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The Coats global trade union network was established last year. It’s the first union network made up of unions affiliated to IndustriALL in the Coats group, the world’s largest apparel thread and zipper manufacturer. Trade union networks are important tools in building global union structures through linking trade unions within a company.

The British multinational has operations in 27 countries. Several plants remain unorganized and working conditions vary from country to country, but members of the Coats global network are unified on building a strong global network. Through the creation of the Coats network, IndustriALL is addressing these issues and has written to the company and requested a dialogue to ensure sustainable industrial relations throughout the supply chain.

With no positive response from the company, the network called for a global day of action on 11 February. Coats unions who are members of the network urged unorganized workers to join them to make the network stronger. COATS unions all over the world took action by making videos, using the flyers for taking photos, posting them on social media, urging unorganized workers to join the network and make the network stronger.

Says Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL textile and garment director:

“Workers and their unions throughout the Coats supply chain – from India to Brazil to Germany – took joint action to strengthen their network and to ask their co-workers to join them in their demand for a platform for global social dialogue with the company management.

"IndustriALL calls on Coats management to enter into a global dialogue to ensure sustainable industrial relations, to harmonize and support productive relations throughout the supply chain.”

Lingerie brands urged to pay 1,388 Thai workers US $7.4 million

The regional day of action was held in support of members of IndustriALL affiliate Confederation of Industrial Labour of Thailand (CILT), who were fired without notice in March 2021 as the factory suddenly closed. The workers, mostly women, were left in dire conditions in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. To date, the workers have yet to receive wages, overtime, holiday and severance pay owed.

“The workers have been waiting for compensation for almost a year now and they need it as soon as possible,”

says CILT president, Prasit Prasopsuk.

 

Unionists from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines and Thailand participated in store action, a social media campaign and sending protest letters to the brands, demanding that the workers are paid immediately.

Members of IndustriALL’s Asia Pacific women’s committee joined the regional day of action virtually at their meeting on 14 February.

“Solidarity is always in fashion and this fight is very important. We are calling on Victoria’s Secret and other big brands to pay the workers the US$ 7.4million they are owed,”

says Jenny Kruschel, co-chairperson of IndustriALL Asia Pacific women’s committee, and textile, clothing and footwear national secretary of the CFMEU manufacturing division.

Shinya Iwai, IndustriALL South East Asia regional secretary, says:

“IndustriALL will continue the fight against unscrupulous employers. Brands must exercise due diligence and take responsibility when rights are violated in their supply chain.”

Haitian protestors met with police violence

On Thursday, for the second day in a row, police fired tear gas and beat protestors with batons outside the SONAPI Free Trade Zone in Port-au-Prince.

Last month a coalition of unions, including IndustriALL affiliate GOSTTRA, called on Prime Minster Ariel Henry to increase the minimum wage in the garment industry from 500 gourdes a day (4.80 USD) to 1,500 gourdes. According to the Labour Code, wages must be adjusted when inflation exceeds 10 percent in the year. In recent months, inflation has already topped 23 percent.
 
Says GOSTTRA Coordinator Reginald Lafontant:

“The cost of food, rent, health care and transport is going up every day, yet our wages have stayed the same for the past three years. Workers are earning less than a third of what they need to survive.  Life is a daily struggle, and people are desperate.”

Haiti’s garment factories mainly export to retail markets in the US and Canada. Says Lafontant:

“Haitian workers are not earning a fair share of the wealth we produce. A garment worker would need to work four days to afford to buy the T-shirt she sews. I know Haiti is a poor country, but this is ridiculous.”

The situation is made worse by the widespread violations of labour rights in the garment industry, most recently at Centri Group where some 60 workers have been dismissed for protesting at unfair wage practices, while the Ministry of Labour turned a blind eye.
 
In a letter addressed to the Haitian Prime Minister, IndustriALL General Secretary Atle Høie warned that brands and retailers are under increasing pressure to ensure due diligence in their supply chains.

“Paying starvation wages and repressing workers who protest is severely damaging the reputation of your country as an acceptable country in which to do business,”

said Høie.
 
IndustriALL has urged the Prime Minster to engage in meaningful dialogue with the signatory unions with a view to adjusting the minimum wage. It has further called on the government to take urgent steps to ensure national laws and international standards are upheld in the garment industry, and in particular to ensure the reinstatement of workers at Centri Group.

Reports of abuse in Dyson factory, Malaysia

On 10 February, British Channel 4 News broadcast a report from a group of migrant workers in Malaysia, working in a factory producing mainly for Dyson. The migrant workers detailed that while employed at ATA Industrial, they had their passports taken away, effectively trapping them into work.

They were forced to work long hours, sometimes up to 18 hours a day including overtime. Workers were told that refusing overtime when ordered, would prevent them from any overtime in the future, which would make it impossible to live from their wages. Some days the workers earned less than US$10.

Many of the workers lived in unsanitary and overcrowded living conditions, where up to 80 people shared a room, and their movements were restricted by security guards.
 
Recruitment fees, poor living conditions, passport retention, excessive hours, enforced overtime, and restrictions on movement are all clear indicators of forced labour, as defined by the International Labour Organisation.
 
IndustriALL UK affiliate the Unite the Union is calling for reforms to the Dyson supply chain following allegations of the abuse of migrant workers at a factory in Malaysia that manufactures products for the well-known brand.

Unite’s international director Simon Dubbins says:

“Unite joins the international labour movement in demanding Dyson ensures that human and labour rights abuses do not occur in any part of the company’s supply chain. Independent trade unions must also be allowed across the company and its supply chains so workers’ rights are protected and consumers can be confident they are not buying products that are made at the misery of others.”

Ignoring long-running reports of abuse at ATA Industrial contradicts Dyson’s public claims of responsible sourcing. And when ending the contract with ATA Industrial in November last year over audit findings, Dyson did so without putting any remedies in place for the workers.
 
N. Gopal Kishnam, secretary of IndustriALL Malaysia Council and general secretary of National Union of Transport Equipment and Allied Industries Workers (NUTEAIW), says:

“The National Action Plan on Forced Labour must be implemented immediately to end all kinds of abuse. We call on the Malaysian government to thoroughly investigate the complaint and take action in accordance with the laws.”

Atle Høie, General Secretary of IndustriALL states:

“This case at Dyson shows that poorly constructed and executed audits are used to present a clean bill of health. Like at Dyson, we have seen many problematic audit cases in the supply chain that don’t reflect the reality. A credible audit includes workers’ voices.
 
“Dyson must ensure fundamental workers’ rights according to the international standards in its supply chain. The best way to avoid exploitation is to ensure that workers, including migrant workers, can exercise their right to organize and collective bargaining to improve wages and working conditions.”

Founded in the UK in 1993, Dyson moved its head office to Singapore in 2019. In 2007, Dyson closed its UK factory and moved manufacturing to Malaysia. ATA Industrial predominantly produces products for Dyson’s vacuum cleaner, lighting, haircare, heaters and fan ranges.
 

File photo of migrant women workers, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Credit: UN Women

Worker killed at Kabir Steel shipbreaking yard

The deceased, Mohammad Ariful Islam Sujan — a young cutter — was cutting down a joist girder at night when the accident happened. Shipbreaking yards operate at night in highly unsafe conditions despite a court order in 2011 prohibiting shipbreaking work at night. Another worker was injured in an incident at the same shipyard last week.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliates — Bangladesh Metal Workers Federation (BMF) and Bangladesh Metal, Chemical, Garment and Tailor Workers Federation (BMCGTWF ) — have continuously raised these issues. Seven accidents were reported last year at other yards, Madanbibir Hat and Gamarital, run by Kabir Steel.

Management is trying to pass off the death as an incident where, according to Abdullah Al Sakib Mubarrat, deputy inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, Chattogram, “Ariful suddenly felt sick, vomited and fell down.” IndustriALL affiliates in Bangladesh are resisting what they see as a cover up, and demand that the dead workers’ family be paid full compensation.

A human chain was organised by trade unions on 2 February, which the local police tried to disrupt. After the police intervention, union leaders turned the human chain into a massive rally. Organizers of BMF and BMCGTWF met the deceased worker's family and helped them prepare documents to claim compensation.

Union members meet with family members

The unions held talks with the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments over the issue of compensation, and intend to maintain this communication. The company has reportedly deposited 0.2 million BDT (US $2,327) with the labour court, according to the practice established by 2018 amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act, but an outstanding amount of 0.5 million BDT (US $5,816) still needs to be provided to the victim’s family.

Bangladesh affiliates of IndustriALL have continuously raised the issue of unsafe working conditions in shipbreaking yards, and will fight until the deceased’s family receives full compensation. IndustriALL is calling on the Bangladeshi government to ratify the Hong Kong Convention on the Safe Recycling of ships.

Last year, a total of 50 shipbreaking workers were injured and 12 were killed in 43 different accidents across the country. So far this year, two workers have been killed and two injured.

BMF president AM Nazim Uddin and BMCGTWF (Chattogram Committee) general secretary Md. Nurul Absar issued a statement saying:

"BMF and BMCGTWF have always been concerned regarding the frequency of accidents in the shipbreaking sector of Bangladesh and constantly demanding measures by the owners and the government that may help prevent the accidents. It therefore comes as a complete surprise to the unions that the Deputy Inspector General of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, Chattogram and the Kabir Steel Limited owner have painted a completely different picture of the accident at Kabir Steel Limited which raises serious questions regarding their intent and integrity. We demand that the government takes appropriate action against such unlawful activities of the owner and the government officials. We also demand that the families of the affected workers be given a full share of the compensation due."

Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL regional secretary said:

“It is the responsibility of the owners to ensure that workers who are working for them don’t die at work, rather than get away with paying paltry compensation for the death of a worker.”

Photo: A file image from a Chittagong yard. CC Stéphane M. Grueso

INTERVIEW: Daniela Cavallo – a team player focusing on solutions

INTERVIEW

From Global Worker No. 2 November 2021

Who: Daniela Cavallo

Text: Alexander Ivanou

Daniela Cavallo, the daughter of an Italian immigrant who came to Germany in search of a better life and worked at Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, also started working at Volkswagen more than 27 years ago. Now, she is the chair of the works council of the largest plant in Wolfsburg, chair of the national works council in Germany, and president of the European and World Group Works Councils of Volkswagen. Daniela is also a member of the company’s supervisory board, in addition to other responsibilities in the complex world of Volkswagen.

Daniela’s extensive experience in the company brings a lot to her position. Throughout the years she has witnessed many developments, both favourable ones, but also some critical. She has worked in different roles; starting as an apprentice in office administration to a works council member in the “Auto 5000” subsidiary, a project established to secure new jobs and investments in VW in Germany while accepting lower wages and more flexible working times. There she also participated in the negotiation of collective agreements. 

Over the years Daniela has represented different groups of employees and has gained a lot of experience. Her work has allowed her to build a huge network, not only among the workers but also on the management side at different levels, which helps her in her current position.

Daniela believes one of her strengths is her ability to work with different people. 

“I’m a good team player and I always look for solutions. People may have different opinions and it is important to accept that, to have discussions even when there is a controversy and always search for solutions.”

Daniela considers herself too impatient sometimes and prefers making things change rapidly. In a way this is an advantage, as it helps her to continue insisting and eventually achieving the results, but others may consider it as being too pushy.

Although excited when elected president of the works council, Daniela did not have a lot of time to think about it. 

“I was immediately thrown into the deep end.”

In the beginning, there was a bit of “let’s wait and see” attitude towards here, which Daniela does not link to her being a woman. 

“I had already worked with many of my colleagues for years. However, I did notice that during meetings, discussions and appointments, the higher you are in the hierarchy the less women you see.”

Since 2002, works councils in Germany have a quota for women and as a result there are more women present. 

“How things are discussed, the way you work and how you search for solutions change when there are more women present, and this is enriching.”

While this remains an important part of her daily work, Daniela’s main focus is on the changes taking place in Volkswagen affecting current and future jobs.

The auto industry is going through a deep and comprehensive transformation towards electro vehicles and new mobility concepts. This transformation means changes in the work, leading to potential job losses due to digitalization and technological changes, but also to opportunities of new jobs in new areas. In 2016, VW Management and the General Works Council signed a pact for the future. Signing the pact meant – although managed in a socially responsible way – drastic job losses and setting up a new system with a shift to new tasks and jobs with a budget for qualification and upskilling. 

“We had presented the elements of the pact for the future, and although we had to make some compromises, in return we received from management the guarantees to secure jobs,”

says Daniela.  

With a digital transformation roadmap, the focus was on the indirect areas, meaning those jobs not directly linked to manufacturing. With the adopted roadmap, Volkswagen pledged to invest in creation of new jobs related to digitalization mainly in IT.

One of the examples for upskilling is the Faculty 73 program. Through this, Volkswagen trains software developers and upon successful completion offers them permanent employment. The remarkable thing about this is that workers from the assembly line can also join the project if they show talent for IT related matters. A similar concept now has also been implemented at SEAT in Spain.

Volkswagen is a pioneer when it comes to transnational cooperation and global bodies of employee representatives. Global charters like the Social Charter, Charter on temporary work, Charter on training and education etc. were implemented and allowed unions in other VW plants around the world to benefit from the strong co-determination rights in Germany and in VW. 

Germany has a legal basis for a system of co-determination and co-decision culture in the workplace. This means cooperation between management and workers in decision-making, among others by the representation of workers on supervisory boards. 

VW’s policy charters are unique and an important contribution to the protection of workers’ rights globally. These charters can also be the basis for implementing minimum rights in countries where workers face insufficient respect of their rights. 

“Consultation and information rights in different countries are an important topic of exchange. These exchanges can help, but if the company does not take the claims seriously, I have to support the workers concerned. The different charters can contribute to the process and help to implement co-determination and co-decision processes, not only on the employees’ and unions’ side, but also on the management side.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a wide discussion on what kind of social protection measures can be put in place. Daniela recalls about complaints from colleagues abroad over the reduced time of work. The broad footprint of the VW Group in Germany and related agreements between the company and the works council has often helped to safeguard jobs, not only during the pandemic:

"In Germany, staff from Volkswagen was sent to Porsche, or from Audi to VW Sachsen, while at plants in other countries, like at VW and Audi in Mexico, there was very little exchange. Two plants did not really support each other in difficult situations and each plant struggled on their own with their problems",

says Daniela.

Agreements between the Volkswagen Group & the European/Global Group Works Councils

Daniela believes that IndustriALL’s participation in the international charters is very important, referring also to the case of Volkswagen’s only unorganized plant, the one in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. 

IndustriALL affiliate, the United Autoworkers (UAW), tried to organize the plant in 2014 and 2019. Both times, the company enlisted a company to help with union busting in order prevent UAW from winning the union elections. IndustriALL even suspended the global framework agreement with Volkswagen.

Influence of politicians, both on state and federal levels, clearly played a role during the elections in Chattanooga. Daniela admits the complexity of the topic and continues her consultations with UAW. She pledges her support to organizing the plant and believes the current situation in the US with the new president can bring changes, 

“It is a new game and maybe this is a moment for new collaborations. There are lots of different factors and facets. I can’t promise my arrival will change everything; I can only promise that I will do everything I can,”

says Daniela.

Developing the charters continues and new topics are added. Currently, the VW works council is working on a new Charter on Digital Responsibility, which will define certain principles based on how digitalization impacts employees and what consequences it brings for the workforce. 

“This is something we continue to address; it is part of the company culture,”

says Daniela.

Company investment strategy is also on the agenda. 

“It is crucial for employees’ representatives to have influence on sourcing and investment decisions in VW, and not only in Germany. Without this possibility, we would be reduced to mere caretakers”,

Daniela concludes.

PHOTOS: by Kevin Nobs and Carsten Heidmann

Union wins after four-day strike at Dangote cement plant in Zambia

About 1,300 workers are employed at the plant mainly through subcontractors, with Dangote only employing 178 workers directly. Most of the direct employees are part of the management.

Workers downed tools after failed negotiations between Silondwa Engineering and the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ). Workers rejected the 15 per cent wage increase offered by the employer during the negotiations, and instead demanded minimum monthly wage increase from K1000 (US$55) to K2500 (US$136).

According to the final settlement reached between the union and the employer, workers’ wages were increased by K1000 across the board. MUZ, affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, has 445 members at the plant and signed a recognition agreement with the employer.

For some years, MUZ has campaigned for the workers to be directly employed by Dangote instead of employment through a third party. Although the workers at the plant work for Dangote, their legal direct employer is the subcontractor, Silondwa Engineering, which has a contract to “supply labour services.” The contract is limited to three years, meaning that workers contracts are short-term and provide no job security.

One of the earlier contracts between Dangote and Silondwa Engineering contained blatantly anti-union clauses stating that “the contractor shall ensure that its employees are not involved in union activities and strikes that leads to stopping of work.” MUZ says that Silondwa Engineering’s tried to entice workers to join a sweetheart union liked by management, but workers responded with stiff resistance.

Additionally, during a site visit by the union and the ministry of labour to resolve the strike, the ablution facilities at the cement plant were found to be filthy with the plumbing in a state of disrepair while the toilets were not flushing. This serious health hazard faced by the workers prompted the ministry to order that the facilities be closed immediately and for the management to fix the facilities to conform with the national occupational health and safety standards.

Joseph Chewe, MUZ president says the union is fighting against the outsourcing of labour:

"There is need for the government to quickly address the issue of outsourcing especially in the cement producing companies and to ensure that workers are employed directly by the principal companies.”

MUZ says outsourcing is detrimental to workers welfare as it creates precarious working conditions such as temporary contracts and low wages.

“We congratulate MUZ on their victory. We expect pan African companies like Dangote to provide living wages and decent working conditions. However, we are appalled, and our expectations are dampened, by the precarious working conditions and poor working conditions at the Masaiti cement plant.

"We call upon Dangote to provide decent working conditions by creating permanent jobs in Zambia,”

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

PROFILE: Moroccan unions create solid base to protect members

UNION PROFILE

From Global Worker No. 2 November 2021

Unions: 

Fédération Nationale des Travailleurs, Pétrole, Gaz et Produits Assimilés –  FNTPGPA – UMT

Fédération Nationale des Travailleurs de l'énergie – FNTE-UMT

Syndicat National de Textile Habillements et Cuirs – SNTHC-CDT

Syndicat National d'Energie et des Mines – SNEM– CDT

Syndicat National des Industries du Pétrole & Gaz Naturel – SNIPGN-CDT

Syndicat National des Industries Métallurgiques et Electromécaniques- SNIME – CDT

Syndicat National des Travailleurs de Phosphates – SNTP-CDT

Syndicat National des Travailleurs du Textile et du Cuir – SNTTC-UMT

Country: Morocco

The National Rally of Independents (RNI) coalition government that emerges will have to act based on the country's new development model, announced in May 2021. The New Development Model (NMD) “is designed by Moroccans, with Moroccans and for Moroccans”, and aims to curb the massive inequalities in the country. 

This NMD vision for Morocco's future, was assigned by King Mohammed VI. It outlines goals, such as raising incomes, increasing private investment, taking better care of the country's natural resources, and increasing the number of women in the workforce, as well as societal objectives such as reducing underage marriage and increasing social inclusion. 

The question now, is to what extent these recommendations can be implemented and, the political will of the government and all other institutions, like trade unions and civil society, to work together to successfully achieve the goals.  

“We call on the new government to reverse the unpopular decisions and policies of the previous government, which harmed the purchasing power of citizens. We also demand that social dialogue is institutionalized, that the bills on strike and trade unions are reconsidered, that wages are improved, and that there is a discussion on the pension scheme,” 

says Abdelmajid Matoual of FNTE – UMT and IndustriALL vice-president for the MENA region.

The Union Marocaine du Travail (UMT) and Confédération Démocratique du Travail (CDT), the national centres to which all of IndustriALL’s affiliates belong, gained a considerable number of seats in both the seats of Workers representatives*, as well as the second chamber of parliament this year. These developments are not significant changes from previous elections but consolidates workers’ influence in parliament.

The Moroccan trade union movement has for a long time worked on cementing a strong unified base which should be well-equipped to challenge the new government to build a free and socially just society.

The trade union movement is a central social force in Morocco. IndustriALL has affiliated unions in most manufacturing sectors, playing key roles in improving working conditions for the Moroccan working class. 

Building union power in challenging circumstances

During the Arab Spring in 2010, most labour confederations in Morocco supported a new constitution. Although constitutional change was not achieved per se, unions successfully secured some benefits that they had been demanding for many years. At the time, union mobilization provided a unique opportunity for the Islamists and leftists to ally to pursue similar goals.

In April 2011, unions reached an agreement with the government that they would comply with ILO Conventions on respect of trade union rights and social dialogue. But despite the agreement, trade union rights are still frequently violated in Morocco.

The move towards unifying the Moroccan trade union movement started in 2000, fighting against challenging government policies aimed at severely weakening workers. In 2014 again, the union movement recognized that unity was the best way forward when it came to influencing public opinion and putting pressure on the government.

The three national centres, UMT, CDT and FDT, signed a joint statement in January 2014 condemning the abuse of union freedoms, factory closures, layoffs, and the arrest and prosecution of officials and trade union activists. The statement also addressed the government measures passing unfair financial laws against the interest of the working class, absence of social dialogue and collective bargaining, and ignoring unions as they passed a draft strike law. 

In 2014, the government’s refusal to engage in social dialogue on fundamental issues facing workers pushed trade unions to their limits. Not being part of discussions on key issues like wages, working conditions, pensions and social compensation made it clear that more had to be done, given a decreasing purchasing power as utility and transport costs were increasing.

The government’s refusal to enter into dialogue, as had been agreed in 2011, with the unions on these core issues violated national labour legislation, as well as ILO standards. As a result, in October that year, Moroccan workers across the public and private sectors held a general strike organized by the three national centres UMT, CDT and FDT, protesting the government decision to exclude unions. 

The Moroccan government were under pressure from international lenders to cut public spending and implement the anti-worker reforms to pensions and social provisions. But they received a strong, united message from the general strike organized by workers. 

In 2019, CDT and UMT again called on the government to meet its social dialogue commitments, to institutionalize tripartite social dialogue, respect trade union rights and comply with ILO Conventions. The unions organized a series of protests and strike actions across the country, including marches, strikes and demonstrations.

When we fight, we win

The auto industry in Morocco has grown fast with the arrival of new players from across the world. With a workforce of over 135,000, the industry has recently become a primary export sector and plays a crucial role in the country’s development.

Unions struggle to organize in the special economic zones as employers try to keep them out and the government offers the unions no support. It was only after years of groundwork that UMT Kenitra leaders succeeded in organizing workers at Stellantis, a former Peugeot Citroën (PSA) factory in Kenitra.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the aerospace industry hard, and the crisis is expected to last. Companies are announcing extensive restructuring, including laying off thousands of workers worldwide. According to Moroccan labour law, employers must pay employees a compensation in case of redundancies on economic grounds. Yet in most cases the companies get away with paying nothing. In companies where workers are organized, unions are fighting back and have successfully negotiated alternative solutions to significantly reduce the number of dismissals. SNIME-CDT and UMT have reported that planned redundancies have been reduced and socially responsible solutions were found.

To consolidate power in the metal sectors, SNIME-CDT has gone through a restructuring process and elected a new leadership in 2018. UMT is progressing the work towards establishing a national metal union.  

Moroccan mining unions have prioritized combating precarious work and improving health and safety in the industry. Phosphate, also known as white gold, is key to Morocco’s economy as the country has more than 70 per cent of the world’s estimated reserves. SNTP- CDT reports that through successful collective bargaining, 2,400 outsourced workers have been made permanent in recent years. 

In December 2020, 100 mine workers affiliated UMT held a strike 700 metres underground in the Jebel Aouam mine. Another 200 workers protested above ground, condemning the company’s violation of their health and safety.

“We have suffered a lack of social dialogue at the national level for many years. The CDT recently sent a letter to the government requesting dialogue on urgent issues in the energy sector and asking the government to reconsider the finance law prepared by the previous government. We are still waiting for a response,”

says Salah Kandil, general secertary  of  Syndicat National d'Energie et des Mines – SNEM– CDT.

In 2016, a Moroccan court ordered the SAMIR oil refinery to be liquidated. The decision affected 1,000 workers, as well as the livelihoods of around 5,000 people dependent on the country’s only refinery. IndustriALL affiliate, SNIPGN-CDT called on the government to act immediately to end the impasse surrounding the SAMIR oil refinery, which had stopped production in August 2015 after being unable to pay a US$1.3 billion debt to the Moroccan tax authorities.  

The government was urged to protect workers’ jobs and do everything in its power to get the refinery up and running again. To date, all attempts to sell the refinery have failed.

FNTPGPA – UMT is engaged with several multinational companies in the oil and gas sector to discuss the challenges and impact of the energy transition and guarantee a Just Transition where workers’ benefits and rights are respected.

In the chemical sector, 500 employees from Veolia’s Moroccan subsidiary Amanor were stopped from receiving state aid during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The company refused to register the workers with the national social security office. The workers were unionized through Union Marocaine du Travail (UMT) and covered by a collective bargaining agreement that the company had already violated by failing to pay benefits and firing workers asking for their unpaid benefits. 

A landmark victory was achieved in February 2021, as the year-long strike ended and a roadmap for a new relationship between workers and management at Amanor was defined.

Eleven workers dismissed during the conflict were reinstated and operations were to restart free from discrimination. According to the roadmap agreement, the process will be monitored by Veolia and IndustriALL. And in July a new CBA was signed.

FNTE-UMT represents workers in the production, distribution and transmission of electricity. In 2014, authorities issued a decision to privatize electricity distribution in the Casablanca region and ignored consultations with FNTE-UMT about the impact on workers.The union responded by launching a number of strikes and protests actions in defense of workers' interests. 

According to the FNTE-UMT, the government's project to restructure the sector and give autonomy to the regions will dismantle the sector and open the door to privatization. The union insists on a genuine dialogue with authorities on the professional and social impact on workers.

The textile and garment industry has been expanding as global brands are coming into the country. The sector is the second largest export sector and employs hundreds of thousands of workers. 

In 2021, 28 workers were killed when a clandestine garment factory in Tangiers was flooded by rainwater. UMT and CDT held authorities and employers responsible for this avoidable tragedy, saying that there is a general acceptance of the exploitation of workers and violations of working conditions in order to accumulate wealth in Morocco.

IndustriALL affiliates from UMT and CDT are organizing, building and consolidating sectorial unions and improving health and safety and monitoring implementation of global framework agreements. Over the past few years both UMT and CDT textile unions have organized new members, improved social dialogue and achieved significant structural improvements within the union.

Sustained campaign by carpet workers in Pakistan yields wage rise

Employers in the carpet industry failed to comply with the ruling and continued paying the old wages till workers resorted to warning strikes in September 2021. The unions gave final notice to factory owners on 19 August that the union members would stop work from 6 September.

More than 2,000 workers participated in the strike.

IndustriALL Global Affiliate ILUCIP led negotiations with the employers with a charter of demands that included:

  1. Workers who are engaged in cutting, washing, preparing, chattan, kinara, phatta, dyeing, and raffugar (all processes in carpet making) must be provided a raise of 4,000 PKR (US $22.71).
  2. Carpet workers must be provided with social security and old age benefit cards.
  3. Masters in washing must be given a raise of 6,000 PKR (US $34.07) per month.
  4. Workers whose wages are calculated on the basis of the carpet area worked on must be given a raise of 2 PKR (US $0.01) per square foot.

As protests across the factories intensified, factory owners gradually agreed to the workers’ demands to implement the wage raise set by the government. There was a complete strike from 6 to 9 September, and by December, most employers had implemented the government wage rate. The union’s fight yielded an increment of 16 per cent for piece rate and per square foot wage workers, and 14 per cent for fixed salary workers.

Niaz Khan, general secretary of ILUCIP, said,

“The union put up a strong fight this time but we have a long way to go. We must ensure that all our demands are met and that no worker is exploited.”

Apoorva Kaiwar, regional secretary of IndustriALL, said,

“We congratulate our affiliate for standing strong and winning this important victory. It’s a shame that even after the government order, factory owners refused to increase the wage, and the union had to resort to direct action. The wage increases show us the importance of unified action.”

"We will not rest until power is returned to the people of Myanmar"

The struggle to bring democracy back to Myanmar – one year after the coup

Speakers at the webinar were :

In his opening address, IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie said:

"One year ago, just before the swearing-in ceremony of the new parliament and the formation of a new government, following a landslide election victory by the NDL, the military in Myanmar staged a coup d’état.

The year that has passed since the coup has been a year of horror as we have witnessed the atrocities of the military junta, while the international community has been unable or unwilling to contribute to the restoration of democracy. In one year 1,500 people have been killed, more than 11,500 have been arrested, more than 1.6 million have been internally displaced and there are 241,000 refugees in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand.

The military junta is not only hunting down and shelling its citizens in Myanmar, but they are also attacking them in refugee camps in Thailand. What we are witnessing is nothing less than crimes against humanity.

Still the European Union cannot get itself to withdraw the Everything but Arms preferential trading privileges. The EBA is a system that grants trading privileges to developing and least developed countries to alleviate poverty and create jobs, based on international values and principles, including labour and human rights.

On what planet can anybody say that what is happening in Myanmar is based on international values and principles?

Together with Industriall Europe, we are asking all our affiliates in the European Union to put pressure on their governments to withdraw the granted EBA preferences. This cannot continue.

At our congress in September IndustriALL adopted a very strong resolution calling for comprehensive economic sanctions against Myanmar. We demanded that all multinational companies and global brands cease their operations, divest and stop placing orders and halt their business relations in Myanmar.

Millions of workers have already lost their jobs because of the breakdown of society, but comprehensive sanctions are necessary to strangle the money flow to the military junta.

Our demand has been followed by some, is still debated by some and ignored by others. Those who still debate or ignore either think they are helping the people of Myanmar by maintaining jobs or they are cynically exploiting them to make the extra profit.

Let us be clear about this. It is not possible to do business in Myanmar maintaining the standards that are required by the international community. There can be no real due diligence at any operation in the country and as such no company can say that their business is not harming people or that they are guaranteeing basic trade union and human rights.

We will not rest until power is returned to the people of Myanmar, and we must use this anniversary to renew our demand for justice."