Young workers in Zimbabwe engage on the future of unions

How young workers are to become catalysts for change in unions is the central theme discussed at a recent five-day activist school in Harare organized by IndustriALL Global Union with support from the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

The activist school, to which constitutional and labour experts made presentations on scenarios for the country, discussed topical issues on governance and human rights, social and economic development, trade unions and activism, and organizing, recruitment and mobilization. Emphasis was put on understanding the context of the recent elections as well as national economic development strategies. There were also sessions on project management and media and communication.

Given Zimbabwe’s current crisis, characterized by the disputed 30 July elections, economic collapse, high prices and cash shortages, high unemployment, and a public health crisis in which 25 people have died from a cholera outbreak in townships where most of the workers live, these are important topics. Local governments in cities including Harare are failing to provide clean water to residents and even basics such as regular garbage collection.

The closure of factories and the slowing down of activities in most sectors of the economy led to declining union membership while those working earn low wages. With most workers now in the informal sector, unions need to find innovative ways to recruit them. To this end, the suggested mobilization strategies included campaigns, demonstrations, pickets and strikes

Nineteen young workers, eight of them women, from eight IndustriALL affiliates under the Union Building Project attended the activist school. The workers agreed to establish a network to defend workers’ rights, develop leadership skills, promote learning and sharing of information and knowledge, and build solidarity and collaboration at workplaces and within communities. Affiliates from the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions also attended the workshop.

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

Young workers have immense potential to revive unions in Zimbabwe. This workshop starts the process to strengthen youth capacity for trade union work.

New global trade union alliance formed at WestRock

Meeting in Destin, Florida, on 22 August around 120 union delegates from North and South America, Europe and Asia analysed WestRock’s labour relations in the different regions, established a coordination committee for the alliance, and set an action plan.

After a series of major acquisitions over recent years, the smaller company RockTenn has rapidly expanded into a global giant, purchasing Smurfit Stone, MeadWestvaco, and MPS among others with the major Kapstone acquisition pending. The company’s status as a major multinational necessitates proactive global labour relations through corporate social behaviour dialogue with its global unions.

Leeann Foster from the USW, the union that will chair the new alliance said:

Our new alliance is convinced that dialogue between labour and management at every level — whether it local, national or global — is of benefit to both the workers and the company. As the union representing workers where many multinationals are based and through our work with IndustriALL and UNI, we have vast experience and expertise in fostering such dialogue and assisting in avoiding unnecessary conflict while addressing any discrepancies in how a company’s official global relations policy is implemented in reality. We want to foster pro-active, stable labour relations in every WestRock region.

The meeting heard from Brazilian union leaders representing WestRock workers who are facing a plant closure in the city of Valinhos, near Sao Paulo and construction of a new facility an hour away in Porto Feliz. The meeting was concerned to hear that despite the company reporting excellent results and record profits from the Brazil operations, Brazilian unions are forced to campaign to keep the Riegesa plant open. If the plant cannot be saved the local union STIPAP is demanding dialogue with WestRock towards a social plan for the more than 600 workers losing their job. The meeting adopted the following solidarity statement regarding the case:

The newly-formed Global WestRock Trade Union Alliance stands in solidarity with the WestRock workers in the city of Valinhos who are campaigning against the closure of the successful Riegesa plant which threatens the livelihoods of over 600 families who have contributed to the company’s achievements in Brazil. It is clear that WestRock must sit down to dialogue with the union towards agreeing a social plan for the workers who risk losing their employment. All unions of the global alliance will be following with full support the company’s behaviour towards the Riegesa workers. These workers must be treated with the respect they deserve.

Chair of the company’s European Works Council, Raffiq Moosa said:

We have built up a relationship based on trust and respect over a number of years in Europe. We will be seeking to extend that to the global level now. Organizing will be a central priority going forward.

The new alliance will now get started on its action plan, led by the coordination committee that was constituted by the meeting.

WestRock reported sales of US$4.1 billion for the third quarter of this financial year.

Kenyan union demands decent jobs in the auto sector

Kenya Vehicles Manufacturers assemble for Tata and Scania, whilst Associated Vehicles Assemblers is contracted to Toyota. The value chain includes parts, distribution and maintenance.

With the East African Community customs union relaxing requirements to make it attractive to assemble vehicles in Kenya, this is a growth opportunity for the sector. Promoting the buying of locally produced vehicles instead of used cars from other parts of the world is another stimulant.

However, retrenchments in the auto sector are common and cheap imports continue to flood the market. Unions say this is worsened by weak protection mechanisms in industrial policies and the lack of an integrated economic strategy.

To discuss the challenges and solutions in the sector, the IndustriALL Global Union Sub Saharan Africa region recently organized meetings in Nairobi that were attended by affiliates, the Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metalworkers (AUKMW) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA). Collaboration and learning between affiliates in different countries was emphasized. A further meeting is planned for next year, to integrate African auto unions into the global network.

The meetings heard that in 2015, VW, which receives near-complete vehicles from South Africa — only short of doors, bonnets, tyres and a few other items which are fitted by four full-time workers — announced plans to open a bigger assembly line with the potential to create 2,000 jobs. The government even promised to boost production by purchasing vehicles from the plant. Sadly, the AUKMW reported that despite high expectations, the company still employs only four full-time workers. Further, it employs 118 workers who have been on short-term contracts for 10 years. AUKMW is challenging this, but its attempts to push for permanent employment through the courts failed.

After the meeting, AUKMW facilitated a collective bargaining workshop that was attended by shop stewards from Isuzu, KVM, battery manufacturer Chloride, Sunfilter, Choda Fabricators, and Pelican Signs. The national labour centre, the Centre for the Organisation of Trade Unions, was represented at the meetings. There were exchanges on Kenya’s plant level bargaining versus South Africa’s centralized collective bargaining with the deputy labour commissioner expressing an interest in introducing bargaining councils to improve labour relations in the country.

NUMSA explained how it protected workers' interests when General Motors closed shop in South Africa, and during the transfer of some of the workers to Isuzu.

Says Kenny Mogane, IndustriALL regional officer for Sub Saharan Africa:

“We welcome AUKMW’s fight for permanent jobs and better working conditions for workers in the automotive sector and will continue to support their efforts to improve collective bargaining.”

Indian cement unions show concrete organizing results

Thirty participants, from different companies and representing both the Indian National Cement Workers’ Federation (INCWF) and Pragatisheel Cement Shramik Sangh (PCSS) attended the workshop. For the first time, four women workers participated. The discussions revolved around health and safety, fighting precarious work among contractors, and the integration of women and contract workers into existing trade union structures.

The worst and most disturbing information was that 15 workers had died in ACC and Ambuja plants – both owned by LafargeHolcim – since 2013. Most were contract workers, earning low wages and working in poor conditions. Both unions strongly condemned these fatal accidents and urged LafargeHolcim to improve health and safety in their plants and include union representatives in safety investigation committees.

Representatives are angry that LafargeHolcim management has broken its word and refused to sign the negotiated global framework agreement (GFA). The INCWF general secretary demanded that LafargeHolcim become member of the Cement Manufacturer’s Association of India so that the National Wage Board is applicable for all LafargeHolcim plants.

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL director for materials industries said:

“I am very happy that we succeeded in integrating women into this workshop and that our affiliates are committed to fighting violence against women. This is an important step. Also, to see the recruiting efforts – and successes – in the multinationals and beyond is a very encouraging signal.
“I congratulate our affiliates on the many new members. These members strengthen the labour movement. We will continue to support our Indian affiliates.”

1,414 new workers were recruited by the INCWF, and 122 by PCSS between April and September 2018. This is the result of a membership drive planned at the previous IndustriALL meeting in April.

While discussing gender, participants said that many companies are not recruiting women workers, and that facilities provided previously are now vanishing. Union committed to raising their voice against all kinds of gender discrimination and violence, and plan to sign the IndustriALL Pledge (pdf) later this year.

Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, stated,

“Our work with our affiliates in the cement sector is showing concrete results, both in terms of organizing members and including women in our union structures. We look forward to continuing this work with our affiliates.”

At the end of the meeting, participants developed and adopted action plans, with organizing and recruiting goals for each union.

United States: Imerys locks out Montana talc workers

Since May, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, has been trying to reach an agreement with Imerys Talc America, owner of Three Forks plant. Unfortunately, the company demonstrated a complete disregard towards its employees and is adamant to slash benefits for workers despite more than $1 million in monthly profits delivered by this particular unit.

“It’s important to understand that we were not seeking anything new or anything ‘more’ under a new contract,”

says Boilermakers Local D239 union president Randy Tocci, who has worked for the Three Forks talc mill for 38 years.

“What Imerys repeatedly offered actually would remove benefits from people who have worked hard there for decades and have been counting on those benefits. We’ve been locked out because of corporate greed, pure and simple.”

Tocci explained that the union first faced problems with management in 2011, when the French multinational Imerys acquired Luzenac Group, a subsidiary of the mining giant Rio Tinto. In addition to the Three Forks mill, Imerys acquired a second talc mill in Sappington and the Yellowstone talc mine near Ennis. Imerys currently owns 270 industrial sites in 50 countries of the world and employs 18,300 workers.

Montana Governor Steve Bullock visited the locked-out workers on their picket line and wrote a letter to Giorgio La Motta, general manager of Imerys Talc North America, requesting an end to the lockout and resumption of negotiations. U.S. Senator Jon Tester has also visited the workers. U.S. Senator Steve Daines and other politicians have expressed their support for the D239 members as well. Support has also poured in from the local community, local and state labour bodies, unionists from across the United States, IndustriALL Global Union and other international unions.

The company’s Code of Conduct published on their website reads that “Imerys respects and supports the dignity, wellbeing and rights of Group employees, their families and the communities in which they live, as well as others affected by the Group's operations.” Also, on their website the company says about their social focus, that they “Develop the professional and personal capabilities of our employees, provide them with appropriate benefits, promote workplace diversity and maintain industrial relations by fostering an environment of mutual respect.”

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL Global Union materials industries director, comments:

“Imerys makes declarations about respecting rights and wellbeing of their employees, promising appropriate benefits and mutually respectful industrial relations. But all these are empty words if Montana management does not stop the lockout and restart the negotiations in good faith. We urge corporate management to remind their US leadership of their own code of conduct. The actual situation is unacceptable, and this behaviour is not worthy of a France-based multinational with a social conscience.”

ArcelorMittal: Promising dialogue but challenges remain

The regional meeting held on 4-5 September was called for at a July global meeting of ArcelorMittal unions in Luxembourg after reports by IndustriALL Global Union Ukraine affiliates PMGU and KVPU and Kazakhstan affiliate Kazprofmet about the company’s anti-union practices. There have been strikes at both Ukraine and Kazakhstan ArcelorMittal operations over the last year.

ArcelorMittal reports 37,800 employees and contractors in Kazakhstan and 29,100 employees and contractors in Ukraine. In Kazakhstan, it operates a steel mill in Temirtau along with iron ore and coal mines in the surrounding region. In Ukraine, it operates a steel mill and iron ore mines in Kryviy Rih.

PMGU and KVPU have been struggling for a new collective agreement since 2017, but had been undermined by the HR director for ArcelorMittal Ukraine.

“Since our global union meeting in Luxembourg and dialogue with ArcelorMittal global management, we’ve had positive dialogue with the company. The Ukraine HR director is no longer involved in our negotiations and the company is responding to our information requests. There is no longer a campaign of false information spread about the union,” reported Natalia Marinyuk, chair of the PMGU trade union committee at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih Ukraine.

Kazprofmet leaders said they have not yet seen this positive change at ArcelorMittal in Kazakhstan. They reported that ArcelorMittal has not fully implemented the 30 per cent salary increase it agreed to for underground mine workers to resolve a strike last year.

Participants had a chance to raise their concerns with ArcelorMittal CEO for CIS Paramjit Kahlon, who agreed to IndustriALL’s request to speak at the meeting.

Kahlon discussed challenges of operating in the region. He also expressed ArcelorMittal’s commitment to high health and safety standards, to partnering with unions, and his personal willingness to work with unions in the region.

Ukraine union representatives reported that ArcelorMittal management listens to their health and safety concerns and that they have well-functioning joint health and safety committees. Kazprofmet said there are no functioning joint health and safety committees in ArcelorMittal’s Kazakhstan mines.

The unions unanimously committed to continuing to work together as a regional network within the global ArcelorMittal union network. Marinyuk will use her seat on the ArcelorMittal joint global health and safety committee to raise concerns from the region.

“IndustriALL applauds PMGU, KVPU and Kazprofmet for forming a regional union network at ArcelorMittal. IndustriALL is committed to supporting this network. We also applaud ArcelorMittal for both partnering with IndustriALL on this meeting and on beginning to work through some of the many industrial relations challenges in the region. We hope to grow that partnership,” stated IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan.

Sub Saharan African regional meeting discusses how to assess union strength

This is the information that will be collected and evaluated using the organizational assessment tool that is being developed by the IndustriALL Global Union Sub Saharan African region for use in six countries that are part of the Union Building Project. The user-friendly tool is already in use in other countries.

At a meeting in Johannesburg 11-12 September, attended by project coordinators from Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mozambique, and Uganda, and with support from Union to Union, it was agreed that union organizational assessments were key to identifying capacity gaps that the union needed to pay attention to.

This would make it easier to develop policies and programmes to strengthen the union. Examples of policies to be included are finance, human resources, gender, media and communication, youth, and anti-corruption. Improving record keeping would also give the union important information on the composition of its membership, the sectors they are from, their gender, age, and whether the dues they pay to the union are up to date. Such information is key when capacity development programmes are being planned.

This year the Union building project is focusing on strengthening union structures, operating systems, procedures and strengthening organizing and recruitment. This includes bringing the union leadership together, setting up women and youth committees, facilitating and providing technical support to affiliates to develop gender, youth, finance, and health and safety policies. For instance, youth in trade union structures’ programmes have been set up in Ghana and Zimbabwe.

Says Fons Vannieuwenhuyse, IndustriALL director for projects:

The Sub Saharan Africa region has developed an organizational assessment tool that will be useful to all. As this is where theory may not always meet the practice, however, as a simple question to one person is not necessarily easy for the next, there is still a lot of important work to do. The tool is work in progress.

IndustriALL visits the Philippines as unions celebrate maternity win

The mission, led by general secretary Valter Sanches, coincided with the passage of a bill on expanded maternity leave by the House of Representatives that will soon become law. This is a major victory for unions in the Philippines who have long campaigned on the issue. IndustriALL has campaigned on maternity protection since 2014. The IndustriALL mission recognizes the struggle of affiliates for better working conditions for men and women workers in the country.

Meeting with labour department officials, Sanches expressed the need for more collaborative work with trade unions in the fight against precarious work, and for the passage of a security of tenure bill that is still pending at the Senate. The bill seeks to protect employment security of workers and guarantees their rights and benefits.

In a dialogue with the leadership of IndustriALL’s Philippine affiliates and their women’s committee leaders, Sanches lauded the effort of women leaders in improving maternity protection, their support for 40 per cent women’s representation, and campaigns for the advancement of women in leadership.

“We need to make sure that gender equity is reflected at the workplaces and in unions. It is important that women’s needs are reflected in union strategies, and it has to be inclusive”, said Sanches.

In a message conveyed to affiliates, Sanches emphasized the importance of building unity among affiliates and to establish more sustainable unions.

“IndustriALL is a solidarity organization. Unions that are well off extend support to those who are in need to make organizations stronger. Considering that union density in the Philippines is still at a low of eight per cent, affiliates have a lot of opportunity to organize. This is where the spirit of building unions as one of our key strategic goals sets in”, he added.

Sanches also met with legislators who supported security of tenure and other labour-related bills. There was an exchange of information on the political, economic and trade union contexts and programmes in the Philippines, Brazil and the rest of the world.

“The issue on the future of work will be challenging for trade unions. IndustriALL is preparing to meet these challenges and we are ready to engage at all levels”, said Sanches at a meeting with ILO officials in Manila.

The Philippine visit ended with a plant tour at a Toyota manufacturing facility, where Sanches extend solidarity message to the unions and congratulated them for having established industrial harmony between workers and the management.

Sanches expressed positivity about working more with Philippine affiliates in the future. He said that unions need to seize the moment and hope that victories attained inspire workers here and abroad. He said that the Philippine unions can count on the support of IndustriALL in the coming campaigns.

L20 unionists call on the G20 to fight inequality and precarious work

In a statement submitted to Argentina’s Labour Minister, Jorge Triaca, union leaders issued a number of employment-related conclusions and recommendations for the G20 leaders, pointing out that inequality is at an all-time high, precarious work is still rife and a fair transition to a low-carbon economy is needed.

The union leaders hope that their input will encourage world leaders at the upcoming G20 summit in November to set out an agenda that benefits all members of society, but especially members of the working class, who are the most disadvantaged.

They called for an end to precarious work in global supply chains, for workers to receive earn wages adjusted to the cost of living, and for companies to respect workers' fundamental rights in terms of trade union membership and collective bargaining.

The union leaders recommended that world leaders promote gender equality in the labour market and demanded that they introduce legislation to address the issue of violence in the workplace. They also recommended addressing the persistently high youth unemployment levels through active labour market policies and investment in formal training.

Finally, the union leaders highlighted the importance of working together to meet the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement by promoting and implementing strategies for a just transition to a low-carbon economy.

IndustriALL Global Union's regional secretary, Marino Vani, attended the summit:

If we are to slow global warming, we will have to transition away from fossil fuels and towards alternative energy sources in manufacturing. This will have a huge impact on underdeveloped countries: their economies will shrink; they will export less and have fewer resources and less income; and there won’t be as many jobs or State social policies.
We therefore need to find solutions so that we can ensure a fair transition and promote inclusive growth worldwide through stronger social policies and a more even distribution of income.

IndustriALL's general secretary, Valter Sanches, said:

IndustriALL joins the organizations attending the L20 and will continue to call for the G20 and its member sates to adopt public policies that promote employment, generate income and reduce inequalities. We will continue to fight alongside our affiliates for decent wages and employment conditions.

Interview: Napoleón Gómez Urrutia’s return to Mexico a triumph for freedom of association

Do you see your return as a victory for independent trade unions in their fight for democracy, and a positive step for union rights?

Yes, absolutely. It's a real triumph for us in our fight for democracy. And it's not just a victory for the workers at Los Mineros – it's a victory for the working class across Mexico, Latin America and the entire world.

We've managed to withstand 12 years of political persecution and cowardly attacks and fight back with dignity. We're very proud of that.

Now we have to work hard to restore workers' rights, which have been bulldozed by corrupt corporations, businesses and governments, undermining both our freedom of association and our democracy.

As senator-elect, what will you do to restore workers' rights?

From the moment I'm sworn in, I'll be fighting to change the country's labour policies. They are behind much of the exploitation of workers because they put the interests of domestic companies and multinationals first.

We are going to reform the Employment Act and draw up a new national labour policy to make sure that workers receive fair pay, that they can do their jobs with dignity and that their rights are respected.

We have to put an end to illegitimate collective bargaining agreements. That will be included in the reforms we put forward to make the labour market more democratic, freer and fairer.

We also want to take steps to ensure that the North American Free Trade Agreement recognizes and protects the employment rights of workers across the United States, Canada and Mexico. We are looking to make real changes that will help to build a future in which the wellbeing of the working class is ensured.

Do you think you can get the Government of Mexico to ratify the International Labour Organization's Convention No. 176 concerning Safety and Health in Mines?

It's one of my aims, and my responsibility as senator to do so. I'm going to put pressure on the Government to sign the agreement, because we have to make changes from within.

It’s really important – mining companies still make their employees work in truly unbearable conditions. Workers in our country shouldn't have to put their lives and their health at risk, no matter what they do and where they work.

In the press conference you said that you would seek to get the investigation into the fatal blast at the Pasta de Conchos mine reopened. Do you think you can obtain justice for that terrible tragedy?

I'm been saying that Grupo Mexico committed industrial homicide from the very beginning. Our three demands are: for the bodies of the workers who lost their lives during the explosion to be recovered; for the families to receive decent and fair compensation; and for the investigation to be reopened in order to determine the cause of the tragedy and bring those who committed such negligence to justice. I think Andrés Manuel López Obrador's new government will support these demands.

For the first time, women now make up 50 per cent of Mexico's cabinet. Do you think that's an important step? And what about 31-year-old Luisa María Alcalde as the new Minister of Labour and Social Welfare?

I think it's really great. I've always tried to support and defend women's participation in manufacturing, politics and union work. My wife, Oralia, has been an amazing colleague in that regard, and together we have created groups like the "Women of Steel" in Mexico. My colleagues at Los Mineros are also very happy about these developments.

Alcalde is very smart and well prepared. I'm sure that she will play a key role as Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, communicate effectively with us and build a respectful dialogue in support of our initiatives, which can be advanced by both the Government and those of us in Congress.

I'm confident that we'll succeed. We hope that we'll be able to move forward together to forge a new society that will enhance the wellbeing and prosperity of both the working class and the broader population.