Outrage after ex-president Lula’s political convoy attacked by gunfire

Eleven global union federations have written to Maria Nazareth Farani Azevêdo, the Brazilian Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, and to the Minister of Public Security in Brazil, urging authorities to take this matter seriously.

“We call on the Brazilian authorities to investigate and punish the perpetrators of these criminal attacks and to ensure normalcy and peace in the exercise of the political process, so that Brazil can resume a democratic coexistence,” said Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general Secretary.

Attacks on democracy are escalating in Brazil: ranging from the systematic sabotage of the presidential election in 2014 to the parliamentary coup d’état against President Dilma Rousseff in 2016. There have been attacks on social programs and the fundamental rights of workers. Brazil’s judiciary is seeking to prosecute ex-president Lula, without any evidence, in relation to the corruption investigation into state-oil company Petrobras.

“If they think that they can intimidate us they are wrong, this will only make us stronger,” said Lula.

“We are outraged and extremely worried by the news that former president Lula's political convoy suffered a criminal attack. We stand in full solidarity with former President Lula and the hundreds of thousands of people who have participated in the various democratic and peaceful demonstrations in support of him throughout the country,” said Sharran Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The letter was endorsed by all the global unions, representing over 200 million workers worldwide, as follows: the international Trade Union Confederation; IndustriALL Global Union; the Building and Wood Workers’ International; Education International; IAEA Global Union; the international Federation of Journalists; UNI Global Union; the International Transport Federation; the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations; Public Services International; and the Trade Union Advisory Committee.

Global Unions defend former president Lula’s constitutional right to prove his innocence by appealing the convictions by the lower courts, as well as to uphold his constitutional right to free movement, to speak out freely and to run for the next presidential election.

The international trade union movement recognizes the important contribution, which extended beyond Brazil, made by the former governments of President Lula in creating an international paradigm of economic growth with social inclusion through the generation of employment and income for millions of Brazilians, combining national sovereignty and international solidarity.

South African mines claim more lives

Recently, at another Sibanye Still water mine, Kloof Thuthukani Shaft in Westonaria, 79 mineworkers were trapped underground for five hours but later brought to the surface safely.

South African mines, the world’s deepest, are becoming death traps for mineworkers. Most accidents are caused by seismic activity, and when rocks explode under pressure.

According to the Chamber of Mines, 82 mineworkers died in 2017 as compared to 73 in 2016. Earlier efforts to achieve “Zero Harm” as per Culture Transformation Framework for the South African Mining Sector appears to be lapsing. The framework emphasizes on having a mining industry that is “safe, healthy and productive with risks controlled at their source through collaborative action from all tripartite stakeholders.”

IndustriALL affiliate the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) says the accidents and fatalities and worsening mine safety is the result of mining companies being less concerned about workers’ lives and more interested in making profits.

Says Peter Bailey, NUM Health and Safety Chairperson:

Since January this year, 17 mineworkers have died, and five fatalities happened at Sibanye Stillwater. We are calling for a more serious intervention at Sibanye Stillwater operations in South Africa. We don’t want to end up in a situation where workers are killed, and it becomes normal.

The NUM is appealing to the government of South Africa to investigate the working conditions at the mines including working hours and leave days as they are fears that workers are working long hours and not being given enough resting time. Adequate training on health and safety as well as communications between mining companies and workers should also be improved.

Glen Mpufane IndustriALL mining director says:

It is unacceptable that workers continue to die from preventable accidents caused by working in unsafe working conditions in the mines. Mining companies should adhere to the highest safety standards and follow due diligence to protect workers lives. Otherwise the mining industry is profiting at the expense of workers lives.

Japanese metalworkers celebrate wage increase

After the traditional spring wage negotiations known in Japan as Shunto, ‘Spring Labor Offensive’, major member unions of the Japan Council of Metalworkers' Unions (JCM), an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, received responses to their wage increase demands by 14 March. Most unions are already in the process of concluding new collective agreements.

This year, 52 JCM member unions got a higher wage increase than last year. As of 19 March, workers will enjoy a wage increase 1,541 yen on average on top of the regular pay raise portion. This year hike is about 500 yen higher than that of last year.

A broader debate over industrial and corporate survival to deal with industrial structure change took place through labour-management negotiations in each company. Due to this, negotiations on wage increase were tightened up in their final phase. Having agreed on the hike this year, the automotive companies expressed some concerns about the future possible increases because of the growing competition over development of self-driving and electric vehicles.

In the electronics industry unions obtained good results with 13 major companies including Panasonic and Hitachi; electronics workers will enjoy a base pay rise of 1,500 yen, which is 500 yen higher than last year.

Commenting on the results achieved on 2018 Spring Labor Offensive, JCM President, Akira Takakura said,

“We believe this result will contribute to strengthening industrial base as well as motivation and vitality of union members in line with our demand of “investing in people”. We hope the result will also lead up-coming negotiations at small-medium size companies and give positive effect to improve working conditions of non-regular workers.”

Strengthening project implementation in South East Asia

The annual exercise to share experiences and challenges in implementing projects in their respective country was attended by project coordinators from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines, together with IndustriALL staff.

“This meeting is really important to make sure that projects are implemented in line with the IndustriALL’s key strategic goals,” says Atle Hoie, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

Updates on the projects supported by trade union solidarity support organizations were discussed, and participants set the directions for the coming years.

The attending coordinators also delved deeper into effective ways of reporting that corresponds to the requirements of project partners in terms of timely submission and financial documentation related to the projects.

“For the projects to be more efficient we need to re-align activities with the specific sectors where we are working for and increase coordination with the sectoral directors in the head office,” says Annie Adviento, IndustriALL regional secretary.

Effective implementation of GFAs in the garment industry

The workshops focused on strengthening industrial relations and social dialogue through effective implementation of GFAs in the garment supply chain.

This involved planning and evaluating the GFA implementation process, dispute settlement mechanisms and joint management and trade union workshop for creating awareness on GFAs and training of plant level union representatives towards effective use of various GFA provisions.

The National Monitoring Committee (NMC), implementation arm of the GFA with H&M discussed improvements and challenges in the existing process. Participants discussed setting up new mechanisms for effective use of GFA provisions to resolve workers issues at the shop floor, improve safety, working conditions and defend workers right to freedom of association and collective bargaining in the readymade garment supply chain.

Participants also reviewed ongoing union organizing initiatives and strategies to strengthen union density in garment industry. These workshops provide a unique platform for workers to understand institutional set up and dispute settlement process involved in GFAs and discuss plant level issues with management representatives.

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL garment director, says:

We are strengthening industrial relations and social dialogue in the garment industry and our GFAs are contributing to this process. We are working to tackle challenges and improve institutional mechanisms while creating awareness among workers and management on GFAs. With the active involvement of workers we are advancing towards further improvement in industrial relations and social dialogue.

Representatives from H&M and Inditex brands, the Accord for Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and garment company managements also participated.

IndustriALL and BWI file OECD complaint against BHP Billiton and Vale

The complaint is also signed by BWI affiliate, the Trade Union of the Construction, Consulting Engineering and Concession Industries of the State of Minas Gerais (SITICOP), and IndustriALL’s Brazilian trade union affiliate, CNQ-CUT.

The complaint is related to the consequences of the collapse of the Fundão Dam near Mariana in Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on 5 November 2015. The dam, which stored millions of litres of waste from the Germano iron-ore mine, is operated by Samarco Mineração S.A., a joint venture between mining companies BHP Billiton and Vale S. A.. The dam collapse killed 19 people, including 14 workers.  In addition, 700 families lost their homes and more than 2,000 workers from the mining, construction, commerce, electricity and agriculture sectors became unemployed.

Ambet Yuson, General Secretary of BWI, said: “Despite continuous efforts by the unions to push Samarco to provide appropriate remedy to the families, implement measures to prevent future disasters, and ensure compliance to all labour and safety standards, the company has refused.  This is unacceptable.  Workers and their families have suffered enough and immediate action must be taken to address the tragedy that has befallen the victims of the dam collapse.”  

The complaint identifies violations of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises by Vale S.A. and BHP Billiton with regard to their failure to: 1) provide adequate remedy and establish a legitimate remediation process that involves affected communities and workers; 2) respect trade unions rights; 3) ensure adequate health and safety standards including respect for laws on working time; 4) conduct due diligence involving stakeholders, including trade unions.

“The Fundão dam-burst disaster is a horror story of production at any cost. Samarco ignored technical warnings and overlooked the fundamental protocols of tailings and dam safety with catastrophic results. Samarco also failed to plan for an emergency, meaning that workers and residents were totally unprepared when the dam collapsed, contributing to the loss of life and devastation.  With this complaint under the OECD guidelines, we want the company to be held accountable for its negligence before the representative unions,” stated Valter Sanches, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.

IndustriALL and BWI filed the complaint with the OECD National Contact Points in Brazil, Australia and the United Kingdom on 26 March 2018. 

IndustriALL statement on recent developments on steel and aluminium tariffs

IndustriALL affiliates represent millions of base metals workers in leading countries in the sector including in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, across the EU, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine and the U.S.

Read the full statement below: 

IndustriALL Global Union’s 2nd Congress in Rio de Janeiro in October 2016 intensively debated trade issues. According to the unanimously adopted Political Resolution, “IndustriALL Global Union must play a leading role within the global trade union movement and wider society to advocate our vision of fair global trade that works for all.”

In addition, the Political Resolution states: “Trade and investment must ensure a more equitable redistribution of wealth between and within countries and must reject a failed neo-liberal economic ideology based on deregulation, liberalisation and privatisation that this new generation of trade agreements still supports. We call for a new global debate on a fair trading framework that safeguards democratic standards and the public interest, and has the scope for social policy that puts people first.”

The U.S. Government announced in early March that it would impose tariffs of 25% on imports of steel and tariffs of 10% on imports of aluminium in order to protect U.S. national security. As of 23 March, the day the tariffs are to go into effect, the U.S. has exempted, often for uncertain reasons and an uncertain period without a clear connection to national security, the following countries from these tariffs, with the understanding the exemptions may end if governments of these countries don’t offer some other uncertain concessions to the U.S. government in separate negotiations – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the EU, Mexico and South Korea.

In these circumstances, IndustriALL Global Union and affiliated unions in the base metals sector worldwide reiterate once again their call for a fair global trade that works for all, and increased efforts to combat the persistent global problem of steel and aluminium overcapacity. Although we strongly support efforts to preserve and create jobs in the steel and aluminium industries, we criticize the implementation of tariffs which, as in this case, are indiscriminate, unilateral, and unfair and can provoke a trade war. IndustriALL Global Union reiterates its call for a system of fair global trade that works for all and that builds on the principle of cross-border worker solidarity.

Although global steel and aluminium markets have improved somewhat since our unions released a Declaration on the Global Steel Crisis at the IndustriALL Global Union’s World Base Metals Conference in November 2016, steel and aluminium workers around the world continue to be threatened by overcapacity. This overcapacity is overwhelmingly in China, which continues to unfairly subsidize its steel and aluminium industries, and which continues to dump steel and aluminium in our countries, sometimes shipping it indirectly through third countries.

We therefore reiterate, from the Declaration, our “call for urgent action to protect our jobs and communities from the current wave of industrial destruction that is wiping out industrial jobs on a global scale and systematically eroding workers’ rights and working conditions.”

While it is obvious that pragmatic and daily attempts cannot be sustainable solutions, “complex political problems can only be solved by multilateral political initiatives” as stated in the Political Resolution from our 2nd Congress. In this context, it is critically important to seek viable rules and regulations for global trade instead of seeking temporary ways out such as exemptions. It can never be possible to find a proper way forward in between protectionism and dumping.

We are committed to encouraging multilateral negotiations and to making all necessary efforts to avoid triggering a global trade war, a war in which workers around the world stand to lose the most.

Our governments must coordinate efforts in international forums such as the OECD Steel Committee and the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity to pressure China to reduce its capacity, to end unfair practices that create overcapacity, and to prevent overcapacity from emerging or increasing in other countries. IndustriALL Global Union will continue to support those efforts, continue to participate in the OECD Steel Committee, and will continue to seek to open the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity to trade union participation.

We commit to demanding our governments take strong actions to defend our unions’ members against unfairly traded steel and aluminium, while urging our governments to ensure that those actions do not harm steel and aluminium workers who are also threatened by that overcapacity.

We also demand our governments put industrial policies in place to preserve and create jobs in the steel and aluminium industries. We must work to strengthen the internal consumption of certain regions of the world where consumption per capita is low in order to minimize dependence on international decisions and to promote local development.

We further commit to increasing collaboration among our unions in combatting the problem of global overcapacity of steel and aluminium. This collaboration will help to ensure the overcapacity does not serve to divide and thereby weaken us, but rather our global union power and solidarity is strengthened.

Ends

Scrap labour law amendment bills, say unions in South Africa

Wearing red t-shirts, whistling, singing along struggle songs from loud music playing from a truck, and dancing the toyi-toyi dance, thousands of workers marched to the provincial government offices and the Department of Labour. The march took place on March 23 which is also Human Rights Day – a public holiday remembering the resistance against apartheid that led to the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 in which 69 people were shot dead by the police for protesting Pass Laws.
 
NUMSA and a coalition of 20 other organizations, including the South African Federation of Trade Unions to which NUMSA is affiliated, the Casual Workers Advice Office, and the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa say the amendments are “a coordinated attack on workers” which needs a “counter attack”.

If the labour laws amendments are passed the right to strike, to living wages and to collective bargaining will be taken away from workers. Other non-wage rights on housing and land enjoyed by workers which are part of benefits in the sectoral minimum wages set by the minister of labour will be adversely affected. The right to an efficient and fair dispute resolution system will also be negatively affected by the amendments.

The coalition demands that the amendments on strike balloting, picketing rules, longer conciliation and compulsory arbitration be abandoned. The right to strike over unfair dismissals should be restored, and employers must be stopped from using scab labour to break strikes.

The extension of collective bargaining agreements should only happen when the majority of workers in a sector are unionized. Workers should also be involved in decisions on the national minimum wage. Once the minimum wage is agreed upon, labour inspectors must ensure compliance.

NUMSA also condemned the introduction of a national minimum wage of R3500 (US$294). The minimum wage was supposed to become effective on 1 May 1, but the date has been extended.
 
Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa, says:

Workers’ rights are constitutional rights that cannot be taken away and attempts to do so must be resisted. We rally behind NUMSA in defense of the right to strike. We also support living wages because they are one of the ways that workers and their families can move out of poverty.

IndustriALL warns car industry of worker abuse in Glencore cobalt mines

IndustriALL, which represents workers in the mining and auto industries, is using its global trade union network of hundreds of auto unions to raise awareness in the industry of Glencore’s mistreatment of cobalt workers in the auto supply chain.

The auto industry is becoming increasingly dependent on cobalt, a critical battery metal, as it ramps up production of electric vehicles. Glencore is the world’s biggest supplier of cobalt.

A report from an IndustriALL fact-finding mission to DRC in February 2018, reveals that workers mining cobalt at Glencore’s the Kamoto Copper Company and Mutanda mines are only allowed 750ml of drinking water per 12-hour shift and that Glencore provides expired food and no decent eating places with protection against the elements.

There are no proper showers or ablution facilities at the mines risking contamination and occupational respiratory diseases for workers and their families: “We are so filthy when we get home that we cannot hug our children,” said one worker.

The mission also found workers and their families have to travel 42 kilometres to Glencore health facilities, meaning that they must leave in the early hours of the morning only to return late at night, and in some instances without being treated.

The mission took place at the urgent request of IndustriALL affiliate TUMEC in DRC, which represents workers at both the Kamoto Copper Company and Mutanda mines.

TUMEC is considering strike action over disparities in wages at Glencore’s mines in DRC where, for instance, a white supervisor earns US$4,000 a month and his immediate Congolese assistants earn US$600 a month.

The report outlines Glencore’s disrespect for the collective bargaining agreement with TUMEC and its refusal to renegotiate. The mission also found that there has been no salary increase for workers in five years.

Over 60 per cent of the global supply of cobalt comes from DRC, which is one of the world’s poorest countries. Swiss-based Glencore expects demand for the metal, which is also a key component for smart phone batteries, to increase by 67 per cent over the next three years.  Cobalt prices have more than doubled in the past year.

At the end of last year, the Drive Sustainability partnership, a group of the world's leading car companies, including BMW, Volkswagen and Ford, launched a new initiative to identify and address ethical, environmental, human, and labour rights issues associated with the sourcing of raw materials. IndustriALL is calling on all car manufacturers to carry out due diligence in the sourcing of cobalt for the industry. 

IndustriALL’s general secretary, Valter Sanches, said:

“Auto companies need to live up to their customers’ expectations that the electric vehicles they sell are produced responsibly. Cobalt from Glencore, which is so critical for the batteries in those electric vehicles, is anything but.

“We’re not asking them to not buy from Glencore, we’re asking them to pressure Glencore to live up to Glencore’s own claims to produce responsibly and to respect workers’ rights and the communities where it operates.”

IndustriALL has written to the Glencore CEO, Ivan Glasenberg, with a list of demands to redress the situation of workers at its mines in DRC. 

Glencore employs about 15,000 people in DRC, through its subsidiaries Mutanda Mining and Katanga Mining, which owns the Kamoto Copper Company. In 2016, seven workers died at Katanga when the wall of an open pit mine collapsed.

Blog: Just Transition is at the risk of being hijacked

A “Just Transition” to economic, social, and environmental justice aims to minimize the impact on workers and communities of the rapid transition to a low carbon economy. However, the concept is at risk of being hijacked by regimes of accumulation.

Capitalism as a crises-ridden system is forever looking for opportunities to fix profits.  As American philosopher Noam Chomsky argues, the business class is highly conscious with a “vulgar Marxists ideology” that has commitments and values in reverse. The 2008 financial crisis, which was left to governments to resolve by bailing out big banks with taxpayers money while banking executives hid their loot was elevated as the only important global crisis while ignoring the ecological crises caused by mining activities.

The most effective push to full realization of what trade union movement resolve on and wishes can be achieved by implementing IndustriALL’s Sustainable Industrial Policy guidelines that revolve around the three dimensions emphasized by the concept of a Just Transition, that is, the economic, social and environmental dimensions. Most particularly, the social dimension demands that we look after the interests of workers (labour) and the families and communities that depend on them.

The increasing amount of green marketing strategies should serve as an alarm to ensure that all our campaigns are executed with an increase dimension of Just Transition. It has managed to rally all of us to participate in economic recovery initiatives while ignoring ecological crises.

The increasing number of green marketing should serve as a signal for trade unions to be vigilant and prevent corporates from implementing strategies that are geared towards green washing. Unions together with civil society should work on modalities to exit fossil fuel dependency and enter the greener economy on our own terms. The continuous support of coal as ‘the source of job creation’ will continue to fare well with multinational corporations who are not interested to resolve the carbon emission problem but intend to profit on the depleting resource while it lasts and continue to pollute the environment.  Neither, it must be said, are they very much interested in creating decent, secure work – or protecting the health and safety of their workers.

Failures to put into action the IndustriALL Sustainability Report will absolve governments of their responsibility to look after workers and their communities as nature is exploited for profits.