Glencore workers in Peru stage indefinite strike over labour abuse
The National Federation of Metal and Steel Mining Workers of Peru (FNTMMSP) say that their members worked during the pandemic, resulting in the death of seven mine workers and 700 being infected by the virus.
The union took action as management did not respond to their demands. For example, workers are criticizing Glencore for accommodating workers in shared rooms with a common bathroom making social distancing impossible.
In addition, management has imposed illegal working hours a Constitutional Court ruling. Although the working day is 14 days of work and seven days off, in practice the company imposed a 28 × 14 rotation.
They union is denouncing the offered salary increase of 3 soles (US$0.83), which, with the inflation rate, actually depreciates salaries.
The FNTMMSP has written to Peru’s President, Francisco Sagasti Hochhausler, to ask for his intervention in the labour dispute.
The federation launched a series of mobilizations on 9 December, denouncing the violations by the mining business community, as well as the indifference of the government and authorities, who have yet to react to the letters sent by the mining federation asking for a dialogue.
IndustriALL Global Union has approached Glencore over the violations in Peru and other Latin American countries, but without a positive response. Reports show that Glencore is systematically ignoring a best practice approach to Covid-19, which would include the right to refuse unsafe work, social distancing, quarantine measures for affected workers, and respect for negotiated collective bargaining agreements.
Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary, says:
“IndustriALL condemns the violation of workers' rights at Glencore's operations in Latin America, the latest case at Los Quenuales in Peru. We urge Glencore to respect the claims of the striking workers and to maintain a dialogue in good faith with the union.”
End repression and killings of trade unionists, Duterte told
Trade unions around the world first took action on 10 December 2019, International Human Rights Day, to demand that the Philippine government end the red-tagging and extra-judicial killings of labour and human rights activists. But red-tagging – the blacklisting and harassment of individuals or groups seen as insufficiently loyal to the government – continues.
Lawmakers from the progressive bloc have been accused of being members of the Communist Party, and there have been recent killings of people alleged to belong to a militant group.
The Council of Global Unions (CGU) launched a global day of action for the Philippines on 30 November, demanding that the Philippine government end intimidation, hold perpetrators of extra-judicial killings to account and scrap the Anti-Terrorism Act. Trade unionists around the world participated.
In the Philippines, IndustriALL affiliates joined a mass rally at the University of the Philippines in Quezon city. They will write to the labour secretary to request an intervention with the office of the President to accept a high-level tripartite mission.
30 November in the Philippines
A spokesperson of the Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines (MWAP), Mary Ann Castillo, said:
“We condemn widespread trade union repression in the country. Our union in Nexperia also became a target of red-tagging and terrorist-tagging in Laguna. Unionism is not a crime, workers’ right to join union must be protected.”
Vice presidents of Philippine Metalworkers' Alliance (PMA), Narciso Lozano and Joseph Bo, said:
“The Anti-Terror Law has to be junked as this will further restrain the right of the workers to exercise their right to organize, provide livelihood for the family and protect their safety and jobs.”
Solidarity from Sydney
The president of Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) Andrew Dettmer said:
“We have coordinated with other unions to hold protests at embassies or consular offices of the Philippines in Sydney, Canberra and Perth. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Philippines to fight repression.”
IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Valter Sanches said:
“The Anti-Terrorism Act is being used persecute unionists and activists. We must put pressure on the government on the issue of preferential trade agreements to make the government take its hands off unions.”
IndustriALL affiliates from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia also joined a social media campaign on the global day of action for the Philippines.
Solidarity from Korea
The response from the Philippine government was brutal: on 10 December 2020, security forces arrested six trade union activists and a journalist.
The CGU condemned the action and called for the immediate release of those arrested, with all charges dropped, saying:
“Trade union activists are being criminalized, illegally arrested and detained, as the government’s way of preventing them from organizing workers into unions and associations, and depriving them their freedom of thought and expression as translated into their activities among the workers. The intensified crackdown is precisely aimed at stifling dissent and organized action among the people. Killings among activists and rights defenders, as a way of instilling fear and silencing the people, have not ceased.”
Nexperia workers win collective bargaining after protests
Since the CBA expired in January, Nexperia Workers’ Union has been bargaining with the company management with the assistance of Metal Workers’ Alliance of the Philippines (MWAP).
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on Nexperia’s business, and Nexperia Workers’ Union has voluntarily reduced its remaining number of demands from ten to seven.
But despite the show of good faith, management was still reluctant to hold face-to-face negotiation, and only agreed to virtual negotiations after several union protests.
And although it is fell short of the union’s expectations, the union and the company managed to end the deadlock and sign a CBA for 2021-2023 with a significant increase in wages and benefits compared to Nexperia’s initial offer.
A set wage scale increment as Php1,000 (US$20.8) in 2021, Php900 (US$18.7) in 2022 and Php900 (US$18.7) 2023 was agreed on. A lump sum in lieu of the retroactivity Php6,000 (US$124.8) and a signing bonus Php36,000 (US$749) will be given to each worker. The union also won a meal subsidy of Php1,690 (US$35.2) per month per member and an extension of paid pandemic leave in the event of infection.
Julius Carandang, spokesperson of MWAP, says:
“Don’t shortchange the workers. Our demands are reasonable and the workers know that the company had been performing well in the last three years. Nexperia is projecting itself to become a US$10 billion company in the year 2030.
“We call on management to not use the pandemic as an excuse. It is the time for Nexperia to show appreciation for the sacrifice of their workers who continue to work during the pandemic. They deserve nothing less than a meaningful CBA.”
Annie Adviento, IndustriALL Global Union South East Asia regional secretary says:
“We congratulate Nexperia Workers’ Union and MWAP for winning the collective agreement negotiations. It is fair to share corporate profit with workers, as the electronics industry generates enormous profit for multinational companies. It is a matter of fact that electronics products constitute 55 per cent of Philippines' total exports.”
Eastern European and Central Asian unions stand strong against challenges
IndustriALL regional secretary Vadim Borisov outlined virtual actions and campaigns and how IndustriALL supports affiliates in the region.
In addition to the pandemic, unions have had to deal with unprecedented attacks on workers’ rights.
In Ukraine, unions managed to slow down the promotion of anti-union and anti-worker draft laws, but the government is now pushing similar norms by splitting them into several new bills. Ukrainian unions continue to demand timely wage payments; wage arrears to workers in state-owned mines now amount a record UAH 1.89 billion (US$ 67,6 million) and dates back as far as 2015.
In Kazakhstan, unions are fighting for early retirement for those working in difficult and harmful conditions after a new labour code cancelled several benefits and guarantees, and made 63 the retirement age. This led to many workers looking for better working conditions and benefits in Russia.
In some countries in the region, unions have managed to achieve positive legislative changes.
In Russia, amendments to the Labour Code on remote work were adopted to regulate working conditions for about six million people who work from home due to the pandemic. Amendments include work schedule, health and safety and compensation of expenses covered by the employer.
Similar amendments related to remote work were adopted in Belarus and Moldova.
In Georgia, years of union struggle has resulted in the adoption of amendments to the Labour Code, introducing proper labour inspections, mandatory rest time and anti-discrimination in line with the 2014 EU-Georgia Association Agreement. The EU was an important leverage in improving legislation.
In Uzbekistan, a new law on trade unions adopted in 2019 has received good reviews from international experts. The Labour Inspectorate has been reinstated, and the 1996 Labour Code will be replaced by a new one under public debate.
In Armenia, the Trade Union of Miners, Metallurgists and Jewellers of Republic of Armenia agreed with industry employers on payment of full wages instead of two thirds, in case the company would stop production due to the pandemic.
Participants welcomed Gulandom Huseynova, chair of the Textile and Light Industry Workers’ Union of Tajikistan, that may join IndustriALL in 2021.
IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches spoke on how IndustriALL adjusted its work during pandemic in order to support affiliates the best possible way. Sanches also briefed participants on preparations of IndustriALL Global Union’s 3rd Congress, which will take place virtually in September 2021.
IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Ozkan congratulated affiliates on handling Covid-19 in the workplace, taking necessary measures to protect workers’ health and safety, protecting income, making sure companies continue in a sustainable way by using legislation, collective agreements and social dialogue.
“There are universal values that IndustriALL wants to see everywhere for stronger democracy, democratic governance and fundamental human and labour rights."
“Belarus will continue to be on our, and our allies, agenda until justice has arrived. In Kyrgyzstan, we need a democratic establishment and stability, and Ukraine needs a sustainable economy respecting workers’ rights.”
“IndustriALL will always support its affiliates in their struggles.”
Turkish unions unite to build power in auto industry
Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are constitutional rights in Turkey, but trade union activities face many barriers. The road to organizing and achieving union recognition is riddled with hurdles. Turkey is regularly criticized by the ILO and the EU for failing to ensure that fundamental workers’ rights are respected.
To that end, IndustriALL organized a workshop on building union power through global framework agreements (GFAs) and other developing instruments for regulating supply chains in the automotive sector in Turkey, bringing together the three affiliates in the country’s metal sector.
GFAs serve to protect the interests of workers across a multinational company’s operations. GFAs put in place the very best standards of trade union rights, health, safety and environmental practices, and quality of work principles across a company's global operations, regardless of whether those standards exist in an individual country. IndustriALL has GFAs with Renault, MAN, Daimler, Volkswagen and Ford, all of which have major operations in Turkey.
“Because of the systemic violations of fundamental labour rights in Turkey, we as a global union have a responsibility to tell the world about. We must make sure multinational companies are aware and can act on the information,”
said IndustriALL auto director Georg Leutert.
“We need to make sure that workers’ voices play a more prominent role in the due diligence process of multinational companies. Trade unions must be recognized as their primary source of information.”
The Turkish union leaders shared their challenges, experiences and cases of conflict in the automotive supply chain.
“We face serious difficulties when we organize and as a union, it is important to preserve and further strengthen our rights. We need support, and international solidarity is crucial for us,“
Türk Metal’s president Pevrul Kavlak reiterated the problems unions face when organizing.
“Even when we have the majority in the workplace and the right to organize, the employer can still take us to court. This happens regularly, which makes it almost impossible to organize workplaces. We all know we can’t fight on our own; we need to unite.”
Adnan Serdaroğlu, Birleşik Metal-İş president, underlined the need for unity:
“Faced with a government that pass anti-labour laws, union busting and layoffs of workers who protest against violations, it is clear that we don’t have the luxury of disagreeing with one another. We must join forces to win.”
Representatives from car manufacturers Volkswagen, MAN and Mercedes joined the workshop and told participants about how they ensure sustainability and respect for workers’ rights in their supply chains.
Philipp Bleckmann from VW said that the German company requires all suppliers to guarantee freedom of association, labour and health protection and non-discrimination. With tens of thousands of suppliers and sub-suppliers Volkswagen performs a high number of audits worldwide and keep a database with self-assessments.
Mustafa Iskifoğlu from MAN Turkey talked about the need to have a dialogue before problems arise, and to that end the company has a charter signed by both the union and the employer.
Yiğit Özgünel, Mercedes-Benz Turkey, explained how their intervention played a role in unionization efforts by Türk Metal at their supplier Bodo Bode in the city of Bursa.
Meeting participants recognized the need for and importance of global solidarity. Forced to protect the basic right of unions, the international movement must be strong. Solidarity support for Turkish autoworkers was offered from US union UAW, organizing Ford workers, as well as from French unions FGMM-CFDT and FTM-CGT, IG Metall, Germany, and FIM-CISL, Italy.
Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, stressed the need to build union power in Turkey’s automotive sector.
“We have come together at a critical time when the entire supply chain is affected by Covid-19. This workshop is a good and important starting point; the next steps involve mapping, workshops, transnational organizing.
“Industrial relations in Turkey are complicated, but by building union power and showing international solidarity, we have the strength to fight for a new system.”
FEATURE: Black Lives Matter – on our streets, in our workplaces, in our unions
FEATURE
From Global Worker No. 2 November 2020
Text: Cherisse Gasana
Theme: Racism and the trade union movement
“Enough is enough”
Disregard for black life through unjustified killings and abuse by law enforcement is not limited to the US, but happens around the world. Racism shows itself through vicious killings by police and also through economic injustice; economic policies that perpetuate poverty and violence in racialized communities everywhere. This is clearly shown by the fact that people of colour are disproportionately affected by Covid-19.
The long shadow of slavery and colonialism
Racism in the US is the long shadow cast by slavery. Systemic racism in the global economy is the legacy of colonialism. With the growth of job insecurity and austerity in Western economies that are taking in new generations of migrants, racism is a major threat to social cohesion. Austerity measures are fueling racial inequality and discrimination, disproportionately affecting people from racial and ethnic minorities.
The wave of protest has led people to draw connections between racism on the streets of their cities and what is happening around the world. A close look at racism in Western societies exposes the systemic racism built in to the global economy, which still bears the scars of colonialism: rich, Western countries extracting value from poor countries with black and brown populations is racism at global scale.
This is why recent developments in international and domestic law – such as the UN binding treaty on business and human rights – are so important in the struggle against systemic racism in the global economy. Making corporations responsible for what happens in their supply chains challenges an exploitative dynamic that has existed since colonial times.
A binding UN instrument could set a new global benchmark for business and human rights. It is also an anti-colonial tool that can be used to rebalance the power relationships between big companies and people in poorer countries.
Why is this happening now?
The global community of youth and the working class are outraged. They have turned up in the streets calling for real change.
“Our world is dying”
“climate change is real”
“oppression and racism still exists”
“the economic system is not working in our favour, it never has”
The anti-racism movement is not new, but its global reach and the level of outrage is unprecedented.The anger is palpable and impossible to ignore, no matter where you live and what colour you are. As the movement picked up speed in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world paid closer attention to the exasperation of people affected by racism.
As the global trade union movement, it is our task to always critically analyze who we are and how we function. Our world is changing and in these unprecedented times it has become obvious that the global system is broken. The very system in which we struggle for justice every day is not only broken; it was never intact in the first place.
Unions recognize the problem
In principal, trade unions are committed to anti-racism. In practice, however, trade union structures too often reproduce the inequalities of the societies they exist in. Trade union officials often don’t look like the workers that they represent.
The UK Trade Union Congress (TUC) ran the Racism at Work survey between December 2016 and February 2017. The survey evidence strongly suggested that there are serious problems in the trade union movement requiring urgent attention. The TUC commissioned a report, Racism Ruins Lives, based on the survey, which throws a spotlight on issues the trade union movement must urgently address.
Recently the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) organized a web conference on fighting racism and ethnic discrimination in the economy, which found that:
“For years, trade unions have been at the forefront in the fight against all forms of racism and discrimination in the workplace and in society. Today, most OECD countries have taken measures to combat discrimination and the majority of countries have gone beyond anti-discrimination legislation and implemented additional diversity measures, recognizing that anti-discrimination policies alone cannot remove structural obstacles for disadvantaged groups. However, this has proven to be far from enough.”
Are unions on the right side?
On this burning issue of racism, unions have turned up for the discussion and for the most part look like they are taking-action to make sure that diversity is taken seriously within their structures. They are making diversity a part of collective bargaining agreements, taking on the conversation internally about institutional racism, training staff on unconscious biases. The optics are good, but is this enough to bring on real change?
Should we be worried that our union structures resemble that of most multinationals –
“white, old and here to stay”
It’s uncomfortable, but it’s our reality. Have we cemented these unrepresentative structures into our DNA?
A brief look into a part of our history
Long before the industrial revolution, for thousands of years, Europe relied on trade networks to access goods like gold, silver, precious stones, spices and cloth. Many of these goods came from Africa and Asia and were carried by land, river and sea to Europe.
Wanting better access to these sources of wealth, Europe began exploration of these faraway lands. The voyages led to more trade which strengthened Europe significantly, leaving a huge legacy in the way the world works today.
The European population grew, armies became more organized, with better weapons that were produced in factories. Very quickly, European powers were able to take over land which gave way to the invasion, occupation, division, and colonization of Africa and the enslavement of Africans.
Colonization and the slave trade would strengthen not only Europe but also America, allowing their societies to thrive on the backs of slaves and through years of pillage. This led to their own prosperous industrial revolutions.
The idea of Africans as inferior and barbaric emerged during the 18th century to justify slavery and conquest. These racial ideas were aimed at Africans in Africa, as well as at those enslaved in the New World. These stereotypes are hidden in the history that we learn at school, they are in our institutions and governments and influence who holds the power in the global economy today.
The industrial revolution changed the landscape during the 19th century. Industries grew and so did the working class. Workers were faced with difficult working conditions and had very little individual power to improve their situations. Workers turned to unionization to influence their environments.This period of trade unionism lead to most of the benefits that we enjoy today as workers.
How do we make the change real?
Understanding systemic racism is tough depending on where you stand. But it exists and has existed for very long. It is engrained in governments, institutions, education and the global economy, but more importantly, no matter what colour we are, it’s engrained in us too.
The workforce that we represent has become more diverse, but unions are taking too long to follow suit. Women, youth and racialized workers make a big part of the workforce.
As representatives of workers, unions fight the noble fight in the hope of creating a fairer world. But if we don’t take a moment to ask ourselves if we are replicating the practices of this broken system within our own structures, then our fight is no more noble than multinationals fighting for their right to not be held accountable for human rights violations in their supply chains.
Multinationals whose products feed, drive and indulge our modern consumer needs also function and prosper thanks to the workers in their supply chains with shameful track records. Repression and the exploitation of communities are often the ugly truths behind the products they produce and that we consume every day.
Today people are more careful about where they spend their money. Supporting companies that stay silent on racism or that are themselves racist is not something that many consumers feel comfortable with anymore.
With this in mind, companies are very good at cleaning up their image where it matters. Their strategy to continue thriving in an unjust world is to make superficial changes that are not meaningful but are enough to get their customers engaged again.
Are our unions doing the same? Why would you join a trade union that lacks the diversity to properly represent you and, that itself perpetuates institutional racism?
While some unions are taking real steps to be more diverse, the way that they go about it can sometimes be discouraging to young workers who are paying attention to the world that is being left behind for them.
It is important to have women’s committees in union structures but it has to come with women in decision making positions. The same goes for youth committees and diversity committees; they have to be reflected in the decision making positions.
How can trade unions truly change the employment landscape for the working class if they are not ready to radically change their structures to better represent these workers? Union membership is decreasing and we are not moving fast enough and changing fast enough to adapt to the needs of the current global workforce. Their issues are clear and to understand them we must be them. Radical structural change is the only answer to genuinely tackle not only racism, but gender equality and youth representation.
It was through having real representation during the industrial revolution that cemented real change for the future working class. Rich old men were not the ones who were at the forefront of the struggle. It was those who had to endure the harsh reality of unsafe work, interminable working hours and low pay who are the champions of that era.
The role of the global union
Global unions have become much more prominent in the past decade because of globalization and the need for unions to cooperate more effectively across national borders.
We engage in a broad range of activities, including supporting affiliates, particularly in developing economies, lobbying international agencies to promote workers' interests and human rights, encouraging union organizing and international solidarity action, and engaging in global collective bargaining with large multinationals and employers' organizations.
One of the principals that emerged out of global trade union federations such as IndustriALL Global Union, is that we function on the basis of a solidarity system. We are funded by trade unions around the world, and the wealthier trade unions in the global North pay more while trade unions in emerging economies pay less.
Our externally funded projects function in a similar way. Money from wealthier countries or Western institutions is used to fund projects in developing countries to build unions and build capacity to better represent workers in the global South. This is to overcome the legacy of colonialism which leaves workers in these countries at a disadvantage.
Let us keep this aspect of racism in mind: racism is the system that allows the racial group that’s already in power to retain power, it is the belief that personality, behaviour and morals can be traced back to race, and the belief that one race is superior to another.
The task is noble in essence but it is also very delicate and fragile. We have to empower unions in developing countries without encroaching on their integrity and autonomy. We cannot impose Western ways of doing things onto them. Solidarity is not just about material support, and it doesn’t just flow one way – it’s also about listening and learning from each other. Global unions are not charities, supporting client unions in developing countries.
Unions in the West are not superior or better. The West has benefited from an ugly history, and this has given its unions relative power. It’s time to use that power for change, real radical change.
Ten years after the Arab Spring, the region’s unions take stock
Introducing the meeting, IndustriALL vice-president Abdelmajid Matoual noted that although the pandemic has created a gloomy short-term outlook for the region’s workers, it is too soon to predict the consequences. The pandemic also gives as an opportunity to reflect:
“We need to change the way we think,” he said, “the way we organize. We need to work in new ways to build unity – strong unions that will stand together to defend workers’ rights.”
IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches said that Human Rights Day is an opportunity to reflect on defending human rights, particularly as the pandemic has led to global attacks on workers. The health crisis is leading to an economic crisis.
“Pandemic profiteers – particularly companies like Amazon, and the big bosses of the gig economy – have made a fortune out of the pandemic”, he said. “Unions must fight for stimulus money to build a green recovery.”
Assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan noted that it is ten years since the eruption of the Arab Spring:
“That moment gave us so much hope for the future, for freedom and democracy. Instead we have had turbulence and conflict, and for many countries, the situation is worse now than it was ten years ago. The one bright spot is the growing strength and unity of the region’s trade union movement.”
Özkan noted that the Middle East and North Africa is the most conflict-ridden region in the world. It has a growing population, with high unemployment, and a poor economic outlook which is too dependent on the export of fossil fuels.
Delegates reported that the pandemic has made organizing more difficult than ever, with repression of protests and arrests in some countries, and lockdown restrictions throughout the region. Many private sector companies, including engineering, automotive and aerospace firms in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, have laid off or failed to pay workers.
In many countries, public finances have been hit by the falling oil price, and public sector workers have not been paid. In Iraq, electricity workers have not been paid for six months. There is no dialogue at all with unions.
However, there are also bright spots: in Jordan, the textile union JTGCU started tripartite negotiations with government and employer representatives at the start of the pandemic. The agreement they reached secured jobs, wage levels and health coverage for workers in the sector, many of them migrant women. In Palestine, the textile union was able to reach a similar agreement after starting negotiations within a week of the country reporting its first coronavirus case. In Morocco, the phosphate union SNTP-CDT won a Covid bonus to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, and in recognition for their efforts in maintaining production.
Another bright spot was the position of women. Many delegates reported that they had succeeded in increasing the representation of women in companies and in their unions, as well as defending women’s positions in society. Hashmeya Alsadawe of Iraq reported from the women’s committee.
Main image: In Iraq, Basra Gas Company workers protest this summer against the non-payment of wages
Reindustrializing Latin America and the Caribbean
The discussion on a political and union agenda to promote regional reindustrialization focuses on sustainable development and ensuring a fair transition to a low-carbon economy. Together with academic experts a document with the main trends and possible scenarios for industry in the region over the coming years has been drawn up, expected to be updated in 2021 and beyond.
At the final seminar of the year, Maurício Borges Lemos, former director of the Brazilian Development Bank, explained that an exchange rate policy would be fundamental to any project to industrialize peripheral countries and establish an integrated development policy for Latin America.
Each country, or group of countries, would set up sector-specific industrial policy mechanisms. That would entail a combination of floating exchange rates and separate tax rates for each sector, although the same protective tariffs and duty drawbacks would be applied to all sectors. To enhance regional integration, those tariffs could be set at zero for interregional trade.
Argentina’s ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Alfonso Tomada, looked at challenges caused by the economic, social and public-health crisis in Latin America. Digitalization and sustainability are a priority on government and company agendas, a transformation which impacts jobs and development, making it necessary to strengthen people’s power within the region.
"We need find a way to increase participation and create mechanisms to ensure a Just Transition, which basically involves ensuring greater union participation […].
“We need to strengthen industrial dialogue to achieve productive agreements. Unless countries promote development through jobs and increased productivity, with the full participation of workers, we will not be able to reduce poverty and inequalities."
Valter Sanches spoke about deindustrialization in Latin America, caused by ultra-liberal policies and how the pandemic has changed the global economy.
"Latin America may see further deindustrialization as it no longer receives direct foreign investment as a result of ultra-liberal policies. As unions we must foster dialogue with governments, legislative bodies and multilateral organizations, and get involved in the economic process.
"We need to work together to create and promote sustainable industrial policies, as well as sovereign trade policies. IndustriALL's global action plan for fair trade and industrial policy, emphasizes the need to reverse the trend of deindustrialization and return to generating high-quality jobs in the region."
Belarus – human rights must be respected
No-one could predict, 70 years after the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), rigged presidential elections in Belarus would slip the country into a huge uncertainty.
Since August this year, human rights’ protection groups have noted more than 30,000 detentions, over 900 criminal cases opened against protesters, 373 arrests of journalists, 156 political prisoners and at least seven people killed in relation to the protests. In addition, there have been staggering 4,000 declarations of torture during and after detentions, and not a single of investigation ended against police involved in violations and brutality at the peaceful protests.
Workers’ rights have been seriously oppressed since the current regime came in power in 1994, but the scale of recent repressions bypass all previously reported cases. IndustriALL’s Belorussian affiliates report of hundreds of detentions, forced dismissals and other persecutions for their members.
Workers' rights are an integral part of human rights, including the right to decent conditions of work, freedom of association, equality of rights and protection against discrimination. What is happening in Belarus is arbitrary and the impunity of the culprits undermine trust in the governmental institutions.
The international community is outraged with the current situation, and those responsible with all the violations are already facing with sanctions, particularly from the European Union. But more need to be done and a stronger pressure must be put on Belarusian authorities to do an immediate restoration for a democratic and transparent governance.
IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:
“IndustriALL Global Union fully supports Belarussian people and workers in their struggle for democracy, fundamental human rights and freedoms. Our solidarity actions will continue until workers’ and human rights are fully settled and respected in Belarus.”
Photo credit: gazetaby.com
South African union campaigns for an end to violence against women
One of the members receiving the support is Pontsho Serumula. Serumula, who works for a company that manufactures aluminium products, suffered third degree burns in an acid attack on her face and body by her estranged husband at their home in Thokoza outside Johannesburg in 2014. She suspects that the acid was obtained from the factory where she and the husband are both employed.
Serumula was admitted to hospital, and it took her two years to recover from the burns. The case is in court where the former husband is facing attempted murder charges. After several postponements, judgment is expected to be delivered in 2021.
Recalling the trauma, Serumula says:
“After recovering from the burns, the operations manager said I should not come back to work as I would not cope. The reason he gave was that I will not be able to lift objects. I was surprised by this because my job does not require me to lift objects. It was only after my doctor’s intervention that I resumed work. The employer never apologized for the ill-informed decision to stop me from working. I feel pain when I see my former husband at work, and we continue to carry out our duties as if nothing happened. Although we no longer live together. I am waiting for justice.
“My union stood with me during this ordeal. The support I got from NUMSA shows that unions are fighting against gender-based violence. This shows that we are stronger when we stand together. We must also be visible and must stand for other women who are facing gender-based violence.
“There must be no space at home, at work or in the union for gender-based violence and sexism. Women must enjoy the protection of the law and our union leaders must not shy away from supporting women who are facing abuse.”
Pontsho in yellow t-shirt outside the Palm Ridge Court.
Ruth Ntlokotse, NUMSA 2nd deputy president, says:
“Besides the obvious extreme physical pain, comrade Pontsho has experienced intense emotional and psychological pain because of the trauma caused by the attack. Her suffering has been worsened by the fact that the wheels of justice have been terribly slow in her case.”
“We want justice for comrade Pontsho and commend NUMSA for being an agent of change raising awareness, educating, and fighting against gender-based violence. As trade unions we must challenge the unequal power relationships and social norms that promote gender-based violence.”
Photo caption: Pontsho in yellow t-shirt outside the Palm Ridge Court.
