India: unions to tackle challenges faced by young workers

The meeting of youth trade union activists witnessed enthusiastic participation of young unionists from across India working in various IndustriALL sectors including mining, metal industries, cement, garment and textiles, automobile, electrical and electronics. Participants underlined that young workers face enormous challenges including precarious work, low wages, poor working conditions, work intensification and lack of knowledge and training on health and safety issues.

Violations of young workers’ rights are rampant due to lack unionization and awareness about advantages and benefits of joining unions among young workers. The union movement should develop innovative and youth friendly communication strategies and dedicate adequate resources to address young workers’ issues, providing appropriate space for them in union structures and leadership positions.

Addressing the young workers, S Q Zama, general secretary of IndustriALL affiliate Indian National Mine Workers Federation said:

As we are witnessing the ascent of right wing and divisive forces across the world, young workers need to play a crucial role in building unity among workers within the union, workplaces and society at large. They should work together to remove all forms of discrimination.

Sarah Flores, IndustriALL youth and project officer said:

India has a big youth population, but young workers in India are facing challenges with high unemployment or precarious working conditions. We believe that with an exchange of experiences and solidarity, we can tackle these challenges. Achieving gender equality should be an integral part of young workers’ agenda. Now it is the high time for real action.

Participants at the meeting decided to intensify organizing efforts to attract more youth working in manufacturing sectors and precarious workers. They decided to strengthen internal communication and will also share the story of their struggle and success with IndustriALL periodically. Participants committed to organize more field meetings on union building and organizing sports and cultural events with focus on reaching out more young workers. They also took the pledge that they will never discriminate anyone the basis of their gender, religion, region, caste and ideological believes. 

Zimbabwe: Unions denounce human rights violations in post-election violence

Zimbabweans went to the polls with the hope of turning things around from decades-long political and economic crises. Reasonably so, because unemployment is over 90 per cent, factories have closed, and wage theft is common.

Cash shortages, limited access to clean water, power outages and a crumbling infrastructure have led to mass migration of millions while the majority eke a living in the informal sector. Only six percent of the working population has formal jobs.

With the military-assisted removal of Robert Mugabe, the country’s ruler for 38 years, so much was expected in the 30 July elections for local government, parliament and the president. The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) party won over two thirds of the parliamentary seats with the MDC Alliance (MDCA), a smaller party and an independent candidate getting the remainder.

However, the delays in announcing the presidential ballot led to protests on 1 August in Harare by the opposition which alleged that the results were being “stolen”. To disperse the protestors who marched to the vote counting centre, the police came first, but when the army appeared on the scene — shooting indiscriminately in crowded streets with live bullets — six people were killed, and dozens injured. During the mayhem shots were fired at the offices of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.

Sylvia Maphosa was on her way home from work when she was shot in the back and killed in Harare when soldiers fired live bullets to disperse protesters demanding the release of presidential poll results.

A member of IndustriALL affiliate, the Zimbabwe Energy Workers Union (ZEWU), Maphosa worked at the Zimbabwe National Water Authority.

In its condolence message ZEWU said:

Maphosa was a staunch member of the union who joined ZEWU in 2003 and remained loyal to the organization until her untimely death which shocked everyone who knew her as a humble character.

The union therefore calls for a thorough investigation into the matter to ensure that those responsible for committing this heinous act are brought to book urgently and face the full wrath of the law.

Human Rights Watch has reported beatings and intimidation of opposition supporters by “security forces and unidentified gunmen” in the townships of Harare where most workers live.

The army’s heavy-handedness has been condemned by the UN which is calling for “maximum restraint.”  Further, the EU, Canada, Switzerland and the United States of America deplored “the eruption of violence, and occurrence of serious human rights violations.”

Wiseman Garira, chairperson of the Zimbabwe IndustriALL Council representing eight affiliates in the garment and textile, engineering, chemical and plastics, energy, leather and shoe, metal and mining sectors denounced the way in which the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission managed the polls. For instance, the commission failed to supply the voters roll to opposition parties on time.

Even the results are “questionable and took longer than is necessary” Garira added.

Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa added:

The right to protest is guaranteed in Zimbabwe’s Constitution. In the event of violent protests, it’s the responsibility of the police to maintain law and order, but not the army. Therefore, the use of live bullets against fleeing civilians is deplorable.

Turkey: “Don't touch my picket line”, say dismissed Yves Rocher workers

The dismissed workers were picketing in front of Flormar in the industrial zone of the town of Gebze, near Istanbul since their dismissal on May 14. Security forces removed union banners and forced workers to abandon their picket at the factory gates and move to a less conspicuous location.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate Petrol-İş immediately intervened with the security services and called civil society and opposition parties to support them in continuing the resistance. Visiting the picket line, the general secretary of the Petrol-İş union, Ahmet Kabaca, said:

"Flormar workers are not criminals. If the security forces are looking for a criminal, it is the employer. None of the workers here did anything illegal. They just defended their rights. I call on the authorities to hear the voice of the workers here and not to disperse them.

“Who is guilty here? The workers who fight for their daily bread or the employer who dismissed them for joining a union? We will continue our resistance, picketing in whatever conditions.

“Workers were fired from this factory and we will keep our resistance at this factory. We refuse to be moved to somewhere that is not connected. This problem cannot be resolved with intimidation. We believe it must be resolved at the negotiating table, and not with police intervention. We will never accept this and we will continue to struggle until victory.

"No pressure will frighten us away,"

On the 87th day of resistance, an IndustriALL delegation joined Petrol-İş leaders on the picket line and found them in very good spirits. Workers chanted “Resistance is beautiful!”, “No justice, no peace!” and “Don’t touch our resistance!” They danced together to popular folk songs as passing drivers hooted their support.

The company had blocked off the factory gates with hired buses, and installed surveillance cameras to spy on the workers. Speaking outside the factory gate, IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“Resistance is beautiful! You will win because you are all beautiful, and your union Petrol-İş is a strong one that wins its disputes. Your voices are heard not just in Turkey but throughout the whole world. We will continue to support your struggle for justice, and we will win. There will be a union at Flormar.”

Since the Turkish labour ministry granted recognition to Petrol-İş on 24 May, the company has fired 132 union members. Although this is illegal, and the union is fighting the company in the courts, the company hopes to break the momentum of the organizing drive. The union is expected to win court cases for recognition and reinstatement, but the legal process will drag out and the company hopes to use attrition to break workers’ resistance.

Flormar is majority owned by French cosmetics giant Yves Rocher. IndustriALL has contacted the company and also intervened with the French labour ministry in an attempt to resolve the dispute. So far, the company has refused to cooperate, and IndustriALL is running an international campaign.

Iran: IndustriALL escalates union building and solidarity with UMMI

The session, organized by IndustriALL, also aims to strengthen cooperation between the two unions, among others. UMMI organizes metal workers and technicians in industrial sectors in extremely difficult conditions and must keep its activities underground. Birleşik-Metal-İş has experience of this because its predecessor organization was banned after the military coup of 1980.

The meeting was opened by Birleşik-Metal-İş general secretary Özkan Atar, who explained that although his union was banned for 13 years, it now has 32,000 members and 100 collective agreements. He welcomed his guests to the metalworkers’ training facility, saying:

“The unity of the working class everywhere, and solidarity with those in oppressed nations is our principle. We believe that joint struggle is important and we are ready to provide all our solidarity and support to our brothers and sisters in Iran.”

Representatives from UMMI explained how they operate despite severe pressure from authorities. Union president Maziyar Gilaninejad, a technician in a metal factory, said that he had grown up visiting his father in prison for his union activities, and joined UMMI in 1982. The union was forced to operate underground from 1983. Since 2001, it has worked more openly, but is still not allowed to open bank accounts or a union office, and activists are frequently detained.

In June, dozens of protesting steelworkers were arrested. Because some were holding signs with IndustriALL logos, they were subject to intense interrogation from the security forces to find out what IndustriALL is. Despite the repression, the union is able to organize action from workers that wins improvements. Protests and publicizing the behaviour of bad employers has led to the payment of unpaid wages.

The union publishes information for workers in a magazine, which is distributed in workplaces, as well as on its website, Facebook page and through a channel on the secure message app Telegram. The union places a very high priority on education, and trains members in workers’ rights, including international trade union structures and ILO Conventions.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“International capital has moved into Iran, especially in our sectors of automotive and oil and gas. Workers are being exploited by companies we have agreements with in other countries. The affiliation of UMMI is politically important to us, as it can help bring about a change in human and labour rights in Iran. Solidarity between metal workers unions in the region and with IndustriALL is crucial.”

The delegation visited the Bekaert steel cord factory in Izmit. There is a collective bargaining agreement signed by Birleşik-Metal-İş with a very high union density. After conflict in the past, labour relations are now reported to be positive. The UMMI delegation spoke to workers, to the union convenor and the human resources manager to learn how effective industrial relations function.

300 jobs at risk in Uruguay mine

The situation at the mine, located in Minas de Corrales in the Rivera Department, is deteriorating. Currently, 180 workers are drawing unemployment benefits, and according to the company they are to be joined by a hundred more at the end of the month.

On 14 July, Loryser, one of the company's subsidiaries, applied to Uruguayan courts for permission to reach an arrangement with its creditors. At the same time, Orosur also recognised the need of a credit line of US$ 8 million to pay off debts and to continue its operations.

The mining company also said that it needs an authorisation from the National Directorate for the Environment (Dinama) in order to exploit a third site, currently listed as being in an area with a significant environmental impact.

IndustriALL affiliate's in the country, the National Union of Metal Workers and Allied Branches (UNTMRA), is working with the company and the government to reach a solution. The situation is critical for the community around the mine, as employment is scarce.

The company should not have waited this long to announce a decision with such an impact. Natural resources are finite, and the company has known that this day would come, and yet there is no contingency plan for the town.

In addition, the contract the company has with the Uruguayan government requires it to set up a fund for the conversion of the town into a food processing centre, which it has not been done,

said Eduardo Burgos, member of UNTMRA’s leadership.

On 10 August UNTMRA will organise an open assembly to urgently find a solution. The assembly will be attended by government representatives, including the industry and labour ministers.

There needs to be a viable solution before the end of the month, or the mine will close. We will ask the industry and labour ministers to help find a way forward. One suggestion is that workers are guaranteed payment from the unemployment fund for one year, during which they would be given training. We need to make sure that the workers are not left without protection,

added Burgos.

IndustriALL's regional secretary, Marino Vani, said:

We support our affiliate and its demand for a settlement which would allow jobs to be saved and taking into account the interests of the population of Minas de Corrales. Uruguay needs a strong industrial base to support its development and the government must have an active policy to prevent closures like this.

IndustriALL and Esprit commit to working together to improve workers’ rights

The agreement covers 525,000 workers at more than 1,100 suppliers making textile, footwear and apparel products for Esprit in 27 countries.

In the agreement with IndustriALL, Esprit recognizes the crucial role that freedom of association and collective bargaining play in empowering workers and developing well-functioning industrial relations. Through the agreement, IndustriALL and Esprit will collaborate to set up mechanisms to make it easier for local trade unions to negotiate detailed collective agreements with all suppliers to Esprit at the national or local level.

Under the agreement, IndustriALL and Esprit will collaborate to ensure that fundamental International Labour Organization (ILO) standards are applied by their contractors, subcontractors and principle suppliers, including the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work as well as many other ILO Conventions and internationally recognized standards.

In conjunction with IndustriALL, Esprit commits to:

IndustriALL’s general secretary, Valter Sanches, says:

This is a big step forward for Esprit and for half a million people working in their global supply chain. Esprit recognizes that the best way to empower garment and textile workers is to create an environment where they are free to join a trade union and bargain collectively, while being protected by the highest international labour standards. We look forward to working with our affiliates and using this global agreement to help improve workers’ rights.

Esprit is excited about this collaboration. The Esprit Supplier  Code of Conduct has always included freedom of association. This agreement will give us new tools to uphold this commitment in a meaningful way,

says Lary Brown, VP Head of Global Social Compliance and Sustainability at Esprit.

Esprit has already partnered with IndustriALL as a member of the ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation) Initiative, which aims to implement a living wage in garment manufacturing regions by enabling industry collective bargaining in major producing countries.

It is also on the Steering Committee of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, set up by IndustriALL and UNI Global Union to improve garment factory conditions after the Rana Plaza factory disaster in 2013.

Esprit, which is headquartered in Germany and Hong Kong sells clothing, footwear, accessories and homeware in 41 countries. All its products are made by suppliers with the majority of production carried out in Bangladesh and China. There is also sizeable production in Turkey, Vietnam, India and Pakistan.

Solidarity works – Orona elevator workers in Norway conclude agreement

Elevator mechanics wanted to conclude a collective bargaining agreement which would bring working conditions up to industry standards. After the company refused to negotiate, 19 workers went on strike in Norway on 14 May. Nearly three months later, the strike has ended with an agreement between the union and Orona, with the last round of negotiations lasting for 13 hours.

Orona tried to avoid the traditionally strong Norwegian unions in the sector and also wanted to use more subcontractors in Norway. The core demand of the Norwegian workers was that Orona, one of the biggest lifts producers in Norway, adopt a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the sector that is already covering workers at Thyssenkrupp, Kone and Otis.

IndustriALL urged the company to stop attacks on collective bargaining rights, specifically the threat to close an operation just because workers are executing basic rights. IndustriALL also called on Orona to engage in fair negotiations with the respective workforce representation, and provide a fair and open negotiation process with respect to the ILO core conventions and Norwegian legislation.

Now, the Norwegian elevator constructors’ union has won this important fight – the company came back to the table and had to accept the CBA and also agreed to not involve subcontracting in the respective operations. Although it is a small operation, it is a significant breakthrough for the Norwegian unions and for workers at Orona all over the world, as the company has previously resisted most attempts to organize its workers.

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL director for mechanical engineering says:

“Although little in numbers, our Norwegian colleagues have proven strength, determination and solidarity. We did our best to also show the solidarity of workers around the globe; we cannot let multinational companies get away with an anti-union approach.”

Markus Hansen, President, Norwegian Elevator Constructors Union comments,

"We regard this as a complete victory, all of our demands have been met. I´m really proud of those 19 mechanics who took the fight and was prepared to go all the way. Our support from other unions and elevator constructors have been amazing. Orona fought hard against our claim for the collective agreement, and even said that they would withdraw from Norway. Even then, those 19 stood together and were willing to sacrifice a lot to gain this victory. We regard this victory as one of our most important struggles we have had in this decade.”

Turkey: “Strike ban is violation of fundamental right”, rules Constitutional Court

In January 2015, IndustriALL Global Union affiliate Birleşik Metal-İş initiated strike action in 38 workplaces after collective bargaining negotiations with the Metal Industry Employers’ Association (MESS) had broken down. The strike was banned the next day by the government, on the grounds that it was a threat to national security.

At the time, Birleşik Metal-İş applied to administrative courts and Council of State to nullify the government’s decree, arguing that a strike in the metal sector could never be against national security. The appeal was not accepted by the Council of State despite earlier jurisprudence.

According to the Turkish Constitution, after all ordinary legal remedies are exhausted, “everyone may apply to the Constitutional Court on the grounds that one of the fundamental rights and freedoms within the scope of the European Convention on Human Rights which are guaranteed by the Constitution has been violated by public authorities.”

Then the union took the case to the Constitutional Court, which has now ruled that the strike ban was a violation of trade union rights, and that national security was invoked arbitrarily. The Court ordered the government to pay 50,000 Turkish Lira (9,000 Euros) to the union as compensation.

Since the 2015 strike ban, another collective bargaining round has passed, with the government once again banning strikes on the grounds of national security. However, this latest ruling is seen as a victory by the union.

In a statement, Birleşik Metal-İş said:

With this decision, the Constitutional Court has openly shown that the ministerial cabinet takes strike prohibition decisions arbitrarily and this diminishes the right to strike. Of course, this decision comes more than three years after the strike ban and the compensation is too low, so this is hardly justice. Workers lost much more than this amount because of the strike ban.

However, it is important that the highest court in the country ruled that these strike bans are against the constitution. In its decision, the Constitutional Court declared that the notion of national security is open to subjective interpretation, resulting in arbitrary decisions. The government did not explain how these strikes might affect national security, and the term economic security – used by the government to justify the ban – is not a valid reason. That is why the Court ruled that this strike ban violated trade union rights.

The Constitutional Court had ruled in the same way in 2015 for the ban of the strike in glass sector initiated by another IndustriALL affiliate Kristal-İş in June 2014, covering 5,800 workers in ten factories of the Sisecam company. At the time, the Court argued that the notion of national security should be interpreted in spite of personal views and understandings, even with some discretionary practices.

With the new decision, the Constitutional Court maintains its view as a set jurisprudence. However, strike bans remain after the first decision of the Constitutional Court in 2015 in various sectors, including metal, mining and banking sectors. During the state of emergency, through a government decree, the relevant article of the Law on Trade Unions and Collective Labor Agreements (6356) was changed and in addition to “public health and national security”, governments may ban strikes in public transport services provided by metropolitan municipalities and in banking services if they are in breaching economic or financial stability”. This further narrows the right to strike.

IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan says:

The right to strike is continuously undermined in many ways in Turkey. The Turkish government uses national security, as a reason to ban strikes and side with employers over workers. The Constitutional Court ruling shows that the government’s actions violate trade union rights enshrined in the Constitution and guaranteed by international conventions to which Turkey is a party.

We will continue to support our Turkish affiliates until the right to strike is respected in practice as well as in law.

IndustriALL is looking for a project coordinator for organizing workers in RMG sector in Bangladesh

The project coordinator will

Qualification and experience

The project coordinator will have a good knowledge of workers rights and trade unions in the RMG industry in Bangladesh. She/he will be able to interact with workers and unions, as well as the civil society. She will have a good command of Bangla and English languages, both in speaking and writing.

The coordinator will have good experience in working with trade unions/ community organisations.

Application procedure

Interested applicants are required to email [email protected] with their CV, and a writing sample before 20 August 2018. The project work will start immediately thereafter, by September 2018

IndustriALL is looking for a project coordinator in Sri Lanka for organising EPZ workers

The project coordinator will:

Qualifications and requirements

The project coordinator will have a good knowledge of workers rights and trade unions in Sri Lanka. A background in trade union education is desirable.

S/he will be able to interact with workers and unions, as well as the civil society. The coordinator will have good experience in working with trade unions/ community organisations. S/he will have a good command of Sinhala and English languages, in speaking and reading and writing. Knowledge of Tamil is an advantage.

Computer skills in MS office (word, excel) and emailing/ internet usage are necessary.

Application procedure

Interested applicants are required to email [email protected] with their CV, and a writing sample before 20 August 2018.