ST Microelectronics Malaysia – don’t put profit before workers’ safety

Since July, Covid-19 cases have surged in Malaysia, peaking at an average of 20,000 new cases in the past week. The country’s per capita infection rate is the highest in South East Asia.

Malaysia’s ministry of international trade and industry only ordered a full shut-down of the plant between 29 July to 4 August. Previously, only certain sections of the plant were closed down when Covid-19 cases were detected.

Roslan Bin Rosdi, EIEUSR deputy president, says:

"We are saddened by the demise of the co-workers at STM. This could have been prevented if regular social dialogues had been held between the management and the union. We call on STM to strictly implement health protocols and sanitize all production sites."

In a letter to the company, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Valter Sanches calls on the company to put workers before company profits and to engage in dialogue with IndustriALL affiliate Electronics Industry Employees Union South Region (EIEUSR).

Kan Matsuzaki, IndustriALL electronics director, says:

“IndustriALL expresses sincere condolences with the families of the 19 workers. We urge STM to walk the talk on its sustainability strategy, which emphasizes putting people first and protecting everyone’s life.”

STMicroelectronics manufactures power devices, micro controllers and other semiconductor integrated circuits used in various electronics devices.

Uruguay: Yazaki workers file harassment complaint

In June, UNTMRA's general committee called for immediate talks with Yazaki to discuss workplace harassment involving a senior manager and staff under his responsibility. The committee notified the Ministry of labour and social security (MTSS) and lodged a written complaint with the employment inspectorate, providing details of the harassment, and the verbal and gender-based violence.

Local union leader and member of UNTMRA's general committee Vanessa O'Neil, says:

"At a meeting with union leaders and ministry officials on 23 July, Yazaki said that the perpetrator would be removed from his position. However, he is still there, is still carrying out the same work and still has staff under his responsibility. This is despite the various complaints that have been made against him by several female workers – complaints that the company is well aware of."

The union raised the issue with the Secretariat for gender, equity and diversity within Uruguay's trade union federation PIT-CNTT, which condemned the situation. In a letter, it demanded full compliance with International Labour Organization Convention No. 190 on violence and harassment, ratified by Uruguay, and called for compliance with Act 19.580 on gender-based violence.

The gender committee of the union confederation took the complaint to its representative board. It undertook to keep monitoring the situation to ensure compliance with the complaints process.

Despite the solidarity shown by the union movement, the process is still ongoing and the workers at Yazaki have not yet received a response from MTSS or the company.

IndustriALL regional secretary, Marino Vani, said:

"We congratulate the women who took action to stop the violations and support their fight. We hope that Yazaki and the government are not working together and that their inaction does not lead to further harassment.
"We have an opportunity to develop an effective policy in line with domestic legislation and C190. We hope that the company will listen to UNTMRA's demands and will work to establish an agreement containing guidelines to prevent violence and rules for punishing perpetrators.”

IndustriALL 3rd Congress website is live!

The IndustriALL Congress, “United for a Just Future”, will take place on 14-15 September 2021. To facilitate the work of the Congress, IndustriALL has built a dedicated Congress website https://congress2021.industriall-union.org/. Congress participants are invited to visit and register themselves as soon as possible. The final registration deadline expires on 18 August 2021!

The website is published in English, French, Spanish, and Russian.

A tutorial video has been developed to explain the registration process, in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Arabic.

Also, on the website is a list of Congress documents, including the Secretariat report, draft agenda and the programme of the Congress.

Follow IndustriALL Congress on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. You can follow the conversation around Congress by using the hashtags #IndustriALL2021 #UnitedForAJustFuture on social media.

Amandla! Awethu!

Workers bring Electrolux Chile to a standstill to safeguard collective bargaining

On 13 July, some 800 Electrolux workers rejected the company's latest collective bargaining proposal. Learning of the decision, the company informed union members that the hours spent during a work stoppage in June and at previously authorized union meetings would be deducted from their pay.

In response, the unions held a strike on 14 and 15 July and have since brought production plants and distribution centres to a standstill. Workers condemned the company's attitude after it delayed the start of the collective bargaining process, which should have run from October to December 2020, for almost a year.

Electrolux says that it postponed the process for several months because it was waiting for a response to its request for a reclassification of minimum services. During the same period, the company refused to meet with union leaders or to respond to the draft collective employment agreements submitted by the two unions.
The unions appealed to the regional employment inspectorate, which ruled that the formal collective bargaining process could not be put on hold because of an administrative request. The National Employment Directorate issued a final ruling on 11 March 2021, rejecting Electrolux's reclassification request.

"It is now more important than ever for national and international workers to show solidarity with the members of Electrolux unions 1 and 2 as they fight to safeguard their dignity and their right to collective bargaining and to strike. These rights have been undermined by the indifference and bad faith of company management,"

said an official union statement.

The unions have submitted a draft collective employment agreement that takes into consideration the impact that the current social and economic crisis has had on their daily lives. So far, the workers have not accepted any of the company's proposals, which they say do not meet their demands.

In addition, they say that company management acted inappropriately when it used informal channels to inform some workers of the terms and figures being discussed during the negotiations. It did this with the aim of creating a rift between unions leaders and members.

IndustriALL Global Union's regional secretary, Marino Vani, said:

"Electrolux’s actions are unfortunate. We hope the company will engage in good faith negotiations. The workers have union representatives and deserve to have a formal agreement based on respect and dignity.
“We stand with the workers, the unions and our affiliate Industrial Chile-CONSTRAMET, supporting their struggle and their actions to protect workers.”

Myanmar and Korean workers strike to commemorate 1988 uprising

The strike was organized by the general strike coordination body with the slogan “the blood debt from ’88 must be settled in 2021”. The theme reminds people of the unfinished pro-democracy struggle after 33 years and the strong commitment of the current generation.

Members of the Confederation of Trade Unions in Myanmar (CTUM) and Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) shared photos of themselves wearing red shirts and raising the eight-finger salute, with the hashtags #8FingersStrike and #RedCampaign.

The Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) and other civil society organizations in South Korea mobilized workers and citizens to join solidarity actions with Myanmar.

The groups held nationwide pickets at Korean companies with investments in Myanmar, including the POSCO International steel company, the Korea Gas Corporation, the National Pension Fund and Inno Group, which is involved in construction projects with the Myanmar military.

The KMWU urged the military junta to end the massacre, demanding that the Korean government recognize Myanmar’s National Unity Government and that Korean companies break ties with companies linked to the Myanmar military.

The KMWU has consistently held daily pickets in front of the office of the military attaché of the embassy of Myanmar in Seoul since the coup.

Khaing Zar, the president of IWFM, said:

“It's important that the new generation of Myanmar people and workers continue the pro-democracy struggle. We must reject the military dictatorship and restore power to the civilian government. I call on the international community to support the initiative of comprehensive economic sanctions to remove the military junta effectively and quickly.”

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary IndustriALL, said:

“The message from the labour movement of Myanmar is clear and unambiguous: there can be no engagement with the military junta. The regime must be isolated diplomatically, politically and economically. This means that international organizations and the world’s governments should recognize the National Unity Government and refuse to engage with the regime. Since the coup, we have called for comprehensive economic sanctions from governments, investors and companies to limit the resources for the illegitimate military junta to attack the Burmese people”.

Six months after the military coup d’etat, 965 people have been killed by the regime, and 5,534 people, including former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, are still under arbitrary detention.

Belarus: fight continues for democracy and labour rights

Since last year’s elections, the Belarusian regime has cracked down on core civil liberties: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association. Today’s anniversary shows the need for stronger intervention and solidarity by the international community.

Independent unions in Belarus have always been at the forefront of the struggle for fundamental rights and democracy and have been hit hard by the repressive regime. Since August 2020, independent union leaders, activists and members have been intimidated, detained, sentenced to lengthy administrative arrests and fined. Union offices have been raided by police, homes of union leaders and activists have been searched, and some have had to flee the country.

Under the threat of liquidation, authorities are forcing private companies to establish pro-governmental unions, in violation of the ILO Convention 87.

Workers have been laid off for joining an independent union of their choice, for attempting to strike, or for participating in peaceful protests. Some workers have received heavy prison sentences for exercising their fundamental rights.

For their fearless struggle in such harsh, undemocratic conditions, three IndustriALL affiliates, Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BITU), Free Metal Workers’ Union (SPM) and Belarusian Radio and Electronic Industry Workers' Union (REP), were awarded the Arthur Svensson international prize for trade union rights, as part of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP).

As part of its support and solidarity with its Belarussian affiliates, IndustriALL has taken initiatives vis-à-vis Belarussian authorities, demanding the release of unlawfully detained unionists and calling for an end to the intimidation, pressure, violation and imprisonment of independent union leaders and striking workers. IndustriALL has interacted with employers demanding an end to the intimidation and unfair dismissals of workers and to re-instate workers.

Together with other global unions, IndustriALL has compiled a list of companies doing business in Belarus and urged them to conduct due diligence on violations of human and labour rights.

IndustriALL has called on the ILO, the European Union and intergovernmental agencies for their urgent intervention to protect freedom of association and stop repression against independent trade union leaders and activists in Belarus. The European Union has imposed sectoral sanctions on Belarus, and the USA is about to unveil new sanctions against Belarus .

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan says:

“We reiterate our commitment to fight for workers’ rights and democratic values and our support for Belarus’ independent unions and civil society. The regime in the country must respect fundamental rights and freedoms and comply with international obligations. We will continue to struggle until the justice has arrived.”

Take action for eSwatini!

Unions in eSwatini are urging the government to undertake democratic reforms. Tomorrow, 6 August, unions in the country are marching to parliament. Join our day of action together with the ITUC and send letters to the eSwatini government, as well to your own government, supporting the protestors and calling for urgent pressure on the eSwatini government.

The protests began in May as the government refused to accept petitions for democratic reforms that included reducing the powers of the monarchy and allowing the Prime Minister to be democratically elected. Currently the Prime Minister, ministers and some Members of Parliament and Senate are appointed by the king.

“Global solidarity can make a difference, and we urge you to take action supporting our fellow unionists in eSwatini. IndustriALL calls on the government to engage in an inclusive dialogue to resolve the situation,”

says IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches

IndustriALL affiliates in eSwatini, ATUSWA and the Swaziland Electricity Supply, Maintenance and Allied Workers Union (SESMAWU), call

“upon the government to open the political playground and be accommodative to dialogue on dissenting political views”.

Union in South Africa prepares for strike over deadlock in wage negotiations

Although NUMSA commits to further negotiations, the union says it will call for a strike and solidarity strikes in other sectors that includes automotive, energy, mining, and tyre manufacturing if the wage negotiations remain deadlocked. Another IndustriALL affiliate, UASA, is involved in the negotiations.

The union, which wants an 8 per cent increase, rejected the 4.4 per cent offer made on 12 July by the Southern Africa Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) on behalf of the engineering employers. There were no wage increases in the sector in 2020 after an agreement was reached with the union and the employers not to increase the wages because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Irvin Jim, NUMSA general secretary says: “We reject government and business hiding behind Covid-19 to advance their consistently adopted attitude, which is to refuse to give workers their deserved wage increases and accord workers a living wage. It is important to state that just like businesses and government, workers carry the same burden in facing the tough socio-economic conditions. Workers provide for extended families, and in a stagnant economy, that further erodes their own buying power.”

“We signed the standstill agreement to secure the future of the industry amid economic lockdowns and challenges to suppliers and value chains. Together with our members, we ensured the smooth operation of businesses which are now breaking even, and some are making profits. We made such compromises being very clear that preservation of companies should translate to job security.”

NUMSA says it is disappointed that despite the workers’ sacrifices the companies “retrenched workers to strengthen their balance sheets and to make profits as they always see workers as the weakest link in the chain to be attacked.”

Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa says: “Engineering employers should commit to paying living wages that are above inflation and to consider the NUMSA demands for an outcome that benefits the workers. The Covid-19 pandemic should not be used as an excuse to pay low wages.”

Reports by the South African Revenue Service indicate that the economy is beginning to recover because of the current high prices of metals and precious metals exports that include platinum, gold, and iron ore as well as vehicle and transport equipment, chemicals, and other exports. The engineering supply chain is an important part of mining’s upstream and horizontal linkages and is benefiting from the high commodity prices.

Indian unions protest privatization of Visakhapatnam steel plant

The Visakhapatnam steel plant (VSP), operated by the corporate entity Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), is one of the major public sector steel plants in India. On 27 January 2021, the government of India’s cabinet committee on economic affairs decided to proceed with the 100 percent privatization of the government’s shareholding in RINL, along with RINL’s stake in its subsidiaries and joint ventures. The government initiated the process by appointing a transaction adviser, legal adviser and asset valuer. The government maintains that throughout the share purchasing agreement and business transfer agreement it will protect workers’ interests.

Workers' representative deliver their demands to the finance ministry

All trade unions and officers’ associations of VSP workers and non-manual employees, and political parties from the state of Andhra Pradesh, launched a mass movement protesting the privatization of VSP. The Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly also passed a resolution demanding that the privatization not proceed. The privatization will affect about 35,000 employees and their families. A total of about a hundred thousand people who directly and indirectly depend on this plant for their livelihood will be affected by the privatization.

The Visakhapatnam steel plant as a public sector enterprise fulfils various strategic public objectives through its activities. The VSP was at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 and saved countless lives, as it produced 18,000 MT of liquid medical oxygen in a short span of time and supplied it throughout India. Its timely action stabilized liquid oxygen prices in the market.

Trade unions argue that the VSP was established after a great sacrifice by people from 60 villages who vacated 22,000 acres of their land. Private ownership’s primary focus will be profit and it will not pursue the social and economic developmental objectives currently served by VSP for the benefit of local people and the country’s economy. The VSP promotes the constitutional values of social justice through affirmative action by recruiting from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, which private ownership is likely to discontinue.

IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Valter Sanches, in a letter to the Prime Minister of India, called on the government to immediately stop the privatization.

Raghunath Pandey of the Indian National Metal Workers Federation said,

“We jointly with all trade unions and workers have intensified the protest against privatization. We will not allow the Modi government to sell this precious national asset. The VSP can be turned profitable through important business decisions. Trade unions have been demanding that the government should allot captive iron ore mines so that the plant can get its raw materials at cheaper cost. The government should convert the short term and long-term loans into equity so that VSP’s repayment and interest burden can be reduced. As the plant has already started earning quarterly profit in its operations, if it continues its present it will fully become profitable.”

Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary said,

“The public sector plants’ crucial role in fulfilling the country’s economic and social objectives with public purpose should be safeguarded. Workers and trade unions who played a central role in developing the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant should have a say in the corporation’s decision-making process. We call upon the government of India not to proceed with the privatization of VSP, hold genuine consultation with trade union and give a chance to the turnaround proposal put forward by the union.”

Major victory for Singapore unions in lift and escalator sector

The negotiations were conducted through the Tripartite Cluster for Lift & Escalator Industry (TCLE), an initiative of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). The TCLE was formed in 2020 with the Metal Industries Workers' Union (MIWU), United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries (UWEEI), Singapore Lift & Escalator Contractors & Manufacturers Association, service buyers and managing agents, town councils and government agencies as members.

The tripartite committee assessed various challenges confronting the industry, for example the fact that half of the workforce are more than 50 years old and young workers are shunning the industry due to long working hours and an unconducive work environment and wage stagnation as a result of competitive outsourcing contract price.

The Singaporean government accepted the TCLE recommendations on a progressive wage model (PWM) for lift and escalator workers, which will substantially increase the baseline wage of an assistant specialist from SGD 1,480 (US$1,097) in 2021 to SGD 1,850 (US$1,371) in 2022, and will gradually increase to SGD3,080 (US$2,283) by 2028.

According to the ministry, a mandatory annual bonus will be introduced from January 2023. The PWM will be made a compulsory requirement for lift and escalator maintenance companies registering with the Building and Construction Authority next year.

Tong Dickson, an executive council member of MIWU, says:

“The latest PWM review will see more lift and escalator maintenance workers earning progressive wages that commensurate with their skill sets. The key to this is ensuring that our workers take up relevant training so that they can move up the career ladder.”

Tamil Maran Nadesen, executive council member of UWEEI, says:

"The PWM will be helpful in attracting more local talent by developing their confidence in the sector. The new baseline wage has enhanced the prospects of L&E occupations by promoting greater wage security and job progression, and challenging employees to develop themselves professionally through skills upgrading."

The union members work at Hitachi Elevator Asia, Fujitec Singapore, and other lift and escalator companies. Common brands that are being used in Singapore include OTIS, Mitsubishi Electric, Schindler, KONE, Thyssenkrupp (TK).

Annie Adviento, IndustriALL South East Asia regional secretary, says:

“I congratulate the big success achieved by our affiliates MIWU and UWEEI. The labour movement in Singapore have been playing a vital role in protecting the rights and benefits of low-wage workers through effective tripartite mechanism.”

Main photo credit: NTUC Singapore