Independent union next for workers at General Motors' Silao plant

In a historic vote on 17 and 18 August, workers rejected the current collective bargaining agreement, controlled by the corrupt Miguel Trujillo López union, affiliated to the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM).

An alternative, independent and legitimate union has been created, backed by the "Generando Movimiento" collective, run by current and former GM workers and who has been the subject of reprisals by the company over the past two years. The aim is to build a representative union ready to engage in dialogue with the company to safeguard workers' rights.

At the press conference, SINTTIA general secretary María Alejandra Morales, who has worked at GM for eleven years, said that the new union has been officially approved by and registered with Mexico's labour ministry:

"In the end, we spoke up. Our workers stand united and are ready to fight for their rights and overthrow the CTM, which does not protect them or do anything to improve the benefits they receive."

SINTTIA's legal advisor, Patricia Juan Pineda, said that on 17 September the labour ministry should declare CTM's collective employment agreement null and void. After that, SINTTIA will take steps to bring in a new agreement and would call a strike demanding that GM sign the new deal, adding that:

"Calling a strike does not mean that a strike will actually happen. A timeline will be set out, providing plenty of time for talks with the company to take place first."

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

"When workers are unified and take action together, and when they support their leaders, they can ensure respect and dignity at work. SINTTIA is the way to create a dignified workplace – only through an organized campaign can you gain momentum and secure the collective agreement you deserve."

Sierra Leone ratification of ILO instruments is opportunity to transform industrial relations, says union

ILO general secretary Guy Ryder at the signing. Photo: ILO

The ILO says the ratifications of eight conventions and a protocol, which took place on 25 August, were unprecedented. The eight conventions are the Migration for Employment Convention (Revised, 1949) (C97), Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (C143), Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (C155), Labour Statistics Convention (C160), Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (C181), Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (C187) and Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (C189).

The conventions are aimed at addressing the decent work deficit common among workers in the country, including for migrant workers, and improving working conditions for precarious workers who have no job security and are poorly paid. In most instances, precarious workers are employed through third parties such as private employment agencies who often exploit them and violate their rights. The conventions include those on occupational health and safety, which has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 2014 protocol to the forced labour convention 1930 was also ratified. This is important for ending human trafficking of migrant workers and women in the country and abroad. Forced labour has been reported in the country involving migrant workers, while thousands of Sierra Leoneans have been victims of slavery in other West African countries, Libya, and the Middle East.

Muluku Tarawally, general secretary of ASGEmU says:

“This is one of the best things that has happened for the workers of Sierra Leone in a long time. It is an opportunity to complete the labour law review activities in which unions are participating. Additionally, the ratification of the conventions strengthens union demands for the inclusion of all ratified conventions into national labour laws. It is important that government is backing the adoption of international labour standards, and this shows that it is committed.”

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

“The ratification of the nine instruments shows the power of social dialogue in which unions and the government show commitment towards decent work. This ensures the protection of workers’ rights and better working conditions for workers through national laws and international labour standards. It is important that unions are not only supporting but are also taking part in the domestication of the conventions into national labour laws.”

IndustriALL calls on Thai government to stop persecuting union leader

Irregularities in Thailand’s general election in 2019, and the subsequent forced dissolution of an opposition party by the constitutional court, resulted in mass protests. The ensuing youth uprising in Mid-2020 drew international attention to the pro-democracy movement in the country.

The four labour activists were summoned by the police for speaking at rallies organized by the student movements between February and August this year. They are associated with the Labour Network for People's Rights, a network formed in 2020 to demand that the Thai government stops harassing people participating in pro-democracy protests, dissolves parliament, starts drafting a new constitution, and institutionalizes a comprehensive welfare scheme to reduce class inequality.

The labour network has also joined students in criticizing the government for mismanaging the Covid-19 pandemic and delaying the distribution of vaccines to the people.

Together with its affiliate, IndustriALL Global Union and the Confederation of Industrial Labour of Thailand (CILT) calls on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha to stop persecuting labour activists participating in pro-democracy protests.

Prasit Prasopsuk, CILT president says:

“We condemn the government for using laws to attack labour leaders’ democratic rights. It is unacceptable that the government suppresses workers’ freedom of expression, especially the failure in managing the Covid-19 and delaying the vaccinations that has caused a large number of deaths. The harassment must end immediately.”

In a letter to the Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:

“The Emergency Decree and the Disease Control Act are being misused to suppress people participating in pro-democracy rallies. IndustriALL calls on the government of Thailand to guarantee the right of people to participate in peaceful demonstrations, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and respect of international core labour standards.”

International Safety Accord begins with 91 garment brands and retailers

The garment brands and retailers that have signed the International Accord commit to support the independent RSC, which has already undertaken health and safety related programmes in Bangladesh; the brands and retailers further commit to the global expansion of additional country-specific health and safety programs based on the principles of the 2013 and 2018 Accord agreements and on feasibility studies. The new agreement will be implemented through the International Accord Foundation in the Netherlands.*
 
On 25 August 2021, a group of representatives of international garment retailers and the global trade unions IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union announced their agreement on a new, expanded worker safety pact. Since then, 91 brands have signed the new agreement and are therefore part of the first wave of companies that commit to continue and expand their collective efforts with the trade unions to make garment factories safe.

“It is encouraging to see the large number of brands that have already signed on to the International Accord, taking responsibility for a safe and sustainable garment and textile industry. From these first 91 signatories there is already a major coverage of the sector. But we call on all textile and garment brands to take responsibility for their supply chain and to the expanded International Accord,”

says IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches.
 
Please see here a list of all garment and textile companies that have signed the International Accord.

* The Foundation based in the Netherlands is currently named the Stichting Bangladesh Accord Foundation and will be renamed Stichting International Accord Foundation.

UPDATE: This article was updated on 2 September to reflect the growing number of signatories. At the time it was first published, 77 brands had signed.

IndustriALL and Daimler sign innovative global agreement

The renewed agreement, ‘Principles of Social Responsibility and Human Rights’, was signed by Daimler corporate management, the Daimler World Employee Committee and IndustriALL Global Union on 1 September.

Key aspects of the agreement include:

Valter Sanches, a former Daimler worker who also served on the World Employee Committee (WEC) and on  Daimler supervisory board, says:

“I am particularly grateful that we have renewed this agreement with improvements, as I participated as WEC member in negotiations of the original GFA, signed in 2002 with the International Metalworkers Federation. Daimler was among the pioneering companies to sign a GFA. The agreement contains a number of innovative points, like on the role and the protection of human rights defenders and whistleblowers, as well as the importance of data protection and the use of artificial intelligence, underlining that the digital world has to remain under human control. It has also a strong language related to business partners and suppliers to follow the same principles.

“The commitment to training and lifelong learning is key to prevent the risk that a significant number of workers are left behind as the automotive industry is going through a profound transformation. The agreement sets a playfield for unions and management to promote a Just Transition to ensure that there is a fair chance for everybody to manage the challenges of today and of tomorrow.”

IndustriALL supports campaign for comprehensive economic sanctions against Myanmar junta

The announcement was made during a webinar on the “Campaign for comprehensive economic sanctions against Myanmar’s military junta” on 27 August, bringing together trade union leaders, civil society and brand representatives from around the world.

Myanmar’s labour movement says there is no ethical way to do business in the country and is calling for comprehensive sanctions, and for companies – including fashion brands – to divest and cease their operations in Myanmar.

Since the military coup in February, thousands of workers have been arrested, over 950 people have been killed, and the uncontrolled spread of Covid-19 left 1,500 bodies in Yangon in one day alone in July. Under the military regime, workers in Myanmar are denied the right to freedom of association, health and safety and freedom of speech.

Representatives of the Myanmar Labour Alliance, Khaing Zar, Moe Sandar Myint and Nandar Sit Aung, exposed severe violations of workers’ rights in Myanmar: trade unionists have been dismissed when employers have collaborated with the authorities, collective agreements have not been respected, and Covid-19 protocols not followed.

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary, said:

“The situation in Myanmar is certainly not a normal situation; people are killed and tortured, workers cannot go to work due to repression. How can workers’ rights be protected in that kind of extreme situation?

“That is why we support the campaign calling for comprehensive economic sanctions, spearheaded by our affiliate Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM), our partners Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM) and the Myanmar Labour Alliance. Economic sanctions proved to be effective in ending apartheid in South Africa and could be so in Myanmar.”

IndustriALL textile and garment sector director Christina Hajagos-Clausen stressed the importance of maintaining a dialogue with brands sourcing from Myanmar on human rights violations, due diligence and how to withdraw orders responsibly.

Sharan Burrow, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) general secretary, said:

“You are not alone in the fight for democracy in Myanmar. Global union federations are organizing a global day of action on 15 September to demand the restoration of the civilian government in Myanmar. The ITUC supports the campaign for comprehensive sanctions and will take solidarity action to demand that banks to stop international transfers to Myanmar.”

What can you do?

  • Call on brands and multinational companies to cease business operations and stop placing new orders in Myanmar
  • Organize demonstrations or press conferences at the offices of multinational companies with a presence in Myanmar
  • Take photos with a solidarity message and share on social media with the hashtag #Workers4Myanmar
  • Hand over memoranda to ASEAN embassies in your country to put pressure on multinationals
  • Reach out to media to highlight the campaign and the plight of Myanmar workers

Deadly factory fire in Pakistan

The only entrance and exit to BM Industry’s illegal factory was locked, as was the a door to the roof which could have been used as an escape route, and iron bars covered the windows. Attempts to fight the fire only started two hours after it had broken out.

Three brothers were among the 17 workers who died in the fire: 37-year-old Irfan, Farman, 33 and Farhan, 30. Two more brothers from the same family narrowly escaped death.

The father of the three brothers who perished in the fire holds their identity cards.

Afzal, one of the surviving brothers, says:

“I escaped the fire only because I had gone downstairs to fetch our tea order when I heard screaming for help from upstairs. I dropped everything to rush back upstairs, but I couldn’t go. There was a fire which had spread within seconds. It had engulfed the stairs.”

Afzal says that the Chief minister’s adviser and Karachi administrator barrister Murtaza Wahab has promised the families of the deceased Rs1 million (US$6,000) as compensation, along with food rations and free education for their orphaned children.

Nasir Mansoor, general secretary of the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan, says that the fire reminds him of the Baldia factory fire in 2012, where 259 workers died.

“If lessons had been learned from the fire in 2012, maybe this incident would never have happened. The authorities handled the Baldia factory case politically and deliberately overlooked the corruption and incompetence of government departments.

“We demand compensation from the owners, as well as the government. There must also be a judicial inquiry into the cause of the fire.”

According to Mansoor, Pakistan is signatory to 32 global conventions on decent work and occupational health and safety. But implementation is zero, due to corruption among the government and employers.

“This is another horrific example of workers paying the ultimate price and this deadly pursuit of profit must end. Immediate steps to improve workers’ health and safety in Pakistan must be taken in consultation with the unions,”

says Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary.

Union blames employer negligence for worker’s death at Liberian rubber factory

Joe, a mechanic in his thirties, and an active union member for over ten years, was crushed to death on 21 August at Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC) rubber processing factory in Grand Bassa County. LAC is owned and managed by Socfin SA – a Belgian based company that is involved in commercial rubber.

According to the union, he died when the machine he was fixing was accidentally switched on.

Emmanuel Joe, the Liberian rubber factory worker who died in the accident.

AAIWUL and other unions say the LAC management’s negligence and poor health and safety standards are largely to blame for the accident that resulted in the “gruesome death.”

“The accident has caused a sense of fear and distrust among the workers. The company’s lack of safety protocols, procedures and regulations is a serious impediment to workers’ health and safety. We are calling on the ministry of labour to conduct a speedy investigation in consultation with the unions to ascertain the facts and circumstances surrounding the horrific accident. The union will not relent but do all it can to ensure a just, fair and immediate investigation is conducted, and those held responsible be made accountable,”

says Edwin Cisco, AAIWUL secretary general.

The unions say the recent accident is not an isolated case as four workers from LAC were killed in 2017 when a condensation tank exploded again due to negligence as confirmed by ministry of labour investigations.

“We received the news of the accident with shock, and urgently call for urgent meetings between the LAC, unions and government to save the lives of workers at the company. Health and safety protocols must always be followed to protect workers from injuries and death. Liberian labour laws and international labour standards state that employers have a duty to create safer workplaces,”

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

However, to improve health and safety in the rubber industry, AAIWUL is carrying out joint activities with the national federation, the Liberia Labour Congress, with support from IndustriALL. The activities include training in health and safety protocols and regulations.

Employing over 4 200 workers, and with a planted area more than 12 800 hectares, LAC’s Grand Bassa plantation is one of the oldest and largest rubber plantations. LAC operations include rubber tree tapping, latex collection and processing, and packaging of 25 000 tonnes of raw rubber which is exported. Rubber is Liberia’s main export product.

International Accord: tentative agreement on expanded worker safety programmes

The renewed agreement preserves and advances the fundamental elements that made the Accord successful, including: respect for freedom of association; shared governance between labour and brands; a high level of transparency; safety committee training and worker awareness program; and a credible, independent complaints mechanism.

Key new features of the International Accord include:

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary, says:

“This International Accord is an important victory towards making the textile and garment industry safe and sustainable. The agreement maintains the legally binding provision for companies and most importantly the scope has been expanded to other countries and other provisions, encompassing general health and safety .

“Now, the textile and garment companies must show their commitment and sign the renewed International Accord. We congratulate our affiliates in the sector, especially those from Bangladesh, that have campaigned for binding commitments for health and safety in the industry.”

The new agreement, called the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry (International Accord), takes effect on 1 September 2021. The current agreement, a three-month extension of the Transition Accord, expires 31 August.

The Accord was first signed in 2013 following the industrial homicide that killed over 1’100 workers with the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Covid-19 spreads in Myanmar’s factories

Since the military coup, many garment manufacturers have ignored the health protocols implemented by the previous democratically-elected government. When Covid-19 cases skyrocketed in July this year, the lack of implementation of the health protocols have led to an increasing number lot of workplace infections.

Until today, 14,499 Myanmar people have died from Covid-19 and 375,871 have been infected.

Khaing Zar, the president of IWFM, says:

“There is no concrete action to remedy the worsening situation, and we have raised this with employers and brands several times. Some employers have even collaborated with the military to identify and persecute local union leaders.

“There are no workers’ rights, no justice and no remedy. That’s why we are calling all investors to isolate the regime, cut off their resources and drive them out.”

According to the unions, Myanmar’s labour office has been largely dysfunctional since the coup in February. Many garment employers have unilaterally dismissed workers who have been absent from work over safety concerns.

There are reports of employers violating labour laws and collective agreement, with reports of workers not receiving severance pay after dismissal, and employers closing down factories without properly consulting unions and workers.

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary, says:

“We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of the two IWFM members who died from Covid-19 and condemn the junta and employers for mismanaging workers’ health and safety. We support IWFM’s call for comprehensive economic sanctions against the military junta.”

At 11.30 CET on 27 August, IndustriALL is hosting a webinar on the campaign to call for comprehensive economic sanction against the military junta in Myanmar. You can watch it on Facebook live.