IndustriALL women in Turkey stand for equality and rights

This activity was part of the IndustriALL Turkey Women Network formed in 2015 with the political and logistical support provided by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).

“Gender equality remains a problem all over the world despite all the efforts developed. New approaches are needed,” said IndustriALL gender coordinator Armelle Seby in the meeting. “Gender equality is not a women’s issue, it is a fundamental trade union issue. Gender perspective is integrated in every section of our work and an increased participation of women is the main aim of this meeting.”

During the meeting, the participants made detailed analysis over the obstacles for increasing women’s participation in their unions and industrial sectors organized by IndustriALL in general. The main issues highlighted by the participants were women’s unemployment, violence and harassment against women at work, and lack of women participation and representation in their unions.

The women representatives acknowledged the further difficulties for women to access to the labour market in Turkey compared to men. The unemployment rate, at between 10 to 12 per cent, remains high in the country, and despite the high percentage of well-educated women. They are still more affected by unemployment than men because of social and cultural reasons. Namely the delegates listed the following:

  • Discrimination by employers at the time of recruitment;
  • Women are more likely to bear the responsibility for looking after children and elderly people in the family;
  • Male members in the family may not allow women to work.

Violence and harassment against women at work continues to be an issue of serious concern in Turkey. The silence of the problems by the women themselves does not help to step out of this vicious circle. Low level of awareness about their rights in many workplaces does little to decrease violence and harassment. The union activists recognized the need to raise awareness about this issue in their workplaces.

Further work needs to be done to improve and implement gender equality wording in the union constitutions or statutes. Unions should encourage male leaders to get engaged on the issue of women’s representation. It should indeed become a priority. Local meetings need to be organized at a more practical time for women workers to enable them to attend. It was also highlighted that, in order to organize more women members, the unions should really train more women organizers. The experience shows that, especially in female dominated sectors, unions managed to attract many more women workers when the organizers were women.

There was a consensus to continue the work of the network. The participants agreed on the fact that there was a need to meet on a regular base once or twice a year. It was further agreed that the unions can work individually on some common and identified issues. One of these would be to tackle the problem of violence against women as a priority issue.

Deal reached with Yves Rocher after 297 days of heroic resistance

The Gebze branch of IndustriALL-affiliated chemical and rubber union Petrol-Is, together with union national leadership, reached a deal with the company on 7 March 2019.

The company agreed to pay out severance payments, notice payments and special compensation equal to 16-months’ salary to each of the 132 dismissed workers, without waiting for the results of the pending union court cases.

Also, according to the deal, the company has agreed that if the court rules that Petrol-Is has sufficient majority as a bargaining partner, they will recognize the union as the collective bargaining agent. The deal was approved by a majority vote of workers.

The union held a press conference in Gebze on 8 March to announce the agreement. Flormar workers, union leaders and activists, political parties, associations and union-friendly organizations attended the meeting. IndustriALL Global Union representatives were also present.

Armelle Seby, IndustriALL gender equality officer, congratulated Petrol-Is and its members for a fearless and exemplary struggle for workers’ rights, “Your struggle was indeed inspirational not only for workers in Turkey, but also for workers all around the world. Your fight has been written in golden letters in the history of trade union movement.”

The Petrol-Is executive committee sent an official announcement of the victory and the end of the strike and thanked the IndustriALL family for the support and solidarity during the struggle:

“With this proposal approved by the parties, all the fired workers reached their legal rights on one hand and on the other hand the parties (trade union and the company management) will wait for the court decision for concluding a collective bargaining agreement. And during this process, Petrol-Is will continue its organizing campaign at the workplace,” reads Petrol-Is’ letter.

In March 2018, following an intensive recruitment campaign by Petrol-Is, a sufficient number of workers at Yves Rocher’s subsidiary in Turkey exercised their right to join a union. Once proof of the majority was obtained, Petrol-Is approached the company with an offer to discuss collective bargaining. Instead the company rejected the offer and challenged the union certificate issued by the Ministry of Labour in court. Despite pressure and intimidation, the workers refused to give up their union membership.

Yves Rocher/Flormar workers received strong support both inside and outside Turkey. IndustriALL organized international solidarity actions in Geneva, Switzerland and Paris, France, where the headquarters of Yves Rocher is located. Another solidarity action was organized by IndustriALL affiliate FCE-CFDT and social movement ActionAid in Rennes. These actions were coupled with intensive media campaigns.

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary said,

“We congratulate Flormar workers for this victory, we salute your determination and strong commitment during these 297 days of heroic resistance of the sisters and brothers at Flormar. Your fight is our fight. We also express our gratitude to our partners, namely our affiliate Fédération Chimie Energie (FCE-CFDT) and social movements SumOfUs and ActionAid. Thanks to their efforts this case became well known beyond Turkey and thousands were mobilized in support of Flormar workers.”

Flormar cosmetics brand exports its products to more than 60 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. Since 2012, worldwide cosmetics and beauty brand Yves Rocher has owned a 51 per cent share of Flormar.

Time for real democracy in Algeria

The announcement came after thousands of workers, including members of IndustriALL affiliate, SNATEG, took part in a general strike on 10 and 11 March in protest at the ailing 82-year-old’s attempt to run for office.

The 18 April presidential elections in the country have been suspended but it is not known when Bouteflika will stand down.

SNATEG members say 'NO' to a fifth mandate

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

“Algeria urgently needs a democracy with rules and institutions that meet the demands of the people, particularly workers. In the last 20 years under Bouteflika, the Algerian people have suffered so much. Civil society, democratic organizations and free trade unions have faced many challenges, repression and intimidation. We stand in solidarity with our affiliate SNATEG, their allies and the Algerian people who fight for democracy, dignity and fundamental rights.”

The country’s capital, Algiers, was brought to a standstill on Sunday as no trams, trains, busses or metros circulated the city. Hundreds of students also marched in the streets to vent their frustration with the government.

SNATEG, which represents workers at state-owned gas and electricity company, SONELGAZ, said a very high percentage of SONELGAZ workers joined the strike, while workers from the railways and agri-industrial sectors also downed tools.

SNATEG has been under constant attack from the Algerian authorities, which have tried to crush the independent energy union by sacking its members and persecuting union leaders through the courts.

The general strike, which was to last five days, has been called off but unions will join opposition groups and civil society in a march calling for a complete break with the current system and a new Republic, planned for Friday 15 March.

Bouteflika returned to Algeria on 10 March, after spending two-weeks at a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland. He has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

Some prominent opposition figures in Algeria have warned that the postponement of the elections violates article 110 of the Constitution, which only allows the extension of the presidency in the case of war. They have voiced their support for the 15 March rally.

Senegal: Unions build strength through organizing and collaboration

Participants discussed strategies to build sustainable unions through leadership training, strengthening union solidarity instead of competition, supporting union capacity development and forming a national coordinating committee that will be responsible for joint actions and campaigns.

An organizational assessment exercise evaluated the unions to see what is working and what needs to be attended to. The strategies to strengthen the unions in Senegal will be implemented through the union building project activities.

The workshop also commended the recently concluded precarious work project (2015-2017), which saw over 11,000 workers getting permanent jobs after the conversion of their contracts from short-term and casual to permanent ones in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal.

About 29,000 precarious workers were recruited into trade unions from the four countries. The project also led to better wages and working conditions including improvements in health and safety at workplaces and the payment of benefits such as medical support, leave, housing and transport allowances.

Organized by the IndustriALL Global Union Sub Saharan Africa regional office, with support from the Belgian trade union confederation (ACV-CSC BIE), and the French Chemical and Energy Union (FCE CFDT), the workshop and meeting had participants, mainly women, from IndustriALL affiliates SNTIT, SNTICS, SYNTICS and SUTIDS.

These affiliates organize in the chemical, mining, textile and garment and industrial manufacturing sectors. The other countries that are part of the project, which is co-funded by Swedish Union to Union, and where similar activities are taking place, are Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Says Jan Franco, international officer of ACV-CSC:

“The challenges for Senegalese unions are enormous. During the planning meeting the participants identified priorities and achievable goals. What struck me is the willingness of the trade unions to cooperate and the active presence of women and young unionists. The open atmosphere and debates on methods of approach and action showed a readiness to strengthen capacity.”

Paule France Ndessomin, regional secretary for the Sub Saharan Africa concurs:

“We applaud the Senegalese unions’ commitment to collaboration because this is where unions draw their strength from. As discussed at the women’s meeting, it is important to prioritize the issues confronting women at the workplace including sexual harassment and gender-based violence. Unions must ensure that these are addressed.”

Bangladesh unions call to reinstate over 12,000 retrenched garment workers

Over a hundred workers were imprisoned, over 12,000 were retrenched and cases were filed against over 5, 000 workers in the aftermath of workers’ protests against a meager wage hike in December 2018 to January 2019.

Despite both the government and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) assured that no vindictive actions would be taken in the aftermath of the protests, workers have faced severe repression.

Employers of 107 readymade garment units used this opportunity to punish innocent workers for participating in union activities, as most of the dismissed workers are plant level trade union activists and union members. About 2,500 workers were dismissed at the East West Group and Abonti Color Tex factories. On 26 February, a total of 300 workers at Garib&Garib Company Limited were fired without receiving two month’s wages.

Employers are using a database of over 3.5 million garment workers, collected and maintained by the BGMEA to blacklist dismissed workers and union activists from getting jobs in a new company. After the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, it was difficult identify workers as no credible record was maintained and a database was created for a record of workers – this is now also being used for blacklisting workers.

Many companies have published photos and names of retrenched workers on their website, making it difficult for them workers to find alternative employment.

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary, says:

“We are deeply concerned over the continuing violations of workers’ rights in Bangladesh. It is unacceptable that the employers are continuing to be active agents of persecution; the government and multinational brands cannot remain quiet accomplices and need to take immediate action. We stand in solidarity with our affiliates in Bangladesh, in their fight to defend workers’ rights.”

Salauddin Shapon, secretary general of IBC, says:

“Bangladesh garment workers are facing unprecedented repression. Employers are targeting union activists and dismissing workers at will. Many are arrested on false charges and large numbers of workers fear arrests.

"The use of the database, created with the good intent, to blacklist workers must end immediately. The government must act immediately and release the imprisoned, reinstate the retrenched, and stop repression and harassment of workers.”

IndustriALL calls for a strong ILO convention addressing gender-based violence

The second ILO discussion on violence and harassment in the world of work will take place in June 2019 at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. It will be a historic opportunity to adopt a binding instrument that addresses this serious gap in international labour standards for the protection of millions of workers, especially women. So what kind of Convention do we want?

  1. We need a binding text

Employers at the ILO have questioned, along with some governments, the relevance of the adoption of a binding instrument on violence and harassment at work. This cannot be.

Having access to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment, is everyone’s right. However, GBV is prevalent at work. It has devastating effects on psychological, physical and sexual health, as well as repercussions on family and work environment.

It is why an international standard on violence and harassment at work is urgently needed to ensure minimum standards for ALL.

  1. We need a convention with a strong focus on GBV

GBV remains one of the most tolerated violations of workers’ human rights. According to the United Nations, 35 per cent of women – 818 million women globally – over the age of 15 have experienced sexual or physical violence at home, in their communities or in the workplace.

GBV at work affects labour market participation and can prevent women from entering male-dominated sectors and jobs.

A new convention must highlight the need to tackle the underlying causes and risk factors of GBV, including unequal gender-based power relations, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, and gender stereotypes.

  1. We need a convention that covers all forms of violence AND Harassment

We want a convention that deals with all types of “violence and harassment” , including bullying and psychological harassment.

An ILO standard is an opportunity to agree on an international definition of violence and harassment in the world of work, including sexual harassment, for the first time.

  1. All workers, including precarious workers should be protected by the convention

A new convention must cover all workers so that no one is left behind. According to the ILO, three-quarters of the world’s workers are in informal, temporary, self-employed or unpaid jobs. The world of work is evolving towards less formal employment status.

While all workers can be the victims of violence and harassment some are more vulnerable than others. Several studies have revealed that temporary and part-time workers, and workers in insecure jobs, are at greater risk of violence and harassment compared with full-time permanent workers. There is a clear link between violence and women’s economic vulnerability, poverty and low pay.

It is essential that the new convention adopt a broad definition of workers, independently of their employment status, that includes the informal economy.

  1. A convention should not be limited to physical workplaces

A convention should not only include the workplace but also all work-related situations, such as training, business trips, travelling to work, work-provided transportation and social events. A TUC study in 2016, showed that a significant minority of women (14 per cent) reported that harassment had taken place at a work-related social event such as a Christmas party.

An ACTRAV report highlighted that in employment involving global supply chains, notably in  the garment and electronics sectors, the pressure to complete orders, as well as long working hours and the need to travel late at night, compound risks for women workers. Young women working in economic processing zones are particularly vulnerable to violence and sexual abuse in factories, company accommodation or when travelling to work.

Research done in south African mines showed that women working on night or early morning shifts were at great risk of being assaulted while walking to the mines or waiting alone for buses at night.

  1. A convention should acknowledge the impact of domestic violence

Two-thirds of women around the world who experience intimate partner violence are in employment. Domestic violence, and efforts to escape it, affect workers’ lives. Lack of economic independence can also keep women trapped in violent relationships.

A new convention must acknowledge that the workplace can mitigate the impacts of domestic violence. If a woman can be helped to keep her job, it can prevent her from becoming trapped in a violent relationship for financial reasons.

  1. A convention should provide a solid framework for responsiblity

The convention should provide a framework for governments, employers, companies and unions to tackle violence and harassment at work.

While the convention would be addressed to governments, the primary responsibility to create a work environment free from violence and harassment lies with employers. Duties should be assigned to employers to introduce workplace policies, in consultation with unions, setting out: prevention measures; transparent and confidential procedures to deal with complaints; sanctions for perpetrators; information to ensure that workers understand policies and procedures; and support for victims of violence and harassment at work.

IndustriALL encourages our affiliates to use this International Women’s Day to take action along with their national centres in support of an ILO convention on GBV in the world of work.

Workers in Kyrgyzstan left without legal protection

The government of Kyrgyzstan first attempted to change the Labour Code in 2015, an attempt which was met with union protests supported by IndustriALL.

The new version of Kyrgyzstan’s Penal code no longer contains articles providing criminal liability for violating labour legislation and labour protection rules.

On 5 March, the Ministry of justice met with a working group with members from Federation of trade unions of Kyrgyzstan.

Eldar Tadzhibaev, president of the Mining and Metallurgy Trade Union of Kyrgyzstan, said:

“We showed the representatives of state bodies that new legislation does not contain responsibility for violations of the Labour code. We will propose measures to fill these gaps.”

In addition, a moratorium on labour inspections is in place since the New year. In the next two years, labour inspections will only be carried out in emergency cases where workers’ life and health are threatened. Scheduled inspections have been canceled.

Almabubu Zharkynbaeva, president of the National Committee of Trade union of Textile, light, paper and related sectors of the economy, the industry, the scope of services of the Kyrgyz Republic, said:

“Unions can arrange inspections at companies with union presence, which is the case on only 30 per cent of the companies. Labour inspectors must be allowed to arrange scheduled inspections again.”

Vadim Borisov, IndustriALL regional secretary, said:

“The new destroy the foundations of the existing system of labour relations  and violate ILO Conventions Freedom of Association and the Right to Organize, as well as other international core labour standards. IndustriALL stands in solidarity with our affiliates and offer our support.”

Why are so many auto plants closing?

Manufacturers are using the momentum of a profound transformation in the sector to close or consolidated both unprofitable auto plants and as well as profitable operations with slim margins. A falling demand for private cars among younger consumers, with a trend towards new, less individual mobility solutions means car companies are rethinking their manufacturing models globally.

General Motors is an extreme example: the company has shut a plant in Australia, sold its operations in Europe, Russia and Africa, and will close four plants in the US and one in Canada this year at a cost of almost 6,000 jobs.

Honda has announced that it will close its factory in Swindon, UK, with the loss of 3,500 jobs, and discontinue production of the Civic in Gebze, Turkey, affecting 1,000 workers.

Jaguar Land Rover will cut 4,500 jobs globally, and Nissan cancelled plans to build its new SUV in the UK. Ford is reviewing its operations in Europe, and announced that it will close the São Bernardo plant in Brazil, with the loss of 3,000 jobs.

What is behind the turmoil? Local factors, such as Brexit in Britain, influence decisions, but this is a major global restructuring: the industry needs massive investment to shift to the next stage. We need to be part of part of the conversation about managing this change.

What are the key drivers of change?

Stagnant demand

Car ownership patterns and consumer habits are changing, and most analysts believe demand has peaked. Younger people are far less likely to see car ownership as necessary. Cars are primarily seen as a means of transport, and many people find car pooling or ride sharing apps like Uber to be more convenient. There is also a growth in cycling, the use of electric bikes, scooters and other forms of personal transportation.

Peak oil and climate change

There is a growing awareness of the need to transition from a carbon-based economy. Some governments have already announced petrol and diesel bans that will come into place in future. But replacements like electric vehicles, and the infrastructure needed to maintain them, are not yet ready for mass adoption.

Electrified vehicles

Everyone knows that electrified vehicles are the future, and most auto manufacturers are developing models. However, this is expensive and the models are not yet profitable, so development is speculative. Electric cars have fewer moving parts than those with internal combustion engines, and require fewer workers. IG Metall in Germany expects the loss of 160,000 jobs due to electrified vehicles.

Autonomous vehicles

There is a significant debate about how widespread autonomous vehicles will be in the future, but most manufacturers are adding autonomous features to cars. This requires a lot of expensive development. Google’s Waymo project is investing heavily in self-driving taxis.

New competitors

Car companies face competition not just from new manufacturers like Tesla, but also from Google, Uber and other tech companies who offer alternative solutions to personal transport. Increasingly, value is added to cars by technology, and the danger manufacturers face is that they will become merely hardware providers. To mitigate this, they need to spend a lot of money acquiring technological expertise and software.

Industry 4.0 and the future of work

Auto manufacture is already highly automated, with robots doing a significant amount of the work. A new generation of electric and autonomous vehicles will mean the design of new, completely integrated systems, covering every process along the supply chain. Highly skilled workers will still be needed for assembly and machine maintenance, but a lot of auxiliary jobs will be cut.

What are the solutions?

Without intervention, the auto plants of the future will employ far fewer workers than they do today. While the principles of managing change in industry are familiar, unions must do a lot of focused work to develop credible plans.

Work with companies now

IndustriALL has global framework agreements with a number of auto companies. These facilitate high level discussions about the future of the industry, and provide an opportunity to negotiate the transition to new forms of production.

Lobby government and local authorities

Unions must work with governments to develop sustainable industrial policy and not wait for companies to create jobs. Infrastructure, transport policy and urban planning are crucial. The way cities are designed has major implications for the future of transport.

Repurpose auto factories

With the challenges presented above unions need to prepare for the new world of work. The competence of highly skilled auto workers needs to be preserved and developed to cater for the needs of the future auto industry, but also, when closures are unavoidable, for the needs of new industries that will fill the void. This work will have to be done in cooperation with companies and local and national governments.

Ultimately, unions, companies, governments and urban planners will have to work together on large scale industrial redeployment projects.

Developing an action plan

Over the course of this year, IndustriALL will host a series of meetings designed to develop best practice from affiliates who have experience of these changes.

As well as a series of company-specific network meetings, an expert meeting on changes in the industry will be held this year. In December, this will culminate in an auto meeting where recommendations for dealing with changes in the sector will be discussed.

Bangladesh Government must intervene to secure garment factory safety

At a hearing of the Appellate Court on 18 February, Accord lawyers reported on the failure of negotiations between the Accord, the Bangladesh Government and employers’ organization BGMEA on the conditions for transition of the Accord’s functions to the Government. Citing the importance of these matters to the country and economy of Bangladesh, the Chief Judge of the Appellate Court ordered the parties to continue the discussions to reach a resolution and ordered a further extension to 7 April 2019. This follows previous rulings by the Court on 29 November, 17 December and 21 January that negotiations should continue.

IndustriALL and UNI Global Unions, together with representatives of Accord signatory brands, have written to the Bangladesh Prime Minister and to the Minister of Commerce to request their direct intervention in resolving the impasse.

The letters state that a premature closure of the Accord office would mean that the Accord would need to be implemented through alternative means, and would have immediate negative and damaging consequences.  A substantial number of factories that have not completed remediation work would no longer be eligible to produce for Accord member brands, GSP benefits would be put at risk, and the viability of brands placing orders in Bangladesh RMG factories would be in doubt.

The fire on 20 February at Chawkbazar in Dhaka, which claimed the lives of at least 70 people, is a tragic confirmation that Bangladesh does not yet have a safety regime that is adequate to protect workers lives. Safety experts from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) stated after fire that the only reason why fires in the garment industry have decreased is because the Accord has constantly monitored the factories. BUET stated such safety assurance capacity does not exist otherwise. The head of RAJUK, the body responsible for planning and development in Dhaka, said that of the 208,000 buildings surveyed in the last six months, at least two-thirds have violated the national building code in some way.

Clearly there is a long way to go before the Accord can handover its responsibilities with confidence. The Bangladesh Government has so far published no reports on factory remediation progress or follow-up inspections, and remediation deadlines for factories inspected by the Government have passed in some cases by years.

In September 2018, the Bangladesh Compact, a cooperation between Bangladesh, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Bangladesh and the International Labour Organization, to improve conditions in the garment industry, reported:

The Bangladesh Government must end the uncertainty caused by failed negotiations and more court-mandated time extensions, and come to the table with a real commitment to a credible and responsible transfer of Accord functions based on genuine readiness of the Government to take over.

US locomotive workers strike to defend CBA after merger

The GE Transportation company, a subsidiary of General Electric, was sold to Wabtec on 25 February. The union wants the new owner to honour the existing collective bargaining agreement until a new agreement can be negotiated.

Wabtec, a Pittsburgh-based multinational railway equipment supplier that operates in 50 countries, has imposed new terms and conditions which include mandatory overtime and wages up to 38 per cent lower for new hires. Wabtec also plans to replace up to 20 per cent of its workforce with low-paid, temporary workers.

The company makes transport equipment, particularly locomotives, for the railway, marine, mining, drilling and energy generation industries. It is the first strike at the factory since 1969. About 23,000 locomotives are in active use, with 70 per cent under long-term service agreements. Wabtec plans to develop new digital technologies to control speed, switching, and other aspects of locomotive control.

Production workers at the Erie plants are represented by UE Local 506, while EU Local 618 represents white collar staff. The UE is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union

“We are extremely disappointed that the company could not see its way to agree to continue the terms and conditions that we have worked under for decades. Their refusal leaves us with no choice but to go out on strike to protect our members’ and our children’s future,” said Scott Slawson, President of UE Local 506.

The workers have received solidarity support from the local community and other union locals, as well as from around the world. US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders sent a message of support.

Karlene Torrance, president of UE Local 618, said, “We are grateful for the outpouring of support we have received from our friends, neighbours and community in Erie.”

In a letter to Wabtec CEO Raymond Betler, Valter Sanches and Luc Triangle, general secretaries of IndustriALL Global and Europe respectively, wrote:

“Wabtec’s merger with GE Transportation should not be used to try to take away any of the hard-fought gains our UE brothers and sisters have achieved over these many decades. Their skills and experience in locomotive building are second to none and they should be compensated as such.”