Young unionists demanding justice for Lula

“We have been protesting for 417 days”, says a sign outside the federal police headquarters in Curitiba, where Lula da Silva is currently incarcerated. It is a permanent camp where hundreds of people meet every day to call for Lula's release.

Lula turned himself in to the authorities on  7 April 2018. Since then, vigils have been organized to highlight the injustice over his imprisonment without evidence, as well as to greet Lula with music and 'good morning', 'good afternoon' and 'good night'.

Participants in an international youth exchange and training project run by IndustriALL and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) joined the vigil.

"It is extremely gratifying to see how an increasing number of people are joining the struggle for our President’s freedom. We are certain that it will become strong enough to get him released, as we will not achieve this through the Brazilian justice system, which is biased and corruptible. It is important to see international delegations here and that the #LulaLivre campaign is present around the world; this will help us obtain his freedom."

Paulo Cayres, president of IndustriALL affiliate CNM/CUT

A round table discussion where speakers highlighted the fact that Lula's arbitrary arrest undermines democracy and denies the people of Brazil their right to choose the person they want as a president, followed. According to all polling institutions, Lula would have won the past elections – even from jail – had he not been prevented from running and  deprived of his liberty.

IndustriALL is an active participant of the #LulaLivre campaign. On April 2018, the IndustriALL Executive Committee approved a resolution and held a demonstration at the Place des Nations across the United Nations in Geneva.

"Lula is currently the most important political prisoner worldwide. The campaign for his freedom embodies the workers’ struggle against the recent attacks on their rights, as many of these accomplishments were achieved during Lula's administration.

International solidarity from young people from Latin America, the Caribbean and Germany participating in the exchange is crucial."

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary

UAW loses election at VW Chattanooga by narrow margin

In the end, the difference between a unionized workplace and one without real worker representation was narrow: 833 employees voted against union representation and 776 in favour, a difference of merely 29 votes.

The UAW and the global union movement felt more optimistic this time around than in 2014, but the bullying tactics of the massive anti-union movement in southern US turned out to be stronger.

For nine weeks, VW employees were told that a yes vote meant not only a severe threat of job losses, but also economic decline for the state of Tennessee and the entire US South.

Union-busting propaganda is not only unacceptable, but also rare in the world of Volkswagen where 121 out 122 global manufacturing sites are unionized and collective bargaining and social dialogue are a natural part of the daily proceedings. But for many years, Volkswagen in the US has been aggressively anti-union, and pays large sums of money to union-busting law firms instead of investing in employees and products. And in the run-up of these elections, VW was anything but neutral.

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary, says:

“We were so close to a victory and we will continue to stand with our colleagues at VW Chattanooga. We will not let these systematic anti-union policies win.

IndustriALL Global Union strongly condemns this behaviour and stands by the decision to suspend the global framework agreement with Volkswagen in January this year, as a strong sign of protest.

Georg Leutert, IndustriALL automotive director, says:

“The US South is probably one of the most anti-union regions in the world. For us, this is an incentive to double our efforts together with our US affiliates, as the workers deserve the same rights and decent working conditions as workers in other parts of the world.”

IndustriALL and its affiliates stand in solidarity with the Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga. More than 50 messages of solidarity from more than 20 countries were sent to UAW local 42 in Chattanooga; letters of support, videos and photos from all of the VW plants in company’s home country, Germany.

United Steelworkers files ILO complaint against Quebec government

The USW complaint stems from Quebec Premier François Legault’s interference in negotiations in the 17-month lockout at the aluminum smelter in Bécancour, co-owned by aluminum giants Alcoa and Rio Tinto.
 
“By his statements aimed at discrediting the trade union position by repeatedly describing it as 'unreasonable', the Premier came to put all his weight behind the company in a negotiation in the private sector. This is contrary to international law and we are asking the ILO to take charge of the case,” says Alain Croteau, Steelworkers’ Quebec director.
 
The complaint cites violations of ILO Conventions on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work as well as the Tripartite Declaration of Principles Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, and lists at least nine public statements by the Premier between 1 April 1 and 3 June.

“By agreeing with the employer and putting undue pressure on workers through public opinion, the Premier has undermined the negotiation and mediation processes. The Premier’s interference casts doubt on the government’s objectivity on the file, at the very time when the Minister of Labour was filing a proposed settlement and the union is asking for the co-operation of the authorities to enforce anti-scab legislation,” says USW Local 9700 president Clément Masse.

The lockout at ABI was triggered by Alcoa and Rio Tinto on 11 January last year, even though the union had indicated it did not intend to exercise its right to strike and that only a few issues remained outstanding at the bargaining table. The employer has since added several new demands, further reducing the prospect of a settlement. On 11 March 11, 82 per cent of union members rejected an employer offer which was inferior to the one made before the lockout was imposed.  

“IndustriALL Global Union cannot accept that politicians interfere in such a biased manner with social partner negotiations. It is a serious threat for the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.

“Workers are voters and they have the right to be respected by politicians and governments. We fully support our affiliate’s concern over this breach of balanced judgment, which leads to a loss of trust in politicians,” says Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL base metals director.

#14J: massive general strike in Brazil

The aim of the general strike was to stop a social security reform in the Chamber of Deputies, which would mean a setback in terms of rights. In addition, strikers reject the budget cut for public education and are against the privatization of Petrobras.

"All IndustriALL affiliates in Brazil actively participated in the demonstrations. Media tried to demobilize the strike, there was pressure from companies (and there are 14 million unemployed in Brazil) and unions that paralyzed the transport sector were fined.

But in spite of this, the strike has popular support and took place in all states. It’s a victory and a strong demonstration of unity of the trade union movement, which we haven’t seen for a while,”

says Lucineide Varājo, CNQ/CUT president and IndustriALL regional co-chair.

Bolsonaro’s far right government is trying to put an end to the current retirement system, which is public and universal. They want to change it into 'individual capitalization model', in which retirement will depend on what individuals have been able to save during his or her working life.

According to workers this is unfair, as periods of unemployment and informal work make it difficult to save for a decent retirement.

The proposal also sets the end of retirement by time of contribution and implements a minimum age of 65 years for men and 62 for women. It destroys the social security system that guarantees assistance for workers and their families in episodes of illness, disability or widowhood.In a solidarity resolution with the Brazilian trade union movement, IndustriALL Global Union’s Executive Committee said:

"The 50 million workers we represent express their disapproval of these serious attacks on unions and reaffirm their total and unlimited support to their Brazilian brothers and sisters. In addition, we will mobilize and be attentive in all countries where IndustriALL is present, to support this struggle for justice, democracy and freedom.

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Solidarity with striking metal workers in Italy

Members of three of IndustriALL Global Union's affiliates in Italy – FIM CISL, FIOM-CGIL and UILM – are taking coordinated action to call on the government and the private sector to:

In a joint letter, IndustriALL and industriAll Europe express their solidarity and support to the metal workers: 

“We fully support your industrial action in the face of great uncertainty concerning the future of the metal industry in Italy, given decreasing industrial production, loss of the value of work, and the increasing number of accidents and deaths at work.

“The government and the private sector must meet the challenges by investing in innovation, ecological sustainability, employment generation, and enforcement of stringent health and safety standards.  It is also necessary to relaunch the domestic market, which would entail increasing wages, decreasing taxation, and guaranteeing a welfare state.    

“Therefore, we rally behind you on your struggle to increase employment through public and private investment in strategic sectors, generating quality jobs in an environmentally sustainable fashion.  It is also imperative to increase wages and lower taxation, reduce precarious employment, increase workers’ representation and collective bargaining power, and reform the Fornero law on pensions.“

If you are unhappy resign, Ethiopian workers told

Garment workers with more than 30 years-experience work in deplorable conditions and earn 900-1300 Ethiopian Birr – less than US $45 per month. The low wages make it difficult for workers to make a decent living.

At a women’s meeting in Adama on 6-7 June, three women with more than three decades each of work experience spoke about the terrible working conditions in their factories. The meeting was organized by IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the Industrial Federation of Textile Leather and Garment Workers Trade Union (IFTLGWTU) with support from FNV Mondiaal and attended by 26 participants, mainly women.

"I have asthma and had kidney failure. I’m often told that if I am unhappy, I can resign. "

Mulutesfa Anbachew

Mulutesfa Anbachew (42), who started working at 12 when the Falcon BM garment factory opened, told her story in tears.

“When I started working to help my family after leaving school, I got exposed over the years to unsafe drinking water and dusty floors. Workers are also not given personal and protective equipment. Now I have asthma and had a kidney failure.

“Although the illnesses are directly linked to my unsafe work environment, the employer is not helping, with pleas ignored. I’m often told that if I am unhappy, I can resign. With kidney failure, one uses the toilet frequently. But at our factory there is one toilet token for 45 workers, and you wait for your turn. This worsens my condition.”

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“My shift starts at 8 pm and ends at 4 am.  We sleep on the factory’s concrete floor."

Etalemahn Tadesse

Etalemahn Tadesse (53) from Yirgalem Textile’s knitting department complains of pain in her knees and the employer’s failure to provide transport.

“My shift starts at 8 pm and ends at 4 am. As management doesn’t provide transport to workers; we sleep on the factory’s concrete floor because it is not safe to leave until the day breaks. Despite our complaints, nothing is changing.”

“On wages, there is discrimination against older workers with no efforts made to improve their working conditions. The aim is to frustrate them, force them to resign and avoid paying severance packages.”

Elsabeth Mekonen (50), also from Yirgalem, refused to sign a wage grid that discriminated against older workers.

"The IndustriALL workshop in Addis Ababa 2018 taught me to stand up for workers’ rights."

Elsabeth Mekonen

“What the IndustriALL workshop in Addis Ababa 2018 taught me is to stand up for workers’ rights. I have nothing to lose because my years of experience count to nothing.”

Paule France Ndessomin, the IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa regional secretary who spoke to the women said:

“We will continue to sensitize women to speak and act against labour rights violation at the workplace. Social dialogue with key stakeholders that include government, employers and unions in improving working conditions for textile and garments workers should be prioritized.”

Colombia: increasing violence against union leaders

Igor Díaz, from IndustriALL affiliate Sintracarbón,. received a text message on 6 June, with a warning that an “extermination operation” would commence in 24 hours.

On 11 May, Díaz received another death threat from a criminal group called Las Águilas Negras. The threats were aimed at all union leaders who had participated in a meeting with Dutch congress people and senior executives from multinationals in Colombia to discuss the country’s coal industry.

A joint statement from unions in Colombia’s mining and energy sector, reads: 

“This new attack is a warning against Sintracarbón’s work, an organization known nationally and internationally for defending workers from Cerrejón and Prodeco and for its work with nearby communities. These threats are a part of a strategy from employers and the government to intimidate and kill social leaders.”

Dibeth Quintana, from IndustriALL affiliate Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) visited the prosecutor’s office on 5 June, in connection with an assault case she had been the victim of in 2016. When answering the phone in the same evening, she was told to refrain from contact with prosecutor's office, or she would “actually die next time”.

These threats are not isolated incidents, but part of an escalation of violence and threats towards Colombian union and social leaders, which began with the Duque-Uribe administration. 

IndustriALL's regional secretary, Marino Vani, says:

“Our hearts go to our fellow unionists and their organizations. IndustriALL strongly condemns the threats and demand that the Colombian government take action and identify those behind the threats and prosecute them. 

“The rule of law, the right to life, unions’ right to function without interference, and their leaders’ right to physical, mental and moral integrity, must be guaranteed.” 

French court orders Saint-Gobain to pay compensation to Oise workers

According to the court verdict, the company must pay compensation of 20,000 euro to each worker for "psychological harm" resulting from their exposure to asbestos in previous years.

According to media reports, the council of labour judges ruled that the current and former employees were "substantially exposed to the inhalation of asbestos fibres" under conditions "subsequent to a breach of the contractual obligation of safety provoked by their employer "and that they suffered “harm” that "should be repaired".

Workers were represented in court by lawyer Elisabeth Leroux, who commented that,

"This is a very good decision, the employees have been exposed to asbestos, they are now undergoing increased medical monitoring which provokes anxiety, they see their co-workers dying … It's a big satisfaction to obtain compensation for this harm."

The court verdict in favour of the workers sets a new precedent since the decision by the French Supreme Court dated to 5 April of extension of damage coverage to all workers in contact with asbestos in France. According to this decision, French workers exposed to asbestos can claim for damage caused by anxiety related to the consequences of their asbestos exposure regardless of where they worked, if they can prove they were exposed to and suffer from ‘anxiety damage’.

Since 2010, the Supreme Court has restricted this mechanism only to employees included in the lists entitling them to pre-retirement due to asbestos exposure, namely workers employed in the processing of asbestos or shipbuilding. Now since April 2019 the court has opened the ‘anxiety damage’ procedure to all workers who were in contact with asbestos.

Saint-Gobain has 30 days since the announcement of the verdict to appeal the decision of the court.

Asbestos has been banned in France since 1 January 1997. In 2014, the French High Council for Public Health estimated that asbestos could still kill between 68,000 and 100,000 people in France between 2009 and 2050.

At the global level, based on ILO estimates, some 2.3 million workers die annually from occupational causes, including some 736,000 cancer deaths.

Brian Kohler, IndustriALL director for health, safety and sustainability, commented,

“Estimates of the percentage of occupational cancer that is asbestos-related vary widely. Asbestos diseases are generally underestimated due to frequent misdiagnosis and even concealment. We believe that the true number could be 150,000 per year or even much higher.  In addition, there are large numbers of deaths from lung diseases other than cancer, that are caused by asbestos. We expect that Saint-Gobain takes this court decision seriously and supports all of their workers who were exposed to asbestos, and will organize proper compensation for them, respecting the court’s decision.”

Fighting poverty wages in Zimbabwe

Lameck Chineuruve, an artisan at the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, has worked for the power company for 11 years and earns less than seven years ago.

“In 2012, I earned US$800 per month, but currently I earn less than US$200. This makes life hard for me because I must pay for transport, accommodation, school fees, and food, from this paltry amount,” says Chineuruve.

In February, the Zimbabwean currency was devalued by over 60 per cent. However, prices increased by the same value as they are pegged against the US dollar, while wage increases did not match the prices.
 
Poor wages in most of the sectors in Zimbabwe are one of the reasons why IndustriALL Global Union affiliates are campaigning for living wages.

In organizing drives under the union building project, young workers from the National Engineering Workers Union, National Union of Metal and Allied Industries of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Chemicals Plastics and Allied Workers Union, and the Zimbabwe Energy Workers Union emphasized the importance of joining unions, fighting for workers’ rights including on collective bargaining. They also said workers should be paid living wages that will cushion them against the devaluation.
 
Says Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa:

“We are in solidarity with our Zimbabwean affiliates in their struggle for living wages and their organizing drives to increase membership. Union strength comes from organizing and participatory democracy. We also applaud the organizing by young workers who are the future leaders of the unions.”

With unemployment over 90 per cent and most of the population earning a living in the informal sector, the Zimbabwean economy is in the doldrums. Factory shells in the light and heavy industrial sites in Harare are deserted. Manufacturing and industrialization stagnated and has been replaced by the importing of finished goods.

The few companies that are still open are the targets for union organizing with the hope that when the economy improves the unions will also increase their members.

Essilor unions in the Philippines pledge to build trade union network

Local union officers of two Essilor unions in the Philippines, together with representatives of their respective federations, met for the first time on 8 June 2019 in the freeport area of Bataan to get to know each other and share information relative to their work.

The Essilor union located in the freeport area in Bataan was established in 1980 and is an affiliate of the Philippine Trade & General Workers' Organization (PTGWO). Optodev Inc, the manufacturing facility of Essilor in Laguna, was unionized four years ago, with its local union affiliated to the Metalworkers Alliance of the Philippines (MWAP).

The objective of the meeting is to introduce the concept of the trade union network as a space where unions in the same multinational company exchange information and best practices on collective bargaining and working conditions at different workplaces.

This follow-up activity is an offshoot of the recently concluded organizing and networking workshop on multinational corporations and global framework agreements, where participants from Essilor in Bataan and from MWAP agreed to work together to create an Essilor union network.

“We cannot exist in isolation anymore, we need to establish communication and foster greater collaboration among workers in the same company where we work for, be it at the local, regional and global level”,

said Manuel Mallonga, local union president at Essilor in Bataan.

“Trade union network is a useful strategy where our unions can exchange relevant and up-to-date information for collective bargaining purposes and other pressing issues such as safety and health,”

said Arvin Lambino, union president at Optodev Inc.

The meeting wrapped up with a commitment to sustain communication among both unions and reach out to unions in other countries, sharing collective bargaining practices and seeking support from IndustriALL Global Union on continuous capacity building and network building.

Essilor International is a French-based multinational ophthalmic optics company that designs, manufactures, and markets lenses to correct or protect eyesight. It has 80,000 employees across 70 countries.