasting physical and psychological pressure. Before the war, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) had over 11,000 employees and now has less than 10,000 workers. 

“This Russian war takes so much from us, nine months ago we had a beautiful city. The power plants were constructed where energy workers lived. Families were able to live together, and children could go to school. Workers had good wages and they were able to support their families. That is all gone now,”

says Lesia.

Atomprofsilka continues to operate during the war. Depending on bombing threats and shelling, unionists either work in their office or staff will operate remotely, depending on electricity supply and internet service. The daily trade union work has shifted, and the first goal is to assist members who have been affected by the war. 

“Sometimes, we can connect with members in Kyiv via cellphones. Members struggle to give us information. We have been stripped of basic trade union rights, operating under martial law, which means we can’t strike,”

says Lesia.

The union has collected money from their wages to assist Ukrainian armed forces.

“We have used external aid to accommodate displaced people who are fleeing to Western regions of the Ukraine. A portion of the money is to help the army and provide medical treatment,” says Valeriy. 

The union has tried very hard to service its members during this calamity. “Weeks ago, we purchased clothing for 167 people, military and civilian prisoners, who were able to return from Russian captivity. We are providing accommodation for women with small children who had an opportunity to leave Enerhodar city. We have had so much support from our employees. They have volunteered their time, and the employees at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant transferred three per cent of their monthly salary to assist,” says Valeriy.

The war is worsening by the day. In March, the ZNPP was captured by Russian forces. Station workers are not allowed to leave Enerhodar and the ZNPP. This nuclear plant is subcontracted to a Russian nuclear company and workers are pressurized to sign contracts with them. 

“Our people are under so much strain, they are scared. Enerhodar has no power, no heat. Winter is coming and many people will die. Problems are growing and there seems to be no end. Workers will be asked to retire early, salaries will be reduced, the lack of tax income will give the Ukrainian budget a huge knock. There is just no end,”

says Valeriy.

Solidarity is important during these times. People flee from war, lose their jobs and trade unions need to support their members. 

“We are so grateful for the financial assistance that IndustriALL and affiliates have provided. We are also appreciative that IndustriALL is supporting our demands to the international community to make a war free zone around ZNPP and liberate workers,” says Valeriy.

Atomprofsilka serves workers in the nuclear sector, in uranium production (Eastern Mining and Processing Complex, SkhidGZK), Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, workers in the national parks of Ukraine, public sector workers, and a small portion of health workers.  At the end of 2021 they had over 50,000 members, which includes pensioners, youth, and women. The daily bombings make it difficult to know the current membership. Many plants have been damaged and equipment destroyed. Rebuilding jobs and lives will take years.  

KMWU demands labour law reform

The union leaders from IndustriALL Global Union affiliate Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU), the central confederation KCTU and public and transport workers’ union are calling on South Korea’s government to enact revisions to Articles 2 and 3 from the revised Trade union and labour relations act in order to implement ILO Conventions 87 and 98, ratified in April 2021.

KMWU is demanding that the Korean government expands the definition of worker and employer to ensure that subcontracted workers are guaranteed a legal basis for negotiating with the principal employer. The Act must also be amended to respect workers' right to strike.

As a result of the current draconian labour law, five elected officials from KMWU Shipbuilding Subcontracted workers' Local are being sued by the principal employer for KRW 47 billion (US$36 million) in damages for striking this summer.

"We remember the self-immolation of labour martyrs Bae Dalho and Kim Joo-ik after employers sued them for strike damages, the damages claims suit for the 2009 Ssangyong Motors workers’ strike and the strike damages Daewoo Shipbuilding subcontracted workers faced in 2022. Countless workers have been driven to death and democratic unions have been destroyed,”

says Yoon Jang-Hyeok, KMWU president, and one of the unionists on hunger strike.

“With ILO conventions 87 and 98 ratifies, this must end. We call on the Korean government to revise the Act for effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining and strike.”

“The astronomical damage claim for going on strike is despicable. IndustriALL calls on Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering and Hanwha Group to immediately drop the lawsuits against unionists, and on the Korean government to bring law and practice in line with international standards. We will raise the lack of implementation of Conventions 87 and 98 by the Korean government at the ILO,”

says Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary.

The unionists and activists on hunger strike are Yoon Jang-Hyeok, president of KMWU, Yoo Choi-ahn and Lee Kim Chun-taek from KMWU Shipbuilding Subcontracted Workers' Local, Park Hee-Eun, KCTU vice president, Yu Seong-wuk from the KFSU CJ logistics drivers union, Chung Yongjae, vice president of Korean Public and Transport Workers’ Union, Yang Kyung-soo, KCTU president and human rights activist Park Lae-Goon from a coalition of 130 organizations called “Movement Headquarters to revise articles 2, 3 of the trade union law to prohibit damages claims and for principal employers responsibility”.

 

Presidential decree blocks Bekaert workers in Turkey from exercising their right to strike

However, President Erdoğan issued a decree citing national security and public health concerns, forcing the strike to be postponed for 60 days. It is assumed that the decree was initiated by Bekaert management. The postponement of the strike is tantamount to a ban.

Bekaert Turkey produces steel wire for tyres. National security concerns are clearly a pretext to prevent the strike and violate workers' rights. Issuing a Presidential decree to ban strikes and circumvent workers’ fundamental rights happens every so often in Turkey.

International trade union solidarity and press event, 22 December 2022

European workers' representatives, IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union will hold a solidarity event with Bekaert workers in Turkey, including a press conference, on 22 December at 10:00 CET.

The hybrid event will take place in front of the factory gate in Izmit and online.

Representatives of the European Works Council of Bekaert, IndustriALL Global’s deputy general secretary Kemal Özkan, industriAll Europe’s General Secretary Luc Triangle and workers representatives from Belgium, Spain and Slovakia have confirmed their participation.

N.V. Bekaert S.A. is a global company headquartered in Belgium. It operates in 45 countries and employs 28,000 workers worldwide.

Photo credit: DISK

SPECIAL REPORT – safeguarding workers’ rights along the supply chain

Special report

From Global Worker

no 2 November 2022

  

Country: Global

Theme: Workers rights in the supply chain       

Text: Petra Brännmark

Human rights violations, including abuse of labour rights, are on the rise, as shown in the latest ITUC Global Rights Index.  Moreover, the pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis have made many of the challenges in global supply chains even more evident. There is a need for strong regulation to effectively address and prevent violations of human rights and damage to the environment. The shocking rise in rights violations makes mandatory due diligence a top priority for trade unions. Voluntary codes of conduct and other unilateral approaches are first and foremost tools of public relations and have lost all credibility. 

According to IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan, very few companies have demonstrated a real willingness to adequately comply with workers’ and trade union rights on a voluntary basis. 

Trade unions are one of the main drivers of the campaign for binding due diligence legislation and transparency in the supply chains.  As representatives of workers who are the victims of rights violations all along the supply chains, unions have to be at the forefront of the debate and put all their weight to ensure they are involved in the design and implementation of due diligence policies. Workers and trade unions know the reality on the ground and are best placed to help identify, understand and address human rights risks. Their participation in the process is critical to ensure that due diligence laws and other instruments deliver for workers.  

“In fact, no due diligence approach can claim to be credible without the full involvement of workers and trade unions to safeguard freedom of association, collective bargaining, and health and safety.  Due diligence is part of the industrial relations system as a means of engagement through collective bargaining agreements, global framework agreements, protocols and any other negotiated document. It is an important tool for unions to achieve their main objectives, that is to defend and promote workers’ rights and interests,”

says Kemal Özkan.

The role of unions was obvious in the recent German act on corporate due diligence obligations to prevent human rights violations in the supply chain, the Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, adopted in 2021. Unions and worker representatives have managed to ensure that German works councils be more involved in human rights risk management in the future, and the German Works Council Act was amended to that end.  

In 2017, France became the first country to adopt a law on ‘duty of care’ or due diligence. For the first time, this ground-breaking legislation establishes a criminal relationship between the parent company of a multinational corporation and its subsidiaries and subcontractors in the event of human or environmental rights violations. In short, it seeks to prevent large companies from hiding behind their status as buyers. It should include an alert mechanism that collects reporting or existing risks, developed in cooperation with the trade unions in the company concerned.  

“Due diligence is a leverage for trade unions to ensure that workers’ rights, especially the right to organize, are upheld in companies and along the whole supply chain,” says Kemal Özkan.  

Global framework agreements (GFA) are tools for organizing and union building, incorporating the concept of due diligence set down in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.  By signing a GFA, a multinational company accepts responsibility to protect and respect fundamental workers’ rights, in particular the right to organize and bargain collectively, and to exercise due diligence concerning the impact of its operations on human rights in its production facilities and along its supply chain. GFAs are largely used to resolve problems, especially along the supply chains. In case of a conflict, for instance on organizing, GFAs can help provide remedy. 

Using global framework agreements to organize

Over a two-year period IndustriALL affiliates in Turkey and Bangladesh have successfully organized more than 50 supplier factories as part of a programme to effectively implement global framework agreements. 

Trade union networks that connect unions from different countries within a same company are also important action and coordination instruments that can help support organizing drives. Strengthening these networks is critical to ensure that companies respect the rights of workers in all countries where they operate and undertake human rights due diligence in their supply chains. 

The battery supply chain can be used as an example for demonstrating the globalization of the production process and how existing laws and other instruments, like the OECD due diligence guidelines, can be used for advancing human rights in business. 

The battery supply chain starts with the mining of raw materials like lithium, through the chemical industry with the refineries, to the end-users. It is the fastest growing supply chain, fueled by the increasing demand for electric vehicles.  Moreover, every region makes up different part of the battery supply chain, with lithium production in Latin America, most mining done in Africa, new battery investments in Asia and investments in electric vehicles in Europe and the US.  Workers’ rights violations are rising in parallel, in particular further down the supply chain where union density is low and the environmental impact devastating. 

IndustriALL has embarked on a project aimed at developing an integrated supply chain approach and achieving decent work for all workers associated with the battery supply chain. 

“We have to ensure that battery production not only supports green energy, but also safeguards human rights and promotes health and environmental sustainability,” says Kemal Özkan.  

“This means that we need increase our leverage along the battery supply chain. As part of that approach, IndustriALL is building union capacity through developing effective due diligence tools to organize workers, creating platforms with multinational companies, developing communications with world’s largest battery producers in China, ensuring that gender is integrated in union activities, and focusing on sustainable industrial policy and just transition.”

In 2013, the ILO Governing Body, motivated by concerns regarding the rapid expansion of global supply chains across borders, decided to place global supply chains on the agenda of the International Labor Conference.  In 2016, the International Labor Conference adopted a resolution concerning decent work in global supply chains. The resolution formed the basis for the development of a programme of action, with a roadmap for implementation. Several technical meetings have taken place to address core elements of a comprehensive strategy on decent work in supply chains, likes decent work in export processing zones, cross-border social dialogue, decent work deficit in supply chains.  

“But so far, progress, if any, has been very slow. We see a huge resistance from employers although most governments are very supportive for a normative action in this field. There is a big risk that the ILO looses its relevance, even though it should play a central role in global governance system in the whole debate of global supply chains,” says Kemal Özkan. 

“IndustriALL will increase our efforts and continue to pressure for the adoption of an ILO convention on supply chains, which would be key for the global labour movement.”

Dialogue addresses workplace issues at AngloAmerican global operations

Around 30 participants from unions affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union in Australia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Brazil and Zimbabwe met on 23-24 November 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 
 
Before a session with the company management, the global network discussed strategies to improve industrial relations at AngloAmerican’s operations and to further strengthen the dialogue between the multinational and IndustriALL.
 
The global dialogue mechanism takes place at least twice a year to ensure monitoring of workers’ effective access to fundamental rights. Workers’ concerns were raised on various issues, including shift systems, which in countries like Botswana, flout the laws that protect workers against long working hours. 

Unions reported that pregnant women and mothers of newly born babies who worked offshore in Namibia were disadvantaged, and in some instances suffered the trauma of leaving their babies at home for 28 days to work offshore. 
 
On occupational health and safety and gender responsiveness, unions said AngloAmerican must provide appropriate personal protective equipment for pregnant women. Wearing trousers and gear that don’t fit makes it difficult to use toilet facilities, forcing women workers to undress each time they use the toilets. Unions argued that the company should work with unions when dealing with workplace accidents.
  
The meeting deliberated on living wages, with the Zimbabwe Union of Mine Workers saying the wages were lower for subcontracted workers.
 
When it comes to new technologies introduced, unions reported that training should be provided to enable a smooth migration from older technologies. The training should be based in workplaces.
 
Discussions were conducted on the importance of IRMA audits, as their level of social responsibility including workers’ rights, human rights and environmental responsibility, is higher than other mining standards. IRMA, which is currently auditing Unki mine in Zimbabwe, emphasizes business integrity and planning for positive legacies for mining companies.
  
The meeting noted that AngloAmerican has exited coal in countries like South Africa, while it maintains operations in Australia. In his presentation, Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director, portrayed the transformation in the mining industry and acknowledged the importance of AngloAmerican’s Just Transition strategies, including the creation of sustainable jobs.

"This dialogue constitutes an important mechanism and model to fill the gap of trust in global mining industry. Building workers’ power through our structures, getting recognition from multinational companies and developing industrial relations for continuous improvement of working conditions are important pillars of our strategy and action. Therefore, enhancing our cooperation with AngloAmerican is in the interests of our affiliates and fellow miners on the ground.”

 said Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary 

Bulgarian workers in STS Medical Group signs first collective agreement

The protest action came after several failed attempts of peaceful negotiations where workers demanded a wage increase, the first in several years. Inflation is increasing and workers are losing buying power, putting them on the edge of their survival. The union had tried to reach a collective agreement for 1,5 years, but after the protest actions and work stoppages, an additional round of wage negotiations was held. 
 
This first collective agreement means that the minimum wage for the company will increase to BGN1,000 (US$539). Workers will receive an increase in food vouchers from BGN80 to BGN200 (US$43), as well as a Christmas supplement of BGN60 (US$32). The agreement also stipulates the participation of the trade union in internal wage negotiations and working conditions. 
  
Kemal Özkan IndustriALL assistant general secretary says:

“IndustriALL Global Union congratulates our affiliate with this exemplary win. This successful campaign has clearly shown that organizing new members and reaching good collective bargaining agreements are the main priorities for the union movement in securing workers’ interests. We need more of these powerful success stories.”