Just Transition – what do trade unions demand?

A TRADE UNION GUIDE

What do trade unions demand?

Social dialogue

We demand a seat at the table. We demand the creation of multi-stakeholder Just Transition task forces / commissions / round tables on structural change and employment that are properly constituted and properly funded. We demand that these discussions take place at company, local, national, regional, and global levels. Social dialogue should establish basic structures and ground rules:

Sustainable industrial policies and plans

We demand that sustainable industrial policies and plans be developed through the social dialogue process in which we are full partners. Governments and employers must implement sustainable industrial policies – sustainable in all dimensions: social, environmental, and economic – at company, local, national, regional and global levels. The policies and plans must promote greener industries, and also guarantee a Just Transition for workers affected by industrial transformations.

Sustainable industrial policies are primarily about public policy in the public interest, although there is a role for corporations to play, by establishing such policies at the enterprise level. Governments must fulfill their responsibilities as representatives of their constituents.

Industrial policies versus sustainable industrial policies

Any industrial policy uses incentives and disincentives, like financing, infrastructure, taxes, to favour certain industries and discourage others. Up until now, the sustainability of the results of these policies has rarely been considered. Sustainable industrial policies simply recognize that a more sustainable industrial base, customized for every nation, region, sector, should be a goal of any industrial policy.

Sustainable industrial policies treat the environment, the economy, and society in an integrated manner. The aim must be a genuinely sustainable environment with reduced greenhouse gases, where former mining and industrial sites are restored and environmentally regenerated, where species and spaces are protected, energy and resources are used frugally, responsibly, and circularly, since there are no jobs on a dead planet. Sustainable industrial policies must be economically sustainable, increasing efficiency and productivity while creating new opportunities, while linking this to guarantees of job creation. The policies must aim for a genuinely sustainable society where technological change benefit all, wealth and income disparity are reduced, human and labour rights guaranteed, the weak and marginalized in society are protected, and there are opportunities for individuals, families, communities and cultures to thrive and prosper.

They must be based on a commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Job creation and job access

Employment is the principal and preferred way of distributing wealth in society, ensuring that individuals, families, and communities have the means to thrive and prosper. Therefore, creating decent work must be a goal of sustainable industrial policies. Decent work is defined by the International Labour Organization’s Decent Work Agenda and “involves opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men.” When seeking new industries and examining the potential for decent work to be created, the entire supply and value chain must be considered. Labour rights and standards must be respected in all jobs.

As society moves towards a sustainable future, large numbers of jobs will be created but there is no doubt that some jobs will be destroyed. Workers in those affected jobs must be kept whole.

Energy

Energy is in many ways the key to the entire puzzle of sustainability. The availability of sufficient energy, reliably supplied at an affordable and predictable cost, makes the solution of all other problems possible. The lack of such an energy supply makes the sustainability unachievable.

Labour market adjustment programmes

A Just Transition would be unlike any previous transition process. Traditional top-down labour market adjustment programmes will be simply inadequate and must be replaced with worker-focused, customized solutions. Labour market adjustment programmes should take account of individual, family, and community needs and wants. Creative and worker-focused labour market policies should include an absolute right to financially and physically accessible education and training based on the principles of life-long learning and workers’ right to choose what best meets their needs and wants. This would include everything from skills training offered by unions, employers and educational institutions, apprenticeship programmes, and secondary and higher education. If a clerk wants to apprentice as a millwright, or a miner wishes to study music, this should be supported because in the end, society will benefit.

A Just Transition will cost money to implement but the payback to society will be enormous. This was proven, for example, by the unquestioned benefits that resulted from programmes to re-integrate demobilized USA military personnel following World War II. The “GI Bill of Rights” was effectively a Just Transition programme for soldiers, and the education and other programmes made available to them helped power one of the most prosperous eras in USA history.

There are options for funding it, for example by broadening the mandate of unemployment insurance schemes. It is not a matter of costs, it is a matter of priorities and fairness.

ARE WE READY?

 

Are we ready?

The International Labour Organization and Just Transition

In 2013, the ILO adopted a resolution concerning sustainable development, decent work and green jobs, and proposing a policy framework for a Just Transition.

In 2015, the ILO convened a Tripartite Meeting of Experts to review, amend and adopt draft guidelines based on a thorough review by the Office of experiences from country policies and sectoral strategies towards environmental sustainability, the greening of enterprises, social inclusion and the promotion of green jobs.

This was done with the aim of influencing the Paris climate talks, or COP21.

The resulting ILO Guidelines for a Just Transition (full title: “Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all”; ILO document identification: wcms_432859.pdf) identifies nine key points to manage the impacts of potential environmental regulations and promote the evolution of sustainable and greener enterprises:

  1. Policy coherence and institutions (country specific)
  2. Social dialogue (multi- stakeholder)
  3.  Macroeconomic and growth policies
  4. Industrial and sectoral policies (greener jobs; decent work)
  5. Enterprise policies
  6. Skills policies (also education)
  7. Occupational safety and health
  8. Social protection policies (health care, income security, social services)
  9. Labour market policies

All of these nine key points, but explicitly point IV, incorporate the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, for work that is productive and that delivers a fair income. The agenda includes security in the workplace and social protection for families, prospects for personal development and social integration, rights at work, including freedom to organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives, and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men.

The ILO’s entry into the Just Transition debate is of great significance. It gives the concept an internationally accepted definition for the first time, as well as an institutional life within a specialized agency of the United Nations.

References to Just Transition in other texts, such as the Paris Agreement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda will now tend to automatically evoke the ILO definition, even if it is not specifically referenced. However, like all ILO instruments, the ILO Guidelines for a Just Transition must be regarded as a floor, not a ceiling, when defining a Just Transition.

27 coalminers killed in Pakistan so far in 2019

Reports of horrific fatal accidents continue to flow from the Pakistan coalmines. Most of these accidents happened in the mineral rich province of Balochistan and also Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces. The year 2019 began in tragedy for coalminers, and the trend continues.

2018 was one of the deadliest years for coal miners, with 104 workers dying while earning their livelihood. From 2010 to May 2019 at least 414 coal miners were killed in about 93 accidents. These fatality figures are based on news reports and the real numbers could be much higher.

A large number of accidents happened due to gas explosions resulting in fatal burn injuries and suffocation to death. In many instances the explosions also led to collapse of the mines. In the absolute absence of safety measures, in almost every accident rescue of victims has been difficult.

Almost all victims of these mine accidents are precarious workers, who were made to work in dangerous conditions for paltry wages.  These workers do not have written contracts and usually no record of their work status or attendance register exists. No appropriate training is provided to the coal miners.

The shocking use of primitive methods of mining can be understood from the fact that workers still use caged birds to detect the presence of poisonous gas in mines.  In addition to fatal accidents mineworkers face occupational diseases such as asthma, pneumoconiosis, bronchitis and other lung diseases.

The state machinery in charge for regulating and inspecting the safety measures of the mines operations appears to have collapsed and remains as mute spectators to incessant terrible tragedies. The state machinery also suffers from inadequate staff and lack of security measures to ensure appropriate inspections.

In September 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan asked the provincial governments Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to submit a report, in response to a petition to investigate the deaths of coal miners and implement laws regulating mine safety. However, there seems to have been no response from these provinces. Apparently the Pakistan National Commission for Human Rights has also taken note of the accidents but the government has taken no significant action.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said,

“IndustriALL and its global union family are outraged that this carnage in Pakistan mines continues unabated. This is completely unacceptable for us. The new government, which has promised a ‘New Pakistan’, must immediately act by putting together all the means to improve safety and stop coal miners’ deaths. It is imperative that the government must ratify and implement ILO C 176 on safety and health in mines without any delay”.

“In March 2018 IndustriALL along with its affiliates launched a campaign for health and safety in mines. We will intensify our campaign in 2019.”

Labour reform: Mexico’s independent unions highlight progress

The reform was the subject of much debate during a series of coordination meetings held in early May as part of IndustriALL Global Union's work with independent unions, a project supported by Canadian affiliate Unifor.

The new law will make it possible to get rid of employer protection contracts. More specifically, workers have been given the right to elect their union leaders through a free and secret ballot; they must now approve collective agreements; and labour justice will be served through employment tribunals.

In meetings with IndustriALL and Unifor, the independent unions said that although the reform represents major progress, it contains certain contradictions and major challenges still remain. Certain key issues, such as outsourcing, are not covered, which means that further reforms will be needed.  Much will depend on how the new law is implemented, and this will require huge resources.

"There's no doubt that there will be a major overhaul of unions. As independent unions, we now have to reconsider our situation and organize ourselves in such a way as to prevent fragmentation and strengthen our position. We can't simply wait for everything to be resolved through government intervention. It is up to the unions to take steps to protect workers and make the reform a reality," they concluded.

They also highlighted the role played by independent unions, social activists and IndustriALL in working together to raise awareness and take united action for all workers.

The newly created federation of independent unions in the automobile, automotive parts, aerospace and tyre industries (FESIIAAAN) also held a meeting with representatives from IG Metall, Unifor, the national confederation of metal workers (CNM-CUT), the Solidarity Centre and IndustriALL. At this meeting, the unions reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening this new federation:

"Out of the 27 car plants in Mexico, only three have an independent union. For years, the independent unions have been left isolated, like black sheep. But through FESIIAAAN, we can now safely say that we have found our flock (…) and we will fight to ensure that many more workers can enjoy better living and working conditions with us," they said.

The delegation and its affiliates took part in the 1 May march, and for the first time independent and other democratic unions (UNT-NCT and CIT) marched side by side to the Zócalo main square. And for the first time, independent unions took part in the meeting with President López Obrador in the National Palace.

Speaking to the 100,000 demonstrators gathered in the square to celebrate 1 May, the international director of Unifor, Mohamad Alsadi, said:

"I'm very happy that Mexico has adopted new legislation, and I hope that the government will work with independent and democratic unions to implement the reforms."

Colombian union leaders receive death threats

On 11 May, the national leader of Sintracarbón, Igor Kareld Díaz, and Sintramienergética members, Juan Carlos Rojas, Dairo Mosquera, Gustavo Benjumea and Jairo Córdoba received a flyer containing death threats from the paramilitary group "Aguilas Negras" via social media.

The group threatened to kill the leaders for being "guerrillas disguised as workers" and accused them of wanting to impose a new form of socialism on Colombia. The perpetrators also gave the leaders 48 hours to leave the country or "suffer the consequences".

"I condemn these threats because we are agents of peace and use our union role to achieve equity and justice for workers and society as a whole. I call for our lives to be respected and for the right to union freedom to be exercised,"

said Igor Díaz.

The threats were made after the Dutch embassy and the Dutch union organization CNV held an official meeting on 6 May so that Dutch members of parliament could learn more about the situation of coal mining and coal workers in Colombia. In addition to the members of parliament, the meeting was attended by union and community leaders, and executive managers of the multinationals Prodeco-Glencore, Cerrejon and Drummond.

It's no coincidence that three of the union leaders who received death threats are involved in the current negotiations with Drummond.

The oil workers' union USO, electricity workers' union Sintraelecol and Sintracarbón – all of which are IndustriALL affiliates – issued a statement condemning the violent intimidation. They said that such threats were part of a systematic process to eliminate the opposition and union leaders in Colombia, with 262 assassinations since Iván Duque took office as president. They condemned the government for ignoring these facts and for not taking any action to protect union leaders, prevent such actions or hold those responsible to account.

IndustriALL's secretary general, Valter Sanches, wrote a letter to President Duque, in which he said that, given the long history of violence against union and social leaders in Colombia, such threats should be taken extremely seriously and with utmost concern.

He urged the president to intervene immediately to safeguard union freedom and protect the physical, mental and moral wellbeing of workers. He concluded:

"Those responsible for these threats need to be identified and held accountable. We urge you and your government to ensure that the necessary conditions and guarantees are in place to protect the lives of union and social leaders in Colombia and to allow unions to act freely.”

A trade union guide to a Just Transition for workers

"Preparing for the global transformation driven by climate change and Industry 4.0"

IndustriALL Global Union

A TRADE UNION GUIDE

What is Just Transition?

The objective of a Just Transition is to provide a hopeful and optimistic future for all workers, especially for those in industries that may be impacted by efforts to limit greenhouse gases or by the introduction of new technologies.

A Just Transition must offer a future that workers, their families, and the communities and cultures they are part of can believe in, look forward to, support and commit to bringing about. We must fight for a good future.

The private sector has a role in building a Just Transition bridge to a sustainable future. In particular with large multinational corporations the principles of sustainable industrial policies and a Just Transition should be baked into collective agreements. Acting responsibly is good business in the long term.

However, sustainable industrial policies and Just Transition are mainly about public policy in the public interest. IndustriALL rejects a purely private sector vision of a Just Transition; the casino economy has largely created today’s problems and has no answers to these questions. We will not shop our way to sustainability.

At all times, any public policy support must guarantee the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work as defined by the 1998 ILO declaration. Union members’ rights must be protected and unions must demand institutional stability – protection for the union as an institution – through the transition period.

Our demands are entirely reasonable, technically possible, and affordable.

The transition to a cleaner, more sustainable economy must be economically and socially just and fair for workers and their communities. Advanced technologies, or sustainable energy, or greener industries, must benefit everyone and not just a handful of billionaires. In an age where Oxfam reports that 26 individuals control as much wealth as half the population of Earth, there should be no question that a better sharing of the costs and benefits of change is needed.

The fight for a Just Transition supports, and is supported by, long-time union demands for strong social protection programmes (health care, income security, social services, education).

When demanding sustainable industrial policies and Just Transition programmes, political leaders must be reminded that in some ways, they are already committed to them in principle.

  • It is a key requirement of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change adopted at COP21 in 2015
  • It is the subject of the Solidarity and Just Transition Silesia Declaration adopted    at COP24 in 2018
  • It is defined in ILO’s Guidelines for a Just Transition towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies for All
  • Investment in Just Transition programmes is explained by the organization Principles for Responsible Investment in their document Climate change and the Just Transition: a guide for investor action
  • It is reflected in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

Trade unions, too, must face up to the changes that are upon us. Industry 4.0 is being discussed – what of trade union 4.0? What do unions need to do to remain credible and relevant to present and future members? Unions will retain neither credibility nor relevance by refusing to cooperate with each other, or attempting to defend the indefensible.

Sustainability – especially the social dimension of it – is fundamentally a union struggle. No-one else has the mandate or the capacity to speak on behalf of workers, workers’ families, and the communities that depend on them. The future will be defined by the decisions taken now.

The transition to a cleaner, more sustainable economy must be economically and socially just and fair for workers and their communities.

IndustriALL Global Union

Students call for urgent measures to combat climate change in Brussels. 

SHUTTERSTOCK, Alexandros Michailidis

Climate change

Climate change is a serious threat to the well-being of everyone and its main cause is human activity. The evidence is irrefutable. Scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have issued a stern warning: the world has approximately a 12-year window in which to act if we are to keep global average warming to less than 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels and avoid environmental catastrophe.

This ambitious target is affordable and technologically feasible. What is lacking is the political will to take action and a Just Transition plan to maintain social coherence through the necessary transformations.

 

COP 24 in Katowice, Poland word cloud 

The Paris Agreement on Just Transition

In 2015, the twenty-first Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Commission (UNFCCC) on Climate Change, held in Paris, France, agreed to a set of principles to address the climate change crisis. Thanks to successful interventions by trade unionists, the Paris Agreement demands a Just Transition.

The basis of the Paris Agreement is that nations must develop their own commitments to greenhouse gas reductions, but then monitor their progress and produce verifiable reports. The UNFCCC will periodically take stock of the aggregate progress and, based on scientific advice, advise member states to raise the ambition level of their commitments.

The important phrase, which appears in the preamble of the Paris Agreement, is that the Nationally Determined Contributions must “take into account the imperative of the just transition of the workforce, and the creation of decent work and quality jobs”.

This was greatly reinforced at 2018’s COP24, in Katowice, Poland. COP24 was intended to finalize the rulebook to allow the Paris Agreement to be implemented. A declaration on Just Transition was adopted – a major achievement for the labour movement.

The declaration signals a clear commitment on the part of United Nations member states to deliver a Just Transition. It will be up to the global labour movement and other civil society organizations to hold governments to their word. A far-reaching transformation of the economy is coming, and as Tony Maher, General President of the Mining and Energy Division of Australia’s Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) stated quite simply: “We can do this with justice, or without justice”. The choice is ours.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Industry 4.0

IndustriALL Global Union uses the term Industry 4.0 to describe a basket of disruptive technologies and work structures that are rapidly transforming the world of work. These include advanced digitalization, artificial intelligence, semi-autonomous interconnected machines, advanced robotics, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, advanced biotechnology, and platform work, among others. The technologies themselves are not the problem; it is the logic driving their introduction, which at this time is to reduce labour costs and labour standards.

If we can guide the implementation of these new technologies, we can create quality work with reduced working time and improved occupational health and safety. Among IndustriALL’s strategies for Industry 4.0 chief are:

  • the demand for full participation of workers as global, regional, national and company level discussions on Industry 4.0 take place
  • he protection of human and workers’ rights, particularly rights to information, training and education, and privacy
  • a Just Transition for workers, their families, and the communities that depend on them, through the transformation

Regardless of whether we take action on climate change or other environmental crises, or whether we embrace or ignore technological changes, these changes will come. A transition will take place and the only choice we have is if it will be a violent scramble for jobs or resources such as water, energy, and fertile land, desperate last-minute survival measures that completely dismiss human rights and social protection, or an orderly and Just Transition that respects and protects present-day workers while creating new decent work in sustainable industries.

A Just Transition provides a pathway to a sustainable future, in all aspects of its social, economic, and environmental dimensions. For the transition to be truly just, it must point to an optimistic future – a future that workers, their families, and the communities that depend on them can support and commit to bringing about.

"For a Just Transition to a future in which the environment is protected and the economy is thriving, workers need sustainable industrial policies, with strong social protections, and support for workers – guided by social change "

IndustriALL Global Union

Korean metalworkers fight Hyundai shipbuilding merger

KMWU contracted shipbuilding local rallies at DSME. Photo: KMWU

The KMWU, labour and civil society groups have come together to resist the merger of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the world’s largest shipbuilder, with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering to form a new company called Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE).

A memorandum of understanding on the $1.75 billion merger deal was signed on 8 March after secret negotiations between HHI and the state-owned Korea Development Bank, which is the majority shareholder in Daewoo. The deal needs to be approved at an extraordinary shareholders meeting which will be held on 31 May, merging the world’s largest shipbuilder with the second largest shipbuilder by sales, creating a dominant player with strong monopoly power.

The KMWU has criticized the deal as a Korean government handout to a chaebol run by the family of Chung, Moon Joon. Instead of healthy competition, the deal would give the new company 58.5 per cent of the global liquified natural gas market, 56.6 per cent of very large crude carriers and 21.2 per cent of all outstanding ship orders worldwide, distorting the entire shipbuilding ecosystem.

The deal will spin off productive work, as well as HHI debt, to an unlisted company, while retaining the assets in KSOE. The KMWU denounced this as a plan to gouge HHI, shifting the debt into an entity that can be restructured at workers’ expense.

KMWU HHI branch chair Park, Geun-tae. Photo: Lim, Yeon-cheol

KMWU HHI branch chair Park, Geun-tae said:

“Though workers built this company by the sweat of our brow, they aim to take the cherries and stick us with the pits.

“We will spare no tactics to stop this process, including blocking the extraordinary shareholders meeting.”

Unions and other stakeholders were excluded from negotiations, and fear that the merger will spark a crisis in the shipbuilding industry, jeopardizing workers’ livelihoods and local communities across the supply chain. The Korean shipbuilding industry has already experienced harsh restructuring, with more than 100,000 workers losing their jobs since 2014. In 2017, during the process of splitting up HHI, the union collective agreement was not recognized, setting a precedent for the further erosion of union influence.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary, Atle Høie said:

“The acquisition is becoming a negative factor impacting jobs and fair trade on a global scale. IndustriALL will take action to secure trade unions' rights and social dialogue for the global shipbuilding industry for a sustainable future.”

Lunchtime rally at Daewoo shipyard. Photo: KMWU

Unilever and global unions sign agreement to restrict temporary jobs

The Joint Commitment on Sustainable Employment in Unilever Manufacturing sets out principles and procedures to prevent potential harm to fundamental workers’ rights caused by non-permanent employment.

The agreement applies to workers in over 300 Unilever factories in 69 countries, whether employed directly by Unilever or through a third-party provider.

The Joint Commitment restricts the hiring of temporary workers to short-term and non-recurring tasks in Unilever factories, and prevents temporary contracts being used to avoid regular employment.

In a win against zero-hour contracts, temporary workers will  be informed of their work schedules with sufficient notice and not be retained on call without pay.

It requires temporary workers to be given priority when filling permanent positions and promotes: equal pay for equal work; a safe work environment and safety training; and the right of workers to freely form or join a union of their choice without fear of intimidation or harassment.

IndustriALL’s general secretary, Valter Sanches, stated:

“The Joint Commitment is a victory in the fight against precarious work, and protects the rights of factory workers at Unilever’s operations around the globe. Unilever acknowledges that permanent employment is fundamental to world-class manufacturing, and this agreement will promote secure and sustainable jobs at all Unilever factories.”

IndustriALL general secretary, Valter Sanches, Unilever CEO, Alan Jope, and IUF general secretary, Sue Longley.

The agreement prescribes a process of continuous human rights due diligence through engagement and negotiation with the IUF and IndustriALL and their members, representing the vast majority of unionized Unilever workers world-wide.

The IUF general secretary, Sue Longley, said:

“The Joint Commitment addresses the many risks to fundamental rights which have become all too familiar to workers everywhere as employment has become increasingly precarious. We welcome this Joint Commitment, which is the outcome of a long process of engagement with Unilever on precisely these issues and which demonstrates their commitment to working with unions to ensure rights are respected. We look forward to continuous engagement with the company on the basis of the Joint Commitment.”

Under the agreement, Unilever recognizes the key role of trade unions and collective bargaining in protecting and enabling fundamental worker rights.

Unilever CEO, Alan Jope, said:

“Unilever has a 100-year history of commitment to labour rights and respect for employees.  This is an ambitious agreement that we will work hard to honour.”

The agreement was signed in Unilever’s London offices on 10 May by Unilever CEO Alan Jope, IndustriALL general secretary, Valter Sanches, and the IUF general secretary, Sue Longley.

Malaysian law reforms must comply with ILO Convention on Freedom of Association

Three Malaysia affiliates of IndustriALL Global Union, the National Union of Transport Equipment & Allied Industries Workers (NUTEAIW), Electronics Industry Employees’ Union Coalition (EIEU Coalition) and Paper and Paper Products Manufacturing Employees Union (PPPMEU, participated in the consultation meeting on 28 April 2019 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

 

A contentious issue was the definition of a trade union, which currently can only represent workers in a similar trade, occupation or industry. Many in the union movement want to keep this provision to strengthen industrial unions and promote industry wide bargaining.

The government proposes to change this, bringing the law in line with the labour consistency plan agreed upon by US and Malaysia during the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

After much deliberation, the majority of participants decided to endorse this international labour standard and agreed with the proposed change.

S. Somahsundram

"“For a long time we have been advocating for ratification of ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, we cannot be self-contradictory by imposing limitation on formation of unions, we must be honest in our struggle”

S. Somahsundram, executive secretary, PPPMEU

ILO C 87 stipulates that workers have the right to form or join trade unions without distinction.

Union leaders discussed anti-union discrimination in the recognition process. They shared their frustration that sometimes no workers took part in the secret ballot due to employer interference and intimidation.

To ensure employers respect workers’ right to vote, union leaders suggested a new sub section to the law, stating that the secret ballot shall be deemed invalid if no workers participate, and reset for a date not later than 30 days.

The secretary of the IndustriALL Malaysia Council, Gopal Kishnam, criticized the government’s industrial relations department for its failure to enforce the law forbidding unfair labour practices. He argued that the law was clear that the employer could not interfere in trade unions. Participants proposed that the Industrial Relations Act be amended to clarify this.

The current penalty for unfair labour practice is inadequate. Employers who dismiss, injure or threaten a worker for joining a union will be fined no more than RM 2,000 (US $480) and imprisoned no more than one year.

Participants proposed increasing the fine to RM 20,000 (US $4,800) and imprisonment of not less than two years.

Trade unionists urged the government to remove legal restrictions inhibiting workers’ right to strike, to expand the scope of collective bargaining in accordance with ILO Convention 154 on Collective Bargaining, and to refer all matters relating to the suspension of trade unions to the industrial court.

The proposals made by the participants will be submitted to the Ministry of Human Resources within two weeks.

Participants observed a moment of silence for workers who have been killed or injured in conjunction with International Workers Memorial Day

 

We will not give up on democracy in Turkey

Ruling on unsubstantiated complaints by President Erdogan’s ruling AKP party, Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Body caved in to government pressure and annulled last month’s vote, ordering a rerun for 23 June. 

Victory by the opposition in winning the powerful seat of Istanbul metropolitan mayor posed a major threat to the AKP because it could have led to change in the country. After all, Erdogan was himself once mayor of Istanbul. 

The events in Turkey are part of a global trend. A growing extreme right-wing political movement does everything within its power to dismantle democracy, as in Brazil, where the presidential elections were stolen from the people after frontrunner candidate, Lula da Silva, was thrown into jail. Democracy is being dismantled in Brazil every single day.

For trade unions, democracy is the primary space for fighting for our fundamental human and trade union rights. But it is shrinking everywhere, particularly in developing countries. Lack of democracy leads to low wages, poor social protection, increased unemployment, and discrimination against women, youth and the disabled.

There has been a severe deterioration in democratic standards and institutions in Turkey. The notion of the separation of powers between executive, legislative and judiciary is no longer in place. With the new presidential system, executive power reigns supreme.

With this annulation, Turkey cannot even guarantee free and fair elections, and the rule of law and the principle of a fair trial seem to have disappeared.

Fundamental human rights, particularly freedom of opinion, speech, press and association are in danger. Trade union rights are violated every hour. There is no guarantee of basic human rights in Turkey.

Bad governance and lack of transparency is pushing the Turkish economy towards the unknown. Opponents are persecuted and the government tries to do everything to maintain its control over the country and its population.

The Erdogan administration wants to put the burden on the shoulders of working people, but there is huge resistance in society. 

The cancellation of the Istanbul election result has provoked a public outcry. Turkey has a strong democratic tradition and a progressive civil society with a clear commitment to democracy.

IndustriALL Global Union, together with its allies, will continue to support democracy in Turkey. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our affiliates, the whole union movement and civil society fighting for their rights and dignity.

The 23 June elections are a chance for a new future.

What unions can do to close the gender pay gap

The gender pay gap stands at 18.8 per cent across the world. It is not simply due to factors like experience, education, productivity or performance, that would usually determine wages in the labour market.

Instead, occupational segregation and the polarization by gender of industries and economic sectors stand out as key reasons for the gender pay gap, according to two new studies by the ILO on global wage and gender equality.

Women continue to be under-represented in traditionally male-occupied industries which pay more.  The most in-demand and highest-paying jobs are found in STEM sectors (Sciences, Technology, engineering and mathematics), where women represent a fraction of the workforce.

Work performed by women is frequently undervalued and underpaid, either because it mirrors work that has traditionally been carried out by women in the home, or simply because women are paid less for work of equal value.

In occupations which have gradually become dominated by women, such as primary school teaching, salaries have relatively declined for both women and men. Once a profession is defined as predominantly female, it is undervalued.

The 2019 ILO report “A quantum leap for gender equality : for a better future of work for all”, shows that women in Europe can expect to earn 14.7 per cent less in a business with a predominantly female workforce compared to working in a similar enterprise with a male dominated workforce.

The report also shows that many women in the digital economy earn less than men. Crowdwork (where work is outsourced through a digital platform in an open call to a geographically dispersed crowd) risks becoming just another trap for women, offering low paid, intermittent work.

Motherhood also contributes to the gender pay gap. Mothers earn less than women without children. This may be related to labour market interruptions or reduction in working time, but also to employment in more family-friendly jobs that are lower paying, or stereotypical hiring and promotion decisions at enterprise level that penalize the careers of mothers.

What can unions do to close the gender pay gap?

According to ILO ACTRAV ‘s report on the role of trade unions in closing the gender pay gap, the more centralized the collective bargaining process, the smaller the pay gap. Many women work in less unionized sectors and are therefore unlikely to be covered by collective bargaining agreements.

In high-income countries, higher trade union density is associated with a lower gender pay gap.

However, equal pay for work of equal value is not often part of wage negotiations, and when it is, it is mostly through measures to address overall wage inequality, rather than through gender-specific measures.

“Collective bargaining is proven to increase wages and close the gender wage gap. But we need more women at the top of unions and at the negotiating table if we are going to win equal wages. Women’s increased participation and representation is necessary to ensure that men and women benefit equally from collective bargainaing gains.”

Jenny Holdcroft, IndustriALL assistant general secretary

ACTRAV and the ILO have developed recommendations for union action to close the gender pay gap:

Address gender discrimination

Unions must challenge gender stereotypes and social norms that limit women access to labour markets and quality jobs, and contribute to gender segregation. Bargaining should include measures tackling obstacles for the women to access employment, such as policies on work/life balance for men and women; equal opportunity for training and career development; improving paid parental leave; enhancing access to child care and tackling sexual harassment.

Demand specific gender equality measures

Unions should make specific demands to close the gender pay gap including greater transparency of wages and salary scales; higher wages for female-dominated jobs; gender-neutral job evaluations to avoid gender biases in job classification and pay systems; and the reevaluation of female-dominated occupations or sectors.

Promote inclusive wage-setting

Trade unions and collective wage-setting contribute to reducing overall wage inequality. Unions must consider how to extend minimum wages and collective bargaining to cover female-dominated sectors, as well as informal or precarious workers who are mainly women.  Campaigns to raise the minimum wage to a living wage for all workers help to increase women’s pay.

Protect women in supply chains

The concentration of women at the very end of global supply chains, where regulations are likely to be weakest and competitive pressures strongest, also contributes to the gender pay gap.


Global framework agreements with multinational companies can play an important role in improving working conditions. For example, IndustriALL’s programmes with garment workers in Turkey as part of global agreements with Inditex, H&M and ASOS have helped to raise awareness of gender equality issues in the workplace. The ACT process will also play a key role in raising women’s salaries in the supply chain.

Empower women

Unions should ensure women’s representation in decision-making bodies and at the negotiating table to get a better deal for women in the workplace. Women’s representation in union leadership and collective bargaining teams have a significant impact on the extent to which negotiated outcomes benefit women workers.