Turkish metalworkers fight for a fair contract

IndustriALL affiliates Türk Metal, Birleşik Metal-İş, Özçelik-İş provided a list of demands to the MESS which included wage increases and improvement of working conditions, due to workers’ significant loss of purchasing power in Turkey. 

Consumer inflation has surged in Turkey. According to official figures announced by theTurkish Statistics Agency (TUIK), annual inflation in 2021 reached 36 per cent, and 13.6 per cent just in December. However, the Independent ENAGrup claims that yearly inflation exceeded 80 per cent. 

Turkey’s economic crisis has led to fluctuations in currency and increasing prices, which has left workers in a difficult situation. Workers feel the price increases of food and other day-to-day products.

Türk Metal demanded 29,57 per cent increase on behalf of its 129,000 members while Birlesik Metal-Is put forward 30,89 per cent for more than 11,000 union members. The unions’ demands also include increases in benefits and improvement of working hours, healthcare, and paid overtime.

The Employers first offered 12 per cent for the first six-months, they later revised it to 17 per cent and lastly 21 per cent in the last session on January 5, 2022. Türk Metal and Birlesik Metal-Is have refused the latest offers from the MESS.

Birlesik Metal-Is preapre their worksites for strike actions following dissagreement with MESS (DEMİSAŞ worksite)

Both unions have begun mobilizing their members with warning industrial actions. Türk Metal and Birlesik Metal-Is have organized mass meetings in city centres where companies are located along with work stoppages on worksites. There is wide community support for the demands of metalworkers. 

Unions reported that the global issue in the semi-conductor supply, putting many industries in difficulty, cannot be an excuse for employers to rest on worker’s pay rise.

After its Executive Committee on December 24, 2021, Türk Metal announced its decision to go on strike in all worksites where they have union presence, which should be put into place within 60 days. Birlesik Metal-Is announced strike action at four factories as of 14 January and at another 6 factories as of 18 January.    

Mass Demonstration organized by Türk Metal in Kocaeli 2 January 2022

Türk Metal carried out a mass rally in the city of Kocaeli gathering around 100,000 people while Birlesik Metal-Is intensified its workplace level work stoppages and protests on several worksites. 

Kemal Özkan at Türk Metal mass demonstration in Kocaeli 2 January 2022

IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary, Kemal Özkan said:

“We fully support the demands of our affiliates representing thousands of metalworkers. Workers’ expectation of wage increases is fully justified, particularly with the crushing inflation and the difficult economic situation in Turkey.”

“We will continue to mobilize our global union family in extending our solidarity to our Turkish sisters and brothers.”

“The struggle continues in Turkey everywhere else in the world.”

REPORT: What happened at COP26 and what it means for workers

REPORT

From Global Worker No. 2 November 2021

Theme: COP 26, Just transition

Text: Walton Pantland

What is COP26?

COP26 is the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Parties are the 197 countries who are signatories to the UNFCCC. They are working together on a global, multilateral agreement to tackling climate change.

The first meeting of the UNFCCC, the Rio Earth Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, while the first COP – the governing body of the UNFCCC – was held in Berlin in 1995. COP3, in Kyoto, led to the first global climate treaty to try to limit warming, the Kyoto Protocol. The Glasgow Climate Pact is the latest iteration of that treaty.

There have been many criticisms of the UNFCCC process. A major issue is that every Party recognizes that something must be done – and wants everyone else to take action, while finding exceptions for themselves. This results in systematic under-reporting of carbon emissions, greenwashing, and exempting whole areas, such as the military. 

Most governments are still hoping for market-led, private sector solutions, which has resulted in too much focus on the potential of theoretical technologies, and not enough action from governments.

Why was COP26 important?

COP26 was billed as our last, best chance to limit global warming to tolerable levels. COP21 – held in Paris in 2015 – was a milestone, as it resulted in the Paris Agreement, a global commitment to limit warming to significantly less that 2 degrees. COP26 was important because it finalized the rules governing the Paris agreement – the “Paris rulebook” – and because countries had to define their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to cut emissions.

Was COP26 a failure? 

Many environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, have called COP26 a failure. The Glasgow Climate Pact lacks ambition, and the Parties’ NDCs are not sufficient to limit global warming. But this is not the whole story, and unions are cautiously optimistic: compared to where we were a year ago, when Trump was still in the White House, significant progress has been made. The window of opportunity to prevent disastrous climate change remains open, momentum is building, and there are commitments to fund a transition. 

Crucially, the negotiations are not over: there will be further pressure on countries to redefine NDCs at COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh next year, and every year subsequently. Civil society, including trade unions, will need to use the next year to push governments as far as possible.

Outside of COP26 commitments, there is growing momentum globally, including from the private sector and from local government, towards net zero. Technology has advanced and become more affordable, meaning the pace of transition is growing rapidly.

What are the likely consequences of COP26 for unions?

COP26 leaves us in a significantly different policy environment to the one we were in after COP25. This is what unions can expect to confront: 

The end of coal

The role played by coal in the energy mix was one of the mostly hotly debated topics at COP26. Coal-fired power stations are significant contributors to global warming, and yet many countries are dependent on coal for their energy needs. The original language of the agreement, to “phase out” coal, was softened after pressure from China and India to “phase down”. Nonetheless, the intention is clear: the Parties agree that is no long term future for coal, and there will be growing pressure globally to shut coal mines. For unions, fighting to keep coal mines and coal-fired power stations open is fighting against the tide of history. Unions in the UK, Spain and elsewhere have managed to secure retraining and redeployment. We need to fight to make this the norm.

A commitment to Just Transition

A prominent trade union slogan at this COP was “nothing about us, without us.” Unions successfully promoted the principle of Just Transition at every level. An important outcome of this COP was a strengthening of the commitment to Just Transition, which has now been included in the Paris rulebook. The Just Transition Declaration announced by rich countries sets an important precedent that transition to sustainability must happen through consultation with those most affected.

Trade unions can use Just Transition language in the COP agreements to demand social dialogue at national level now. Global unions can also demand social dialogue with multinational companies about transition plans.

Government is back

Since the late 1970s, much of the world turned away from state-led development to deregulation, privatization, deindustrialization and market-led development. This was strongly resisted by unions, and resulted in growing inequality and led to crises like the 2008 financial crash. Covid-19 forced even those governments that were totally ideologically committed to austerity into unprecedented state spending, as it quickly became apparent that there was no market solution to the pandemic. 

This unprecedented level of state intervention and funding is likely to be maintained as governments tackle climate change. Despite the huge amounts that will be invested, preventing climate disaster will still be significantly cheaper than coping with the consequences. 

There is also likely to be a multiplier effect: where states invest, the private sector tends to follow. For the first time in world history, there will be globally coordinated investments, leading to economies of scale.

Funding to decarbonize the Global South

Rich countries pledged in Paris to provide $100 billion per year to the Global South to mitigate the effects of climate change, and to help them to decarbonize their economies. So far, they have failed to honour this pledge. Despite this, significant amounts of money – grants, not loans – have started to flow to poorer countries. 

An important precedent is the $8.5 billion earmarked to decarbonize Eskom, South Africa’s coal-fired parastatal energy utility. The funding countries have committed to Just Transition, and the process will be managed with social dialogue through the tripartite structure Nedlac. South African unions have justifiable concerns about corruption, greenwashing, privatization and a number of other issues, but if the deal goes as planned, it could lead to the creation of quality, clean jobs, skills and technology transfer, and a significant reduction in emissions. Success in South Africa will also mean more funding in other countries, particularly those, like India, which are heavily dependent on coal.

Green Deals in the Global North

Rich countries will commit huge amounts of funding to building green infrastructure. The European Green Deal, for example, will provide €100 billion by 2030 to fund a green recovery from Covid. This will include new transport infrastructure, retrofitting homes and buildings, green energy generation and more. The European Commission anticipates that this will provide hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Similarly in the US, Biden’s US$1 trillion infrastructure bill will commit a large amount to green infrastructure. Other OECD countries are planning similar levels of investment.

How should unions respond?

"if you liked Covid, you'll love climate change!"

The Covid crisis was a dress rehearsal for climate change. It has taken unprecedented government action, funding and global coordination to suppress the pandemic and save lives. We will need to continue this way of working to confront climate change. 

Demand social dialogue and fight for Just Transition

We need to prepare our members for the changes that are coming. It is easy to criticize our governments for failing to take the necessary action, but those of us in the labour movement are also guilty of ignoring and wishing away the climate crisis. Jobs in fossil fuels pay well and are sites of strength for trade unions, leading us to prioritize protecting those jobs. There is now a global commitment to transition from fossil fuels. In some countries, unions have a lot of experience fighting for and winning Just Transition. We need to continue to learn from the best examples.

IndustriALL energy director and delegate to COP26, Diana Junquera Curiel, says:

“It is better to design your future than have it imposed on you.

“Rather than making our members believe that we can defend these jobs indefinitely, we must be honest with them and help them to prepare for the future. Our urgent task is to develop concrete frameworks for Just Transition that we can implement through social dialogue.”

Just Transition is included in the Paris rulebook – but for many governments, social dialogue around economic policy will not come naturally. It is up to unions to demand a seat at the table as countries refine their NDCs and plan transition. If we do this effectively, we can set a precedent in other areas of the economy, creating tripartite structures and sector-wide bargaining.

Change the narrative

Workers and their unions are justifiably suspicious of lofty claims that a glorious Just Transition will create a green utopia of good, clean union jobs. Every major change to the global economy in history has come at a cost to workers: from the development of textile machinery that replaced weavers in the early 19th century, through to the globalization of the 1990s that led to outsourcing and large-scale job losses.

Why should we believe it will be different this time?

It won’t be different if we leave it to our politicians. But it can be different if we are engaged in driving the transition. We are facing an unprecedented shift in the global economy – the end of the age of fossil fuel, and the beginning of a new age that is yet to be defined. Unlike previous changes, this is a managed process, with space for unions to influence policy.

The world’s governments will spend unprecedented amounts of money. It is up to us to ensure that this spend delivers good jobs to our members – and that we build a better world in the process.

Unsafe conditions cause more deaths in Myanmar's jade mines

The landslide occurred amid heavy rainfalls in the monsoon season. 70 jade miners were swept into a large mining pond, so far rescuers have found the bodies of three miners.  

In 2020, more than 160 jade miners were killed in another landslide in Hpakant. Studies show that the landslides were mainly caused by unsafe mining practices implemented by mining companies.

A report by Global Witness details that the jade mine license suspension in 2016 by the National League for Democracy government (NLD) had failed to address main issues like the domination of military-linked companies in the industry, multi-level corruption and armed conflicts in the region.

Given the license suspension and the expiration of the existing licenses in March 2021, mine companies abandoned the practice of transporting mine waste to dumping sites designated by the authority.
Instead, the companies dumped the waste on the site. Consequently, the mine slopes became unstable and large tailing ponds were formed.

The artisanal jade pickers, the common victims of the mine landslides, searche jade rocks at tailings day and night. The number of jade pickers, mostly migrants from other states, has doubled in the last five years in the uncertain situation after the expiration of the mine licenses.

The Global Witness report also expose the financial flow from the jade mine industry to the Myanmar junta.

In 2016, military-owned Myanma Economic Holdings Limited controlled 600 jade mining licenses through subsidiary companies,. The companies are linked to junta leaders like Than Shwe, Ohn Myint, Aung Thaung, and Maung Maung Thein.

The current state administration council Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in the coup d’etat in February, received a dividend payment of US$250,000 in 2010-2011. His son Aung Pyae Sone has allegedly profited from illegal mining and import of dynamite into the Hpakant area.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, says:

“The vicious cycle of unsafe mining must end and workers’ lives must be protected. Sound safety practices must be imposed. However, this cannot be done under the military regime that benefits from the current unsafe practices. The National Unity Government must be made a legitimate Myanmar government to continue the reforms put in place by the NLD government in 2016.

“It is crucial for a democratically-elected government to demilitarize the jade mine industry, implement a sound industry safety standard and eliminate corruption at the union, state and regional level.”

Image: landslide in Myanmar jade mine in 2015

India: Workers protest in Foxconn facility

The plant employs around 16,000 workers, 80 per cent of which are between 18-23 years old. The majority are migrant contract workers employed through third-party contractors or agencies, and lack contracts, identity cards or any proof that they are employed by Foxconn. The workers receive low wages, lack access to social protection and have barriers for joining a union or bargain collectively.

The workers are made to stay in hostels, that they say are crowded and lack even the basic amenities. 20-40 workers are lodged in a room which can accommodate maximum ten people and the rooms lack proper ventilation. Quality and hygienic food is not provided. Workers can only leave in case of an emergency, and salaries are deducted for leave taken.

The contract workers are not allowed to use mobile phones inside factory premises and their movements are restricted. Unions claim that these workers are kept as bonded labourers.

In the third week of December, hundreds of workers were food poisoned in a company provided dormitory, the IMA hostel, housing more than 2,000 women workers. When colleagues asked about their wellbeing, management, the hostel and the contractor continuously refused to respond, triggering protests among the workers.

On 17 December, workers initiated a spontaneous sit-in protest near the factory and blocked the Chennai – Bengaluru highway. The protests spread to other places along the Chennai – Bengaluru highway.

Workers demanded that authorities provide full details about the affected workers and their health status, take action against the contractor and the hostel administration, ensure better infrastructure and improved living and working conditions. They also urged Foxconn to take responsibility for the workers’ safety and well-being.

‘Workers are expelled from work even for a small mistake and face abuses. We are all educated and many of us are graduates but have temporary work status and low wages.’’

Even assurances by the Minister of Labour welfare, higher officials from state and district administration, did not convince the workers.
After more than 16 hours of protests, workers protesting near the factory in Sunguvarchatram were dispersed by the police. Workers protesting in Oragadam, a nearby industrial area, were arrested. Around 20 union activists were remanded for judicial custody that evening. 67 women workers were released the following day.

“The young women at the factory were pushed to protest as a result of the absolutely inhuman working conditions in the Foxconn plant, as well as the living conditions in the dormitories. It is imperative that trade unions have access to these young workers so that they can unionize and improve their working and living conditions,”

says Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL Global Union regional secretary.

Organizing in Ghana’s growing automotive sector moves into fast gear

This year Toyota and Volkswagen plants were commissioned with the latter expected to produce up to 20,000 vehicles per year.

The union has organized 1982 workers in the auto companies including those that sell components and parts. Only 154 of the workers are women, and the union is calling on the auto industry to have gender equity in their recruitment policies.

The ICU says it will ensure that the workers in the sector are paid living wages and wants the companies to be involved in collective bargaining and social dialogue, and to adhere to better health and safety standards including Covid-19 protocols. Additionally, the union wants the companies to invest in automation that will upskill Ghanaian workers. The union is also part of the VW Network which includes unions from Kenya, Namibia and South Africa and the VW European Works Council. The aims of the network include promoting decent work for VW workers.

Morgan Ayawine, ICU general secretary says:

“Importantly, at VW Ghana we have a collective agreement, and the earnings are above the minimum wages. Members have access to all the statutory benefits as specified in the labour laws including social security. Further, ICU has been able to negotiate additional benefits for the workers such as free or subsidized medical care among other benefits.“

According to the National Tripartite Committee minimum wages in Ghana for 2021 are 12.53 Cedis per day or 301 Cedis monthly (US$49). However, the Anker Research Institute estimate living wages for a family of two adults and two children to be about US$250.

The growth of the automotive sector is supported by government policies that include the Industrial Development Programme which aims to attract major automobile manufacturing companies to the country. The policy also seeks to create highly skilled jobs in auto assembly and the manufacturing of components and parts.

The signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is also seen as bringing benefits to the automotive industry in Ghana that include exporting locally assembled vehicles to neighbouring countries at reduced tariffs. The automotive industry in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and some African governments, including Ghana, are exploring possibilities of setting up automotive manufacturing hubs under the AfCFTA.
 
Further, the Ghana Automotive Development Policy (GADP) gives 5 and 10-years tax holidays for the importing semi-knocked down (SKD) and complete knock down (CKD) kits, respectively. Imports of material and equipment to build the plants are also exempted from duties and other charges.

“Growth of the automotive sector in Ghana is creating much-needed jobs in the country and the ICU should increase its organizing efforts in the growing sector. Recruiting more members and attaining majority thresholds at the workplaces will enable the union to be better positioned in demanding decent working conditions and advancing workers’ rights in the sector,”

says Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for SSA.
 
ICU, which has a membership of 140 000 workers, organizes in sectors that include the automotive, metal, paper, printing, and textiles, garments, shoe, and leather and the informal sector.

Escalating violence in Myanmar

Khaing Zar, president of IndustriALL affiliate, the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM), says:

“Lives are in danger; people are fleeing from the attacks with nowhere to go. The killings and torture committed by the terrorist army must stop – international governments must take concrete action and provide humanitarian assistance through the NUG."

Myanmar unions, like the Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM) and IWFM, have participated in the civil disobedience movement and numerous national strikes. Together with the Myanmar Labour Alliance, they launched a campaign for comprehensive economic sanctions in August.

IndustriALL supports the campaign for comprehensive economic sanctions against the military regime, calling on multinational companies to divest and halt operations in Myanmar. IndustriALL’s 3rd congress in September adopted a resolution in support of the democratic struggle in Myanmar.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary, says:

“We condemn the mass violence committed by the illegitimate regime against the Myanmar people. The junta must immediately end the violence, as called for by the United Nations Security Council in November.

“IndustriALL urges the international community to step up actions, demanding an end to the mass killings. The United Nations and the International Labour Organization should recognize the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar.”

Global solidarity of Sanofi trade unions

The latest global meeting of the IndustriALL network was conducted on 16 December. The group analyses the company’s operations, plans, and policies and develops joint responses.

The IndustriALL Sanofi Network exists at the global and regional levels, with three regional structures existing in Europe, Asia and Latin America. The Chair at European and global levels is Aline Eysseric of the FCE-CFDT in France, the company’s home country.

On 16 December the network decided to call on the company’s management to conduct dialogue with the global union group, in order to address a number of priority issues, and to hold information sessions on the important restructuring, new strategy rollout and new global HR Guidelines of the company.

Sanofi’s restructuring and relocations of operations have affected hundreds of union employees over the past two years, at a time of very successful business performance and high returns to shareholders.

A number of flashpoints for Sanofi unions currently include: the Indonesian IndustriALL FARKES decries their management taking advantage of weaker labour laws to cut severance pay; Pakistani affiliates were shocked to learn that the company plans to pull out of the country; European unions have been particularly affected by the major restructuring programs of the company and have concerns including around transparency and work life balance; Bangladeshi unions are still campaigning for a fair settlement for 52 employees affected by the company’s sale of operations to Beximco; and other union issues were reported from Canada, Turkey and Latin America.

Tom Grinter from the IndustriALL Secretariat, together with Network Chair Aline Eyserric are clear on the way to address the raft of challenges:

“Dialogue at the international level between our representative network and the headquarters management will provide the space to deal with all grievances. Both the company and the unions need this dialogue mechanism to support the maneuvering through of the pandemic and current historic period for the company and its employees. We expect the company to engage.”

Atle Høie: Welcome to Global Worker (#2-2021)

Welcome to Global Worker No. 2 November 2021

At IndustriALL’s 3rd Congress in September, affiliates voted unanimously to support the campaign of comprehensive economic sanctions organized by the Myanmar Labor Alliance against the military junta. The campaign calls for disinvestment from the country, and for all companies operating there to cease operations and place no new orders. Read the feature on why IndustriALL supports sanctions in Myanmar. 

The Covid-pandemic is continuing, even picking up speed in some parts of the world. With the pandemic we have seen an increase in violations of workers’ rights, but unions are tirelessly fighting back. In this issue you can read about our affiliates in Nicaragua and Eswatini who relentlessly defend their members and fight for a better future. 

Morocco’s union movement plays a central social role, with IndustriALL’s affiliates playing key roles in improving working conditions. Read about building union power in challenging circumstances. 

Organizing in India’s shipbreaking industry has significantly improved conditions for the workers, but a lot remains to be done to protect shipbreakers in Bangladesh and Pakistan. The Hong Kong Convention for safe recycling of ships is crucial going forward, so what will it take for the Convention to come into force? 

In the interview in this issue, we talk to Daniela Cavallo, president of the European and World Group Works Councils at Volkswagen, the world’s largest automotive manufacturer with more than 600,000 employees around the globe. The auto industry is going through a transformation which 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. How is the union securing workers’ rights? 

Climate change and a Just Transition for workers are key parts of our agenda – we want a seat at the table. Nothing about us, without us, was the slogan of the union delegation attending this year’s climate conference in Glasgow, UK. So, what happened at COP26? And what does it mean for our unions and members? 

2021 is coming to an end, and already 2022 looks like it will hold its shares of challenges for workers. But another world is possible and necessary. IndustriALL adopted a new action plan at Congress, focusing on global union solidarity and cooperation for peace, democracy and rights. Our mission is to secure social justice, equality and equity, with a decent standard of living for all. 

When we come together, we win.  

Atle Høie

General secretary 

Achieving sustainable change

Two new co-chairs were elected for the next four years, Hashmeya Muhsen Alsaad, vice president of General Trade Union of Electricity Sector Employees of Iraq (GTUESE), and Ilvana Smajlovic, president of Independent Trade Union of Chemical and Non-Metal Workers from Bosnia Herzegovina.

During the two days, participants discussed priorities for the four-year Congress period. Gender-based violence, women representation and participation in unions remains high on the list to achieve sustainable change, as well as bridging the gender pay gap and what the future of work looks like for women.

Efforts to integrate gender equality in the  sectoral work of IndustriALL has been a priority since the Cape Town meeting in 2018. Recommendations from that meeting were endorsed by the executive committee and Congress took further decisions to increase women’s participation in meetings and increase and strengthen women’s representation in the unions.

And the work will continue through including language on equality in global framework agreements, and conducting training on leadership, organizing and collective bargaining training, human rights due diligence, as well as gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work.

The women’s committee adopted a framework for its work, The purpose of the women’s committee is to ensure, along with the executive committee, that policies and actions are developed and implemented by IndustriALL Global Union and its affiliates, in line with the broad IndustriALL action plan, aiming at:

The women’s committee adopted a roadmap for the implementation of the resolution adopted at IndustriALL’s 3rd Congress, calling for an end to inequalities, sexism, misogyny and gender-based violence in IndustriALL, among affiliates and in in the world of work. The roadmap will now be submitted to the Executive Committee for endorsement.

Says IndustriALL assisting general secretary Christine Olivier:

“For our women’s committee to be well equipped to tackle future challenges, we need to focus on the future of work and industry 4.0 and what it means for our unions. The women must take it further and ensure that we are not left behind.”

Carnage continues in Pakistan’s mines as IndustriALL meets with government representatives

The meeting came just days after three miners lost their lives in the killing fields of Pakistan’s coal mines on 10 December, Human Rights Day, bringing home the irony of the merciless assault on coal mineworkers. The latest deaths are in addition to the never-ending roll call of deaths.

IndustriALL is campaigning on health and safety in Pakistan, and is calling on the country to ratify and implement  ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines (C176). IndustriALL has worked with the government, employers, affiliated unions in Pakistan, the ILO headquarters in Geneva, and the ILO country office in Pakistan to promote the ratification of C176.

IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Høie, accompanied by assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan and the director for mining and DGOJP, Glen Mpufane, met with the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Pakistan government at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan in Geneva to push for ratification of C176. The Labour Minister at the Permanent Mission, Madam Farhat Ayesha, accompanied the Ambassador Mr. Khalil Hashmi.

Özkan briefed the Ambassador, saying that it was unacceptable that the government of Pakistan was delaying the implementation of the ILO gap analysis presented to the government and submitted to the Federal Tripartite Consultative Committee (FTCC).

“The gap analysis is an important step and milestone in the ratification process and there needs to be follow through to this milestone because these deaths keep IndustriALL awake at night,”

he said.

Mr. Hashmi explained that Pakistan’s federal constitution presented challenges, and that the governance structure of Pakistan devolved decision-making to provinces. He outlined the role of the labour ministry – the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development – in mobilizing resources needed for the ratification and implementation of C176. He gave assurances that these challenges are discussed and addressed at the FTCC.

Høie reiterated IndustriALL’s demand on the urgency and imperative for finalizing the ratification process and protocols in order to submit them to the ILO. He added:

 “While the wrangling and discussions are going on, workers were dying at an alarming rate – this points to a systemic problem within the legislative and governance system of coal mines in Pakistan, and to a situation of lawlessness.”

The productive meeting ended with agreement on the next steps, including a commitment to the ratification process by both parties, agreement to assist in the resolution of bottleneck regarding implementing the recommendation of the gap analysis, and resource mobilization towards ratification that includes capacity-building efforts. The parties would continue the dialogue and sharing of information.