India: Six workers die at Gerdau steel plant

The accident of leakage of poisonous gas at the Gerdau steel plant happened at around 5 pm on 12 July. While workers were cleaning a tunnel, some workers fell unconscious and two others who went to rescue their colleagues also collapsed. Subsequently all who were affected by the gas leak were taken to the hospital. Two workers died on the way to the hospital while four others passed away at the hospital. Three workers are said to be under treatment. 

Victims of the fatal accident have been identified as K Manoj Kumar (24), B Ranganath (21), SM Wasim Basha (26), K Siva Maddileti (26), K Yugandhar (37) and G Guruvaiah (45). Among six workers who died, only two are permanent workers and remaining four workers include contract and apprentice workers. Many of these workers recently got married while some of them are survived by young children. 

Local government authorities are investigating the accident and are expected to provide a report in a few days. Initial reports suggest that the leakage of carbon monoxide in the tunnel occurred as the gas was being used for reheating after repair work. Apparently local authorities have announced that compensation to the dead will be provided based on work experience. As four of the victims are precarious workers, it remains unclear as to what compensation they will receive. 

Appropriate safety measures and regular safety inspection by the government authorities at the Gerdau plant at Tadipatri could have averted the accident. The accident led to major protest in the region demanding appropriate compensation for victims and their families and punishment of those who are responsible for the accident. Currently the plant does not have a labour union. An earlier attempt to form a union a few years ago was unsuccessful.

Gerdau is one of largest steel producers in the world and has a poor health and safety record. In less than a year in 2017, ten workers were killed at Gerdau’s Ouro Branco plant in Brazil. In a May 2018 meeting of the Gerdau workers’ world council, union representatives highlighted numerous problems faced by Gerdau workers including the anti-union practices of the company. 

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary said:

“Gerdau must improve health and safety measures at its plants across the world. It is unacceptable that avoidable fatal accidents continue to claim Gerdau workers’ lives. We stand in solidarity with families who lost their loved ones and demand that Gerdau management provide appropriate compensation to victims’ families. Gerdau should not try to block workers from organizing a union at their plant in India. The company must work with the Gerdau workers’ world council to address health and safety concerns across the globe.”

Turkish court sentences Soma bosses up to 22 years in prison over deadliest mine disaster

The verdict by the Akhisar court, which is 50km from Soma in western Turkey, was announced on 11 July following a trial lasting three years.

The mine's general manager Ramazan Dogru and technical manager Ismail Adali were sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison, and operations manager Akin Celik and technical supervisor Ertan Ersoy were jailed for 18 years and nine months. 

The mine’s CEO, Can Gurkan, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Alp Gurkan, father of CEO Can Gurkan, and chairman of the Soma Mines Company which owned the mine, was acquitted along with 36 other suspects. Out of 51 suspects on trial, nine other mine managers were given jail terms of six to 11 years.

Prosecutors had demanded prison terms of 25 years for each of the 301 victims.

However, families of the victims, civil society and trade unions are angry that the suspects were charged with negligence, rather than murder, which had originally been requested by prosecutors when the trial began in April 2015.

The 301 miners died needlessly at the Soma mine due to exposure to carbon monoxide and toxic gasses following an explosion at one of the pits. Reports showed that coal had been smoldering for several days before the 13 May 2014 explosion leading to a buildup of deadly gas.  

“Public conscience was not relieved,” said the Turkish Trade Unions’ Confederation (Turk-Is), to which IndustriALL’s affiliate Maden-Is affiliated. Maden-Is is the union representing mineworkers in Soma. “When the reasons and results of the disaster in Soma are analysed, we repeatedly underlined that this was not an accident, but a massacre. All the evidences showed that there was a gross negligence at the level of intent much more than imprudence and carelessness.”

“Justice in Soma has been hammered,” said the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK) expressing outrage. “Our pains in Soma are still fresh. It is impossible for us to accept this verdict. We will not forget. We will not lie down. We will not forgive.”

A damning official report into the Soma disaster showed that the mine was a death trap. Warning sensors were ignored, safety reports fabricated and ventilation systems faulty, among other severe safety breaches.

“This verdict is completely unacceptable as it is far from expectations of the public opinion given the size of this disaster,” said IndustriALL assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan, adding:

“It is certain that families of the killed miners will be outraged with this decision. Together with key mining trade unions from around the world, we visited them in their villages, and justice was their chief expectation. But, as the Turkish saying goes – the mountain has brought forth a mouse. IndustriALL Global Union will continue to follow this case until there is real justice.”

Unions form global network and seek to expand partnership with ArcelorMittal

Seventy leaders from unions at ArcelorMittal in eighteen different countries meeting in Luxembourg this week on 10 and 11 July, launched the IndustriALL ArcelorMittal Global Union Network. The unions represent tens of thousands of ArcelorMittal workers at nearly all of the company’s major mines, steelmaking, and steel processing facilities across Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Latin America and North America.

The leaders committed to a programme of communication, collaboration and coordination amongst unions in the ArcelorMittal global network.

“Unions at ArcelorMittal recognize the importance of collaborating across borders. A number of them called at our Base Metals Steering Committee meeting last September for forming a global union network, and now they’ve launched it and committed to actively participating in it. IndustriALL will strongly support their efforts,” said IndustriALL General Secretary Valter Sanches.

The Luxembourg Minister of Labour Nicolas Schmit addressed the meeting and expressed support for the Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal participating in global social dialogue with unions, calling for it to serve as a model for other companies.

ArcelorMittal Executive Vice President and Head of human resources Bart Wille also spoke at the meeting and addressed questions and comments raised by participants.

Wille shared ArcelorMittal’s commitments to social dialogue at all of its operations, to open and transparent dialogue with respectful communications, to strong employee relations, to safe, healthy and quality working lives for all its workers, and other commitments the company has made by adhering to the Global Deal.

IndustriALL Global Union has had a joint global health and safety agreement with ArcelorMittal since 2007. A committee established through this agreement met the day after the global union network meeting to discuss a new training program it’s developing for local joint health and safety committees.

The ArcelorMittal Global Union Network identified as a key aim a written commitment from the company to a more formal, structured and regular global social dialogue, including a global committee supported by the company, to pursue matters of global concern in addition to health and safety.

“We appreciate the participation and support provided by ArcelorMittal for this meeting, as well as the company’s recent openness to dialogue with IndustriALL about concerns we have at some of their operations. We also fully support the commitments ArcelorMittal has made to positive industrial relations. We believe that, through partnership with the ArcelorMittal Global Union Network and IndustriALL, we can jointly make those commitments a reality,” added Sanches.

Norwegian oil company to collaborate with Ghanaian unions

Aker Energy, which has vast experience from the Norwegian continental shelf, will work closely with unions on defining the labour requirements with sub-contractors and along the value chain. Further, it will prioritise the employment of Ghanaian workers, fair working conditions, and sourcing of inputs locally.  

At a recent meeting in Accra, Aker Energy, which has signed a global framework agreement (GFA) with IndustriALL Global Union, said it will extend the agreement to its Ghana operations when production starts in 2021. The company, which has an agreement with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) that reviews investment conditions and licencing, wants to work with Ghanaian unions in similar ways to how it works with unions in Norway.
 
The collaboration will be supported by Industri Energi, an IndustriALL Global Union affiliate in Norway, which will provide training of shop stewards from its sister affiliate, the Ghana Transport and Chemicals Workers Union (GTPCWU). The support will include monitoring and reporting on the GFA as well as exchange visits and the forming of solidarity networks between oil and gas workers in Ghana and Norway.
 
Tendai Makanza, IndustriALL regional officer for Sub Saharan Africa said:

The meeting laid a solid foundation for collaboration between IndustriALL and Aker Energy. Further, the solidarity and support between GTPCWU and Industri Energi is an important model on how IndustriALL affiliates can work together globally by using GFAs as a tool for building strong unions and union-to-union solidarity.

The Ghana oil and gas industry is still in infancy, having only started production in 2010 at the Jubilee fields with reserve estimates of up to one billion barrels. According to Aker Energy, the Tano Cape can produce an estimated 550 million barrels of Brent Crude and has potential for a further 400 million barrels. The oil fields will also produce at a break-even price of US$35. Currently Brent Crude is selling at $74.24 per barrel.

Zambia: Mining union on recruitment blitz

Sinazongwe is 685 km from Kitwe, where IndustriALL Global Union affiliate MUZ is based, and about 12 hours’ drive by road but this is not a deterrent to recruiting more workers. MUZ has unionized 127 workers out of 150 at Smech Engineering, which is subcontracted to maintain the Maamba coal thermal power station that produces 300 megawatts of electricity into the Zambian national grid.

The recruitment is part of the activities for IndustriALL’s union building project in Zambia. Besides Zambia, the union building project includes Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe.

Formed in 1957, MUZ is amongst the oldest unions in Zambia and recently held its 14th national congress under the theme: “Growth, retention, unity and quality service to member”. It has 15,343 members from the mining sector of whom 5,094 are precarious workers with no permanent contracts. Nationally, it is affiliated to the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions.

Says Tendai Makanza, IndustriALL regional officer for Sub Saharan Africa:

“The strength of the union comes from its members which is why it is important to continue with efforts to increase numbers. We applaud efforts by MUZ who are going the extra mile to recruit members.”

The Zambian economy is anchored on mining, wholesale and retail trade, construction and manufacturing. Recently, it was affected by low copper prices and electricity supply shortages.  Mining has also spread from the Copperbelt Province to other provinces including the North Western Province where it is said to be low cost. Nevertheless, plans are underway to increase production at some old mines including Mopani’s copper and cobalt mines in Kitwe and Mufulira where MUZ has organized many workers and is the majority union.

The government of Zambia is hoping to turn the economy around through an economic recovery “Zambia Plus” programme aimed at improving domestic resource mobilization, fiscal governance, accountability and transparency, restoring budget credibility and raising confidence in the private sector. The Industrialization Strategy (2013) aims to create more jobs and diversify the economy and thus reduce the risk caused by over reliance on mining.

Goodyear Mexico fires workers for setting up their own union

The multinational, which specializes in the manufacture of tyres, announced the mass dismissals of around 50 people on 9 July. The workers claim that the company’s action was an act of revenge to punish their decision to set up an independent trade union at the plant.

“The company’s legal counsel, José María de la Garza, came to my house and, assuming a despotic air, told me that I was going to be fired. When I asked him for the reasons, he said it was in retaliation for my actions to promote a genuine workers’ movement,” explained a Goodyear worker to the press.

The workers decided to down tools at the plant in protest against the dismissals. Goodyear, with the backing of the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM) – a corrupt and yellow union at the company, allowed thugs to enter the factory in order to intimidate the workers and monitor their behaviour. 

Other thugs went round the factory armed with sticks and rocks, while the company management called in a large federal police force to guard the outside perimeter of the plant. 

CTM, is headed by Senator Tereso Medina, a union leader known for his willingness to sign ‘protection contracts’ –  sham collective agreements entered into without the knowledge or consent of workers.

In a letter to Richard Kramer, CEO of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Valter Sanches, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union wrote:

Apart from being a shocking breach of ethics and labour legislation, this is also a breach of the written commitment signed by Goodyear on 25 April 2018, under the mediation of the Mexican labour authorities. That agreement ended the workers’ demonstration at the plant and clearly stated that the company would take no reprisals against the strikers.

The workers set up the Independent Union of Workers at Goodyear Mexico to ensure that the company would respect their fundamental rights and to rid themselves of the protection contract signed by the employer-backed union CTM. 

“We are not looking for a fight or a conflict, all we are asking is that we be granted the right to negotiate directly with the company,” said one of the representatives of the new union at a press conference which took place in the presence of the Secretary of Labour in San Luis de Potosí on 10 July.

The workers claim the management of the plant has been manipulating them since 2015 when it signed a protection contract with CTM, i.e. two years before operations actually started at the plant. At the time there was not a single worker actually employed by the US company. They also affirm that they never had an opportunity to meet the so-called leaders of the union who signed a very unfavourable collective agreement with the employers in their name.

“As far as IndustriALL is concerned, the behaviour of the local management is totally unacceptable and shatters the hopes for change that emerged during the recent presidential elections. We shall continue to support the Goodyear workers and monitor the situation very closely,” concluded Sanches.

GEA management concedes to talks after strike at Italian plant

Workers at the plant, who are members of IndustriALL Global Union Italian affiliate, FIOM-CGIL, went on strike in protest at the proposed sale on 10 July. The union wants to safeguard jobs and production at GEA’s sizeable plant outside the northern city of Bologna. 

The union is furthermore concerned that a GEA food refrigeration business, also based at the Castel Maggiore factory, might be affected by the sale. 

During the four-hour work stoppage, union members demonstrated outside the Bologna City Council building, where discussions were taking place about the sale between local government, GEA management from Italy and trade union representatives. 

As a result of the strike action, the parties have agreed to another meeting on 17 July, that this time will include representation from GEA management in Germany, in order to write joint terms of reference on how the sale will take place and how employment can be maintained.

Stefano Maruca, Head of the International Department at FIOM-CGIL said: 

“This result has been achieved because of the struggles and mobilizations of GEA workers who went on strike and demonstrated outside the Bologna City Council, receiving great solidarity from workers at GEA Procomac in Sala Braganza, GEA Equipment in Parma and Ima Forni in Verona, to whom we give a big thank you.”

The refrigeration business in Castel Maggiore can trace its history back to 1898, which became known as Technofrigo in the 1970s. It became part of the GEA group in 1994.

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL director for Mechanical Engineering and Materials Industries, said: 

“Decisive action by GEA workers at Castel Maggiore is paying off. We support our Italian affiliate in their fight to save jobs and production at this important refrigeration factory which has a long history of employing people in the area.”

German multinational, GEA, is one of the largest suppliers for the food processing industry and a wide range of other industries that generated revenues of approximately EUR 4.6 billion in 2017. 

Turkey: Striking workers at Mayr-Melnhof demand dignified conditions

Selüloz-Is members at MM Süperpak Ambalaj are entering their fourth week of strike action at the company’s operations in Izmir, Karaman and Gaziantep after the union’s demands were not met. 

Before the strike started on 20 June, management made an offer of a zero per cent wage increase in exchange for employment security, and there are 24 contract articles related to wages, benefits, and administrative procedures with which the union disagrees. Nevertheless, the union is committed to finding a solution in bargaining with the employer.

“One of the main disagreements is the method of the salary payment in the collective bargaining agreement. We demand that all the payments should be net but the employer proposes gross payments, especially with salaries,” said Ergin Alsan, General President of Seluloz-Is.

The company has refused to enter into negotiations to solve the conflict.

IndustriALL and affiliates from around the world have demonstrated their solidarity by sending letters of support to the workers on strike at the company’s three operations in Turkey. In its own letter of solidarity, IndustriALL said:

“IndustriALL Global Union fully supports your demands and the industrial action, and we expect the company to return to the negotiating table with your union to find a just solution to the conflict.”

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

“It is shameful for a multinational company to relentlessly propose to its counterpart union to give up all the gained rights. These courageous workers and their union refused to accept this and are fighting back. We are behind them and our solidarity actions will continue until they get a fair contract”.

Ukrainian miners protest to get paid

Members of IndustriALL Global Union affiliates, the Coal Mining Workers’ Union of Ukraine, and the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine (NPGU), from across the country gathered outside the parliament, known as the Verkhovna Rada, in the capital Kiev, holding placards proclaiming: ''Stop destroying the coal industry'' and ''The hungry miner is a shame on Ukraine’’.

Salaries have not been paid for two-and-a-half months, totaling UAH 1.1 billion (US$41.7 million). The miners’ families are driven to despair and many workers are forced buy food on credit, writing the amount in special books.

On 4 July, the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine reallocated UAH 324 million (US$12.3 million) saved for restructuring, including mine closure payments, to the miners’ salaries. However, these funds will only be enough to pay for one month.

Besides wage payments, miners are demanding that the parliament adopts draft law № 8362 that allocates financial support to the coal industry owned by the state. This financial assistance will prevent the closure of state mines and the decay of mining towns. 

Viktor Turmanov, president of Trade Union of Coal Industry Workers of Ukraine, stated:

“We need 226 votes in parliament, so the draft law was adopted and the industry received UAH 2.8 billion (US$106 million). This amount will be enough to pay the salary until the end of the year. We will continue to protest in support of the draft law until we succeed”.

Mychailo Volynets, president of NPGU, said:

“Miners see a systemic reduction in coal output and a significant increase in coal imports. They don’t understand why there is no clear and effective programme for the development of the coal industry in Ukraine. Another problem is the appointment of incompetent people, as well as overseers, at key positions in the state-owned enterprises of the Ukrainian coal industry.”

NPGU  has formulated the miners’ demands as follows:

On 2 July, miners started an underground protest at the №10 Novovolynskа mine in the Volyn region of Ukraine. Miners are demanding payment of wages and allocation of funds for the completion of the mine.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, says:

“Ukrainian miners are fighting hard for their rights. Only last month they held a mass rally in front of the Verkhovna Rada, and again they are forced to protest. We support all our affiliates’ demands and call on the Ukrainian government to resolve the critical situation as soon as possible.” 

Conference sets path for Asia-Pacific textile and garment sector

Unions tackled issues such as protecting workers’ rights in the supply chain, developing women leaders within unions, youth and effective implementation of global framework agreements with H&M, Inditex, Tchibo and ASOS.

Participants also looked at ways of taking advantage of international instruments such as the ACT initiative on living wages, the Bangladesh Accord, ILO complaint mechanisms, as well as OECD due diligence guidelines.

Akiko Gono, IndustriALL Co-Chair of the TGSL sector, said:

“Workers in the TGSL sector face many challenges. Millions of women workers face harsh working conditions and receive low wages. Companies that won’t pay appropriate wages to workers, don’t have the right to exist. Unions must also prepare themselves to face the challenges emerging from technological transformation in the form of Industry 4.0.”

Athit Kong, IndustriALL Co-Chair of TGSL sector, said:

“We have very important global instruments including GFAs, the Accord in Bangladesh and the ACT initiative which can be used to improve workers’ lives. However, we are facing major challenges in implementing these instruments at the national level. We need to work more to build union power on the ground and find ways to effectively implement international instruments to bring change for workers.”

Jenny Holdcroft, IndustriALL’s Assistant General Secretary, provided an overview of IndustriALL’s initiative in building global instruments to defend workers’ rights and said:

“ACCORD and ACT are setting new standards in global supply chains. The settlement of two cases filed against global brands at PCA in the Hague is a historic victory for trade union movement. Legally-binding agreements can hold multinational companies to account. IndustriALL’s global agreement ACT will facilitate industry-wide collective bargaining and link multinational companies’ purchasing practices to supply chain workers’ pay and working conditions. Importantly, it will promote freedom of association and ensure the protection of more workers.

“We made significant progress, but it is important that we need to address massive challenges in implementing these tools. We need to strengthen our union structures and develop capacity to effectively use these international instruments. We need to eliminate competition among unions and build unity. We need to reduce the gap between plant level unions and leadership and bring more women and youth into the union fold.”

The conference included a presentation from an H&M representative on sustainability and stakeholder engagement, while other GFA brands Inditex and Tchibo gave presentations underlining their commitment to work with unions and improve industrial relations in the global supply chain.

IndustriALL South Asia and South East Asia regional representatives and affiliates from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar and Philippines presented on the situation of women workers in their respective countries and various actions taken by unions to improve wages, social security, working conditions and women’s representation in unions.

The conference also explored challenges faced by young workers. Young unionists called for more efforts to address issues affecting them, such as precarious work, low wages, lack of understanding and negative information among youth about unions, long working hours, lack of opportunity for youth in union structures and lifestyle issues.

Youth representatives also called for innovative youth education and empowerment strategies, effective use of social media to create awareness of union participation, and organizing sports and cultural events to enhance youth participation.

IndustriALL’s General Secretary, Valter Sanches, who attended the conference, said:

“It is our duty to ensure that workers’ rights are protected and they receive due wages. We are facing formidable challenges posed by the pro-business approaches of the governments in the Asia-Pacific region. They seem to believe that the only way to generate employment is to offer cheap labour and create special economic zones bereft of labour rights. Every day workers’ rights are trampled on and workers are being sacked and persecuted. Governments are afraid of the brands’ economic clout and predatory sourcing practices. We need to strategically use international instruments including IndustriALL’s GFAs and ACT initiative to strengthen unions and stand up to these challenges.”