South African mineworkers’ union launches campaign against gender-based violence

According to police investigations, the two women were shot seven times each. The accused is in police custody pending a bail application. This and several other cases of the brutal murder of women are the focus of the campaign launched by 50 women from the national NUM women’s structure in Johannesburg on 19 November. 

Participants at the meeting, which was attended by other unions and a representative from the Commission for Gender Equality, lit candles and observed moments of silence for women who had been murdered. They want effective law enforcement that brings justice.

With over 12 women in every 100,000 killed, South Africa is one of the most dangerous countries for women in the world. As an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, the NUM is taking part in the campaign to end violence and harassment against women at the workplace and in the union.

The NUM pledge signed at the meeting condemns harassment of and discrimination against women at the workplace, sexual violence against women and children, rape, abuse and murder, domestic violence, and discrimination against people affected and living with HIV and AIDS. The NUM will work with communities and civil society organizations to achieve the campaign aims.

The union aims to campaign for change in social attitudes towards violence, and to act against the perpetrators. The  mineworkers’ union will also provide support to the affected women and children. As violence is often linked to substance abuse, the campaign is calling for healthier and safer communities and workplaces.

Says Lydia Nkopane, the NUM national women structure chairperson:

“What is happening in our workplaces, communities and homes is painful. Women sometimes disguise bruises with make-up to conceal beatings when they report for work. They also face sexual harassment and precarious working conditions at the workplaces. Further, young women and children are being abused and murdered daily.”

Further, she said social labour plans, in which mining rights applicants are required to carry out programmes that benefit mineworkers and communities, must help women living in mining communities as poverty makes them vulnerable to abuse.

Lives at risk in ExxonMobil dispute in Australia

Troy and his co-workers have been holding a picket at Exxon/Mobil’s Longford gas plant in south-eastern Victoria, Australia, seven days a week, for over 500 days.

In June 2017, ExxonMobil contractor UGL sacked its entire maintenance workforce of 230 people and offered them their jobs back the very next day but with up to a 30 to 50 per cent drop in wages.

The new contract would also cut annual leave entitlements and allowances, while implementing harsh anti-family shift rosters. It also proposed implementation of stand down clauses which could see employees at work, but unpaid.

The contractor UGL used underhand tactics and loopholes in Australian law to try to force workers into an agreement approved by just a handful of unrelated workers in Western Australia, thousands of miles away from their workplace.

These conditions were then presented to the workforce in a "take it or leave it" approach.

The Longford maintenance workers, who maintain onshore and offshore rigs operated by ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso, are members of IndustriALL Australian affiliates AMWU, AWU and ETU.

Watch the full interview with Troy Carter here explaining how safety is being compromised and communities are suffering…

Using global framework agreements in the Myanmar garment industry

Participants, which included local union presidents and organizers, came from IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM). More than 60 per cent of participants were young trade unionists.

The workshop included a presentation on GFA brands in the textile and garment sector and the importance of signing an agreement with multinational companies as a means to build better industrial relations. There was also a deep analysis of the GFA with global fashion brand H&M.

Participants discussed how they could use global framework agreements for organizing and how to apply brands’ leverage for workers’ rights under any union rights violations. The participants continued with mapping of multinational companies in the textileand garment sectors, and looked at ways of overcoming the difficulties of organizing a new workplace. 

Annie Adviento, South East AsiaRegional Secretary IndustriALL Global Union:

Our work is to ensure that under GFAS workers’ rights are respected in the supply chain at all global operations of multinational companies. We should raise our consciousness on GFA brands to build better working conditions at our factories.”  

H&M brand representatives Hlwan Moe Kyaw, Sustainability Developer, and Felix Ockborn, Sustainability Manager, attended the workshop to give a presentation on GFA implementation and brands’ commitments and responsibilities under a GFA. They were met with huge attention and many questions from participants. 

Trade unionists raised questions on gender discrimination, outsourcing of some jobs, the differences on rights in an agreement and in reality, violations against unionization, fair wages and fair treatment under a GFA. 

Andrea Schill from the GermanDevelopment Cooperation Agency (GIZ) gave a presentation on their programme in the region with fashion brand, Tchibo. While, Daw Eaindara Kyi Tin, an attorneyfrom Myanmar, gave a talk on workers’ rights violations in Myanmar, legal rights and implementation. 

Participants closed the workshop with new organizing plans under GFAs and future mapping ideas.

Towards sectoral bargaining in the Bulgarian textile industries

The national seminar was part of an EU-funded project under the title “Strengthening the capacity of trade unions in South-East Europe to improve wages and working conditions in the garment and footwear sectors”, carried out in cooperation between IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll Europe. The project targets seven countries in the region: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.

In Bulgaria, there are around 100,000 workers in the textile, garment, leather and footwear industries. The sector is characterised by low wages and poor image, which has led to a shortage of workforce. Hundreds of thousands of young people have rather moved abroad in search for a better life. Bulgaria has the lowest minimum wage in the European Union, 260 euros (US$297) per month. 

Union density is under 5 per cent and there are few company-level collective agreements. Ten years ago, the employers announced that they no longer wanted to have a branch agreement. Today things sound different.

“Collective bargaining has to be done at sectoral level. We also need higher qualifications, productivity, living wages and getting rid of the grey economy”, said Bertram Rollmann, General Manager of Pirin-Tex, one of the biggest textile companies in Bulgaria.

Deputy Minister of Economy, Alexander Manolev, promised the support of the government for developing social dialogue with the employers and unions. 

“We want this industry to have a future with decent wages,” assured Manolev.

The textile union leaders agreed. FOSIL-CITUB President Tsvetelina Milchalieva reminded that the unions needed a counterpart for sectoral collective bargaining. Two industry associations BAATPE and BIA attended the seminar, but their representativity had to be improved. Rositsa Marinova, President of Podkrepa´s light industry federation, added that the unions wanted to part of the solution and a common strategy.

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL Global Union´s Textile and Garment Director, introduced the ground-breaking cooperation between brands and unions which started with the Bangladesh Accord, and continued with global framework agreements (GFAs) and the ACT initiative to achieve living wages for workers through industry-wide collective bargaining linked to the brands’ purchasing practices and freedom of association. A day earlier she carried out a training for national, regional and local level union representatives on how to use GFAs for organizing workers into unions.

Representatives from GFA partner brands H&M, Inditex and ASOS, also members of ACT, explained how they in cooperation with unions solve problems when they occur and promote social dialogue and collective bargaining. GFA coordinators from Swedish IF Metall and Spanish Industria CCOO and FICA-UGT were present at the seminar. 

IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“Government and employers’ representatives are committed to engaging with unions to discuss the future of the garment and footwear industries, and improving wages and working conditions.  We welcome this important step forward. But there can’t be genuine social dialogue without strong and representative trade unions. Workers should be able to freely join or set up a union without fear of reprisals. We will continue to assist our Bulgarian textile affiliates in their efforts to develop strength and build bargaining power for the benefit of all in those industries.”

IndustriAll Europe´s General Secretary, Luc Triangle, in his concluding remarks, thanked everybody for a spirit of cooperation and reminded that everybody needed to do their share.

“Government should facilitate rebuilding industry-level collective bargaining in cooperation with the industry associations, companies and unions. The brands need to enable living wages with their purchasing practices. IndustriAll Europe and IndustriALL Global Union will continue to support the unions in their action to organise workers and reach more collective agreements,” concluded Triangle. 

The project will continue with national seminars in other South-East European countries, with a focus on capacity building, putting together organising plans, and interaction with the brands, employer associations and governments.

Korean workers down tools in national strike for Chaebol reform

Today, 21 November 2018, some 128,277 workers at 109 KMWU workplaces joined a strike against government failure to challenge the dominance of industrial conglomerates know as chaebols, and for labour law reform to guarantee fundamental trade union rights. 

The striking workers call for the chaebol-controlled economic system to be dismantled and replaced with economic democracy, and for a reform to labour law that guarantees all workers internationally-recognized, fundamental trade union rights: to join a union; to bargain collectively; and to take collective action.

Auto workers at Hyundai Motors, Kia Motor, General Motors (GM), shipyard workers at Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine, and auto parts workers at Hyundai Mobis and other major components workers went on strike for four hours or more. 

At workplaces where it was difficult to strike, shopstewards went on a union officers’ strike or locals called a general assembly of rank-and-file members in support of the struggle. After downing tools, the workers gathered at regional rallies throughout the country.

Although President Moon promised to create 500,000 new jobs by reducing working hours, the government instead plans to introduce a flexible working time system that would allow companies to make their employees work 80-hour weeks without overtime rates.

The KMWU reports that strike participation exceeded that at earlier actions this year, saying that workers were forced to strike due to the continued dominance of chaebols. For example, GM took government subsidies and then failed to meet its commitments, instead spinning off part of the company into a separate corporate entity. In the shipbuilding industry, restructuring shifted the responsibility for botched management onto workers.

The government not only failed to resolve the problem of precarious jobs in the industrial sector, but also put existing jobs at risk. Outrage spread like wildfire through workplaces at the government and opposition party joining up to make working time flexible.

“This national strike is the result of workers’ disappointment in, and plummeting confidence in the government”, said the statement.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches said:

“President Moon has failed to challenge the dominance of chaebols like Samsung and Hyundai. These conglomerates dominate the economy through deals that lack transparency.

“We are also very disappointed in the changes to working time, and the governments’ failure to ensure fundamental union rights in law. We stand in full solidarity with the workers of South Korea.”

Caribbean unions continue to strengthen outreach and cooperation in the region

The loss of industrial capacity in oil and steel was a major cause for concern. The closures of Petrotrin and ArcelorMittal in Trinidad and Tobago, Alcoa in Suriname and temporary shut down of PDVSA in Curacao have dealt a major blow to the economies of the countries concerned, creating massive direct and indirect job losses affecting workers, their families and their communities.

“In Trinidad and Tobago, for instance, OWTU is trying to stop the government from closing Petrotrin and ceding soverignty over key natural resources to private interests. This same government would have opted to sell of the former ArcelorMittal steel plant for scrap metal if it wasn’t for SWUTT’s insistence on the importance of revitalizing the steel industry.  And because they are standing up for the interests of the people, unions are coming under brutal attack”.

IndustriALL Global Union supports unions in the region who are coming under attack as a result of their efforts to protect jobs and prevent a return to a ‘plantation economy’.

said IndustriALL´s regional officer, Laura Carter.

The meeting adopted statements on Alcoa and Petrotrin, and agreed to make approaches to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Caribbean Congress of Labour on the issue of sustainble industrial policy. Delegates also agreed that their respective unions should take the lead in promoting debate and action on industry 4.0 in the Caribbean region, where there is little awareness of the issue on the part of governments.

The meeting examined the successes and challenges in the countries of the region and discussed the future of work in an era of global supply chains, digital disruption and energy transition. Participants also agreed to continue to strengthen outreach and cooperation with unions in other countries in the Caribbean region.

Delegates discussed how to build union power through organizing and common strategies, and agreed to aim for greater alignment with IndustriALL’s strategies and actions. Unions will take action on November 25 as part of IndustriALL´s campaign against gender violence

The meeting brought together 22 delegates from eight unions in Barbados, Curacao, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, and ended with a visit to the Staatsolie refinery.

South African unions call for a Just Transition to renewable energy

To push for their demands, workers from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) took to the streets of Pretoria on 17 November and marched to government offices at the Union Buildings where they read out a memorandum of their grievances. However, the government officials who were supposed to receive the memorandum did not show up.

Coal powered stations produce over 90 per cent of the country’s electricity and unions are aware of the high levels of pollution. They also know that South Africa is a signatory to the Paris Agreement adopted at CoP 21, but say a plan should be put in place for an energy mix policy that will extend the life of the coal mines to 2030. They are also asking the government to introduce a socially-owned renewable sector instead of giving the mainly solar and wind renewable energy contracts to businesses but not communities. The unions are irked that they were not consulted when 27 IPPs were given contracts.

Irvin Jim, the general secretary of NUMSA, says:

“We demand a Just Transition, which will ensure that workers at coal-fired power plants who may lose their jobs as a result of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, will be trained and absorbed into the renewable energy sector.”

The unions are also against the privatization of the public power utility Eskom which they say will lead to further job losses. Instead, they are urging the government to facilitate better management of Eskom and to end the corruption that is rife at the state-owned enterprise.

David Sipunzi, the general secretary of the NUM, adds:

“We call on the government to refrain from biting the hand that feeds the state. Scrap the power purchase agreement that favour private capital at the expense of Eskom.”

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary stresses:

“This joint action taken by NUM and NUMSA is an important example on union solidarity and cooperation. IndustriALL Global Union is fully behind the legitimate and reasonable demands of the unions and  will give every possible support until a fair deal is reached.”

The Just Transition deal reached by the unions and the government in Spain is a model for South African unions. The deal included fair early retirement packages, and additional payments for workers with asbestosis. Provisions were also made by the government for waste management, recycling facilities, water treatment plants, cleaning the air and infrastructure development.

IndustriALL gives evidence to UK parliamentary Select Committee

Select Committees are a cross-party group of MPs who conduct inquiries into areas of government policy and make recommendations for change to Government and others. 

Jenny Holdcroft highlighted the importance of freedom of association and the need for industry-wide change and reform of brand’s purchasing practices at the inquiry held by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  

“Certainly, our perspective is that you cannot deliver change factory by factory because this industry is too big,” said Holdcroft. “You are working in a highly competitive environment where you have factories competing with each other for international orders and brands competing with each other to produce low-cost clothing to sell on the high street. 

“We need to work together to transform the conditions in the production countries where all of the companies are buying from.”

The hearing showed that there is no one country or brand where it is better to buy clothes:  

“Every company will tell you that freedom of association is respected in their supply chains because they are sourcing from countries that have ratified the ILO Convention on Freedom of Association, therefore everything is okay. Of course, the reality is very different from that. It is fair to say, yes, we are sourcing from countries that, on paper, have legislation. It is not ideal but most of it is not that bad. It is the enforcement of that legislation and this is where companies have a strong role to play.

“The measure for us is to what extent are the companies working with us to solve these issues directly concerning workers. The workers are our members, or should be if they only had an opportunity to join a trade union. 

“The unions, when they try to organize, face every kind of hostility from employers. They get sacked, arrested, beaten up; even killed. It is a huge challenge. What we need companies to do is to send a message to their suppliers that this is unacceptable and if you want to do business with us you have to stop these practices.”

Jenny Holdcroft also talked of IndustriALL’s gold standard of global framework agreements with individual multinational companies to protect workers’ rights throughout their supply chains. In the UK fashion industry, IndustriALL only has one such agreement – with online retailer ASOS. 

IndustriALL also gave a written submission to the parliamentary Select Committee which you can read here. 

Garment brands, including ASOS, will be appearing before the Committee next week to answer questions on their business practices. 

Watch the Committee hearing at the V&A here. 

Bangladesh and India must accelerate ratification of Hong Kong Convention

In the light of this year’s fatal accidents, killing 19 workers in Bangladesh and 9 in India, there is an urgent need to implement the HKC for a safe, secure and sustainable shipbreaking industry in these countries.

For the convention to come into force it needs to be ratified by 15 countries that represent 40 per cent of global merchant shipping and an average of 3 per cent of recycling tonnage.  So far, six shipbuilding countries have ratified the HKC. As China will be limit its shipbreaking activities from January 2019, Bangladesh and India will play a vital role in bringing the convention into force.

Kan Matsuzaki IndustriALL’s shipbuilding and shipbreaking director, says:

India and Bangladesh are key to achieving a sustainable future in the shipbreaking industry. Ratification and compliance with the HKC would bring investment, health and safety training, and more importantly a social dialogue where workers’ voices can be heard.

Vidyadhar Rane, vice chairperson of IndustriALL’s shipbuilding and shipbreaking sector and  Kan Matsuzaki, met with senior officials of Bangladesh’ Ministry of Industries on 15 November. Officials said the government of Bangladesh is pushing hard to improve the situation at yard level in order to meet the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention.

The SENSREC project, a joint venture between the International Maritime Organization and the Ministry of Industries, together with the recently approved Bangladesh Ship Recycling Act of 2017, are concrete steps to this end.

Officials said that they are seeking international partnerships and technical support to bring the country’s ship recycling facilities up to the mark.

On 17 November, the IndustriALL delegation met with the joint secretary at India’s Ministry of Shipping. The discussion revolved around establishing social dialogue and unions’ proposal to solve issues on the ground, as well as intensifying the process to ratify the HKC. The joint secretary explained that a law in line with Hong Kong Convention has been drafted and is ready to be tabled in the parliament. Once passed, this law will ease India’s way to ratify the convention.

Alcoa closure in Suriname: IndustriALL calls for a fair deal for workers

Alcoa has been mining bauxite for 50 years, shipping it to the US for processing. In the 1950s, the company built a hydroelectric dam, a refinery and a smelter to produce aluminium in Suriname. At the time, Alcoa entered into a 75-year agreement with Suriname’s government, the Brokopondo agreement.

For Suriname, bauxite provided a much-needed opportunity to create jobs, develop skills and generate foreign earnings. However, a big company in a small country, Alcoa had the negotiating power to impose a deal benefitting them at the expense of the state.

In exchange, Alcoa committed to maintain operations in the country until 2033 – a promise broken already in 2015 when the refinery was closed. Along with broken promises, Alcoa left behind a broken economy and broken communities.

A tentative exit deal reached with Alcao has been rejected by unions and civil society. Critics say the committee tasked with reaching the agreement has served as a mouthpiece for the company rather than defending the interests of the country.

Calling on Alcoa to come back to the negotiation table

During IndustriALL’s Caribbean meeting, in Paramaribo, Suriname on 12-13 November attended by Minister of Labour Soewarto Moestadja, IndustriALL reiterated the demands of its affiliate C-47 for a fair deal for Suriname and for the workers. 

“Alcoa would never have accepted that Suriname opted out of the agreement. There needs to be an exit agreement that takes into account the interests of the people of Suriname”

said IndustriALL regional officer Laura Carter.

The meeting adopted a statement calling for

IndustriALL Global Union has also condemned Alcoa for its attacks on workers in Spain, Australia and Canada.