Caterpillar Union Network shows solidarity with Japanese brothers and sisters

On 25 and 26 June, over 30 delegates from Japan, USA and Europe met to hold their annual trade union network meeting in Caterpillar. In addition, guests from Komatsu trade union attended the meeting in order to exchange experiences.

This year, for the first time, the network met in Sagamihara, near Tokyo, where the plant will be shut down following a management decision in late 2016. Since then, more than 15’000 jobs in Caterpillar worldwide have been lost, while dividends remain untouched.

Many plants have been shut down in the last two years, while others have been significantly scaled down. Sagamihara plant is set to fold and be demolished by the end of this year. Fortunately, the Japanese Caterpillar workers’ union, a JBU affiliate, managed to reduce redundancies to a minimum, transferring many workers to other companies or the Akashi plant. Still, a plant closure is always a sad story for the workers and their families.

Caterpillar workers’ union president, Takei Hideki, said:

“It was a really good experience for me and our members who participated in this meeting to learn about other country's actions and problems. I hope that we succeed and strengthen the solidarity among Caterpillar workers around the world.”

Kenichi Kanda, president of Japan Federation of Basic Industry Workers’ Union (JBU) andKouichi Asanuma, General Secretary of Japan Council of Metal workers(JCM) alsoaddressed the meeting.

Discussions in the network and in the working groups circled around the proposal to demand better dialogue from the company in order to prevent bad decisions and plant closures. The network strives to make Caterpillar a better company and to achieve this though better management-employee relations.

Komatsu employees’ union president also addressed the meeting and described the Japanese style of social dialogue, which is fundamentally different from other regions in the world.

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL director for mechanical engineering, summarised the meeting, bearing in mind that most Japanese colleagues were not aware that the English word “caterpillar” also describes an insect:

“We know that Caterpillar can become more successful in the future when management sees the workers and their trade unions as partners, not as enemies. The trade union network and its participating members are always open to fair dialogue. This will be good for the workers, but also for the companies. Thus, the insatiable caterpillar might really become a beautiful butterfly.”

The network adopted a joint plan for activities. All participants are determined to continue networking. The exchange between different trade unions and regions is crucial for a good understanding in such a multinational corporation. In addition, it is hoped the latest announcements from corporate management to initiate discussions about human rights will lead to a better dialogue. The caterpillar global union network is ready to enter into this dialogue.

Unions in India and Sri Lanka call for sustainable industrial policy

IndustriALL South Asia Office organized two consecutive workshops “towards sustainable industrial policy” in Delhi on 18-19 June 2018 and in Colombo on 21-22 June. Participating in the panel discussion on ‘challenges to sustainability’ held in Delhi, leaders of India’s national trade union centres expressed serious concern over the government of India’s consistent disregard towards trade unions demands in the recent past. Even though trade unions in India have organized a series of national level protests, including general strikes, the government continues to undermine social dialogue. It is dangerously moving forward with labour law reforms which will rapidly increase precarious work and facilitate hire and fire policies of the employers.

Brian Kohler, IndustriALL director for health, safety and sustainability said:

“The world of work is facing critical sustainability challenges emerging from climate change and rapid technological transformation in the form of industry 4.0. The multinational corporations are frantically transforming production processes while governments are creating policy frameworks to facilitate it. It is essential that such transformation should be sustainable – which includes human rights and labour rights, economic development and environmental protection. In this process, the trade union movement has an important role.”

Dr G Sanjeeva Reddy, President of both the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and IndustriALL affiliate the Indian National Metal Workers Federation, said:

“Indian trade unions have formed a historic national alliance and are working together to defend workers’ rights. We welcome industrial policy that enables industry to cope with rapid technological developments and climate change. However, in this process employment generation and workers’ job security and social security should be given due importance. Government of India’s indifference to views of trade unions, continues to be a major challenge for the union movement.”

Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said:

“India’s economic growth in recent times has not benefitted the mass of working people. Real wages are shrinking. Precarious work, even in organized sectors, is increasing. Trade union rights are consistently under attack. The challenge of employment generation is looming large. Government of India recent policy initiatives, including demonetization and so-called goods and services tax reform (GST), have in fact aggravated the problem of unemployment. To evolve sustainable industrial policy to fulfil economic, social and environmental needs of the country, the government need to take into account the views expressed by trade unions.”

IndustriALL Indian affiliates from various sectors including steel, energy, automobile, electrical and electronics, garment and textiles, leather, chemicals, energy, mining, cement, shipbreaking and informal sector workers shared their experiences and discussed various sustainability and occupational health and safety issues. They also suggested that IndustriALL’s global framework agreements (GFAs) should contain the principles of ‘Just Transition’. National leaders from trade union centres AITUC, CITU, HMS, INTUC and NTUI participated in the event.

The workshop in Colombo focussed on evolving union strategies to engage with the Sri Lankan government. The unions underlined that a “one size fits all” approach is not suitable for a lower to middle income and developing country like Sri Lanka. In order to ensure sustainability, Just Transition and tackle its urgent needs of employment generation and development, the country needs adequate policy space. The unions resolved to draw a draft sustainable industrial policy for the country and build broad based support in the joint national trade union platform. Further, they decided to consistently engage the government with sustainable policy proposals while creating awareness among union rank and file cadres.

Apoorva Kaiwar, Regional Secretary, IndustriALL South Office said:

“A sustainable approach to industrial policy in the South Asia region is the need of the hour. Strengthening social dialogue at all levels and creating meaningful institutional structures to take trade union views on policy issues on board will contribute towards attaining a Just Transition and sustainable industrial policy.”

New standard for responsible mining released

The Standard for Responsible Mining’s best practice requirements include elements such as health and safety for workers, human rights, community engagement, pollution control, mining in conflict-affected areas, rights of indigenous peoples, transparency in revenue payments from companies to governments, and land reclamation once mining is done.

An online Responsible Mining Map was also launched today that will allow responsible producers and purchasers of minerals to demonstrate their commitment to a responsible minerals value chain and make contact to enable business relationships to develop.

IndustriALL and its affiliate the United Steelworkers have been closely involved in developing the new Standard, which is independent and relies on third-party verification. IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan, says:

“This is a big moment for the mining industry. The Standard seeks to ensure that labour rights are upheld, in particular the question of neutrality and the right of workers to collective bargaining and freedom of association. It puts the protection of workers at the fore and will drive improvements in mining from the bottom up.”

The Standard for Responsible Mining, which has been ten years in the making, is a collaboration between labour, mining companies, downstream businesses like jewelers and electronics companies, civil society, and impacted communities. It has support from leading companies like Anglo American, ArcelorMittal, Microsoft and Tiffany & Co.

“As interest in the responsible sourcing of metals and minerals grows it is important to have standards that meet the needs of the wide variety of customers that mining serves, and address the expectations of society as a whole,” says Jon Samuel, Group Head of Social Performance and Engagement at Anglo American. “We look forward to trialling the IRMA Self-Assessment Tool and to continuing to contribute to the development of IRMA as a demonstration of our commitment to responsible mining.”

IRMA has also worked with host mines and technical experts to conduct two field tests of the Standard for Responsible Mining to test the Standard through simulated mine audits in the United States and in Zimbabwe. The international certification process assesses individual mining sites and not companies as a whole.

“The Standard for Responsible Mining responds to the power of markets to create greater incentive and leverage for protection of the environment and the communities who live closest to mines,” said Aimee Boulanger, IRMA Coordinator. “The Standard for Responsible Mining will offer shared value to corporations who seek to make a profit, while also offering an ethical value chain to their customers.”

Increasing young workers' participation in Philippine unions

In a country where youth (15 -24 years old) make up 19 per cent of the total population of 100 million, the Philippines has a large potential of union membership.

Out of the 7 million youth employed, 9.4 per cent work in the manufacturing sector, like electronics, automotive-related and clothing exports.

Lack of knowledge about unions and workers’ rights are some major obstacles identified as to why young workers are not joining unions. Other reasons are fear of losing their jobs and management threats of company closures if workers unionize. A need to inform young workers on relevant existing laws and policies was identified.

The meeting concluded with a common strategic action plan that focus on four main areas of concern; organizing and recruitment of young workers, policy recommendations, capacity building and gender equality.

Annie Adviento, IndustriALL South East Asia regional secretary said:

Involving young workers in trade unions is a must if we want strong union power. It is a big challenge that need to be addressed with vigor and sustained commitment.
The action plan developed by the young workers is an important step to make it happen and to create a better future for the workers and their families.

The meeting was held with the support of IndustriALL under the Building union power project.

In Iraq, trade unions are helping to rebuild popular power

In Iraq’s May national elections, of the 329 parliamentary deputies chosen, Sairoon (meaning ‘Forward’ or ‘the Alliance for Reforms’) scored the biggest win – 55 deputies and 1.3 million votes. Sairoon includes the followers of the powerful Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) the Youth Movement for Change Party, the Party of Progress and Reform, the Iraqi Republican Group, and the State of Justice Party. In Baghdad, Sairoon won 23 per cent of the vote, almost twice that of any of its rivals.

The program of the Sairoon alliance calls for an end to the system that divided political positions and government support along sectarian lines, a system imposed by the United States after its occupation of Iraq in 2011. Basing a governmental structure on sectarian political parties led to a system of patronage and division of spoils, and consequently enormous corruption. As Al-Sadr told the Arab Weekly :

I’ll say this despite the amama [turban] on my head. We tried the Islamists and they failed miserably. [It’s] time to try independent technocrats.

Sairoon also called for independence from foreign domination by the US and Iran. In advance of the election, a senior Iranian politician, Ali Akbar Velayati, threatened reprisals if voters chose Sairoon : “We will not allow liberals and communists to govern in Iraq,” he said. Many secular politicians condemned the statement as interference in Iraq’s internal affairs.

In the Shiite holy city of Najaf, one of the country’s most conservative, voters elected ICP candidate Suhad al-Khateeb, a teacher, women’s rights activist and anti-poverty campaigner. After he victory she said :

We want social justice, citizenship, and are against sectarianism, and this is what Iraqis also want.

The coalition developed from a popular civic movement on the Iraqi streets, with roots in protests going back to 2010, and in the growth and popularity of the country’s unions.

In the summer of 2010, as temperatures soared past 120 degrees, Iraqis began to come out of their homes to protest the lack of electricity. Since the start of the occupation in 2003, US authorities, and later the Iraqi government, have been unable to provide power around the clock, especially during periods of high demand. As Arab Spring demonstrations took place throughout the Middle East, young Iraqis began organising rallies in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, mostly calling for jobs and better electrical service. They called their actions the ‘Iraqi Spring’.

Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the youths “insurgents and terrorists.” Forty-five people died in the ensuing repression, including 29 people on 25 February 2011 alone (known as the ‘day of rage’). Hundreds were arrested.

In 2015, Iraqis began demonstrating every Friday, denouncing the corruption of sectarian political parties. According to the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative website :

The demonstrators, mostly youth and civil society activists, challenge the political system as a whole, call for a secular state in opposition to a confessional state, against the division between Sunni and Shi’a populations, [and] for women’s rights and workers’ rights[…]. Iraqi women’s rights groups are actively working to make sure women can take part in the demonstrations without being harassed.

Young people held banners with fiery slogans : “The Parliament and the Islamic State are two sides of the same coin !” “Daesh was born out of your corruption !” “Humans do not survive with religion but bread and dignity !” “In the name of religion, they act like thieves !” And “No to sectarianism, no to nationalism, yes to humanity!”

Last year, on 11 February, thousands of people began a non-violent march from Tahrir Square to the heavily-fortified Green Zone with three demands : reform of the political system, combating corruption and provision of services. Government special forces fired on the protestors as they crossed the Jumhuriyah Bridge. Nine people were killed and 281 were wounded.

Role of the unions

The demand for non-sectarianism reflects a long tradition in Iraqi unions, which have never been organised along sectarian lines. The Iraqi labour movement begun in the 1920s in the oil industry and amongst railroad workers, and for decades the country was the most industrialised in the Middle East. Its unions, part of a strong left-wing political culture, helped overthrow the British-installed king and establish Karim Qasim’s nationalist and socialist government in the 1950s.

Prime Minister Qasim was overthrown and later executed following a coup by the Baathist Arab nationalist party in February 1963, and Saddam Hussein eventually took power 16 years later with the support of US intelligence agencies. He suppressed left-wing parties and only permitted weak unions controlled by the government. Under the recent US occupation, authorities kept unions and the left marginalised, while prioritising the privatisation of Iraqi industry.

Until 2015 Iraq still enforced a Saddam Hussein-era law, which prohibited public sector unions.

From the start of the occupation, workers had to organise despite the illegal status of their unions. A new 2015 labour law gave all workers the right to form unions, except for civil service employees, as well as security and police forces. Unions gained collective bargaining rights and the right to strike. Last year, however, the outgoing government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi promulgated a further draft law on professional federations and unions. Labour opposed it, saying it failed to completely guarantee workers’ rights.

A year ago, 3,000 contingent (or contract) workers in the electrical generation and transmission industry formed a union, after the government failed to pay their wages for five months. They then joined with the union for the industry’s permanent workers to form the General Trade Union of Electricity Sector Employees of Iraq.

After the government electrical ministry fired 100 leaders from the union in March, thousands of workers organised sit-ins in power plants across Iraq. Their demands included reinstating the fired labourers, permanent jobs and inclusion in Iraq’s social security system, and a minimum monthly wage of US$300.

Under World Bank pressure, last year the Iraqi cabinet approved a draft social security law that would have increased worker contributions to social security funds while raising the retirement age from 63 to 65.

Adoption of this draft will lead to increased poverty among Iraqis, even though they are living in one of the world’s richest countries in oil,

charged Hashmeya Alsaadawe, president of the Basra Trade Union Federation and the electrical union. Alsaadawe is also the first woman to head a national union in Iraq.

On 18 May 2018, just after the election, the Iraqi government announced that it would not only include all 30,000 contingent contract workers in the electricity industry in the social security system but would guarantee the same rights to all 150,000 contract workers throughout the public sector.

Speaking at IndustriALL Global Union’s executive committee meeting in April, Alsaadawe said that the election results energised people :

Workers have high expectations. They have been very active in demonstrations and on social media demanding their rights.

In December, workers in the critical oil and gas industry finally formed a national network of eight previously competing unions. According to Hassan Juma’a, head of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Employees :

One of the most important priorities is the unity of the trade union movement in Iraq. We have started the first step in the most important sector, the oil and gas sector.

The network’s objectives include defending the rights of contract and migrant workers, who make up a significant part of the industry workforce. Its nationalist spirit is evident in its commitment to “protect national wealth for future generations against capitalist companies that do not respect the rights and opinions of citizens,” and “to urge foreign companies to take responsibility for maintaining the infrastructure of areas near oil fields exposed to toxic emissions.”

Dhiaa al-Asadi, the director of Muqtada al-Sadr’s political office, recently told the Al-Monitor news website that the Sairoon list is

a reform project that represents the hopes and expectations of deprived and less advantaged people. This project of Sairoon constitutes a paradigm shift and a departure from the established norms that have characterized the political process since 2003.

According to Wesam Chaseb of the AFL-CIO-linked Solidarity Center:

Unions are the real face of Iraq. There is no discrimination amongst workers.

This combination of street protests, electoral activism and increasing union strength is now one of the most important features of Iraq’s political landscape, as Iraqis seek to rebuild their country after four decades of war, and a bitter decade of foreign occupation and domination.

This article was originally published in Equal Times

IndustriALL pushes for workers’ rights in diamond sector

The KP was established in 2000 in Kimberley, South Africa by representatives of the governments of 23 major diamond producing and trading countries, the global diamond industry and civil society. It was a result of growing international pressure against the trade in conflict diamonds and the issuing of several diamond sanction resolutions by the United Nations Security Council. Two years later the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was launched, which established requirements for controlling rough diamond production and trade.

However, the KP has been heavily criticized, because the definition of conflict diamonds does not cover diamonds that are mined or traded in circumstances involving human rights abuses.

The IndustriALL diamond global network brings together unions from across the supply chain of the diamond industry, from mining to retail. In its inaugural meeting in Windhoek, Namibia on 3-5 July 2017, the diamond global network recognized the major challenges confronting the global diamond industry and its value chain.

For the first time, the IndustriALL network, as voice of diamond workers, attended the Kimberley Process (KP) intersessional meeting, held on 18-22 June in Antwerp, Belgium, to push for reforms to protect workers’ rights. The meeting was chaired by the European Union and hosted by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. Antwerp is the diamond trading and polishing capital of the world.

IndustriALL, with the assistance of Belgian affiliates ACV-Transcom and ABVV, organized a side event at the meeting. The event was attended by government representatives of Lebanon, Cameroon, Togo, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, and Yves Toutenel, the general sector manager diamond ACV-Transcom, and Myriam Dillen ACV-Transcom advisor.

The event highlighted workers’ issues, calling for the reform of the KP to address human rights abuses. The KP currently has no mandate to address human rights abuses and risks in the diamond supply chain, undermining the relevance of the certification and due diligence requirements of the KPCS. In addition, there are calls to review the governance architecture of the KP to give greater weight to civil society participation.

Yves Toutenel, chair of the diamond global network, said:

“While the global diamond industry is under greater pressure to improve its social and environmental performance, workers face challenges of job security, respect for trade union rights and achieving the decent work agenda”.

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director of mining, diamond, gems and ornaments and jewellery production said:

“As the global network considers a formal application to the Kimberley process by IndustriALL Gobal Union, it remains committed to working with local and global NGOs, community-based organizations, companies in the diamond supply chain and governments, to champion the reform agenda of the Kimberley Process to ensure workers’ rights are defended”.

Time for ATG in Sri Lanka to back off

On 22 June 2018, workers at ATG belonging to the Free Trade Zones & General Services Employees’ Union (FTZ&GSEU), picketed the British Embassy over labour abuses at the company, which has joint Sri Lankan/British investors.

Labour violations have continued at ATG after the union was forced to hold a vote in February 2017 to represent workers, despite already having a mandate to do so. The union easily achieved above the required 40 per cent majority with a turnout of 95 per cent.

However, ever since the election, ATG has gone to extraordinary lengths to undermine the union and its members working at the company’s two factories based in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone.

The company has refused to discuss worker issues brought up by the union, saying its decision is final. Neither has it allowed the union to meet in the factory, even though it is the recognized bargaining agent.

The company tried to relocate the union’s branch secretary to another company it owns, which the Commissioner General Labour said was not legal. However, ATG has refused to adhere to the Commissioner’s ruling for corrective action and demanded that the branch secretary turn up at 1 June at the other plant for work.

Furthermore, 59 workers who celebrated Labour Day on 1 May, after the government decided to postpone the 1 May holiday to 7 May, were put on compulsory leave and their photos were displayed in a notice that claimed they engaged in unlawful strike action.

In another low act of victimization during the company’s 25-year anniversary celebrations in 2017, the company refused to give eight union activists a medal for their five or more years of service, as other workers had received. One worker was given a medal because he left the union.

In a letter handed to the British Embassy on 22 June, the FTZ&GSEU said:

“We take these unholy trends against workers by the ATG very seriously as the Sri Lanka partner is the President of the Katunayake Export Manufacturers’ Association and would thus set the pace in the FTZ in working against unionisation of workers, a very condition the EU has wanted corrected when granting EU GSP ‘Plus’ to Sri Lanka. We therefore appeal to you to intervene at the highest level to ensure workers’ rights are guaranteed in the export sector, in line with EU GSP ‘Plus’ Requirements.”

FTZ&GSEUhas received considerable support from the German ambassador in Sri Lanka, who wrote to the Minister of Labour on 20 June 2018 expressing concerns of the violations of labour rights at the company.

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

“We urge ATG to stop breaking international labour standards and Sri Lankan law, and stop intimidating union members. Workers have voted for a union, and the union is there to stay. ATG must respect fundamental labour rights.”

Kenya: Union success in growing garment and textile sector

Brands including Arrow, Calvin Klein, H&M, Arrow, Izod, Cherokee and VF Corporation source from Kenya.

The United Aryan factory in the export processing zone of Nairobi gets orders from H&M and makes jeans for Levi’s. The factory’s 2,800 workers are all members of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the Tailors and Textile Workers Union (TTWU), which has entered into a closed shop agreement with the management, meaning that workers who are hired by the company become union members.

One of the results of the agreement is that most industrial relations issues at the factory are dealt with at the shop floor. With United Aryan planning to open a larger factory that could employ up to 10,000 workers, the closed shop agreement lays a solid foundation for the TTWU’s organizing and recruitment strategies.

Like most garment producing companies, 80 per cent of the workers in the factory are women and the TTWU is developing a programme to deal specifically with the women workers.

The minimum wage at the factory is 13,000 Kenya Shillings (US $127) per month, higher than other Sub Saharan African countries. This is an opportunity to increase them towards living wages.

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

“We will continue to support the recruitment of garment workers by TTWU in Kenya as it contributes to the employment of young women and to the much-needed turnaround to the decline of manufacturing on the continent.”

Kenya’s garment and textile sector can benefit by expanding its market to free trade areas that it belongs to, including the African Continental Free Trade Area, the East African Community, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. The country has also signed Economic Partnership Agreements, the European Union African Caribbean and Pacific (Cotonou Agreement) and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). About 92 per cent of apparel from Kenya is sold in the US under AGOA.

The government of Kenya’s Vision 2030 identifies the garment and textile sector as a driver of industrialization. Currently the sector contributes to 7 per cent of the country’s export earnings.

South Africa: Unions meet to build an Africa-Europe network across the Lear supply chain

Discussions among trade union representatives and shop stewards from German union, IG Metall, and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) are focusing on wages, in particular equal pay for work of equal value; improving adherence to health and safety standards; employment equity; provision of transport; and other benefits. The meeting, which received support from the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, seeks to strengthen the 30-year collaboration between IG Metall and NUMSA that can be traced back to the struggle against apartheid.

Employing over 165,000 workers globally, US-headquartered Lear Corporation manufactures automotive seats and electrical distribution systems. Of these workers over 44, 000 are from Europe and 16,600 from Africa. However, most of the African workers are in Morocco where the company employs 13,000 people mostly in electrical systems. In South Africa the company employs 3,600 workers of whom 1,552 are NUMSA members.

The meeting is a follow up to a discussion held last year to form a network that would not only share information and knowledge but also learn from the other’s experiences. The network would enable Lear workers from Africa and Europe to deal with common issues, especially the practice of lowering of conditions of service for workers in countries considered to be low cost by the company. There was also an agreement to facilitate the representation of South Africa on the European Works Council as the continents were under the same management.

Jochen Schroth, IG Metall departmental leader for shop steward policy and the union representative for Lear Corporation in Europe says:

“Transnational union activities make us stronger through joint agreements for future collaboration and learning from each other. This allows us to develop concrete steps towards building a strong network.”

Kenny Mogane, IndustriALL Regional Officer for Sub Saharan Africa, says:

“We welcome the Lear network in the motor sector as it will build solidarity between workers in Africa and Europe, as well as improve working conditions.”

Ukrainian miners stage protest over unpaid wages

Hundreds of miners came to Kiev and participated in the protest action. In the state-owned coalmining sector of Ukraine, workers are compelled to go on wildcat strikes to get paid. Some of the protesting miners from Selidivvugillya have not been paid wages since 2015.

According to the joint declaration of IndustriALL affiliates Coal Mining Workers’ Union of Ukraine and Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine, by 14 June the arrears in wages reached up to 761 million UAH (US$30 million). Half of this amount is due to miners of Donbass and Selidivvugillya.

In the state budget for 2018, 2.5 billion UAH (US$95 million) is allocated to support coal and peat extracting enterprises and their technical modernization. According to calculations by the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy, the coal sector alone needs at least three times that amount. Due to lack of financing, the sector is no longer self-sufficient and as a result, coal production in Ukraine is rapidly declining – from 83 million tons in 2013 to 34.9 million tons in 2017. In the first half of this year coal-mining further declined in Ukraine by an additional 14 per cent.

At the same time, according to the unions’ declaration, the Ukrainian government is increasingly importing coal from abroad. From January to May this year the import of hard coal and anthracite increased by 42.9 per cent at a cost of US$1.25 billion.

The unions raised their voice and demanded that parliamentarians support a bill foreseeing allocation of 2.8 billion UAH (US$105 million) for the coal mining sector in order to maintain and reform national coal mining. The unions believe the adoption of the bill would save state-owned mines and safeguard social stability of Ukrainian cities and families. Thanks to the protest action the bill was put on the agenda, but its vote will take place most likely later in the year.

Following the protests, the Minister of Energy met the miners and promised to provide money needed to cover the arrears, so far only 10 million UAH (US$380,000) was promised to be allocated to the miners of Selidivvugillya as the first payment of arrears. Miners and their unions decided to suspend the protest action, but declared they will start again if wage arrears are not paid within 10 days.

Lack of financing of the sector and particularly lack of safety inspection, have resulted in an increasing number of accidents in the industry, making mining the most dangerous sector in the Ukraine. At the recent International Labour Conference held in Geneva (Link to the video) IndustriALL raised the issue and demanded that the Ukrainian Government urgently addressed the situation of safety at work, as well as arrears in wages and low wages.