French cosmetics brand Yves Rocher dismisses union members

The Petrol-Is union and its members are picketing in front of the factory and taking action even though it is now Ramadan. The union actions receive strong public attention. All the dismissal cases have also been taken into the judicial process since the termination of contracts due to union membership is unjustified.

Originally, after joining IndustriALL affiliate Petrol-Is, 85 workers at the Turkish subsidiary of French cosmetics company Yves Rocher, Kosan Kozmetik Pazarlama ve Ticaret AS, were dismissed.

Following an intensive recruitment campaign by Petrol-Is Chemical and Rubber Workers’ Union of Turkey, in March, a sufficient number of workers at Yves Rocher’s subsidiary in Turkey, Kosan Kozmetik, exercised their free choice of being of part of a union. Once the proof of the majority was obtained, Petrol-Is leadership attempted to build a constructive social dialogue and approached the company with an offer to discuss collective bargaining. The company rejected the offer and challenged the union certificate issued by the Ministry of Labour in court, using unfounded arguments and loopholes in the national legislation to hinder collective bargaining.

In April, local management dismissed 14 members of Petrol-Is due to their union membership. In addition, management continued to pressure and intimidate workers, undermining their legitimate rights to join a union at the plant. As the workers refused to give up their affiliation with Petrol-Is, management dismissed six more union members on 11 May. On 15 May, Kosan Kozmetik sacked 65 workers over their involvement in trade union work, bringing the total number of dismissed workers to 85.

In a letter to the company, IndustriALL Global Union called on management to respect trade union rights, reinstate the dismissed union members and enter into dialogue with Petrol-İş. Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary said:

“Kosan Kozmetik’s behaviour constitutes a blatant violation of Turkish labour law, as well as fundamental international labour standards, including Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, and Convention 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining of the International Labour Organization (ILO).”

IndustriALL’ French affiliate FCE-CFDT has approached the central company management in Paris to urgently intervene.

Petrol-Is and its members picketed in front of the plant with a large support from other workplaces and society.

“It is completely unacceptable for such well-known global brand not to respect fundamental rights in its subsidiaries,”

says Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

“We expect Yves Rocher to open the channels to address the situation in Gebze. Otherwise we will take it to different platforms through extensive campaign.”

Based in Rennes, France, Yves Rocher is a worldwide cosmetics and beauty brand. The company is present in 88 countries and employs 13,500 people, not including more than 215,000 people employed through indirect jobs. Kosan Kozmetik employs 400 workers, and produces the brand Flormar, the number one make-up brand in Turkey with a 21 per cent market share. The plant also exports products to the markets of 104 countries, primarily in developing countries.

MENA: Textile unions continue to progress in organizing and bargaining

In Jordan, it was reported that a new sector-wide agreement includes improvement in wages and working conditions. In addition, the agreement covers both Jordanian nationals and migrant workers. In close cooperation with IndustriALL, with an objective to strengthening the voice of migrant workers in the sector, the Jordanian affiliate General Trade Union of Workers in Textile Garment & Clothing Industries (JTGCU) is currently building a Migrant Workers’ Union Advisory Committee.

Through negotiations with Employers’ Association and threatening to strike, IndustriALL’s Tunisian affiliate, Fédération Générale du Textile, de l'Habillement, Chaussure et Cuir (FGTHCC-UGTT) achieved a 6 per cent wage increase in 2016 and 2017. FGTHCC-UGTT is now preparing for the annual negotiations on the wages in the sector aiming at an 8 per cent increase.

“Despite the fact that around 300 factories were closed since 2013, we have organized more than 5,000 new members within the framework of our organizing campaign with IndustriALL launched at the end of 2015,” said Habib Hzami, General Secretary of FGTHCC-UGTT.

IndustriALL’s Moroccan textile affiliate, Syndicat National des Travailleurs du Textile et du Cuir (SNTTC-UMT) reported that it had organized three additional Inditex suppliers early in 2018 and is making progress towards setting up a national sectorial textile and garment union, as the preparatory committee has finalized the key tasks and is currently discussing the possible dates for holding the founding congress.

Garment and textile unions from Egypt emphasized their commitment to continue strengthening capacities as a genuine voice for workers at sectorial level.

Although 2017 saw an increase in membership throughout the region, there is still much work to be done in 2018.

For the first time, IndustriALL’s MENA textile meeting welcomed Italian affiliates, FILCTEM-CGIL, UILTEC-UIL and FEMCA-CISL, which lent their expertise and experience working with Italian brands. Participants worked on proposals on how to engage in industrial relations with key Italian brands that source from the MENA region and agreed to carry out a detailed mapping of the Armani and Benetton supply chains. MENA region and Italian affiliates will do a follow up bilateral meetings to follow the mapping results to elaborate action plans, improve exchange of information and strengthen solidarity, especially in the event of disputes with suppliers to Italian brands. MENA unions emphasized the need that the Italian brand’s representatives meet with unions when visiting the suppliers in the region. 

MENA affiliates plan to continue to use the sector’s global framework agreements (GFAs) to reach out to unorganized workers, in particular Inditex, which has a significant production presence in the MENA region.  

“Global framework agreements can be used to ensure that workers’ rights to freedom of association are respected in the brands’ global supply chains. GFAs are a way to put industrial relations back into the supply chain,” noted Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL’s garment and textile sector director. 

DowDuPont: Don’t Spin Off Worker Rights!

Members of IndustriALL-affiliated trade unions representing DowDuPont workers in North and South America, Europe and Asia, are facing great upheaval as the newly merged company splits into three separate segments. The demand is to have a seat at the decision-making table through this period of change.

The company was formed in August last year after a US$150 billion merger between Delaware-based DuPont and Michigan's Dow Chemicals. The three new spin-off companies will be in these industries: Specialty Products, Material Sciences, and Agriculture. Each of the three is cutting costs by around US$1 billion.

Through this restructuring, management’s cost savings goal is $3.3 billion. The company calls this the “cost synergy number”. The network argues that this cannot come from employees.

DowDuPont is posting massive increases in earnings, with sales up by 13-percent.

United Steelworkers (USW) Local 12075 President Kent Holsing from DowDuPont’s facility in Midland, Michigan chairs the DowDuPont North American Labor Council. Kent said:

“We are speaking not only for the unionized employees of DowDuPont, but also for the non-union employees who don’t have that voice. Our goal is to use this petition as a platform to ensure the employees and their communities are represented and heard.”

IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“The DowDuPont merger creates the world’s biggest chemical company and has triggered other major restructuring in the industry. Now the company’s breakup into three separate segments will again affect working men and women all over the world. The demand from those workers’ national unions and international trade union, IndustriALL, is to have their voice heard through the restructuring.”

“Workers’ representatives must play a central role in the decision making that will affect them and their communities. Our international network of DowDuPont unions is ready to work together in this regard and demands a proper seat at the table.”

International trade union networking at DowDuPont has been conducted since the merger, and will continue. A large meeting of the network will take place on 9-12 October.

Click here to access the online petition calling on DowDuPont to respect their workers, and not just the shareholders at this important time.

Iraqi electricity workers win inclusion for 150,000 precarious workers

The electricity workers took unprecedented militant action, suspending work and occupying electricity facilities and gas terminals to fight the growing use of temporary contracts in the electricity sector, and the exclusion of these workers from social security.

The government had previously argued that public sector workers were not covered by social security law. However, in a statement released this week, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs confirmed that public sector workers are covered by the law. This brings legal protection to 150,000 workers who were not previously covered.

This is a major victory for Iraqi workers and their unions.

Speaking at IndustriALL Global Union’s executive committee meeting in Geneva on 27 April, Hashmeya Alsaadawe, president of the Basra Trade Union Federation, gave the background to the dispute, and explained that a tentative agreement had been reached. This week’s announcement confirms the union victory.

She said:

“When the protests started, 100 workers were dismissed. Workers responded by occupying sites across the country. This had the desired effect. All those dismissed got their jobs back, and all precarious workers were promised social security. They decided to end the occupation. We are waiting to see if the promises will be kept.”

Alsaadawe, who was one of the union negotiators, explained that the elections in Iraq had created a mood where people are demanding to benefit from the country’s oil wealth.

“Workers’ have high expectations,” she said. “They have been very active in demonstrations and on social media to demand their rights.”

The election was won by a coalition pledging to end foreign interference – primarily by the US and Iran – in Iraqi politics, and address the social needs of the population.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“Once again the Iraqi trade unions have set a magnificent precedent for the region. By taking this action, the electricity workers have won a major victory for the entire public sector. 150,000 workers can now rely on social security and pension coverage.

“Iraq is a country with an abundance of oil wealth. The people should benefit from this wealth. The Iraqi trade union movement is a very strong defender of social justice in the country.”

Belarus: Independent union leaders face long prison sentences

Gennady Fedynich is president of IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliate the Belarusian Radio and Electronic Industry Workers' Union (REP), Ihar Komlik is treasurer of the same union. Both have been given one month to prepare for the case before it goes to court. Both leaders face with imprisonment up to seven years, with confiscation of their private property.
 
The investigation lasted ten months, and at least 550 REP members were interrogated by the Investigative Committee of Belarus. According to reports, union members were mostly questioned about trade union activities, rather than about the union’s financial matters.
 
Gennady Fedynich says: 

“I plead not guilty and will never consider myself guilty. The case is politically motivated, and the main goal is to put pressure on me as a union leader, on the REP and the independent trade union movement in general.”

The case against the union leaders is a clear retaliation against the union’s active engagement on issues affecting workers, like a tax for unemployed. The protests forced the president of Belarus to abolish the decree.
 
In the meantime, a new version of the decree has been launched, still punishing the unemployed. The decree gives authorities a lot of power, including access to personal information about all workers in the country. The REP is openly critical of the decree, saying it also contains elements of forced labour and if fully implemented together with fixed-term contracts, will force workers to accept low pay and bad working conditions.
 
On 17-19 April, IndustriALL Global Union and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) organized a joint mission to Belarus. The mission expressed concerns to the Belarusian government about continued persecution of independent trade unions and violation of workers' rights.
 
Gennady Fedynich has already been named as an IndustriALL delegate to the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva on 28 May to 8 June. However, his participation remains under question as he cannot leave the country during an ongoing investigation.
 
Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, says:

“We call on Belarusian authorities to end the persecution of independent trade unions and dismiss all accusations against Gennady Fedynich and Ihar Komlik. It is time for the Belorussian government to show its political will to bring Belarus on to the path of democracy, take steps towards a meaningful dialogue with unions, and build social peace in the country.”

South Africa: Union condemns retrenchment of 1,722 mineworkers at Evander gold mine

The company, which went through the retrenchment processes according to the Labour Relations Act, says the Evander 8 mine shaft will be closed to reduce further losses caused by weak gold prices and a strong currency – after the South African Rand’s recent gains in value.

The company mentions that it will prioritize low-cost operations including the Elikhulu Tailings Retreatment Plant in which it is investing 1.74 billion rand (US$139 million) and where 250 jobs will be created. In contrast, Pan African Resources will only pay 160 million rand (US$12.8 million) towards the retrenchments and says some of the retrenched workers will be reskilled for the new operations.

The NUM disputes that the company is making losses, and says that it is instead sacrificing workers for profits as seen in its tailings investments. This money could have been invested in the underground mine facing closure and thus saving jobs. The union points out that the mine is prioritizing surface mining where it employs cheap contract labour rather than underground operations.

Says the NUM:

There is plenty of ore body which can allow the operation to run for the next 40 years. It is therefore irrational for Pan African Resources to close down such an operation where there is an opportunity to create employment.

Workers were given short notice to vacate the houses they are living in, which the company intends to sell. According to the NUM, 80 per cent of the workers are from other parts of South Africa and neighbouring countries, and some have lived in the houses for years and their children go to local schools.

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

Instead of retrenching thousands of workers, jobs should be protected. Retrenchments should be used as a last resort to protect the interests of workers and their families.

According to Statistics South Africa, mining is the largest employer in Mpumalanga. Although gold mining is declining, the precious metal’s sales are third in value after coal and platinum group metals.

Unions to take joint action against General Electric

General Electric (GE) is one of the world’s largest multinational companies operating in 170 countries with more than 310,000 direct employees. The company proudly promotes its social responsibility credentials having been awarded various global ethical accolades, such as Best Place to work, Most Ethical Company, and 100 Best Companies for working mothers.

However, unions at the network meeting revealed that GE has walked away from the workers and communities that built the corporation, destroying jobs and the opportunity of secure work for coming generations, and leaving illness clusters, environmental damage and devastating local economies, especially in North America and Europe.

In Europe for example, unions reported that GE seems ready to scrap everything they and their workers have achieved for the sole purpose of generating short-term cash and shareholder value. In North America, Unifor and UE have united to launch the ‘General Electric Commit to our Communities’ campaign to transform the labour movement based on democratic, social unionism and international cooperation between American and Canadian workers. (See “Workers unite to take action against General Electric”)

The meeting also focused on the consequence of GE operations on occupational health and safety and the environment. The Unifor delegates presented a report that showed workers at the GE plant in Peterborough, Ontario, have been exposed to more than 3,000 toxic chemicals, including at least 40 known or suspected human carcinogens. The delegates agreed to investigate the possibility of joint activities and campaigns around certain issues including occupational health and safety (OHS), and sustainable industrial policy.

Unions attending the meeting re-confirmed that GE management must work together with trade unions representing GE workers with the view to achieve a fair and just social business model. The delegates unanimously adopted a meeting statement to take joint action against General Electric to develop a clear strategy to support collective activity across the network to secure our objectives, including taking concrete steps to implement GE Trade Union Network Strategic Plan 2018-2020.

The GE trade union network will focus on the following activities:

A tale of two factories: union representation in Mexico’s tyre industry

Currently, workers at Goodyear are ‘represented’ by infamous Senator Tereso Medina, a CTM union leader known for signing ‘protection contracts’ with employers behind workers’ backs.

Says a young operator at the plant, Francisco Javier Cuestas:

We’ve never seen these so-called representatives. They don’t know the first thing about us. Because we have nobody to speak for us, the company gets away with paying very low wages – less than a dollar and a half per hour – for what is very dangerous and difficult work

Conditions are so bad that the entrance has become a revolving door. Says Pablo Reyes Medina Hernández, who also works at the plant:

It just doesn’t make any sense. The company invests heavily in training, but within weeks new recruits have already quit because the job is so bad. It’s not like Goodyear can’t afford to provide decent wages and conditions. It does elsewhere, so why not here?

After reading a newsapaper article about how independent unions at Audi, Bombardier, Bridgestone, General Tire, Nissan, Volkswagen have come together as part of an IndustriALL-driven initiative to protect workers' rights in the auto sector, the young workers decided it was time for change. When the company refused to listen, they stopped work to demand the right to genuine union representation.

A short distance away, at the Continental Tire plant, things are very different. Says Federico González, general secretary of the independent union at the plant, SNTGTM, an IndustriALL affiliate:

We do the same job, using the same technology. We have a democratic union that engages in negotiation, and as a result, we have much better wages and working conditions, as well as a stable and committed workforce. We all work for world class companies, and there is no reason they should earn so much less than we do. That’s why we’re supporting them in their struggle.

IndustriALL and some of its affiliates with members in Goodyear or its supply chain, including USW in the US and Canada and CNM-CUT in Brazil, as well as other independent unions in Mexico, have written to the company demanding that it respect the fundamental right of its workers to form the union of their own choosing and that it honour its pledge of non retaliation against the striking workers. 

Bangladesh Accord will continue until government is ready to take over its functions

At the press conference, the BGMEA expressed its gratitude for the work the Accord has done to make Bangladeshi garment factories safer and gave full support for the Accord to continue until it can be replaced by a competent government authority.

BGMEA president Siddiqur Rahman said:

Though our entrepreneurs have undergone a lot of pain in the remediation process, we appreciate the efforts of ACCORD in helping to raise the compliance level of our industry to international standards. Without their support it would have been difficult for us to achieve the progress we have made so far.

Extraordinary progress has been made in the five years since the 2013 Accord was signed in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza collapse, and millions of workers now work in safer factories:

Bangladesh’s garment factories also benefit materially, as buyers recognize that a factory that has completed its safety work presents far fewer risks for them.

Crucial to the success of the Accord has been its unique features: the labour-corporate partnership that is at the heart of the agreement, the Accord’s recognition of the need to ensure that factory owners are able to afford the cost of safety improvements, and the binding nature of the agreement.

Speaking at the joint press conference alongside representatives of IndustriALL’s Bangladesh affiliates, IndustriALL assistant general secretary Jenny Holdcroft, underlined the positive change that has taken place in building and fire safety through the work of the national actors – the factory owners, trade unions, workers, and brands.

The Accord is a unique opportunity for factory management, workers and their trade unions, global brands and global unions to combine their forces and thus remedy the systemic problem of building and fire safety deficits that has plagued the Bangladeshi garment and textile industry.

While many lives have undoubtedly been saved, there is still more work to be done. Life-threatening safety hazards such as inadequate fire exits, fire alarms and fire protection systems are still present in hundreds of factories, and the remediation rate remains at 85 per cent.

Also speaking on behalf of the Accord Steering Committee, brand representative Ted Southall said:

Fire and building safety involves not just the renovations to make factories safe, but also rigorous and on-going factory inspections. As of today, there is not yet a fully resourced national regulatory body in place to take over this work. Therefore, the Accord signatories took the decision to sign the 2018 Transition Accord to ensure this vital safety work continues.

This week, the Government of Bangladesh confirmed it would extend the permission of the Accord to work beyond May 2018. A joint Transition Monitoring Committee (TMC) has been established by the Government for the purpose of determining when the agreed conditions for a handover of the Accord work to a fully functional and competent national regulatory body have been met.

The TMC, which is comprised of Accord brands, global trade unions, Bangladeshi Garment Manufacturers’ Association (BGMEA), ILO and the Bangladesh government, met on May 6 and determined that the criteria agreed by the Accord and the BGMEA and recognized by the Government of Bangladesh have not yet been met.

These criteria include: demonstrated proficiency in inspection capacity, remediation of hazards, enforcement of the law against non-compliant factories, full transparency of governance and remediation progress, and investigation and fair resolution of workers’ safety complaints.

We are pleased that the BGMEA supports the start of the 2018 Transition Accord on 1 June and for the work to continue until these criteria are met,

concludes Jenny Holdcroft.

Ethiopian textile unions campaign to end poverty wages

To end poverty wages, IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the Industrial Federation of Textile, Leather and Garment Workers Trade Unions (IFTLGWU) is amongst the unions leading the campaign for better wages, workers’ rights to organize, and collective bargaining.

The campaign targets the industrial parks set up by the government including Bole Lemi in Addis Ababa where South Korean garment manufacturer, Shints, employs 4,300 workers, of whom 3,800 are union members. Other parks targeted by the campaign are Hawassa and Mekele.

Unions see minimum wages as a starting point in reversing the low wages and are demanding that they be included in the new labour laws under consideration. Eventually the unions want to shift the campaign to living wages.

Unions are campaigning for minimum wages above 3,373 Birr (US$121). These wages can be pegged using the official minimum wage, 1,800 Birr (US$64), or the consumer price index, 2,400 Birr (US$86). Current wages average below US$50.

Meetings have taken place between the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) and various stakeholders including the ILO. There were also meetings with the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to discuss minimum wages.

IndustriALL director for the textile and garment sector, Christina Hajagos-Clausen, who will speak at a workshop on organizing in the supply chain in Addis Ababa later this month says:

We support Ethiopian unions on the introduction of minimum wages to set at a level of a living wage. We demand further that workers be paid what other garment workers earn globally.

Therefore, we are promoting global framework agreements in the sector to stop global brands from exploiting cheap labour in developing countries. Living wages can lift workers out of poverty.