Unions in South-East Asia confront Industry 4.0 challenges

More than 30 participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, gathered for IndustriALL Global Union’s regional conference on Industry 4.0 and Sustainable Industrial Policy.

“Industry 4.0 is not just robots, not just artificial intelligence, not just big data, not just 3D printing – it’s all of these things,” said Brian Kohler, IndustriALL’s director for health, safety and sustainability. “There are great and rapid changes coming to the economy, driven by Industry 4.0, efforts to address climate change, and other forces. We want decent work, quality work and work that will sustain our families and our communities into the future.”

Industry 4.0 is fast invading South-East Asia, especially in the ICT and auto industry, said IndustriALL’s ICT, electric and electronics director, Kan Matsusaki:

“We don’t have any time to lose. We must influence governments and key employers now.” He said Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer, Foxconn, has shed around half a million jobs in the last five years, as it switches from workers to robots on production lines.  

Unions discuss strategies for sustainable industrial policy.

Unions in the Philippines cited preservation of employment as the major challenge. They have successfully sustained jobs by lobbying to protect local car industries and campaigning against the massive importation of second-hand cars.

In Vietnam, unions see Industry 4.0 as an opportunity to attract more investment in the country and are determined to adapt to and adopt new technologies.

But several participants expressed concern that neither they, the employers, nor the government are prepared for the future.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution and electric cars are going to be a real problem for us. We are worried many factories will close. We are making automotive parts for traditional combustion engines, not electric vehicles,” said Dedi Kurniadi from the Indonesian union, FSPMI.

In Thailand, government legislation compelling companies over a certain size to provide training and reskilling for employees, is not well implemented and trade unions have no say in the type of training on offer. Similarly, while unions have been able to push through 14 weeks maternity cover, this does not apply to precarious workers, who are often let go when they get pregnant.

"Industry 4.0 is affecting women worst – if jobs are cut, women will be let go before men," said Mbajeng Sriutami from FSPKEP in Indonesia.

Mbajeng Sriutami from FSPKEP in Indonesia

In Malaysia, automation and digitalization has been slow to take off due to slow internet speeds and an abundance of cheap, migrant labour making it, for the moment, more expensive to use robots than people. Approximately 35 per cent of the country’s manufacturing workforce are migrants, said Mohd Saad, from EIEU.

IndustriALL’s regional secretary, Annie Adviento, said:

“We need unity among unions on the issue of Industry 4.0 and sustainable industrial policy. We must work together. Our counterparts in the employers and the government are very organized and they have a lot of resources. But unions have resources too and we must use them to get the best deal for workers.”

Participants agreed to produce an action plan to better engage with national governments on sustainable industrial policy, and also look at ways of engaging with NGOs and civil society movements with interest in the area.

Solidarity in the face of BHP’s race to the bottom

Workers at BHP sites in multiple countries complain of poor health and safety practices, and the company stands accused of treating contract workers worse than their permanent counterparts.

Labour hire and contract mine workers are less likely to raise concerns about safety issues due to fears about job security, leading to under-reporting of injuries.

Earlier this year, IndustriALL’s BHP global network launched a campaign to strengthen union action and to call on BHP, the world’s biggest mining company by market capitalization, to end its bad corporate behaviour at the expense of workers.

Inside the AGM, IndustriALL mining director Glen Mpufane challenged BHP on their policy on outsourcing jobs. In comparison to an industry average of 30 – 40 per cent, at BHP managed sites 60 per cent of the workforce on average are contractors.

And on a direct request for BHP to engage with IndustriALL, chairman Ken Mackenzie declined.

BHP is involved in mining projects in Colombia, Brazil and Chile with grave impacts on local communities.

The AGM heard several testimonials on BHP’s environmental legacy, including the  Samarco dam collapse tragedy in Brazil, in 2015. One speaker from the area said that four years later none of the destroyed houses have been rebuilt, to which BHP replied that all houses will be rebuilt in 2021.

Glen Mpufane said:

“BHP is cutting costs at the expense of workers’ and ignoring the rights of communities affected by their operations.
 
“There is no separate struggle; together we will continue to fight against their race to the bottom which affects workers, communities and the environment.”

Glencore workers call for dispute settlement protocol

The unions underlined the need to establish a dispute settlement protocol to deal with the serious health and safety failures.

“The campaign has brought a degree of interaction with Glencore executives, but this needs tp translate into better conditions for all worker around the world,”

said IndustriALL assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan.

Glencore’s head of sustainable development Anna Krutikov, and Gerda Schwindt, global head of human resources, outlined Glencore’s commercial and financial situation, strategies and future prospects, including sustainable development.

However, what they presented bore little resemblance to what the unions presented; continued serious health and safety risks, environmental pollution and gender issues.

Reports from South Africa also highlighted serious health and safety issues, with workers losing their hearing and having to mine in ever deeper tunnels, affecting their lungs.

Participants decided on an action plan to tackle these issues, pursue interaction with management and ultimately establish a global dialogue with Glencore. The network will call for a dispute settlement protocol at operations worldwide and press for a global mechanism that brings management and union leaders to the negotiating table.

The ultimate goal is a global framework agreement.

New mobilizations by French unions against EDF privatization

IndustriALL affiliates FNME-CGT, FCE-CFDT, CFE-CGC Energie, and FO Energie et Mines took part in a number of demonstrations and stoppages at EDF sites across France. This follows a national strike that was held on 19 September.

The unions are opposing a government plan to divide EDF into two parts, one of which will become open to private investors under the so called Hercule project. Nuclear power, dams and transmission will remain part of the public sector as EDF blue, while EDF green – comprising distribution, renewables and trade – will be floated on the stock market.

The company has postponed Hercule until 2020 for economic and technical reasons relating to a legal requirement to sell electricity at a fixed price. This provision is likely to affect the price that can be raised from the public sector, and the French government is working with the European Commission to change this regulation.

However, the unions are demanding the complete abandonment of the project. They have called for a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, saying they will escalate today’s action into a national strike if they do not get a satisfactory response.

IndustriALL Global Union has a global framework agreement with EDF to promote human and labour rights. The agreement is monitored by its signatories to implement governance at both local and global levels to ensure that its commitments are respected. The steering committee met in Paris yesterday, and signed a petition calling for the project to be called off.

Unions sign the petition

IndustriALL energy director Diana Junquera Curiel said:

“It is deeply irresponsible of the French government to privatize renewable energy generation in the midst of a climate emergency. We support our affiliates in their demand that the Hercule project be cancelled.”

Death toll rises as accidents continue at Bangladesh shipbreaking yards

The accident happened as a fitter and a helper were working on tanks to release contaminated water. The water was released from one tank, but workers were not able to identify the point on the other tank to release the water.

They cut the tank, leading to the release of poisonous gas, which killed two workers on the spot, and caused three workers to fall ill. The injured workers were taken to Al-Amin hospital and released two days later. At the time of the accident, there were fifteen workers working on the ship. The deceased were identified as Saiful (26) of Naugaon district and Masud (21) of Barabkund area of Sitakunda.

In another accident on 14 October at Sagorika shipbreaking yard, two workers were seriously injured when a cylinder exploded. The injured, identified as Apu Marak Chakma (28) and Tapan Marak Chakma (30), were admitted to CHC hospital.

Local information reveals that from January 2019 to date at least 23 shipbreaking workers have been killed and at least 75 workers have been injured in accidents at Bangladeshi shipbreaking yards. A large number of the victims are young and precarious workers.

Kan Matsuzaki, IndustriALL Global Union director for the shipbuilding and shipbreaking sector, said:

“We strongly condemn employers’ negligence as absolutely avoidable accidents continue to claim workers’ lives. Employers and government should not abdicate their responsibility to ensure safe working conditions. We reiterate our demand that Bangladesh should expedite the process of ratifying the Hong Kong Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships.”

IndustriALL shipbreaking sector affiliates Bangladesh Metalworkers' Federation and Bangladesh Metal, Chemical, Garments, & Tailors Workers Federation continue to monitor the situation and express serious concern over unabated fatal accidents and employers’ negligence of occupational health and safety.

Umicore and IndustriALL renew Global Framework Agreement

The global framework agreement was first signed in 2007 and renewed in 2011 and 2015 respectively. The 2019 renewal is the third. The renewed agreement covers human rights, including collective bargaining and equal opportunities, with a new section on violence and harassment at work with a reference to the newly adopted ILO Convention 190, safe and healthy working conditions and environmental issues. The agreement also adds important provisions on due diligence in the cobalt supply chain, and digital transformation.

Both parties have undertaken to pursue the constructive dialogue they initiated in 2007 to ensure successful implementation of the agreement.

Umicore’s chief executive officer, Marc Grynberg, signed the agreement with IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches, in the presence of ILO director general Guy Ryder.

Guy Ryder praised the agreement

Guy Ryder said:

“There is an enormous amount to welcome in this agreement, and I congratulate both parties. Thank you for referencing the newest ILO Convention, 190, which was newly adopted in June. This is the first time I have seen it referenced in an official document.”

He went on to praise the agreement for its commitment to environmental sustainability and supply chain due diligence.

Marc Grynberg spoke at length about the decision Umicore had taken to clean up pollution from its hundred years of industrial operations and to ensure an ethical supply of cobalt for smartphone and electrical vehicle batteries.

Marc Grynberg

He said:

“This agreement reaffirms our commitment towards sustainability in which the engagement of all Umicore employees is vital. The dialogue with IndustriALL plays an important role in our quest to be a frontrunner in all aspects of sustainability, particularly along the supply chain of critical materials.”

Valter Sanches

Valter Sanches added:

“The global environment is very divisive. We have to seize moments like these and use them to demonstrate that having an agreement with workers’ representatives globally is an asset. Stable industrial relations give competitive advantage.

“We referenced ILO C190 because we don’t need to wait for the convention to be ratified before we take action. We are particularly pleased with the commitment to supply chain due diligence and the procurement guidelines, particularly for cobalt.”

The signed agreement

Umicore is a global materials technology and recycling group focused on clean mobility and recycling, employing 10,700 people around the world.

Sub-Saharan Africa sets ambitious union agenda

The conference was a culmination of a week of meetings designed to build common purpose among IndustriALL Global Union affiliates on the continent: the Youth Conference, the African Mining Summit, the African Industrialization Conference, and the Women’s Conference.

Each meeting, under the overarching theme of Sub-Sahara African unions in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, considered a particular aspect of trade union work on the continent and developed an action plan which it brought to the executive meeting for adoption and endorsement.

The regional conference was opened by IndustriALL co-chair Joseph Montisetse and vice president Issa Aremu. After a detailed overview of trade union struggles on the continent by IndustriALL regional secretary Paule Ndessomin, affiliates raised problems of workers’ rights violations and called for support.

General secretary Valter Sanches stressed the importance of solidarity. He said:

“We deal with violations of trade union rights like firefighters. We need to be systematic.

“We raise issues with the ILO and the OECD. But institutions won't save us. What works is solidarity. We have had a number of successful union wins over the past few years. In every case, it was because of an international solidarity campaign.

“We are developing a roadmap of instruments to fight violations. But the key is building stronger unions.”

He also stressed the importance of global framework agreements, which are a very powerful tool if used well.

The young workers presented their structure and action plan to the conference. The affiliates formally recognized the youth committee, and committed to improving youth work on the continent.

The women’s committee presented its proposed structure. This was adopted by the conference, which committed to campaign for the ratification of ILO 190 and to strengthen national women’s structures.

Executive committee member Ousmane Diop of Senegal reported on the African industrialization conference. Affiliates resolved to implement IndustriALL’s action plans on industrial policy and trade, and to support the regional energy network.

IndustriALL mining director Glen Mpufane reported on the mining summit. Affiliates resolved to promote the African Mining Vision at national level, and campaign for the ratification of ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in mines. They also pledged to campaign for AngloGold Ashanti to sign a global framework agreement, to support diamond miners in Lesotho and to work towards regularizing and organizing small scale and artisanal miners.

Affiliates resolved to establish a task team to identify emerging issues and develop responses, and to develop policy on industrialization, mineral pricing and beneficiation.

They resolved to support unions in Eswatini against rights violations, and campaign against attacks on workers by multinational corporations. They condemned the abuse of workers’ rights by Chinese-owned companies while also noting with disappointment that companies with African origins also violate the rights of workers.

Valter Sanches concluded:

“One year from now we will have our Congress in Cape Town. We have set an ambitious agenda for the continent. Let’s work together so that at Congress we can demonstrate the power of unity in struggle.”

ICT, Electrical and Electronics unions prepare for sustainable future

“The world is fragmented and divided. There are so many irrational things taking place and trade unions must be the first ones to point them out and correct the situation,” said IndustriALL co-chair of the section, Takahiro Nonaka, from Japanese union JEIU/JCM. “We need a human-first society and that requires sustainable policies. We must make sure there is justice and equality in the workplace.”

The conference on 14 and 15 October 2019 identified three main areas of action – a need to focus on supply chains, organize precarious workers, and explore and prepare for the future of work.

IndustriALL affiliates approved a four-year action plan.

Section co-chair, Prihanani Boenadi, from FSPMI in Indonesia, said digitalization and automation are a key threat to workers’ jobs, while exploitation of workers on precarious contracts is rampant. Industry 4.0 is expected to hit medium-skilled workers the hardest, who represent the majority of union members in the sector.

“We will stand up and demand that employers and governments pay for a Just Transition,” said IndustriALL general secretary, Valter Sanches.  “The ICT sector is growing and most affected by digitalization. We must make sure that workers benefit.”

In the past five years, an IndustriALL project in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, has increased union membership by 20,000 and led to the training of more than 3,000 trade unionist activists and workers, of whom 30 per cent were women, reported Kan Matsusaki, director for ICT, Electrical and Electronics at IndustriALL.

However, the need to densify unionization and increase the number of trade union networks and global framework agreements is clear, said assistant general secretary, Jenny Holdcroft:

“We must exert more pressure on the multinationals in control of the sector. We need to expose to the public some of the poor working conditions in the supply chains of these companies.”

Exposure to hazards in the workplace is common in the sector. Of the estimated 200,000 chemicals used in the production of electronic devices and electrical appliances, only 1,000 have been tested for occupational health exposure limits.

E-waste was also highlighted as a major problem for the industry. The world produces 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste per year, a figure expected to grow to 120m tonnes by 2050. Affiliates called for more pressure on brands to take responsibility for the safe recycling of their products.

The conference expressed solidarity with the victims of deadly typhoon Hagibis, which prevented many participants from Japan from attending the meeting. The intensity and number of typhoons in the region is increasing said affiliates, who acknowledged the threat of climate change to jobs and the environment.

At the end of the conference, participants unanimously re-elected Prihanani Boenadi and Takahiro Nonaka as co-chairs of IndustriALL’s ICT, Electrical and Electronics section, and approved the action plan for the next four years.

See more photos of the meeting on flickr: https://bit.ly/2qdGGpH

Unions intensify campaign for African industrialization

IndustriALL’s ongoing campaign for African industrialization is part of its strategic goal of promoting sustainable industrial policy: no country or region has achieved prosperity and a decent standard of living for its citizens without a robust industrial sector. 

Africa’s low level of industrialization is linked to its colonial past. After independence, attempts were made to industrialize the economy, but IMF structural adjustment programmes and trade liberalization undermined newly independent African economies, letting market forces “kick away the ladder”.

The result is that the continent is still as a source of raw materials, and value is added elsewhere. According to some reports, on average, African industry generates US $700 of GDP per capita, which is less than a third of that measure in Latin America and a fifth of that in East Asia.

African economies are resource dependent. It is home to the top five oil producing countries with around 10 per cent of the world’s oil output, while 40 per cent of its gold and between 80 and 90 percent of chromium and platinum are from the continent.

The participants stressed the importance of industrialization as a transformation away from an agricultural- or resource-based economy to an economy based on manufacturing, which will increase incomes and living standards.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“This is a rich continent that has been systematically plundered. Africa needs a human-centred economy that brings democracy to economic life.

“Some of the fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. But growth is not the same as development.”

Assistant general secretary Atle Høie spoke about the importance of understanding trade agreements, and the danger of unaccountable investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms.

Affiliates discussed the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and committed to implementing IndustriALL’s action plan on trade, which calls on governments to respect ILO conventions and ensure labour rights are included in trade agreements.

Industrialization requires financing. The Mbeki report shows that Africa loses $52 billion per year through illicit financial flows, which needs to be addressed.

The role of industrialization is articulated in the African Union’s action plan, AIDA, and the United Nations’ Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa. Debates took place on routes to industrialization that consider climate change, industry 4.0 and the future of work. Unions agreed that focusing on national strategies will not work, and that regional industrial hubs, infrastructure, skills development and internal trade were essential. The conference agreed on campaign strategies for industrialization.

Unions will act on Africa Industrialization Day on November 20, lobbying global and African intergovernmental agencies. IndustriALL will conduct programmes on aspects of industrialization, such as sustainability, energy policy, supply chains, Industry 4.0 and trade.

“African industrialization is critically important to IndustriALL,” said Kemal Özkan.

“If we don’t break the trajectory of the continent, Africa will remain a place where people live in extreme poverty, which is completely unacceptable”.

Global network of BHP workers launch campaign against outsourcing

Outsourcing is a ghost that haunts BHP’s permanent workforce across the world.

In a bid to cut labour costs, the mining giant is replacing permanent workers with temporary contracts. BHP employs around 29,000 permanent workers and around 43,000 outsourced workers.

Wanting an end to the outsourcing, IndustriALL unions have launched a campaign calling on BHP to #ShowRespect and stop outsourcing jobs. At IndustriALL Global Union’s BHP network meeting in Santiago de Chile on 23 and 24 September, workers told about the problems they are facing in the workplace.

Australian union CFMEU Mining and Energy has a campaign to reject outsourcing and to urge BHP increase the number of women workers.

Workers from Chile underlined a number of health and safety issues at BHP and said that 65 per cent of the BHP workforce in the country is outsourced.

Other problems BHP unions face around the world include:

The meeting was also attended by a number of representatives from NGOs and environmental protection groups. The participants agreed on the importance of alliance building between social actors and trade unions, to press BHP to respect workers’ rights, local communities and the environment.

“The same practices exist in all of BHP’s operations: a policy of casualisation and outsourcing.

"It is a powerful company that is failing to comply with the fundamental rights of its workers and communities. BHP has global policies yet fails to promote social dialogue at global level," says Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.