Amplifying young workers’ voices in South East Asia

The common problems facing young unionists are factory closures, slow down of production, reduction in wages and benefits, and layoffs of workers, particularly temporary and contract workers.

While sharing with participants of the first IndustriALL’s South East Asia youth webinar on 27 July 2020, Jolame Vosa, organizer at National Union of Factory and Commercial Workers says :

“Some companies in Fiji have reduced workers’ hours of work and salaries, some intimidated workers that they cannot fulfil their contract obligation. Few companies closed down and led to layoffs of workers.”

Most of the 50 gender balanced webinar participants face a similar situation. The unionists were from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Fiji and Mongolia.

Never giving up the fight, young unionists utilize collective bargaining process to protect workers’ rights and benefits.

Ega Rahayu and Agung, two young members of Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers' Union (FSPMI) says :

“Although Covid-19 has serious impact on our members, we negotiate with companies to protect workers’ rights and benefits through our unions. We use collective agreement as a basis of negotiation so that companies won’t cut workers’ benefits.”

Drawing the conclusion, IndustriALL regional secretary Annie Adviento says:

“Despite the difficulties and vulnerabilities being experienced during pandemic, IndustriALL youth is hoping for a brighter future and fighting the battle of decent work through their unions. The regional office pledges to amplify their voice and stand together with their struggles.”

As a result of Covid-19 pandemic, IndustriALL South East Asia decided to organize a series of youth webinars to replace the annual youth exchange forum. The thematic youth webinars cover topics such as communication, gender equality, organizing and the others.

Inditex and IndustriALL to cooperate on garment industry recovery plan

Pablo Isla of Inditex, Moussa Oumarou of the ILO and Valter Sanches of IndustriALL at the renewal of the GFA at the ILO in November 2019.

The organizations pledged to do this in a joint declaration signed in Arteixo and Geneva on 4 August.

In many countries that produce garments for the sector, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia and Turkey, fashion retailers cancelled orders during lockdown, leading to largescale job losses and economic hardship for workers in countries without furlough schemes. A major purpose of this agreement is a commitment to stable payment terms and financing to support suppliers’ cash flow. This will enable them to honour payments to workers so that jobs and incomes are protected.

The agreement builds on a longstanding partnership between the company and the global union, which began with a global framework agreement signed in 2007 and renewed in 2019.

The agreement pledges to respect freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, giving workers the right to join a union to advance their interests. It promotes social dialogue at all levels, and commits both organizations to working with governments and business organizations in source countries.

The agreement reinforces commitments to other multistakeholder initiatives, including the ILO Call to Action in the Global Garment Industry and the ACT initiative.

The health and safety of workers will be ensured. Supplier companies will implement protective measures, and provide personal protective equipment. As Covid-19 restrictions are lifted and economies reopen, Inditex and the global union committee will monitor the safe resumption of normal operations.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches said:

“The Covid-19 pandemic caused a crisis in the textile and garment industry that led unions to experience mass job losses, unsafe working conditions and attacks on workers’ rights. Many of our members saw their livelihoods collapse entirely.

“The manufacturing suppliers need stability and predictability so that employment and income can be preserved. That’s what this commitment entails. We are working together to help the industry to develop the resilience to recover from the crisis, saving jobs and preserving the rights and income of workers.”

Image: An Inditex distribution centre.

Huge strike wave hits Iranian energy sector

About 10,000 workers have stopped work as a wave of wildcat strike action has hit major refineries and industrial projects in Iran’s South Pars gas fields. The workers are protesting the late payment of wages, poverty wages, insecure employment and poor working and living conditions as they battle 50-degree heat.

Late wage payments are a frequent problem, and localized protest and strike action is common. However, this large scale, coordinated wave of strike action is unprecedented, and affects a number of refineries and many contractors.

Striking workers on the first day

 

The strikers are builders, electricians, welders, pipefitters and other tradesmen working for employment agencies and gang masters on industrial projects in the world’s largest natural gas field. They work a shift cycle of 20 days on, ten days off, and are housed in dormitories close to the workplace while on shift. They intend to refuse to work for an entire 20-day shift cycle.

The wave of strike action was triggered when Ebrahim Arabzadeh, a contract worker at Mahshahr petrochemical complex, died from heat exhaustion at work on 28 July. Workers presented a list of demands to the contracting companies. By Saturday 1 August, 10,000 workers were on strike, with 2,000 abandoning the gas fields entirely and returning home, and many others gathering outside the offices of the contractors.

IndustriALL Global Union’s Iranian affiliate, the Union of Mechanics and Metalworkers of Iran, believes that the scale of the action means that workers have a chance to win concessions and possibly gain representation at major industrial sites.

As the strike continues, workers at other refineries and petrochemical complexes are expected to join.  By 4 August, protests had spread to Isfahan refinery in central Iran and Mashhad in the north east.

There is a wave of industrial action sweeping Iran, including at the Haft Tappeh sugar refinery and at industrial facilities in the city of Arak. Striking workers are often brutally suppressed. But the South Pars workers are using their precarious employment as an industrial weapon: because they are not permanent employees, they cannot be disciplined for work stoppages or leaving work altogether.

Organizers fear retaliation by the security forces as the strike spreads. There are unconfirmed reports of arrests and surveillance against key activists.

It was reported today that the first two days of the strike led some employers to indicate that they are prepared to renegotiate terms, including at Iranshahr power station in the south east.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“Iranian workers have proved time and again that no amount of repression will silence them. They will stand up for their rights and continue to protest until their voice is heard.

“The workers in the gas fields are taking coordinated, strategic industrial action in defence of their rights. If they hold firm, they can win a substantial change. Iran will suffer industrial conflict until independent unions are recognized.”

The development of the South Pars fields is Iran’s flagship hydrocarbons project. The country is dependent on the project for foreign exchange as it experiences hyperinflation. The state-run oil and gas company has jurisdiction over all projects in South Pars. French energy giant Total signed a deal to develop the fields in 2017, but pulled out due to US sanctions.

The fields are being developed in partnership with other multinational energy companies, but Iran has struggled to raise the necessary financial commitment. Contractors are under pressure to complete work on projects which are behind schedule, and often face liquidity problems due to delayed payments on government contracts due to banking sanctions.

Call for Expression of Interest – Trade and Industrial Policy research

The proposed study is part of IndustriALL Global Union’s ongoing effort in implementing an “Action Plan: Towards Trade For the Benefit of the People”. It aims to critically examine trade and industrial policy trends at the global and at the regional levels.

It includes in-depth analysis of evolving regional trade and industrial policy frameworks and implications of the bilateral and regional trade and investment agreements on employment and workers rights. It will also include analysis of provisions promoting higher labour standards in trade agreements and challenges in effective implementations with the view to propose policy and action recommendations to trade unions.

The initial focus of the study will be on global trade looking in particular at the WTO. It will then go into region specific analyses, focusing on the four regions of Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East Asia looking at regional specificities in trade agreements and industrial policies as well as how these relate to specific regional and national issues in the area of employment generation, impact on workers and trade union rights and labour standards.

The study will be a base for policy-making for IndustriALL Global Union’s political decisions in its relevant organs. The terms of reference contains further details including timeline and submission guidelines.

Expression of interest may be emailed to Manicandan, responsible for the project, with a copy to Atle Høie, assistant general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union. 

The expression of interest should be submitted on or before 10 August 2020.

Click here for terms of reference for the study.

Union busting at Shints garments in Ethiopia condemned

The Industrial Federation of Textile Leather and Garment Workers Trade Union (IFTLGWTU), affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, says the management of the garment manufacturer that exports outdoor clothing and sportswear under the US trade policy the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), is discouraging workers from joining the union.

Shints, which employs 4,414 workers at Bole Lemi, has also stopped deducting union dues from wages. Efforts to meet the management have been unsuccessful as they are resistant to resolving the issues raised by the union. According to the IFTLGWTU, Shints falsely claims that they are the only company in the industrial park that allows unions to recruit and organize – yet their actions show otherwise.

 

The union is worried that the anti-union campaign is responsible for a loss of membership, which dropped from 3,800 to 2,500. Further, it is raising concerns on health and safety, including Covid-19 prevention measures at the factory, after 60 workers, presently in quarantine, tested positive for the coronavirus.

Angesome Geberyohannes, the president of the IFTLGWTU, is dismayed by what is happening. He says:

“Around mid-2019 things began to change for the worst as the friendly environment was replaced by hostility and suppression of union and workers’ rights. Some vibrant union leaders were forced to resign from union positions, and it is now difficult to replace them because meetings are prohibited by the management. This is weakening the union. On Covid-19, the company must follow strict adherence to prevent the spread in the factory.”

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary, wrote to the CEO of the Korean-headquartered parent company, Shin Textile Solutions, condemning the union-busting.

He says:

“It is unacceptable that management at Shints are violating workers’ rights that are protected by the Ethiopian constitution and labour laws. These rights are also protected by International Labour Organization Convention 87 on freedom of association and protection of the right to organize, and Convention 98 on the right to organize and collective bargaining. We call upon the management to stop this push back and allow the union to operate as before.”

Cerrejón Colombia announces change that will eliminate 1,200 jobs

Cerrejón’s management held a meeting on 15 July to announce its decision to modify the work shift arrangements in the mine's operational areas. This involves replacing the rotating shift pattern set out in the collective employment agreement – whereby employees work for two days and then have one day off, then work for another two days and have three days off – for a system in which employees work for seven days and then get three and then four days off, with no pay rise.

Colombian coal workers' union Sintracarbón, which is an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, stated that prior to the announcement, the company had not held any consultations or talks with workers to discuss options and the advantages and disadvantages of making this change. They believe that the new shift system will have numerous adverse effects on the personal lives and health of workers and will result in hundreds of jobs being lost.  

The change entails getting rid of one of the shift teams. This will result in a 25 per cent reduction in the workforce, meaning that 1,200 workers will be left without a job. This comes in addition to the suspension of 400 employment contracts as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, creating a real employment crisis.

The shift arrangement currently in place was set up 30 years ago by a foreign expert hired by Cerrejón. Prior to that, employees had to work for six days and then had two days off. That system led to complaints and 11 unfair dismissals and also had a negative impact on production.

“We think that the new shift system, which involves working seven days in a row for the same pay, will have a real impact on workers' health. And let’s not forget that 60 per cent of Cerrejón employees are in the older category. What’s more, the new system will leave 1,200 workers without a job, so there are also social implications. We're need to fight to protect the shift system that's been set out in our collective employment agreement for the past 30 years,”

said Igor Díaz López, chair of Sintracarbón national executive committee.

Sintracarbón has said that the current shift pattern should be maintained because it means the employees perform well. Since workers get proper rest, they can keep up productivity and continue to generate substantial profits for Cerrejón.

IndustriALL's general secretary, Valter Sanches, has written to the CEO of Cerrejón, Claudia Bejarano Gutiérrez de Piñerez, calling on her to ensure Cerrejón fosters a dialogue with Sintracarbón and complies with the provisions of the current collective employment agreement.

“We urge Cerrejón to hold a meeting with workers to discuss the scope of the decision and find an alternative. Finally, we wish to reiterate how important it is to ensure that the fundamental rights of Cerrejón workers are respected.”

Japanese unions win 100 per cent increase in coronavirus subsidy

Since the outbreak of coronavirus in Japan in February 2020, the Japanese Federation of Textile, Chemical, Food, Commercial, Service and General Workers' Unions (UA ZENSEN) and other IndustriALL Japanese affiliates have continuously engaged with the Japanese government to increase the amount of EAS, to ensure decent living conditions for their members under government confinement orders.

During the health crisis, the Japanese government introduced numerous Covid-19 emergency packages to bolster the economy and retain jobs. The proclamation of a state of emergency in April restricted the movement of all Japanese citizens for more than one month, which seriously impacted workers’ income.

UA ZENSEN demanded that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare increase EAS to support its members who lost income during the emergency and confinement.

On 1 April, the coverage of EAS was expanded to all companies which were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as a special measure. The subsidy rates were raised to 67 per cent for large and 80 per cent for small and medium-sized companies.

Subsequently, in mid-June, UA ZENSEN and other IndustriALL affiliates achieved a victory after the government announced an increase of the subsidy from ¥8,330 to ¥15,000 (USD 140) per person per day, almost doubling it. Subsidy rates were increased to 75 per cent for large and 100 per cent for small and medium-sized companies.

UA ZENSEN leadership has a discussion on EAS with Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Yasutoshi Nishimura

During an interview, UA ZENSEN president Akihiko Matsuura said:

“Since March, we had been meeting ministry officials and submitted our proposals to push for the increase of EAS. In addition, we had liaised with members of House of Councillors originally from UA ZENSEN. They played a vital role in lobbying the government.

“We are glad that the policy change not only benefits our members, it also extends to all Japanese workers suffered during the pandemic. This shows the vital role of trade unions as policy advocates in improving the well-being of workers”

IndustriALL regional secretary Annie Adviento says:

“I congratulate the success of UA ZENSEN and other Japanese affiliates in increasing the EAS. UA ZENSEN is amongst the unions hit the hardest because it covers workers in the manufacturing sector and small enterprises as well as the service and retail sector.

“The efforts of our affiliates in Japan will have a profound impact in South East Asia. The resilience of the Japanese economy will ensure sustainability of its supply chain and indirectly retain employment opportunities in the region.”

Main image: UA ZENSEN president Akihiko Matsuura hands over union’s demand to Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Katsunobu Kato

Government harasses Malaysian union leader after safety concerns aired

On 16 June, Channel 4 News in the UK shockingly revealed the failure of the biggest rubber glove manufacturer in the world, Top Glove, to comply with the social distancing rules imposed by Malaysian authorities. The investigative report also exposed the poor living conditions of migrant workers at the company.

Shocked by the working conditions, the general secretary of National Union of Transport Equipment and Allied Industries Workers (NUTEAIW), N. Gopalkishnam, commented in the video that the violation of the Covid-19 prevention protocol puts the entire Top Glove workforce at risk. He urged the UK National Health Service (NHS) to stop buying medical gloves from the company.

Due to this comment, made in solidarity with the workers at the rubber glove factory, Home Ministry officers called Gopalkishnam several times and visited NUTEAIW’s office without prior notice. A meeting was arranged on the morning of 24 July.

N. Gopalkishnam says :

“It puzzles me that, during the meeting, the Home Ministry officers were only interested in persons behind the video and my contacts in the factory. Why don’t they care about workers’ health and violation of social distancing rules in the factory?”

The Labour Law Reform Coalition, a coalition of 58 trade unions and NGOs, issued a statement on 23 July:

“The new government has been tightening its grip on critics from trade union movement and civil society organizations. Other than union leader, social activists highlighting issues on electoral reform, refugees, death in custody were summoned by the police for investigation.

“We urge the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to end harassment against Gopalkishnam and other social activists immediately. It is important that the government respects the democratic rights of union and NGO leaders to voice the concerns of workers and marginalized communities.”

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:

“IndustriALL calls on the Malaysian government to respect this trade union leader’s freedom of expression and stop all investigations against Gopalkishnam. To fight Covid-19, all governments need trade unions to act as their eyes and ears in workplaces to prevent the spread of coronavirus.”

Successful organizing in Romania

IndustriALL Global Union's auto director Georg Leutert reflects on a difficult but successful organizing drive, and what elements are needed for successful transnational cooperation. 

In October 2019, Leutert, together with a colleague from the Daimler World Works Council and a manager from Daimler, travelled to Cugir to meet the local union.

At the plant we meet our colleague Calin Giurgiu, who has been maintaining the demand for a union with his colleagues for months. And in front of the factory we meet a man in a hooded sweatshirt with a huge wolf on it, Árpád Suba, general secretary of IndustriALL-BNS, our affiliated union in Romania. But he is not allowed in, as management does not want to talk to him. A complicated and questionable procedure ensues; we talk inside and then go to the gate to talk to Suba again and again, to inform and advise each other. 

According to Romanian labour law, employees can only register with a representative trade union if the company states the total number of employees in an official letter. This is because a union is only eligible for collective bargaining if it has organized more than 50 per cent of all employees.

At the end of the day, the company agrees to deliver the critical letter We travel back and hope that a decisive breakthrough has been achieved.

And indeed, the union registration process is quickly completed. But management continues to intimidate employees and the start of the collective bargaining is constantly delayed. 

With the arrival of Covid-19, plans for a planned workshop with the Romanian union and part of the management, has to be postponed. 

Now, more than eight months after our visit, good news arrive from Romania: the trade union has an office at the plant and on collective bargaining began on 22 June. 

Transnational cooperation can be effective, and there are four key ingredients: 

  1. A strong trade union on the ground with strong support from the workforce – IndustriALL-BNS 
  2. A trade union at company headquarters who takes global values and solidarity seriously and is able to initiate the appropriate monitoring processes – IG Metall and the World Employee Committee at Daimler 
  3. A company that takes trade union rights and social values seriously and is willing to thoroughly investigate reported violations – Daimler 
  4. A global trade union that knows the world, can mediate and knows how to enforce international standards – IndustriALL Global Union 

In Cugir all the elements were in place and we will do everything we can to keep it that way. The current bargaining is only slowly proceeding which is a clear indicator that the achievements made so far are only a beginning.

Georg Leutert
Director, Automotive and Aerospace industries
tel. +41 22 308 5026
gleutert

Gas is the future for the Nigerian economy, say unions

The Federal Government of Nigeria announced on 30 June that the construction of the 614km gas pipeline had begun.

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), both affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, see the development as an opportunity to create decent jobs and reduce the high levels of unemployment. According to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics, unemployment is over 23 per cent or 21 million unemployed, and underemployment is 20.1 per cent or 18 million. The underemployed are those who work less than 40 hours a week.

The government and the state-owned enterprise, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, said the pipeline will provide gas for power generation and stimulate the creation of new industries in the towns of Kogi, Niger, Kaduna, and Abuja. It is hoped that the new industries will create thousands of local jobs, transfer technology and promote local manufacturing. The pipeline will also benefit existing industries that rely on gas.

The construction is being carried out as part of China’s new Silk Road, where energy investments supported by China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which Nigeria joined in 2019. Through this initiative, the Bank of China and Sinosure (China Export Credit Agency) will finance the pipeline by $2.8 billion. Chinese construction and engineering companies are contracted, and the Nigerian partner is Oilserve, an oil and gas company.

Nigeria’s current production of 7,000 megawatts falls short of the country’s electricity demands for domestic and industrial use. It is hoped that the pipeline will close the gap by adding 3,600 megawatts to the national grid. Upon completion of the project, 2.2 billion cubic feet per day of gas will be produced according to the government.

The pipeline will join the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline which will export the natural gas to Europe. With Nigeria’s oil reserves expected to last three or four decades, the huge gas deposits allow for economic diversity.

Lumumba Ogbawa, the general secretary of PENGASSAN says:

“We welcome this development. Gas is the future of Nigeria, and developmental efforts like these from the government are appreciated. The 600 km pipeline from Ajaokuta to Kano will run through several communities – creating jobs along the way during the construction phase. This is the diversification of the economy that we have been clamouring for. It is a timely strategic development.”

Diana Junquera Curiel, IndustriALL director for energy says:

“Natural gas will be the main energy source in the transition from fossil fuels to green energies. It has the potential to develop economies and improve the livelihoods of workers and communities through decent jobs. It is also an important source of energy for households and factories. We hope this gas pipeline will meet the expectations.”

Picture: A pipeline being fabricated on Snake Island, Lagos. Photo CC by Alex Aghomi.