Implementing global agreements with brands in the garment sector

The meeting, from 26 to 29 September 2018, was joined by IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Bulgaria, who are currently using GFAs in their recruitment campaigns, as well as global brands that have signed GFAs with IndustriALL (Inditex, H&M, ASOS, Tchibo and Esprit). 

Participants evaluated the role of GFAs in developing strong industrial relations in the global supply chain. The sessions focused on the role of the GFAs in organizing, collective bargaining, and the elimination of gender-based violence in the workplace. 

Participants discussed how GFAs are becoming a stronger tool for improving labour relations in the supply chain, and there was a call for IndustriALL to negotiate agreements with more global brands.

Several organizing tactics were identified as important for enabling freedom of association.  These include setting up protocols that guarantee neutrality and access to the workplace between the supplier and the national union; brand support for social dialogue between unions and their suppliers; and joint brand, union and supplier training on freedom of association for both workers and management. 

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, said:

“Global framework agreements are a very important tool for building union strength across supply chains. But they are not a magic wand. They are only effective when they are implemented and monitored. That is why it is so important for us to share our experiences.”

Unions from production countries also exchanged experiences on the best ways to monitor GFAs, and there was strong support for the continued development of national monitoring committees. IndustriALL affiliates said they played an integral part in ensuring that national unions can ensure GFAs are implemented in the global brands’ supplier factories.

There was a technical session on the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector,followed by a discussion on how to use the recommendations on worker involvement in the due diligence process with global framework agreements. 

“The recommendations set forth in the guidance, such as jointly developing programmes that involve on-site assessments, development of corrective action plans, verification, validation and monitoring of impacts and design of operational-level grievance mechanisms are key components to stronger GFA implementation,” said Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL’s textile and garment director.

The meeting is part of the IndustriALL programme on GFA implementation, which is supported by DGB Bildungswerk. 

Victory as the Philippines passes expanded maternity leave law

In 2014, IndustriALL kicked off its campaign on maternity protection throughout Asia. In the Philippines, IndustriALL affiliates pursued 120 days maternity leave, with ILO Convention 183 as benchmark. During the early period, the now Senator Risa Hontiveros committed to pursue a 120-day maternity leave, supported by IndustriALL Philippines. Since Hontiveros became senator in 2016, one of her priority bills is the 120-day expanded maternity leave which passed the Senate in March 2017. 

The IndustriALL Philippines Women’s Committee has been at the forefront of the campaign;  lobbying in both Houses of Congress, providing legislators with IndustriALL's publication on maternity protection, writing to the President of the Philippines, canvassing the media and working together with other labour and women's groups.

Research has played an important role during the campaign, gathering facts on maternal health, childbirth mortality and related statistics in the Philippines, the existing maternity leave law and international standards, and the country’s international commitment under the sustainable development goals. evolving during the campaign. An IndustriALL survey providing a comparative analysis of maternity benefits of some countries in South East Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar & Philippines) also played a key role, as it was part of materials distributed to legislators in both Houses of Congress. 

In addition to the 105 days paid maternity leave, the bill also includes:

The bill also grants 60 days of paid leave for female workers who will suffer from miscarriage or medically-approved termination of pregnancy.

“Extending paid maternity leave affirms the right of women workers in the Philippines. I commend the Philippines Women’s Committee, the legislators, their support staff, women advocates, our labour and women's groups, and everyone else involved in making this a reality. United we win,” says IndustriALL Executive Committee member Eva Arcos.

Black Day: unions in Pakistan protest mine deaths

The IndustriALL Pakistan Council – made up of Pakistani affiliates to IndustriALL Global Union – were protesting the failure of the government to act to stem the carnage. IndustriALL affiliates estimate that 98 coal miners have been killed this year, with 70 injured.

The most recent incident was 30 September, when four mine workers were killed in the Sanjdi area of Balochistan, after a methane gas explosion. Five workers were rescued by their co-workers. At least 23 workers were killed in two incidents in the past month.

Demonstrations were held in the cities of Quetta, Sharigh, Loralai, Hub, Karachi, Islamabad, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Multan, Lahore, Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan.

Carrying black flags and balloons to a press conference outside the Quetta press club, unions adopted a resolution calling on the Chief Justice of Pakistan to sanction mine owners guilty of negligence.

They called on the government to implement and ratify ILO Convention 176 on safety and health in mines, and to update Pakistan’s Mining Act of 1923. The demanding training in health and safety and labour law, social security coverage for mine workers, and higher compensation paid to victims’ families.

Speakers at the event said:

“Owners and mine managers don’t care for poor workers, because for them money is more important that coal miners’ lives. At every accident, local people, union members and other miners have to rescue the victims themselves, because of the belated response by officials.”

They added that between 100 and 200 workers die in coal mine accidents every year, but these are under-reported in the media, because powerful mine owners are able to suppress stories.

Workers are employed through contractors and sub-contractors, who not only exploit the workers by paying them a pittance, but also do not provide proper safety equipment. Most mine workers are paid between Rs 7,000 (US $57) and Rs 12,000 (US $97) per month, lower than the minimum wage of Rs 15,000 (US $122).

Workers are employed on a seasonal or temporary basis through agents, and do not enjoy benefits such as annual leave, available to regular workers.

Unions allege that labour inspectors and the government are complicit with mine owners and contactors, and turn a blind eye to the plight of the workers.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“The terrible carnage in Pakistan’s mines needs to end immediately. So far, the government has not taken the issue seriously, and powerful mine owners have been able to stop action being taken.

“IndustriALL will continue to fight until this terrible suffering ends.”

IndustriALL conducted a mission to Pakistan earlier this year, and met with government officials, who pledged to work on mine safety. However, recent elections brought a change of government, meaning dialogue must be re-established.

Malawi: union negotiators learn Mandarin Chinese to deal with errant employers

Five IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Malawi, part of a union building project supported by SASK, took this decision after facing difficulties communicating with the Chinese employers.

It is common for the employers to say they don’t understand English whenever workers put forward their demands for better wages and working conditions. Besides low pay, the companies are not complying with labour laws on conditions of employment. Most of the workers are employed on precarious conditions of short-term contracts that come with no benefits. Health and safety standards are also being ignored at their factories and operations.

To remove the language barrier, five shop stewards from energy, engineering, mining, and textile sectors are on a nine-month Mandarin Chinese course in Blantyre and Lilongwe. It is hoped that when they finish the course in March 2019, they will be able to negotiate with the employers in their own language.

With China committing to over 60 billion dollars for Africa during the recent Forum on China Africa Cooperation, of which over 100 million dollars will go to Malawi through investments by Chinese companies, the Mandarin lessons are a worthy investment for the unions. Further, China is involved in infrastructural development including road construction, and in the energy sector especially the construction of the Kammwamba coal-fired power plant. However, questions are being asked on why China is investing in coal instead of renewable energy.

Generally, China is supporting Malawi’s economic development programmes that are aimed at reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development. Yet, the balance of trade favours China which sometimes exports labour to Malawi instead of employing locals.

Says Amos Chasowa, the IndustriALL project coordinator for Malawi:

“Unions concluded that they had to learn the Mandarin Chinese language because negotiating with the employers was increasingly becoming difficult. Besides English, the Chinese do not speak any local Malawian languages. The dilemma was that whilst the employers did not understand the workers grievances, unions still had to push for these demands at the workplace”.

Bangladeshi unions call for new minimum wage to be doubled

The council – made up of IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Bangladesh – said that the Taka 8,000 (US $95) per month minimum wage is inadequate to meet the living costs of Bangladeshi garment workers. The council pointed out that rent has increased by up to 50 per cent, and other living costs have also increased.

The new minimum wage was announced on 13 September, and is due to be implemented in December. It is a 51 per cent increase on the current minimum wage, which was set in 2013 as part of the government’s response to the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory that killed 1,130 people.

Unions reject the proposed wage, saying it should be doubled to Taka 16,000 (US $190). Currently, state-owned factories pay this amount, and unions expect the minimum wage to at least match the state baseline. On 26 September, workers held a rally in Dhaka to protest against the wage, and demand the intervention of the prime minister.

No other wage rates have been announced yet, but the minimum wage is crucial because it is a baseline for all other wage levels, covering millions of factory workers. Workers rely on overtime and other supplements to survive. Overtime pay, festival bonus, service benefits and retirement benefits are all determined by the minimum wage.

Unions are calling for a wage settlement that outlines wages for other grades, as well as the reduction of grades from seven to five. They want a policy to promote workers to a higher grade after two years, an increase in the apprentice wages from Taka 4,180 (US $49) to Taka 10,000 (US $118), and a reduction of the training period from six to three months. Piece rate wages should be decided before work commences, and there should be a ten per cent annual increase in the minimum wage, to keep pace with inflation.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Jenny Holdcroft said:

“This decision once again shows the inadequacy of the minimum wage system to support living wages for Bangladesh’s garment workers.  Sectoral collective bargaining between employers and trade unions is urgently needed to enable wage increases to be agreed for all categories of workers that take proper account of rising living costs.”

Last year, Bangladesh produced US $30 billion worth of garments for major global retailers. The industry accounts for 80 per cent of the country’s exports, and employs mostly women. Bangladeshi factory owners say that they are squeezed by global retailers who have not increased what they pay.

In December 2016, the Bangladeshi government brutally cracked down on a workers’ wage protest, arresting many union leaders.

Mexico ratifies ILO Convention No. 98

"This country has a longstanding social debt towards the working class, but from now on things are going to change,” said Napoleón Gómez Urrutia during the congressional session on 20 September 2018. 

“Now that the Convention has been ratified, workers across Mexico will begin rebuilding labour relations in order to win back the rights of workers, ensure freedom of association and allow workers to set up trade unions and conduct genuine collective bargaining," added Urrutia, who is a senator for the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party led by President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He is also president of IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliate Los Mineros and co-regional chair of IndustriALL's Executive Committee.

ILO Convention No. 98 was adopted in Geneva on 1 July 1949, and since 1998, has formed part of the four fundamental employment rights set forth in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

Owing to international pressure, particularly from IndustriALL, the ratification bill signed by the Federal Government entered the Senate on 1 December 2015.

However, the Mexican government dragged its feet for three long years, bowing to pressure from those who sought to increase the number of employer protection contracts that are signed by companies behind workers' backs and further exploit the Mexican workforce.

Over the years, through case no. 2694 filed with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association and the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards, IndustriALL has repeated its calls for the Mexico government to ratify the ILO conventions and bring an end to employer protection contracts, which violate freedom of association and the right to genuine collective bargaining.

In his statement to the Senate, Urrutia said it would now be possible to get rid of the harmful protection contracts, strengthen labour-related dialogue, improve wages, rebuild the national economy and, above all, ensure that workers were treated fairly and with dignity.

IndustriALL's general secretary, Valter Sanches, welcomed the ratification: 

"This is a new chapter in the history of workers in Mexico.  We hope it will bring an end to the employer protection contracts, which prevent workers from freely creating trade unions and mean that wages in Mexico are the lowest in Latin America.”

Precarious work destroying workers’ lives in Nigerian oil and gas industry

Some 25 representatives from IndustriALL affiliates, the National Union of Petroleum & Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum & Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) met in the southern city of Port Harcourt for an oil and gas workshop on 19 and 20 September 2018.

Testimonials from members of NUPENG, which represents blue-collar workers, and PENGASSAN, which represents white collar workers, revealed the extent to which precarious work in the sector is undermining unions and leading to a vicious cycle of poverty. Participants worked across a range of companies including: Total, Shell, Indorama, the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Plant Geria and Halliburton.

All NUPENG’s members are contract workers, while PENGASSAN reported that jobs that were once permanent are now being casualized, even though the work remains the same. Participants reported that in some cases workers are made redundant and then immediately being rehired for the same job with no medical insurance, life insurance or redundancy benefits. 

The gulf between working conditions experienced by permanent staff and contract workers in the industry is huge, said participants and unions agreed that more should be done to close the gap. A contract worker could earn around US$280 a month for doing the same job as a permanent worker earning around US$2,000, or even more.

Furthermore, precarious work is being used by the oil companies to destroy unions. Contract workers often find they are unlikely to get rehired once they join a union, while white-collar workers find do not have the same access to training or promotion opportunities if they are union members. 

Unions also said Nigerian workers do not have the same training opportunities as foreign workers, and that expatriates are being used to do jobs that could easily be done by Nigerian workers.

Stagnant wages are another major problem, with NUPENG saying that wages have not increased since 2014, and in some cases longer. 

Health and safety is an ongoing issue and unions agreed that workers need to be better educated about the rights, especially when it came to health and safety. 

Industry 4.0 is affecting the industry – an accountant from PENGASSAN said that part of his role had been taken over by a robot at his company. Automation is also being used to do jobs in the lubricant sector, such as labelling and filling cans.

Vassey Lartson, a Shell Lab Technician and union representative, who attended the workshop on behalf of the United Steelworkers (USA), told participants he was shocked by the wage disparity between Shell workers in the USA and those in Nigeria. Vassey joined a visit to meet workers at a Shell facility in Port Harcourt the day before the workshop, which included a visit to workers’ impoverished homes. 

The meeting also included a report from Charles Egwabor, a lawyer from Port Harcourt, who said high unemployment in Nigeria made it easier to casualize the labour market, which in turn further increases poverty in the country. 

IndustriALL’s director for energy, Diana Junquera Curiel, said:

“This workshop has been truly valuable in hearing the problems and challenges facing unions in Nigeria first-hand. We commend our affiliates in their battle to fight precarious work as well as the other challenges in the industry, and we stand by to support them as they campaign for decent work in the oil and gas sector.” 

Palestine: IndustriALL affiliates build solidarity through capacity building

Union leaders from IndustriALL, Petrol-İş, the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), the Public Union of Petrochemical Workers in Palestine (PWU), and the Palestine General Union of Electricity and Energy Workers (PGUEW) held a joint programme at the Petrol-İş headquarters in Istanbul from 24-26 September, with the title of “Boosting international solidarity for peace, democracy and fundamental human and labour rights”.

The leadership of Petrol-İş visited Palestine in March and a cooperation agreement was signed for further cooperation.

Conditions in the Middle East are particularly bad for workers, because they confront not just global capital, but also interference by competing powers. Foreign interference causes conflict between people and countries, undermines human and labour rights, and leads to regimes in the region becoming highly repressive. Fundamental human and workers’ rights deteriorate and are violated by global capital and the local regimes that serve it.

Unions in the Middle East see major rights violations, as well as the displacement of people due to conflict, a rise in contract and agency work, and the growing use of migrants as a cheap labour force. The unions see their main priority as defending and improving the lives of workers. Workers’ rights, human rights, health and safety and job security are major concerns.

The situation for workers in Palestine is particularly bad, because they live and work under conditions of severe occupation, which impact every aspect of their lives. The situation has become worse since the election of Donald Trump as US President, and his decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, negatively impacting the peace process. The delegation called for an end to the occupation, and expressed its support for a withdrawal to the 1967 borders and a two-state solution. They also declared their solidarity with the struggle of the men and women of Palestine for labour rights.

“Our cooperation is more than trade union work” said Ali Ufuk Yaşar, general president of Petrol-İş. “Our support for Palestinian workers will continue in their efforts to improve their lives”.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“This meeting is very meaningful for solidarity with the Palestinian people and the working class. Living conditions for Palestinian workers are extremely difficult. I observed it during my visit last year.”

“We must support the fight to end the current unacceptable situation of oppression and hardship, with a lasting peace on the basis of United Nations resolutions. Unions are an important pillar of the social structure, and bring strength and resilience to society.”

At the end of the meeting, the Turkish and Palestinian unions adopted a joint declaration, pledging to fight together for workers’ rights and an end to the occupation.

Workers fired by Goodyear Mexico continue their fight

On 9 July, the multinational tyre manufacturer unfairly dismissed dozens of workers employed at its plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, for setting up an independent, free and democratic trade union. Two months later, the workers’ fight for justice continues.

Every week, the workers gather at the factory gates to protest against the company's actions and to win the support of their fellow workers. They have also urged other employees to set up an independent union so that a genuine collective agreement that is based on the relevant union contract can be implemented within the company.

The former workers recently set out their demands, which included being given their jobs back and ensuring that workers at the plant enjoyed all the benefits provided for in the union contract for the Mexican rubber industry.

Goodyear attempted to avoid implementing the union contract by imposing its own individual contract, bringing in a "collective employer protection contract" that had been signed with the leader of the corrupt and non-independent Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), Tereso Medina.

"In recent weeks, the workers have filed a petition with the San Luis Potosí State Congress calling for the protection contract to be annulled and for state legislators to stand in solidarity with the workers,”

said the political advisor to the former workers, Francisco Retama.

“They have also urged federal legislators in both houses of the national Congress to unite behind the workers and to hold a debate on the conduct of Goodyear, which has violated the workers’ labour rights," he added.

Mexico’s freshly elected federal authorities have stated that they will ensure that workers can freely elect their representatives, which will result in employer protection contracts being phased out. Furthermore, on Thursday, 20 September, the Senate will debate and vote on the ratification of International Labour Organization Convention 98 on the right to organize and collective bargaining.

"IndustriALL Global Union and its affiliates stand with the Goodyear workers in their fight for justice and have united behind them on numerous occasions. We condemn the behaviour of Goodyear's management team in San Luis Potosí and the clear lack of respect that has been shown for the workers' fundamental rights. We will take further steps to support the workers, particularly at the company's head office in the United States,"

said IndustriALL's general secretary, Valter Sanches.

IndustriALL and Rio Tinto conduct joint mission at Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia

The joint mission took place from the 17th – 22nd September 2018. Michael Gavin, Rio Tinto’s group head of employee relations, and Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL’s mining director, led their respective delegations. The IndustriALL delegation included regional staff, representatives of local unions, and journalists from Dagens Arbete, the magazine of  Swedish affiliate IF Metal.

A major objective of the mission was to evaluate Rio Tinto’s environmental, social and governance strategies. The operation has not been without controversy. During the mission, consultation was held with the herder community and their elders, the local community, the governor of Khanbogd sum, permanent and contractor employees, and NGOs critical of the operation.

Mongolia is richly endowed in natural resources and is heavily dependent on mining for its economic prospects. Oyu Tolgoi is the jewel in Rio Tinto’s crown, providing the company with an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to responsible mining. Rio Tinto took the opportunity provided by the results of the Responsible Mining Index (RMI) to invite IndustriALL to Oyu Tolgoi. 

IndustriALL participates in the RMI, which defines responsible mining as “…mining that demonstrably respects the interests of people and the environment, and contributes discernibly and fairly to broad economic development of the producing country.” Rio Tinto achieved one of the ten strongest results in four different areas: economic development, business conduct, working conditions and environmental responsibility.

IndustriALL held a workshop with Mongolian affiliate, the Federation of Energy, Geology and Mining Workers' Unions, for the leadership and over 40 representative shop stewards. 

There are 16,117 workers at Oyu Tolgoi, split between a permanent Mongolian workforce of about 3,000 and a largely Mongolian and expatriate contractor workforce, involved in the underground expansion project. A major skills transfer from expatriates to Mongolians is a defining feature of skills development and training. 

A large percentage of the Mongolian contracted workforce is set to be made permanent when the underground production comes on line. Evidence of the skills transfer is the large percentage of women operating massive hauling trucks at the open pit mine, and Mongolians holding critical senior management positions.

Glen Mpufane observed:

“The social license to operate is not a given, but must be earned, through transparency and trust in dialogue. Responsible mining is the pathway to obtaining that license”.

The conversation with Rio Tinto over its sustainability performance continues to include other global operations, for example QMM in Madagascar, RBM in South Africa, and the Rössing Uranium mine in Namibia.