Ukrainian coal miners win after 11-day protest

The protest was organized by the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine (NPGU) who mobilized members from private and state-owned coal mines across the country, demanding that operations resume, that stable operations be ensured and that wage arrears amounting UAH 1.2 billon (US$ 45.8 million) are paid.

During the protest, negotiations between coal mining companies and state-owned Centrenergo, the country’s largest coal consumer, were held by the Ministry of energy. Negotiations resulted in a contract to restore supplies of Ukrainian coal to Centrenergo thermal power plants. The parties also reached a preliminary agreement with two state banks on opening a credit line for Centrenergo to ensure timely payment for supplied coal and miners’ wages.

As a result, the state and private mines will be able to restart operations and miners will return to work.

Acting energy minister Olga Buslavets mediated the negotiation process and provided guarantees for the protesters that the idle coal mines will resume operations, wage arrears will be paid, and purchase of coal extracted in Ukrainian coal mines will be resumed.

Dobropillyavuhillia coal mining company that operates five mines in Donetsk region resumed operations on 13 July, and workers returned to work after five months of forced downtime.

NPGU chairman Mykhailo Volynets stresses the urgent need for a comprehensive and systematic solution to the problems in the energy sector:

“The protest was intense but the miners are quite satisfied with the progress made, especially solving the problem of wage arrears at state-owned mines. However, there are no guarantees that mines will be stable in the future and there are risks of new wage arrears. The NPGU hope to continue a comprehensive dialogue with authorities and employers.”

In recent years, miners at state-owned coal mines have taken multiple actions across Ukraine to draw attention to the critical situation of coal mining industry and regular wage arrears.

IndustriALL Global Union’s assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan says:

“IndustriALL congratulates NPGU, coal miners and their families who achieved this victory together. We urge the Ukrainian authorities to engage in social dialogue with unions to improve the situation in the coal mining industry, guarantee stable production and employment, as well as timely payment of wages.”

Gokaldas Exports continues union busting in India

Gokaldas Exports owns 20 factories, and on 8 June, management announced a lay-off of all workers at the only factory with union membership. Factories with more than 100 workers are required to obtain prior permission from the government before layoffs, making the move illegal as, at the time, 1,200 workers were employed in the factory.

That same evening, workers began a sit-in at the company gates, which is still ongoing.

At the time of the layoffs, Swedish fashion giant H&M was the only buyer. The union, IndustriALL affiliate Unions United, is engaged in conciliation proceedings before the labour department. Gokaldas management refused to attend meetings called by the National monitoring committee (NMC), part of the global framework agreement between H&M and IndustriALL Global Union.

It took a month, and on 8 July, management attended the NMC meeting, but refused to make any commitment or show good faith to resolve the matter with the union.

Management of Gokaldas Exports has been harassing workers to resign. There are recordings of managers announcing that the factory will not re-open and that workers would only be able to get their dues if they resign.

Workers who were forced to resign have informed the union about the pressure they were subjected to.

In an appalling development since the NMC meeting, officials from Gokaldas Exports have gone to village after village where the workers live, bullying the workers to resign and threaten them with withheld dues unless they resign.

Union members, with support from village leaders, have managed to resist the pressure from management.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:

“Gokaldas Exports behaviour violates international labour standards; this is a clear violation of freedom of association, the cornerstone in our GFA with H&M, and thus a clear violation of the GFA itself. Union busting and intimidation will never be tolerated by IndustriALL. We stand in full solidarity with the brave workers that for over a month have resisted all sorts of pressure during the pandemic to defend their jobs, salaries and your union.”

IndustriALL Global Union will be contacting all brands sourcing from all of Gokaldas Exports’ factories, including H&M, C&A, Marks & Spencer, Gap, Adidas, Bestseller, to ensure the full respect of fundamental labour rights of the workers.

Below are links to videos of Gokaldas Exports' managers, going to the workers' villages trying to force them to resign.

Join us in supporting the workers at Gokaldas fighting for their liveliehoods. Download the poster below, take your photo with it, and post it on social media. Remember to tag IndustriALL and use the hashtag #GarmentWorkersNeedUnions

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Avera garment workers strike for suspended colleague

Aicha Dhouioui, who has worked in the company for 26 years, was accused by the company of inciting workers and organizing a meeting without a permit, which the union, IndustriALL Tunisian affiliate Fédération Générale du Textile, de l'Habillement, Chaussure et Cuir – FGTHCC-UGTT, says is not true.

As Avera garment company, a subsidiary of Granjard, in Tunisia opened up after the Covid-19 lockdown, union representatives tried to engage with the company management, demanding a safe work environment. Management responded by suspending workers.

Union representatives met with management in early June to discuss working conditions and the number of workers present at the same time, only to be met with the suspension of 18 workers. Among the suspended workers are union and workers’ leaders, and Aicha Dhouioui, Avera union general secretary and member of the executive board of FGTHCC-UGTT.

Two days later, a reconciliation session was held at the state (Ben Arous) headquarters together with representatives from company management, the ministry of social affairs, UGTT and FGTHCC. It did not lead anywhere; instead management referred the 18 colleagues to the company disciplinary council. On 29 June, the disciplinary council decided that all workers, except Aicha Dhouioui, could return to work if agreeing to deduct four days’ worth of wages.

Management failed to turn up for a session on 3 July at the state headquarters to discuss Aicha Dhouioui’s situation. FGTHCC-UGTT had no option but to call for a strike on 10 July, in solidarity with Aicha Dhouioui.

Habib Hazami, FGTHCC-UGTT general secretary, says:

“After we exhausted all attempts to find a solution for Aicha’s return to work, we went on strike. What Avira management did against sister Aicha undermines all labour relations as all accusations against her are false and lack credibility.“

Congratulating FGTHCC-UGTT on the successful strike, IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:

“The employer needs to respect workers’ rights and their legitimate trade union. We urge Avira to improve health and safety in consultation with the union, respect the agreements in place and pay workers’ wages when they are due.
"I hope with this amazing show of solidarity from Aicha’s colleagues today, the company finally understands that the workers fully back their union until victory.”

Joint statement of IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union on Israel’s annexation of Palestinian lands

The worrying reports demonstrate that the annexation would disconnect some 200,000 Palestinians from their livelihoods and vital water sources and agricultural lands would be subject to Israeli control.

Our both organizations denounce the American Peace Plan (Deal of the Century) as it disregards internationally accepted and supported processes.

The proposed annexation plan is a stark violation of international law and unilaterally, de facto nullifies the prospects for genuine negotiations leading to the realisation of a two-state solution, based on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as capital of a Palestinian state.

IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union believe that United Nations (UN) is the reference in settling and resolving international conflicts while meaningful peace can only be achieved if both the Israelis and Palestinians come back to the negotiating table.

Therefore, IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll Europe call on their affiliated trade unions to urge their governments and parliaments to put pressure on the government of Israel and the US administration, to adhere to the rules of international law and call for return to direct negotiations, as well as to demand a real investigation on the occupation’s crimes against the Palestinian people.

In addition, our both organizations, in support of the international community and the international trade unions’ statements, call upon all its affiliates and the wider labour movement to denounce the proposed illegal Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley.

IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union re-affirm their commitment to fight to promote respect for trade union and other human rights, freedom, peace, democracy, and social justice throughout the world.

India’s safety crisis: industrial accidents during Covid-19 kill at least 75

As India has returned back to work after the Covid-19 lockdown, there has been an industrial accident at least every two days killing and maiming workers, polluting the surroundings with long-term health and environmental implications.

The toxic gas leak at the LG Polymers plant in Andhra Pradesh on 7 May brought back memories of the Bhopal gas tragedy. The boiler explosion at Yashashvi Raasayan Private Limited at Dahej, Gujarat killed at least eight people and injured about 40. Boiler explosions at Neyveli Lignite Corporation’s thermal power plant in Tamil Nadu on 7 May, and again on 1 July, killed at least 20 workers.

The accidents have continued into July in chemical plants, coal mines, steel factories and boiler blasts in power stations. Widespread use of contract workers lack of safety inspections, inadequate penal action against safety violations and not fixing responsibility on the employer are some important factors contributing to the accidents.

The series of accidents expose a pattern of systemic failures; industries halted without proper shutdowns, processes with poor planning, failure to ensure adequate maintenance and inspection during lockdown leads to accidents while industrial processes are being restarted.

In a letter to the Prime Minister of India, IndustriALL underlined that this kind of mistake falls within the category of Process Safety Management failures and warned the government of India to immediately address this systemic breakdown in safety controls to avert any further potential catastrophes on the scale of the 1984 Bhopal disaster.

At a press conference today, Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:

“We are gravely concerned over the incessant occurrence of avoidable fatal accidents. It is nothing but industrial homicide and the government of India should immediately sound a national alarm to impose proper safety measures and protocols to prevent accidents.
“International norms and standards, particularly workers’ rights, play a central role in improving safety. The government must engage with the unions, listen to their demands, and implement and monitor safety measures in a collective way. IndustriALL is ready to work with all stakeholders and provide technical support to improve safety. The world and India cannot have another Bhopal.”

Also speaking to the press, Dr G Sanjeeva Reddy, President of INTUC and IndustriALL affiliate Indian National Metalworkers Federation, said:

“The government of India should form an expert commission to analyze the industrial accidents, immediately address this safety crisis and stop potential accidents. The government should involve unions in the decision making process both at the national level and at the factory levels to avoid accidents in the future.”

Vietnamese unions support ratification of convention on abolition of forced labour

Since 2019, the Vietnamese government has taken decisive steps to reform national labour laws as part of its effort to integrate domestic laws with the legal framework of international labour standards.

In July 2019, the government deposited the instrument of ratification of ILO C98 on right to organize and collective bargaining, which will enter into force on 5 July 2020.
In December the same year, the National Assembly approved a new labour code that embraced the principle of freedom of association. Independent unions will be allowed to set up after January 2021.

On 8 June, the National Assembly approved the European Union-Vietnam free trade agreement, which will gradually abolish all trade tariffs in next 7 years in Europe and 10 years in Vietnam respectively. The assembly also approved ratification of ILO convention on the abolition of forced labour.

Tran Quang Huy, president of Vietnam National Union of Workers in Industry and Trade, says:

“We support the decision of ratification and as trade union we will play our part in ensuring implementation of the convention at workplaces. Forced labour must be prohibited as it also breaks our domestic laws.”

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:

“I am glad that much progress has been made since my visit to Hanoi in August 2019. Our Vietnamese union leaders had mentioned more ratifications of ILO convention were in the pipeline, now we have very fruitful result.
“I wish our comrades continue to monitor the implementation of EU-Vietnam free trade agreement to protect workers’ rights and fight for enforceable labour standards. Unions are now able to use of the mechanism of domestic advisory group to give workers a voice.”

Women workers dismissed from SF Trade for union organizing

Last year, workers at SF Trade, which supplies global brands with textile and leather goods, started a campaign to organize a union. They wanted overtime pay, to work without excessive production pressure and to be respected. They chose IndustriALL Global Union affiliate Deriteks to represent them and began recruiting members.

The company’s management was quick to start anti-union tactics. Ayşe and Pınar – two women who led the organizing campaign – were dismissed on 25 October 2019, allegedly for poor performance. They were taken to separate rooms without their mobile phones, and told to sign resignation letters, or lose their severance payments. They began a picket in front of the factory at the Aegean Free Trade Zone near Izmir.

The management continues to threaten workers with dismissal if they join the union. In December 2019, Nurcan was forced to resign from the union, and Sevcan in January 2020. Both were dismissed.

The company continues to breach international core labour standards as well as Turkish constitutional rights. The company again sued for damages, accusing workers of undermining competitiveness due to their social media posts.

SF Trade has a history of union busting. In 2015, union workers fought and won justice at the company after a long struggle. The company is attacking the union again – and meeting the same resistance.

In 2015 the company, at the time called SF Leather, dismissed 14 workers for joining Deriteks. SF Leather tried to end the organizing campaign by forcing union members to resign from Deriteks. The company sued the workers and the union, accusing them of damaging the company’s commercial interests.

After a global campaign and 198 days of struggle, Deriteks and SF Leather reached an agreement. SF Leather paid compensation to the workers, and withdrew lawsuits against Deriteks.

Deriteks union president, Musa Servi, said:

“It is very clear that SF Trade not only violates workers’ rights but also fundamental human rights. We know these anti-union tactics from 2015. We won at SF Trade in 2015. International solidarity will win again. The company must respect workers’ right to organize. We will continue this fight with our members until they are reinstated and the company starts social dialogue with our union.”

The four dismissed women were picketing until the coronavirus pandemic hit daily life. The fight continues in court. They made a call on the 100th day of picketing in February that “Women should not abandon us in our struggle.”

IndustriALL textile and garment director Christina Hajagos-Clausen adds:

“We want to remind SF Trade that it is the company’s full responsibility to ensure workers’ rights are respected and due diligence is conducted. We call on SF Trade to reinstate dismissed workers unconditionally and to build sustainable industrial relations with Deriteks.
“Women workers’ solidarity crosses borders. They have determination, they have the power to win. Women at SF Trade are not alone in their struggle.”

Chemical and pharmaceutical unions confront Covid-19 together

Meeting in June to coordinate international trade union responses, 175 union leaders from the sector in 40 countries assessed the impact of the pandemic on the unions in the sector, exchanged good practice in negotiating special agreements, and planned upcoming activities.

IndustriALL chemical and pharmaceutical sector co-chairs, together with the chair of the pharmaceutical unions group, all underlined the importance of unity and a strong workers’ role in managing the response to the crisis.

Iris Wolf explained the work of IG BCE in Germany in reacting to the pandemic. The union reached an agreement with the employer association BAVC adapting working and employment conditions for 1.1 million people in the sector for the rest of 2020. IG BCE is also conducting comprehensive information webinars for its works council representatives and members.

Sergio Luiz Leite, president of Fequimfar, Brazil, explained that the attacks on democracy and union rights by the country’s president Bolsonaro continue despite the pandemic. The Brazilian unions in the sector are resisting these attacks, campaigning, and working to renew collective agreements with an increased health and safety focus.

Masato Shinohara, of UA ZENSEN in Japan, explained that although the chemical and pharmaceutical industry is less severely affected than other sectors such as hospitality and travel, the chemical sector is also hit. Shinohara-san underlined the importance of worker solidarity to protect employment conditions and rights at this time.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan presented an analysis of the effects of the global crises in health, economy, and manufacturing, with the increased damage done to certain groups in society such as women:

“While we see the billionaire class growing their fortunes by 20 per cent during the pandemic, we must focus our demands on governments to support a recovery that values working people and their communities. Especially in the global south, where income and social protection is unacceptably low.”

The meeting assessed the many significant achievements of unions in the sector in reaching pandemic specific agreements with chemical employers at company and industry level. Also analysed was the implementation of the sector’s action plan, adopted one year ago at the Istanbul world conference.

High-quality interventions were made by trade union leaders from Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Nigeria, North America, Russia, Senegal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the UK and others. One of the many examples of unions stepping up to deliver for the society came from Spain, where unions reacted swiftly to reach a national agreement with employers that safeguards jobs and makes work safer.

The race to find a vaccine in the pharmaceutical sector is advancing to human testing, with members of IndustriALL affiliates at the forefront of that effort. Many of members’ worksites have shifted production to personal protective equipment, and chemicals such as sanitizers to fight the virus.

IndustriALL sector director, Tom Grinter said:

“The rich discussion in this meeting has brought many inspiring examples of our unions campaigning and negotiating to confront the virus together. We move forward more unified and ready to progress our action plan despite the restrictions.”

Pregnant women and local union leader reinstated in Cambodia

Last month, Youli International terminated 724 garment workers affiliated to IndustriALL through CUMW, including eleven pregnant women and local union leader Dy Phors.

Women workers at Youli and its subsidiary Shuangli protested against the terminations, and CUMW criticized Youli and Shuangli for union busting and violence against women.
IndustriALL sent a letter to Youli on 22 June, urging the company to reinstate all workers with back wages. A few days ago, the companies quietly reinstated the pregnant workers and the local union leader, without informing CUMW.

Pav Sina, CUMW president, says:

“We are disappointed over the secrecy and lack of negotiations with the union. As a result, Dy Phors has been moved to a different production section and one of the pregnant women workers was not reinstated. The remaining 711 workers are yet to be reinstated, and we are told that ten cleaners will soon be dismissed. We urge the company to stop intimidating the union leader and to reinstate all workers.”

The union is also calling on the employer to provide face mask and alcohol gels, and to ensure that the canteen, bathrooms and toilets are clean.

IndustriALL regional secretary Annie Adviento says:

“There must be a genuine social dialogue between the employer and the union. I urge Youli and Shuangli to set up a meeting with CUMW as soon as possible to address the issues.”

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches congratulates CUMW on the achievement, but stresses that IndustriALL will continue to follow the case, as well as defending workers’ rights in Cambodia.

“This victory shows the importance of international solidarity, as IndustriALL’s letter helped open negotiations that led to the reinstatement of the union leader and the pregnant workers. Garment manufacturers are responsible for the well-being of the workers, who have been generating profits for the companies.”

Mine collapse kills more than 160 workers in Myanmar

The jade mine is located in a remote area of northern Myanmar. It is believed that the mine collapsed after heavy rainfall. Mine workers, while collecting precious stones, were swept away by a strong stream of mud and water.

Jade mining in Myanmar is often perilous due to unsafe working conditions, and landslides are common.

The flood also destroyed around the half of the village, where the families of the affected miners are staying.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:

“Occupational safety and health are of paramount importance in the mining industry, and our affiliate MWFM is constantly advocating for reforms to strengthen safety measures at worksite.”
“We wish to extend our deeply felt condolences to the families of all those victims affected by this disaster."

The union, Mining Workers Federation of Myanmar (MWFM), reports that local officials warned mine workers against working during the heavy rains.

IndustriALL mining director Glen Mpufane says:

“The Myanmar government should ratify ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines, and facilitate unionization at all mine sites for the workers to have a collective voice to improve health and safety.”

Thaung Nyun, MWFM president, says:

“There was a similar accident in 2015, in Hpakant. The government should thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and prevent another disaster. Both employers and the government must put people before profit.”

Photo credit: file image from landslide in Myanmar’s Kachin state in 2015.