Ashok Leyland workers demand end to precarious work
Ashok Leyland currently employs about 10,000 contract workers, and 4,000 permanent workers. Unions affiliated to the WPTUC launched a protest on 27 January to demand that all contract workers should be made permanent workers of the company.
As interim measures, the union is demanding that the disproportionately high number of contract workers be reduced, and that their wages be raised to at least INR25,000 (US$302). In comparison, permanent workers earn in between US$785 – US$1,026. Equal facilities, like canteen access, must also be made available to non-permanent employees. Additionally, workers are demanding that the retirement age be raised to 60 years.
On 29 January, workers went on a one-day strike in protest of management’s unfair labour practices.
Ashok Leyland management has forced workers to work on Sundays without paying double pay for overtime, instead asking them to take compensatory time off on a weekday.
Along with other demands, the union is calling for a revision of the collective bargaining agreement that was signed by the previous union as it includes anti-worker clauses regarding outsourcing, wages, productivity, and leave policies.
“IndustriALL stands firmly with Ashok Leyland’s workers in their struggle against precarious employment and unfair labour practices. We call on management to immediately consider the rightful demands raised by the union.”
Fiber producer SASA must respect workers’ rights
It is reported that SASA Polyester Sanayi A.Ş. is exerting pressure on workers, conducting anti-union practices, and violating the right of workers to freedom of association. The company’s management, in the last two months, has put in place a series of practices to de-unionize the workplace.
The measures include conducting individual and collective meetings with union members to force them to leave IndustriALL’s Turkish affiliate Petrol-İş. The company has offered financial advantages, like wage increments, to workers deciding to resign from Petrol-İş. Those who refused to leave their union were not given any wage increment.
This is a clear violation of the right to free choice to be a union member. The anti-union practices aim to undermine and reduce union membership preventing Petrol-İş from renewing its collective bargaining agreement certificate from the Minister of Labour and Social Security.
Petrol-İş president Süleyman Akyüz says:
“Petrol-İş has organized at SASA, negotiating CBAs with the company, since 1975. The violations and deterioration is unacceptable. We thank IndustriALL Global Union for intervening and supporting the struggle of SASA workers.”
SASA Polyester Sanayi A.Ş has systematically refused Petrol-İş' ,the authorized bargaining agent, offer to engage in dialogue.
Petrol-İş general organizing and education secretary Niyazi Recepkethüda underlines that:
“The union busting are a clear violation of trade union rights and we cannot accept that. We call again on management to respect the organizing rights of SASA workers.”
Major customers and business partners of SASA Polyester Sanayi A.Ş. are called upon to conduct due diligence at the company’s operations in Adana.
Textile world conference vows to strengthen collective agreements
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie said:
“We are stepping up our campaign for comprehensive economic sanctions against Myanmar and are working hard with brands to exit the country responsibly and protect workers at the same time.”
Discussions centered around providing strong support for organizing campaigns, especially using global framework agreements to protect workers’ rights to form trade unions and bargain collectively. The Migrant Resource Center in Mauritius gave an update on the mobile app, Just Good Work Mauritius. This app, developed last year in collaboration with IndustriALL, Anti Slavery International and online clothing brand ASOS, provides information and education on workers’ rights. Migrant workers are informed about their rights and can report cases of abuse. The information is accessible in Bangladeshi, English and Malagasy.
Campaigning for safe factories is central in the sector, and in December 2022 the International Accord was expanded to Pakistan. Affiliates from the MENA region added that a regional campaign on safe factories has been launched and called on the expansion of the International Accord to the region.
Affiliates pledged support for trade union networks at multinational manufacturers. Interventions from Bangladesh spoke of the benefits of being part of the Coats global trade union network and how the network supported the reduction in contractual work, helped to ensure that wages were above the national minimum level and promoted industrial relations.
In a report ‘Risks of gender-based violence and harassment: union responses in the mining, garments and electronics sectors’, Jane Pillinger, highlighted the risks faced by women in the garment sector, like employment insecurity, low wages, gender inequalities and discrimination, and dangers travelling to and from work. To combat these risks, women need a strong presence in leadership positions to raise awareness, and for collective bargaining agreements to include clauses on GBVH and creating safe complaints systems for women.
Indonesia and the MENA Women’s networks showcased the Zero Tolerance Campaign. Unions and employers in the H&M, Nike and Adidas supply chains attended a social dialogue conference for a joint commitment, signed by ten unions and companies. Through the policy, unions and employers will develop strategies on how to ensure that reported sexual harassment cases are not left unresolved. The policy will be integrated into collective agreements and ensure safe workspaces and will also raise awareness on zero tolerance of violence and sexual harassment.
A four-year sectoral action plan was debated and approved. The action plan on industry wide collective bargaining focuses on promoting industry bargaining to reduce inequality, lift wages and conditions and prevent lower standards being used to give companies a competitive advantage. The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) spoke about their collective bargaining process, indicating that bargaining was mandated by the members and that mandates are collected from members before negotiations. SACTWU highlighted their Covid-19 agreement where workers received full pay during the hard lock down, secured through negotiations between unions and employers.
Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL textile director, said:
“Collective action – the hallmark and the power of the international labour movement- has given us the ability and the tools to transform the global supply chain. We must make sure that our members’ lives improve. IndustriALL is committed to empowering a sectorial solution by pressuring and securing the commitment of global brands, suppliers and governments in our fight for decent work. We will continue our campaign for an industrial relations system that changes the balance of power in the supply chain.”
Participants chose to elect four co-chairs for the sector. There will be two men and two women, two of the co-chairs will be from production countries and two from consumption/brand countries.
A new model of supply chain industrial relations: brand and investor roles
Following on last year’s side event at the OECD Garment Forum on a new model of supply chain industrial relations for the industry, this year’s panel will discuss brand and investor roles.
The session will introduce the recently published paper by the Committee on Workers’ Capital (CWC), Shared prosperity, the investor case for freedom of association and collective bargaining, which outlines how the fundamental rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining can be used to address inequality and why these rights matter to investors.
We will also discuss how collaborative agreements between global brands and retailers and global trade unions are contributing to a new model of supply chain industrial relations. The panel will include perspectives from the garment and textile industry, institutional investors, global trade unions and the ACT initiative.
Speakers include Lisa Nathan, Senior Investor Engagement Advisor, UNI Global Union, Karin Reimerink, Corporate Responsibility Senior Director for Western Hemisphere, PVH, Tenisha Reid Elliott, Senior Associate Analyst, Columbia Threadneedle & Platform Living Wage Financials, Mira Neumaier, ACT Executive Director and Liz Umlas, Senior Advisor, Capital Strategies, IndustriALL.
Bangladeshi unions demand increased minimum wage for garment workers
IndustriALL affiliates are calling on the government to immediately form a minimum wage board to review minimum monthly wages. Bangladeshi labour law requires the formation of a new wage board every five years to settle wage structures for every industry. The government last reviewed garment workers’ wages in 2018, when the minimum wage of an entry-level garment worker was fixed at BDT8,000 (US$75).
IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, together with Garment Sramik Karmachari Okko Parishod, demonstrated in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka before submitting a memorandum to the labour ministry on 5 February. The demands include the minimum wage of an-entry level garment worker fixed at BDT23,000 (US$215), with a yearly increment of ten per cent as opposed to the current five per cent. Other demands of workers’ unions include ration facilities for workers, considering the rising cost of living.
The market situation has drastically changed between 2018 and 2022. With skyrocketing inflation, it has become impossible for workers to afford a decent standard of living. The inflation rate in Bangladesh crossed 9.5 per cent in August 2022, the highest in eleven years. Meanwhile, the RMG exports from the country increased by 14.31 per cent to US$27.418 billion during the period July 2022 to January 2023.
“The government must immediately reconstitute the national minimum wage board that includes workers’ representatives. Rising inflation has put garment workers in a dire situation. Their wages need to be revised accordingly, along with adequate social security measures,”
says Amirul Haque Amin, president of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council.
The unions are demanding that the basic wage is made 65 per cent of the total wage, which includes both the basic wage and allowances. Currently, the basic wage for a garment worker is less than 60 per cent of the total wage. This is important as termination payments, like severance and gratuity are calculated based on the basic wage. There is also a demand that the government removes two grades from the existing seven-grade wage structure for garment workers as the current grade system keeps the workers under-graded despite long work experience.
“IndustriALL fully supports the demands to increase minimum wages of garment workers. The current wages are extremely low and much less than what is needed for mere survival,”
says Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary.
Calls for justice for slain Eswatini human rights defender
The speakers reiterated calls made earlier by various continental and global organizations including the UN Human Rights, the Commission on Human and People’s Rights – African Union, ITUC-Africa, and other pan African and global organizations.
Maseko, who was the chairperson of the multistakeholder forum for the democratization of Eswatini – a coalition working on democratic reforms through dialogue – and a member of the Lawyers for Human Rights Swaziland, was assassinated by unknown gunmen at his home in Manzini on 21 January in front of his wife and two young sons.
“Comrade Thulani was a person that we would go to for legal advice on labour rights on a regular basis especially as employers are notorious for dragging unions to court. We had a good working relationship with him that was characterised by mutual respect for our roles as leaders,”
says Wander Mkhonza, Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA) secretary general.
Maseko also successfully represented the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), to which ATUSWA and Swaziland Electricity Supply Maintenance and Allied Workers Union (SESMAWU) belong, when it was deregistered and managed to get the federation reregistered.
The demands made in the unions petition to the Eswatini Embassy resonate with the IndustriALL Global Union resolution on the demands for democratic reforms in Eswatini which stresses that human and workers’ rights must be protected in Africa’s last absolute monarchy.
“We commit ourselves to support the people of Eswatini as they continue to fight for democratic reforms, and demand respect and protection of human rights including the right to life, rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, and the rule of law,”
reads part of the resolution adopted at the IndustriALL Congress in 2021. In that respect IndustriALL calls for an investigation into the assassination as it is the responsibility of the government of Eswatini to guarantee the safety and security of its citizens.
Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary says:
“The killing of comrade Thulani Maseko is a dastardly act that comes at a time when it is urgent for the government of Eswatini and all stakeholders to commit to dialogue. IndustriALL reiterates our call for dialogue and demand an official investigation into the murder and prosecution of the perpetrators,”
ATUSWA and SESMAWU are affiliated to IndustriALL.
Turkish unions fight cost of living crisis
Representatives from 20 Turkish affiliates, mainly in export sectors like automotive, textile and petrochemical, met to share challenges and strategies in the bargaining process to protect workers’ wages.
Turkey’s official inflation rate was 64.27 per cent in 2022. However, independent inflation researchers calculated it to 137.55 per cent. The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce's Living Wage Earners' Living Index revealed that retail prices in Istanbul increased by 92.97 per cent in December, compared to December 2021.
Turkey's monthly minimum net wage for 2023 was fixed as TRY8,506.80 (US$450). According to a survey conducted by Türk-İş Confederation in December 2022, a family of four needs a minimum of TRY8,864 (US$471) to survive, putting the minimum wage below the starvation line.
Turkish unions explained their strategy to overcome the problem through bargaining processes with employers. Just two days before the meeting, Türk Metal, Birlesik Metal-Is and Ozcelik-Is, managed to get an additional wage increase following negotiations with the employers, as a supplement to the CBA in the sector.
The meeting also discussed the transformation in the economy and sectors, and it was agreed that the work launched last year on how to achieve a Just Transition in Turkey will continue.
There are a number of ongoing strikes in Turkey. Meeting participants visited the 170 members of Seluloz-Is, striking for higher wages at the Kartonsan paper factory. The union called the strike after negotiations on a new CBA at the end of 2022.
“Knowing the difficulties related to fundamental workers’ rights in Turkey, we will continue to support our affiliates to ensure that they can organize with decent working conditions through collective agreements and social dialogue,”
said Luc Triangle, IndustriAll European Trade Union general secretary.
“The unity among our twenty affiliated unions in Turkey is exemplary. Unions have a big role to play in the country, given the difficult economic, political and social conditions. Our global and European trade unions stand in solidarity with this struggle,”
said Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary.
Union leader arrested in Tunisia must be released immediately
The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) says that the strike was organized according to the provisions of the Labour Code and warns against targeting union rights and freedoms.
UGTT condemns the arrest as it undermines union action, violates union rights and contravenes international conventions ratified by Tunisia, as well as the provisions of the Tunisian Constitution on union freedom and the right to strike.
The space for trade union rights in Tunisia is rapidly shrinking, and the union says that the arrest “is a continuation of what the union has been subjected to for some time, attempts to distort and mobilize against it."
“Anis Kaabi must be released immediately, and we call for an end to the attacks on public and personal freedoms, namely the right to organize and freedom of assembly,”
says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie.
The UGTT is calling on its members in all sectors to be ready to defend union rights, the right to strike, as well as all public and personal freedoms.
IndustriALL’s aerospace sector prioritizes trade union rights in emerging economies
IndustriALL aerospace director Georg Leutert stressed the importance of union work being global:
"We need to broaden our perspective and participation. We all share the same values, and we need to make that a reality along the supply chain around the world. Workers have global rights and global trade union networks is a way to build knowledge and support. We can learn a lot from each other; focus on best practice and spread it."
Mahmood Arbouch, from Morocco's policy center for the new south, gave an overview of the aerospace industry in the country, which currently employs 41 per cent women, mainly in wiring harnesses. The aerospace industry is growing in both Morocco and Tunisia, although challenges ahead include a full recovery from effects of the global Covid pandemic, global supply disruptions, keeping up with digitalization, climate change and its implications on the industry, reducing skills gaps and preparing for increasing passenger traffic.
Abdelaziz Arfaoul, FGME-UGTT general secretary, described the challenges for workers in the sector in Tunisia, a country with high unemployment and political instability, affected by the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the global pandemic. Unions need to address the hazardous working conditions in the aerospace industry, as well as the low salaries. There is an impression that many dangerous and labour intensive jobs are outsourced to the MENA region.
Participants from Morocco and Tunisia expressed the need for social justice and raised the question as to how it is achieved. The aerospace sector is witnessing rapid growth, and precarious contracts are a problem in the region, as is union busting. There are examples of multinational companies that work well with unions in their home country but disrespect their own codes of conduct in the region.
“Morocco and Tunisia are emerging countries for the industry, where serious efforts to organize the workers are underway and union power is growing to counter union busting,”
said IndustriALL regional secretary Ahmed Kamel.
Outsourcing is a major problem at Embraer in Brazil. Brazilian colleagues told the meeting of the company's refusal to sign a CBA, resulting in layoffs and increased outsourcing.
In 2020, Embraer laid off 2,500 workers – at the same time the number of outsourced workers increased by 19,11 per cent. There is a strong turnover process of laying off older workers and hiring outsourced workers instead at 1/3 of the salary, all of which has a direct consequence on the safety in the workplace.
Taking action over poor wages and working conditions, workers at several TATA aerospace companies in India formed a union and started to organize. The employer responded by dismissing them. The union then brought the case to the labour department, but as the company is located in a special economic zone, the laws under the labour department are not valid.
“We have filed a petition in the hight court. We don’t want money; we want reinstatement. We are fighting for basic human rights. We fight for a safer and better future for our children,”
said R.D.Chandra Shekar, working president, TATA Advanced Aerospace Systems Workers Trade Union Congress.
Aerospace workers across globe face the same challenges and problems, it is the degrees that vary.
John Holden and Richard Jackson from US Machinists Union described the situation in Washington state and how the union works to maintain and provide good union jobs in their communities. Creating the Machinist Institute has opened an opportunity to provide hands-on training for workers to grow in the workplace. They are also looking to provide childcare at night and on weekends, which can be a stumbling block, especially for women workers, from taking advantage of advancement or even keeping the job you have.
Ian Waddell from UK’s Unite the Union talked about the triple crises Europe is currently facing – energy crisis, raw material crisis and a cost-of-living crisis. To tackle it, unions are calling for urgent action to tackle the energy crisis without neglecting climate change, solutions for critical raw materials and higher wages for workers.
Participants in the meeting also discussed priorities going forward, which include decarbonization, digitization and supply chain due diligence.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of a solidarity resolution on the trade union situation in Morocco, Tunisia, India and Brazil, and a promise to support to improve and resolve issues.
“The future of the aerospace industry will depend on the ability to decarbonize aviation. Trade unions have to be involved in this massive transformation from the very beginning to make sure that it is just and socially responsible,”
said Maria Perez from French union Force Ouvrière and sector co-chair.
Unions needed to resolve challenges of climate change and decent work in mining
As the twin impacts of climate change and Industry 4.0 are transforming the mining industry, mining companies should not use these impacts as an excuse to cut jobs but rather, together with trade unions and communities, work out just transition mitigation measures.
IndustriALL will participate in a number of side events at both the Alternative Mining Indaba and the African Mining Indaba where IndustriALL is hosting a number panel debates on: Beyond climate change, other drivers of impacts on world of work and union proposals for a mitigation pathway and ASM* and a stakeholder convergence of interests to mitigate ESG impacts on ASM miners.
"We are here to ensure the voice of labour is included in the discussions on climate change, Just Transition, working conditions along the supply chains, including ASM and the implication for the future of work,"
