IndustriALL’s Executive Committee advancing workers’ rights

“An attack on one, is an attack on all,” said IndustriALL President Jörg Hofmann in his opening statement.

“We need to make sure that as many people as possible benefit from global solidarity, which we know can make a difference against global capital.”

During the two days of meeting, union leaders discussed a global response to challenges ahead, in a world where regimes attack opponents, its citizens and unions, like in Brazil and Algeria, or Colombia where Igor Diaz from Sintracarbón is receiving death threats.

Delegates listened to a testimony from USW Métallos in Canada, whose 1,000 members in Bécancour, Québec, have been locked out from work at the Alcoa plant for nearly 17 months after the company refuses to negotiate.

Volkswagen workers in, Chattanooga, Tennessee, US, are still being denied the right to join a union, which led IndustriALL to suspend a global framework agreement (GFA) for the first time.

Confronting global capital is a strategic goal and key in advancing workers’ rights. The 46 GFAs signed by IndustriALL and multinational companies are important tools in developing industrial relations on a global level, as the example of how the GFA with Solvay resolved an issue over bonuses at the company’s operations in India shows.

Currently, negotiations are ongoing with a major global auto company over an agreement on the future of work, providing an opportunity to respond to the huge transformation in the world of work and put Just Transition on the agenda. 

The ILO Global Commission on Future of Work examines how to achieve a better future work for all at a time of unprecedented change. Participants shared experiences and discussed the need for a strategy on a global level for the labour movement, as not all countries are as technologically advanced.

Acknowledging the need to exchange experiences, the Executive Committee endorsed the work to continue and:

IndustriALL’s trade union guide to a Just Transition, focusing on an implementation in the interest of the workers formed the basis for a discussion leading up to a commitment to an exchange of information and expectations to form policies on Just Transition, and making sure workers have a say on the future of their industries. 

Union building is a vital part of IndustriALL’s efforts to increase organizing and build union power. In 2018, 768 capacity building activities were held, with a staggering 23,000 participants.

The Executive Committee approved affiliations from six new unions, adding 224,000 new members, adding to the fighting power and proving that we are stronger together.

IndustriALL’s Women’s Committee is planning a Women’s Conference later this year, in November. The Executive Committee reiterated its support for an ILO Convention on gender-based violence, a convention IndustriALL is fighting for together with other global unions.

More than 100 affiliated unions have so far adopted IndustriALL's Pledge to end violence against women in the workplace, a campaign that is continuing. 

The two working groups on IndustriALL’s 3rd Congress, taking place in Cape Town in October 2020, have started preparations for bringing together union delegates from all over the world. Involvement from affiliated unions will be important for proposals on IndustriALL's action plan, priorities and structures.

IndustriALL’s Executive Committee adopted a number of solidarity resolutions:

Support for the Brazilian trade union movement
IndustriALL supports the general strike called for by the Brazilian trade union centres on 14 June, in the face of deteriorating labour legislation, social and trade union rights.

Resolution on Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea
IndustriALL is concerned about the lack of transparency in negotiations over the merger; restricting fair trade and competition is a significant threat to workers and unions along the supply chain of the shipbuilding industry.

Calling on South Korean government to stop regressive labour law revision and ratify ILO core conventions
These are basic human rights for workers, not bargaining chips for employers, and IndustriALL urges the South Korean government to show a sign of commitment.

All photos from IndustriALL Executive Committee can be found on Flickr.

Safety crisis in Bangladesh shipbreaking yards continues

The series of recent accidents point to a massive safety crisis in the Bangladeshi shipbreaking industry.

Employers’ negligence, coupled with poor inspections, a lack of implementation of safety measures by authorities, inadequate training on safe shipbreaking methods and workers unable to get appropriate protective equipment are major causes behind the accidents.

Kan Matsuzaki, IndustriALL shipbreaking director, says:

“The negligence of employers and government officials leads to frequent accidents and the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Act of 2018 needs to be strictly implemented.

“We reiterate our demand that the Bangladeshi government needs to move faster to ratify and implement the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.”

Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, says:

“It is unacceptable that the lives of shipbreaking workers are put at risk. IndustriALL calls upon the employers and the government to ensure that proper safety measures are in place.”

IndustriALL affiliates BMF and BMCGWF, together with members of Ship Breaking Workers' Trade Union Forum (SBWTUF) rallied in Chittagong on 19 May, protesting against the accidents and demanding improved safety measures and appropriate training for workers in the shipbreaking industry.

US judge orders new union vote at Kumho Tire

The judge also ordered South Korean-owned Kumho Tire to take action to repair the damage made by their violations at the workplace at the time of the previous ballot in October 2017.

USW narrowly lost the election by 28 votes, following a relentless campaign of intimidation and scaremongering at the Macon plant.

USW campaigns before the October  2017 vote

Consequently, the USW filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board accusing the company of illegal conduct in its effort to suppress the union.

In his ruling on 14 May 2019, Administrative Law Judge Arthur J. Amchan wrote that the company’s illegal conduct was “pervasive” and that it warranted not only a new election, but the “extraordinary” remedy of requiring company officials to read a notice to all of its employees outlining the specific ways in which they violated the workers’ rights.

Kumho’s violations, Amchan said, included illegally interrogating employees, threatening to fire union supporters, threatening plant closure, and creating an impression of surveillance, among other threats to workers.

The day after the union’s initial election petition was filed in 2017, the company hired a firm of union busters, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to attack the reputation of the Steelworkers. Seven full time union busters were employed.

Workers at the Macon plant were required to attend daily anti-union meetings that lasted for several hours, with managers telling them that the newly-opened factory would be forced to close if they voted for a union.

The Korean multinational is currently under control of Chinese company Quingdao Doublestar Group, and plant managers emphasized this to play on workers’ fears.

IndustriALL and its affiliate, the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU), which represents over 3,500 Kumho Tire workers in South Korea, have supported the Macon workers in their battle for union representation both before and after the October 2017 election.

IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan, said:

“IndustriALL congratulates the USW campaigners that have fought for a fair election at this workplace. We will stand alongside our USW sisters and brothers until Kumho Tire workers in Macon, Georgia win their first collective agreement.”

British Steel workers deserve a future

IndustriALL’s affiliates, Unite, GMB and Community are calling on the UK government to find a solution that secures jobs and guarantees the long term future of British Steel as the company faces receivership. The company employs 5,000 people directly, and supports a further 20,000 jobs.

British Steel borrowed £120 million from the UK government in April, and requested a further loan of £75 million two weeks later to avoid going into administration. The troubled company was bought from Tata Steel in 2016 for £1 by private equity firm Greybull Capital. Greybull has been criticized by unions for a history of profiting from the collapse of successful businesses, including Monarch and Comet.

Unions have urged the government to find a solution for British Steel, including taking the company into public control if necessary. The government has subsequently agreed to underwrite British Steel’s receivership, meaning suppliers and wages will be paid until a buyer is found.

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said,

“British Steel workers are top class and have battled through adversity and uncertainty. Any new owner will be lucky and privileged to have them as their employees. It is vital that any buyer acquires the whole of the company and that it isn’t sold off piecemeal to disaster capitalists wanting to make a quick buck.”

GMB general secretary Tim Roache said:

“Ministers should have been ready to make use of all the options – including nationalization – in order to save British Steel but they either don’t care or wouldn’t take off their ideological blinkers to save hard working people and communities.”

Roy Rickhuss, Community general secretary, said:

“It is clear that future should not involve Greybull. Greybull needs to do the right thing by getting out of the road and let those who are committed to our industry work together to save the business.

“While the coke ovens keep burning and the steel assets remain there continues to be hope both for steelmaking at Scunthorpe and for its downstream operations. What is needed is the right ownership.”

In letters to the affiliates, IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches expressed solidarity with the steel workers and said:

“British Steel is a troubled company that has been failed by successive governments and preyed on by financial speculators, with Greybull being the most recent. The worsening situation is the consequence of years of neglect, and has been compounded by the failure of the government to develop an industrial strategy for the steel industry. Therefore, it is imperative that all parties find an appropriate solution that takes full account of the importance of the steel industry, and the legitimate demands of workers.”

Innovative union organizing strategies tackled in Philippine workshop

Union density is low in the Philippines at 7.7 per cent (in 2014). Numerous factors such as difficulty in gaining legal recognition, intervention of employers and local governments, state repression, as well as the power of global corporations, make it more difficult than ever to organize.

“I recall that during the 80s, union organizing was easy and workers even used to walk into our office asking to be organized. Today it is so different as organizers must take innovative approaches to reach out and communicate to workers, as most of them, especially those in the ecozones, are being transported from plant to drop off points far from the organizers,” said Racquel Clavillas field organizer from Associated Labor Unions for 30 years.

With the growing power of multinational corporations, unions must think of better ways to deal with those companies, making sure workers can exercise their legitimate rights and negotiate for better working conditions. Domestic firms are mostly linked to big corporations as a supplier, agent or buyer through global supply chains.

Participants addressed the knowledge and skills gap in organizing in supply chains of multinational corporations and looked at how international tools, such as global framework agreements and trade union networks, can reinforce field organizing efforts.

Unions agreed to create two new networks: a sectoral network on textile and garment and a company-specific network for Essilor, a French-based international ophthalmic optics company, which has two operations in the Philippines.

“We learned a lot of new things in this workshop. Because most global corporations are consolidating, unions also need to consolidate and use our collective power. We need to build global solidarity to counter the power of global capital,” said Manuel Mallonga, local union president of Essilor in Bataan. 

“Organizing unions and solidarity at every level is an important lesson. We are committed to building a network among Essilor unions in the Philippines, in our neighboring countries in South-East Asia, and even at the global level,” he added.

All the participants agreed and signed a declaration on building network and solidarity that defines basic principles and areas of cooperation in organizing where they can work together, as well as continuing communication and joint actions.

African unions want an inclusive free trade agreement

The agreement should also embrace the decent work agenda and respect human rights spelt out in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The AfCFTA was discussed at the annual global unions’ forum, supported by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, on 13-15 May in Johannesburg. Six global unions, regional confederations, a national federation, together with SASK which also supports trade union work in the region, attended the forum. The 26 participants were from nine countries.
 
Signed by 52 countries, the AfCFTA, a project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 initiative, will be ratified at a ministers of trade meeting in Kampala, Uganda in June. With potential to create a market worth trillions of dollars and reaching over a billion people from 55 countries, the AfCFTA will promote intra-African trade and probably reverse the current situation in which most African countries trade with the USA, Europe and China rather than with neighbouring countries. Attempt to integrate African economies into the global economy have achieved little despite agreements including the Economic Partnership Agreements, and the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Continentally, intra-Africa trade is dominated by informal trade mainly by women.
 
“Unions should collectively demand commitment from the African Union to create opportunities for them to participate and influence trade policies and programmes at the national level and beyond. A transformative AfCFTA can only be achieved if negotiations are inclusive and represent relevant stakeholders, is transparent in its approach, and has the overall aim to achieve a trade agenda that is beyond the narrow interests of state parties but people-to-people centred. Such a transformative trade agenda cannot happen without the strategic and consistent involvement of civil society organizations,” said Hilma Mote from ITUC Africa.
 
“There is an urgent need for social dialogue on the AfCFTA. With high youth unemployment the agreement can create jobs, but these must be decent and sustainable. Social protection is also important. Further ways to monitor the agreement must be put in place,” said Paule France-Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa.

Torrent Pharmaceutical workers in India beaten and fired after joining union

All 600 permanent workers at Torrent Pharmaceutical’s Baddi plant joined the Association of Chemical Workers Union – an affiliate of the central trade union, Indian National Trade Union Centre (INTUC) – and informed the management on 12 October 2018.  They sought recognition of the union and called for the collective bargaining process to begin.

Torrent management responded with a series of vindictive actions. The management compelled workers to sign a letter to resign from the union and victimized union office bearers and workers through unilateral transfers and suspensions.

On 14 February 2019, when workers gathered in front for the factory gate to raise the union flag and install a union signboard, they were brutally attacked by hired goons and about 20 workers who sustained injuries were hospitalized. The local police initially declined to register the workers’ complaint, and it was only after persistent efforts that a formal complaint was registered.

The next day, the company unjustly terminated 15 workers and suspended four others, including union office bearers. So far, the union has not received any response to the numerous letters sent to the management.  

Valter Sanches, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, said:

“It is shocking that Torrent Pharma workers face such a vindictive and violent response when they exercise the universally accepted core labour rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

“We strongly condemn the unfair labour practices of Torrent Pharmaceuticals. Torrent should reinstate all unjustly terminated and suspended workers, recognize the union and start collective bargaining negotiations.”

The plant, in Solan District in the state of Himachal Pradesh, employs 600 permanent workers and 150 contract workers. The Bombay-listed multinational operates in 50 countries.

Chilean BHP unions join forces to face challenges

IndustriALL was invited the second meeting of the six unions of BHP’s Cerro Colorado, Spence and Escondida mines on 8 May, who form the coordination body.

“It has been a productive meeting; the coordination body is committed to help us strengthen the BHP global network, which consists of unions in Australia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

“From this network, they will seek to be acknowledged by the company and the chance to discuss global issues faced by workers in the different countries, in order for all workers to have similar or equal rights and conditions.”

said IndustriALL’s regional secretary, Marino Vani.

The coordination body explained the seven problems faced by BHP workers in Chile. A letter outlining the issues will be sent to BHP’s representative for the Americas, Daniel Malchuk, requesting a meeting:

1.    Administrative problems: delays of up to two months before obtaining responses, since the accounting headquarters are located in Malaysia and Singapore.
2.    Breaches of collective agreements: maximum working hours established by law are exceeded. Production bonuses are not payed correctly, as the company has failed to provide transparent information as to how that amount was reached.
3.    Excessive workload: 400 contract workers were replaced by 80 directly employed worker, meaning that 80 people have to do the work of 400.
4.    Dismissals caused by negative performance evaluations: evaluations have to be carried out in order to get promotions, but many workers have lost their jobs because of them.
5.    Lack of retirement plans: some unions do not have retirement procedures in place, and when employees are terminated by the company, they have to fight for their benefits.
6.    Occupational diseases: When BHP notices that workers are using the health care system a lot, they get terminated instead of retired.
7.    Ignorance regarding the company’s prospects: BHP does not inform workers about the mining company’s prospects for the future.

The spokesperson for the coordination body and leader of Union 1 at the Escondida mine, Carlos Allendes, said:

“We are calling for Malchuk to take responsibility for BHP’s Charter of Values. We request that he receives us and discusses these matters with us. We care for our company and do not intend to destroy it, as it is our source of work. Our intention is to be heard, to work together and to solve these problems.”

Vani said:

“If Malchuk refuses to have a conversation, we will carry out campaigns to get the company’s attention and put pressure on them to negotiate. There will be a global meeting with BHP workers in September, which will strengthen actions taken along with the workers, unions and the strategic sector both in Chile and the region.”

Lockout continues at Dow Texas chemical plant

The 235 workers were locked out by Rohm and Haas Texas lnc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical, on 22 April, after negotiations for a new collective agreement broke down. The company is owned by DowDuPont, which was formed by the merger in August 2018 of Dow and DuPont.

Sign the solidarity pledge

Workers are concerned by overtime caused by understaffing, and the consequence this has on safety. The union has made several proposals, but the company has not made a meaningful move towards a bargained contract. Instead of addressing the issues raised by workers, the company has made three “last, final and best” offers to the union, most recently on 20 May.

The first two offers were rejected by over 90 per cent of the workforce. The most recent offer makes no substantial concessions and the company has not compromised on its hardline position. In the meantime, workers have been on the street, with no pay cheque or medical insurance for over a month.

The site produces specialized acrylic-based chemicals, used in paint, coating and adhesives. The union is concerned that DowDuPont is putting the local community at risk by locking out skilled union workers and using less experienced managers, who may never have used the equipment before the lockout, to handle dangerous chemicals and processes that are not part of their normal duties.

Unite members in London show solidarity

The struggle at Deer Park is supported by an active trade union network, the DowDuPont North American Labor Council, which is led by the USW. The network is extended to unions at the company around the world and IndustriALL Global Union, and has taken solidarity action in support of Local 13-1. Support letters have been sent to the locked-out workers by IndustriALL, the Australian Workers Union, Unite, SOEPU (Argentina) and the IG BCE (Germany), and a solidarity pledge is online here.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches said:

“This lockout has now entered its second month. What a ridiculous decision by the Deer Park site management, to lockout workers instead of bargaining in good faith. These managers cause reputational damage to the full DowDuPont company.

“End the lockout now.”

IndustriALL again demands Shell address violations in supply chain

Shell has refused to recognize serious breaches of its own code of conduct by its suppliers, which were raised at Shell’s AGM last year.

An IndustriALL mission to Nigeria in September 2018 witnessed first-hand how contract workers at Shell in Nigeria are living in poverty, with no job security and inadequate medical cover, while being denied the right to join a union.  

Speaking at the AGM, IndustriALL energy director, Diana Junquera Curiel, said:

“In September, I personally went to Nigeria and I saw these violations for myself. For your information, we have raised these violations with the International Labour Organiziation, the UN Global Compact and the United Nations Human Rights Council.” 

Last year, Shell made a commitment with three other oil companies to create a common framework for monitoring labour rights in their supply chains. However, the scheme is not transparent and excludes trade union participation.

“If Shell really wants to improve labour rights in its global supply chain, why does Shell refuse to work together with IndustriALL Global Union to address these issues?” asked Diana Junquera Curiel at the meeting.

“Shell says it only works with local unions, but problems in Shell’s global supply chain need global dialogue to find global solutions. Other multinational energy companies, such as Total and Eni, work with IndustriALL to improve workers’ rights in their supply chains, why can’t Shell do the same?”

Afolabi Olawale Olufemi, general secretary of NUPENG, which represents contract workers in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, called on Shell CEO, Ben van Beurden, to commission an independent study into the impact of Shell outsourcing in Nigeria:  

“Workers have been on the same wage since 2014. We signed a new collective bargaining agreement with Shell contractors last year but it has never been implemented. Oil and gas workers are toiling hard in Nigeria. The dividends you are earning are tainted by the tears of Nigerian workers.”

Shell’s CEO agreed to look into the matter but said that Shell does not have control over how suppliers pay or negotiate with workers. However, Van Beurden admitted that Shell contractors should honour Shell’s supplier principles. These include “compliance with all applicable laws and regulations on freedom of association and collective bargaining.”

NUPENG general secretary, Afolabe Olufemi, and president Williams Akporeha, raise their problems directly with the Shell CEO, Ben van Beurden after the AGM.

Joosje de Lang from IndustriALL’s Dutch affiliate, FNV, also made an appeal to the Shell Board on behalf of Shell members in the Netherlands. She called on Shell to apply the same international standards of workers’ rights enjoyed by workers in the Netherlands to all Shell workers around the world.

“It is clear that Shell contractors in Nigeria are breaking Shell supplier principles. We urge Shell to take action to ensure contractor companies adhere to fundamental labour rights, as in accordance with its own standards,” said IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan. “We are, as ever, open to dialogue with Shell to help resolve these issues.”