Unions reject poverty minimum wages in Zimbabwe

The money can only buy two dozen loaves of bread. The unions say to avoid living in poverty, the workers must be paid over ZWL $130,000 or US$400, and that the government must engage trade unions through social dialogue platforms before making the wage announcements.

The wage crisis in the country is leading unions to negotiate for shorter collective bargaining agreements with clauses stating that the wages must be adjusted to the inflation rate. Unions are also requesting employers to pay workers in the more stable US dollar.
 
Some grocery stores have stopped selling goods in the local currency, which is fast losing value. This puts workers into in a dilemma as they are forced to buy the US dollars on the streets where the rate is higher. According to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, year-on-year inflation in May was 131.7 per cent while the current exchange rate to the US dollar is ZWL$325.56.
 
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, to which some IndustriALL affiliates are members, says the country’s workers are the working poor as they earn below the poverty line. With high unemployment, estimated to be 47 per cent by Zimbabwe National Statistic Agency using the expanded rate, the workers are likely to be the breadwinners in their households. with most workers employed under precarious conditions in the informal sector, unions dispute the official unemployment rate as low.
 
Joseph Tanyanyiwa, the chairperson of the IndustriALL National Council for Zimbabwe says:

“It is our strong view that the gazette minimum wage is too paltry and in no way related to the prevailing macro-economic fundamentals in Zimbabwe. The reality on the ground is that the prices of basic commodities are rising while the ZWL continues to depreciate against the Unites States Dollar. It is with this gloomy scenario that we wonder what criterion the minister used to set such a low minimum wage. A minimum wage of ZWL$25 000 is unreasonable, inadequate and a slap in the face of the workers.”

“For years, Zimbabwean workers have been losing savings, pensions, and the value of their wages to hyperinflation and the unresolved economic crisis. When we thought the crisis was over, we are shocked to see that hyperinflation is again eroding workers’ wages. We call upon the Government of Zimbabwe to implement sustainable economic policies that will protect the value of the workers’ wages, improve living conditions, and stop the precarious working conditions prevailing in the country,”

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

Tunisia’s public sector workers launch general strike

The decision to go on strike was taken several weeks ago after the government announced its economic and social programme, which includes lifting subsidies, freezing wages and employment in public jobs, all of which will have serious repercussions on workers.

A last-minute negotiation took place on 13 June between the government and UGTT, but the parties failed to reach an agreement.

UGTT has called a general strike in the public sector on June 16. Among the demands are the:

Sami Al -Taheri, UGTT assistant general secretary, says:

“The strike is a way to add pressure as the government is neglecting the workers' demands. The strike aims to protect public companies from government’s attempts of privatization. The UGTT is open to serious negotiation, but the government does not want to reach solutions.”

In an attack on democracy, fundamental rights, and rule of law, the Tunisian government recently dismissed 57 judges. The removal of the judges clearly violates one of the fundamental principles of democracy, the separation of power between executive, legislative and judicative.

The sackings coincide with a number of decrees restricting fundamental rights and freedoms in the country. Among the most worrying is that any negotiation with unions requires the prime minister’s permission, in violation of international standards, including ILO Convention 98.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, says:

“IndustriALL fully supports UGTT’s legitimate demands and stand should-to-shoulder with our Tunisian sisters and brothers.

“The difficult financial and political situation in Tunisia has a direct impact on workers and their families. This requires serious dialogue and negotiation with UGTT as a significant labour and social force in the country. We urge the government to immediately respond to UGTT’s demands.”

South African unions end three-month strike in the gold sector

The collective agreement is for three years, and miners and artisans as well as officials will get an increase of 5 per cent or R1000 (US$62) to the standard rate of monthly pay in the first year, 5.5 per cent or R900 (US$56) in the second year, and 5 per cent or R750 (US$47) in the third year. Further, the workers will be given a once-off hardship allowance of R3000 (US$187).

At a Congress of South African Trade Unions organized May Day rally in Rustenburg the striking workers forced President Cyril Ramaphosa off the stage before finishing his speech demanding that he intervenes to resolve the wage dispute. The workers sang during the speech making it hard for others to hear the address.

The NUM, which is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, commented that it was unfortunate that workers “disrupted their own event” while also recognizing that the rally was “a workers’ platform” to express their demands. This led to the convening of meetings between the strikers and the department of mineral resources and energy.
 
The unions also argued that if Sibanye Stillwater could pay the chief executive officer, Neal Froneman, R300 million per annum ($18.67 million), the mining company could afford to pay the workers’ demands.
 
William Mabapa, NUM, general secretary says:

“The 2022 wage negotiations were very tough and took more than a year to be concluded – the longest wage negotiations in the history of the NUM. The pressure that the unions exerted on Sibanye Stillwater through the rolling mass actions and the strike to force the company to sign the wage agreement has yielded good results. The union wishes to express sincere gratitude to its members at Sibanye-Stillwater on a successful strike that ran concurrently with negotiations until they gave us the mandate to sign this wage agreement.”

“The unity of the workers during strikes and negotiations is key to building workers power in the gold mines. We also join the workers in their joy after winning in the negotiations and commend the NUM for working in solidarity with AMCU,”

says Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining.
 
 

India’s mining unions fight for women and precarious workers

More than 40 per cent of the participants were women working in coal mines, including in coal blasting and separating heavy machinery.

Women miners stressed the need for trade unions in coal mines to address concerns like the availability of clean washrooms on mining sites, workplace sexual harassment and paid leave. Space should be made for women in traditionally male dominated unions, and negotiations, collective bargaining and other bipartite bodies need to include women workers.

Participants discussed how unsafe mining is and how the government and coal mining authorities ignore health and safety, especially related to precarious workers. Employers fail to train precarious workers, there are poor monitoring mechanism, and a lack of safety equipment. When union representatives raise health and safety issues, they face management retaliation in the form of transfers and show-cause notices.

 

The national coal wage agreement (NCWA), which represents the wage structure and other conditions including fringe benefits, expired in 2021. There has been no discussions to renew it since.

The unions expressed deep concerns over the government’s attempt to outsource public sector companies, including Coal India Limited, and to monetise coal assets. The government is set to monetise 39 coal blocks worth Rs 75,220 crore (US$9 billion) in the current financial year FY23.

Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, said:

"As the nature of work shifts from permanent to precarious, it's critical that unions address the concerns of precarious workers, and in particular women, who are more likely to be employed in insecure and unsafe working conditions."

Improving social dialogue at TK Elevator

The delegates represented over 50,000 men and women from 16 countries, covering the major geographical areas where the company operates. Strengthening social dialogue was the and discussions were lively, sometimes passionate, but always to the point.

During the second day of the virtual meeting, company management, represented by Phillip Voet van Vormizeele, member of TKE Group management board and chief human resources officer, participated.

Opening the meeting, IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary, Christine Olivier, stated:

“It’s important that we have clear guidelines when we discuss social dialogue. And here you must help us to develop guidelines, taking into account we have different experiences and situations globally.
Your assistance is important, as one of the things we don’t want to do, is to come with ready-made processing, avoiding a top-down approach.

The first day consisted of internal preparation for the workforce delegation, input from Christine Olivier, representatives from the Group Works Council, as well as the international committee. Armelle Seby, IndustriALL gender director, discussed gender-based violence and anti-harassment policies, also related to ILO convention 190.

The second day saw an intense discussion on the company’s future in the market and management views on social dialogue in the countries, regions and worldwide.

Wolfgang Krause, spokesperson of the international committee, said:

"Global social dialogue requires trust and solidarity among all participants and partners. These preconditions are paramount and will be the basis for a future agreement."

The over 60 delegates discussed pathways and what a social dialogue body within TKE could look like.

Susanne Herberger, chairwoman of the group works council, said:

"With this meeting, we got one step further. Our global network has grown bigger and we receive even more information from the countries and can support each other better. From now on, we will work on drafting a joint agreement."

TK Elevator employs more than 50,000 men and women, with major operations in over 50 countries. In late 2020, the company signed a global framework agreement (GFA) with IndustriALL. Now, with support from German FES foundation, IndustriALL and affiliates are creating a global social dialogue body to improve workers’ participation in this group. 

“After our experience with the strong GFA at TK Elevator, we want to take it a step further and add proper instruments for a social dialogue on the global level. We have seen that some issues, in Brazil, France and India for example, require intense discussions beyond a conflict resolution model. We want to develop a progressive and inclusive social dialogue body where workers and their unions can raise issues and enter into proper dialogue with corporate management,”

said IndustriALL director for mechanical engineering, Matthias Hartwich.

Joint action in Croatia’s textile industry

Croatia’s textile, garment, shoes and leather (TGSL) industries employ 22,000 workers. Attracting young workers is a major challenge; other industries offer higher wages and many young people leave for Western Europe.

The profile of the TGSL industries could be raised by focusing on innovative and high-quality products and investing in decent working conditions, better wages and career opportunities. 

Importance of well-functioning industrial relations, social dialogue and collective bargaining was highlighted by the HUP employer association and the TOKG trade union. The Austrian Economic Chamber and PRO-GE union presented their cooperation, ranging from negotiations to education and industrial policies.

Participants agreed to work together on building a winning concept for the TGSL industries in Croatia. Instead of low-cost fast fashion, it should be based on sustainable, green and technologically advanced products, in line with the European Union’s new textile strategy.

As experience from countries like Austria and Portugal shows, success requires the support of the government. The partners agreed to approach the decision-makers together with their proposals to secure coherent industrial strategies.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“Croatian employers and government representatives must be committed to promote sustainable and socially responsible businesses. Unless workers are properly paid, they will look for more attractive jobs in Croatia or elsewhere. To be truly sustainable, the industry must provide decent wages and conditions that enable workers to live with dignity.”

Luc Triangle, industriAll Europe general secretary:

“We welcome that social partners and education providers in Croatia are calling on the government to strategically focus on TCLF. The social partner now need to invest in building their own strength and capacity so that they can act together in pushing the government.”

The workshop was part of an EU-funded project, “Ensuring a sustainable future for the Southeast European textile, clothing, leather and footwear industries”, carried out in cooperation with European industry associations Euratex, Cotance and CEC, industriAll Europe and IndustriALL Global Union. The 2-year project covers Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia, where the TGSL industries employ over 400,000 workers.

Health and safety is now a fundamental principle

It is estimated that more than 3 million workers die every year because of their work, and tens of millions are injured.

The decision by the ILC on 10 June to make health and safety a Fundamental Principle and Right at Work, means that all ILO member states commit to respect and promote the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment, whether or not they have ratified the relevant ILO Conventions.

“This is a huge union win and a crucial step to make working life safer for the world’s workers,”

says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie.

“It is a milestone in the global efforts to stem the tide of deaths in the world of work. We can now look forward to a better tomorrow, where workers will be safe in the knowledge that health and safety will be a fundamental principle and right at work."

This is the first extension of workers’ fundamental human rights, since the four rights were adopted in 1998:

Each of the fundamental principles is associated with the most relevant ILO Conventions. The new fundamental Conventions will be the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155) , and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187).

Union in deal to donate confiscated garments to South African flood victims

So far, the agreement has resulted in the donation of 1,600 blankets, garments, textile, footwear, and leather products, to the flood victims. The donated goods were seized at ports of entry by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) for customs regulations’ flouting by some importers.
 
The framework agreement aims at stopping the smuggling and to mitigate against market disruptions, corruption, and the threat to jobs. Additionally, it promotes industrial and trade policy tools aimed at securing and growing local jobs and manufacturing industries. The agreement was signed under the auspices of the Retail, Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather (R-CTFL) masterplan.
 
Importantly, the agreement was bolstered by a recent court case in which SARS won against the smuggling syndicates. The court confirmed that SARS acted lawfully by seizing 19 containers of undervalued imported garments in 2020. The union says the undervaluation is a common strategy used by corrupt importers to avoid paying import taxes.
 
In a statement, SACTWU says:

“We applaud SARS for its reinvigorated campaign to obliterate customs fraud in the garment, textile, footwear, and leather industries. We hope that this outcome sends a strong message to fraudsters and expect that swift seizures, arrests, and criminal charges will become the norm on illegal imports.”

“We initiated and concluded this new framework agreement as a determined effort to contribute concretely towards the alleviation of severe hardships that flood victims are experiencing, while simultaneously protecting our members’ jobs,”

 says André Kriel, SACTWU general secretary.

“This initiative is a testimony that tripartite agreements, as shown by the R-CFTL masterplan, are key instruments to ending the smuggling of garments and textile goods. We support SACTWU efforts to save local manufacturing industries,”

says Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa.
 
In April heavy rains of over 450 mm were recorded in some areas over 48-hours. The unusual down pours, attributed to extreme weather conditions caused by the climate crisis, caused havoc in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, North West, and Free State provinces. According to the South African government over 489 people lost their lives whilst over 63 were reported missing. Further, 4 000 homes were destroyed, and over 40 000 displaced.
 
The signatories to the agreement are SACTWU, another union, and the employers’ organizations: the South African Apparel Association, the Apparel and Textiles Association of South Africa, the Apparel Manufacturers of South Africa, the Textile Federation of South Africa, and the South African Footwear and Leather Export Council. The government is represented by the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition, and SARS.
 
Retailers that signed are the National Clothing Retail Federation, representing Mr Price Group, the Foschini Group, Truworths, Woolworths, Pick ‘n Pay, Cotton On, Cape Union Mart, and Queenspark. Pepkor, Superbalist, and Retailability also signed.
 

Preventing abuse of Malaysia’s migrant workers

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss remediation of migrant worker recruitment fees and related abuse, and to call on governments to implement a worker-driven remediation process to protect migrant workers’ rights.

The ILO estimates that in 2017, 24.9 million people were in forced labour and eight million people were in debt bondage. Migrant workers take loans with high interest rates to pay illegal or excessive fees to recruiters. They become trapped in low-wage, abusive and modern slavery conditions.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kan Matsuzaki said:

"It is important to organize migrant workers and to address issues like high recruitment fees, lack of health and safety, lack of social protection and freedom of association.

“IndustriALL’s affiliates are actively organizing migrant workers but need stronger tools and a reform of the union recognition procedure.”

 

A human rights approach, where the state involves the rights holders in the design and implementation of the remediation process, is necessary. Effective remedy should ensure that migrant workers are capacitated, participate and are empowered in the overall process.

Companies that violate the rights of migrant workers must acknowledge and apologize for the harm caused and provide guarantees that it will not be repeated. Participants urged countries on both sides to implement a genuine government-to-government recruitment process to put an end to the multimillion-dollar exploitative middlemen.

Most participants agreed that trade unions play a vital role in protecting migrant workers’ right to seek justice. Safe spaces for organizing are needed and there should be no retribution for joining a union.

Gemma Freedman, UNISON international officer, said:

"We need an overarching policy and a common standard for the remediation process. We need to help public sector buyers to understand the issue, using their buying power to help workers elsewhere."

The meeting was organized by IndustriALL, UNISON, Electronics Watch, Tenaganita and Electronics Industry Employees Union Western Region (EIEUWR) and attended by participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Geneva and the UK.

The workshop was supported by the Danish Institute for Human Rights, Business Human Rights and the Environment Research Group at the University of Greenwich.

Worker dies at Bangladesh shipbreaking yard

Both worked as cutter men at the yard and were cutting the steel plate of a tank at the time of the accident. After cutting a section of the tank, the workers fell from a height of around eight metres along with the detached steel plate. Sadekul Islam Bulbul (37) was killed and Mohammed Harun (40) was rushed to hospital for treatment of his injuries. The workers had not been provided with safety harnesses, and the proper safety measures were not followed.

A. M. Nazimuddin, Bangladesh Metal Workers Federation (BMF) president, says:

“The wounds from the recent disaster in Sitakunda, where at least 49 people were killed and more than 450 others were injured, had not yet healed when news of another accident in the district arrived. This time it happened in a shipbreaking yard.

“The district has become a death trap, with migrant workers getting killed due to the hazardous working conditions and criminal negligence on the part of employers, who fail to maintain workplace safety. We demand full compensation for all workers killed in these accidents, as well as prompt and quality treatment for all injured workers."

IndustriALL Global Union affiliates BMF and the Bangladesh Metal, Chemical, Garment and Tailor Workers Federation (BMCGTWF) have continuously raised the issue of unsafe working conditions at the shipbreaking yards.
 
This year alone, there has been more than 20 accidents, five with a fatal outcome. There are around 100 shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh but only one has been issued a compliance certificate under the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships: PHP Shipbreaking and Recycling. But despite the certification, accidents have still occurred at the PHP yard, demonstrating a lack of effective workplace safety mechanisms.

IndustriALL sector director Walton Pantland said:

“Shipbreaking must be made safe and sustainable. The way to do this is to combine ratification of the Hong Kong Convention with strong unions that can ensure safety measures are followed properly.
 
“Employers and the government must act urgently take to prevent further accidents. The government of Bangladesh must ratify the Hong Kong Convention.”

Photo: Shipbreaking yard in Bangladesh