More than 100 brands sign 2018 Transition Accord in Bangladesh

As of today, 101 brands have signed the 2018 Transition Accord, which goes into effect when the 2013 Bangladesh Accord expires in May. The 2018 agreement currently covers more than 1,200 factories and at least 2 million workers. With new brands signing daily, these numbers are growing rapidly. An updated list of signatories can be found here.

Last month, IndustriALL and UNI reached a US$2.3 million settlement under the 2013 Accord with a multinational apparel brand to remedy life-threatening workplace hazards. It was the second settlement of its kind, and one of the largest payments made by a brand to remedy workplace dangers in its supply chain.

“The brands that have signed the 2018 Transition Accord are showing a commitment to transparency and to the safety of Bangladeshi workers,”

said Valter Sanches, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.

“The Accord’s legally-binding framework is the only credible way to guarantee that life-threatening fire and structural hazards are remediated in a timely manner in ready-made garment and textile factories.”

Christy Hoffman, deputy general secretary of UNI Global Union, said:

“We were confident that the vast majority of 2013 signatories would sign the 2018 Transition Accord and now that we have broken 100 signatories, we are almost there.”

“We’ve made improvements to the industry and turning away now simply doesn’t make sense. It is also important to make these advancements in worker safety sustainable through functioning Health and Safety Committees and the Transition Accord will put a priority on this work.”

The Bangladesh Accord, which covers 2.5 million workers in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment industry, was established by IndustriALL and UNI in 2013 following the Rana Plaza disaster that killed over 1,100 garment workers and injured more than 2,000. It is the first agreement with a legally-binding mandate requiring fashion brands to require their contractors to eliminate fire, structural, and electrical safety issues.

Accord inspectors have so far carried out inspections on more than 1,800 factories supplying over 200 brands, identifying over 118,500 fire, electrical, and structural hazards.

Eighty-three percent of workplace dangers identified in the Accord’s original round of inspections have been remediated, and 699 Accord factories have completed over 90 percent of the remediation.

The 2018 Transition Accord was signed in June of last year. The legally-binding document goes into effect when the original agreement expires in May, and extends the Accord’s protections until 31 May 2021, unless a joint monitoring committee—comprised of Accord brand signatories, Accord trade union signatories, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Government of Bangladesh) unanimously agrees that a set of rigorous conditions for a handover to a national regulatory body have been met prior to then.

The mining industry must respect labour and community rights: IndustriALL

The Indaba has brought investors, mining companies, governments and other stakeholders from around the world together in the city for the last 20 years. For the first time, this year’s event included a Sustainable Development Day with the motto “Transforming the industry to make mining work for the people”.

This resonates with last years’ theme – “Leaving no one Behind” – suggesting that a consensus is developing between labour, civil society, industry and governments about how dialogue is fundamental to addressing the industry’s pressing challenges.

Across town, the Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI) was held with the theme of “Making Natural Resources Work for the People: Towards Just Legal, Policy and Institutional Reforms”. The AMI was made up of 600 members from civil society organizations, including faith-based, community-based, Pan African networks, labour, women, human rights activists, the media and students.

In a petition to mining companies and governments, the AMI called for the interests of communities affected by mining to be put before profit. This could be done through public ownership that ensures sustainability and equity in mining. Policy reforms should end exploitation by removing unjust laws, and replace the use of force with dialogue. Corruption should be targeted, as it is common for corrupt mining companies to work with elites and exclude communities.

At the AMI there were also calls for governments to adopt the African Mining Vision which calls for: “A sustainable and well-governed mining sector that effectively garners and deploys resource rents and that is safe, healthy, gender and ethnically inclusive, environmentally friendly, socially responsible and appreciated by surrounding communities”.

They called for the recognition of artisanal and small-scale miners by including them in government policies and legislation. Dialogue between workers and communities with governments and mining companies was also demanded.

IndustriALL was represented at both events. As a major stakeholder, IndustriALL was invited to participate in different panels and in the closing session of the African Mining Indaba.

Speaking on a panel on labour and community rights, IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan, emphasized workers’ rights and health and safety.

“Recognizing and respecting workers’ rights is key. This includes the right to join a trade union, and the protection of collective bargaining agreements.

“Fundamental health and safety rights, to know, to refuse and to participate, must be the basis. Workers are experts on what goes on at their workplaces. Therefore, they should be involved in health and safety.”

“We must also achieve the international standards in Convention 176 on Safety and Health in the mines and other ILO recommendations and ratifications”.

He added that building trust between mining companies, trade unions and communities and exercising due diligence were important.

On the sidelines of the both Indabas, the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, to which IndustriALL is a key stakeholder representing labour, was launched. IRMA has developed a standard for responsible mining, which includes responsible sourcing along the supply chain.

IndustriALL and Rio Tinto make joint mission to Madagascar

The QMM operation has been facing serious challenges regarding health and safety and labour rights, which local management and trade unions had been unable to resolve. These challenges are derived from the excessive and uncontrolled use of sub-contractors, who outnumber permanent employees by three to one. Subcontractor workers at QMM have insecure jobs and lack of access to normal conditions of employment. There is no institutionalized form of worker representation on health and safety, and their right to freedom of association is, at best, tenuous.

Taking part in the joint IndustriALL and Rio Tinto mission to Madagascar, were Rio Tinto management, trade unions comprising Piet Matosa of the National Union of Mineworkers in South Africa; Steve Hunt, Alain Croteau and Steeve Arsenault from United Steelworkers/Métallos, Canada; Glen Mpufane from IndustriALL; and representatives from IndustriALL Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Office and local unions.  The group visited the site and later met with local community leaders.

The parties reviewed employment and contracting practices at the site. Local management could not confirm nor deny our affiliates’ claims that wages for sub-contractor employees are just US$45 per month, below the minimum wage of US$53 per month. Workers generally work 15 or 16 hours per day.  The living wage is estimated at around US$400/month and 80 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line.

There are also systematic challenges for communities and landowners, not unique to mining, related to resettlement and compensation issues, which have been compounded by poverty levels in the country. According to the World Bank, 70 per cent of the island’s 22.6 million population live on less than US$2 a day and 59 per cent on less than US$1.25, ranking the country amongst the poorest in the world.

The parties had a constructive discussion about Rio Tinto’s new Supplier Code of Conduct and how it could be implemented at QMM to help resolve the challenges.  It was generally agreed that implementation of the Code at the site would be a welcome development and improve the well-being of workers.

Michael Gavin, Rio Tinto Head of Employee Relations, said of the mission: “This meeting was a great opportunity for the company and union leaders to demonstrate, at the operations level, how employee representatives and the company can work together respectfully and for mutually beneficial outcomes.”

Steve Hunt, District 3 Director of the United Steelworkers and Co-Chair of IndustriALL’s Mining and Diamond, Gems, Ornament and Jewellery Production Section, and who led the global mission, stated: “We have come a long way since the Rio Tinto campaign.  There is now dialogue and cooperation in place of acrimony.  This meeting demonstrated the fact that Rio Tinto and its major unions are working collaboratively to improve the lives of employees and the company.”

IndustriALL and Rio Tinto later discussed the mission as an example of global dialogue at the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba held in Cape Town, South Africa from 5 – 7 February 2018. 

ArcelorMittal prosecutes Kazakh unions after underground protest

The Metallurgical Workers' Union Zhaktau, affiliated to IndustriALL through the Trade Union of Mining & Metallurgy Workers of Republic of Kazakhstan, today received a summons to appear in Temirtau court on 13 February. The union is accused of urging miners to continue their strike in December 2017 and defend their demands under any circumstances. The company claims that this destabilized the operation of the mine, prevented the strike from ending, impeded negotiations between the employer and employees and blocked workers from returning to the surface.
 
Chairpersons of the rights organization Miner's Family, founded by widows of deceased miners, and a branch of the Industrial Trade Union of Fuel and Energy Sector Employees, an affiliate of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (KNPRK) which was dissolved by the authorities, both received similar summons.
 
Chair of Metallurgical Workers' Union Zhaktau, Viktor Shchetinin, said:

“The lawsuit was a complete surprise for us. Our union represents workers of the steel department at ArcelorMittal Temirtau while the strike took place in the coal department. The company wants to punish us for the moral support of our colleagues, for the fact that we once brought protesters food. This is the first time that a company has sued a union on the issue of trade union solidarity”.

According to the Mineworkers’ Union Korgau, the other union at ArcelorMittal Temirtau, four miners working under fixed-term contracts were dismissed immediately after the strike, when the company refused to renew their contracts. Workers appealed to the union for help. Currently Korgau is trying to find a way to reinstate them.
 
Around 700 workers were on strike underground at all eight coal mines owned by ArcelorMittal in Kazakhstan from 11 to 15 December 2017. They demanded a 100 per cent wage increase, early retirement and better working conditions. ArcelorMittal Temirtau management agreed to a 30 per cent wage increase for all underground workers and said they were also ready to negotiate an increase of wages for ground workers. ArcelorMittal Temirtau stated in a letter to the regional prosecutor that the company would not sanction the strikers.
 
IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan comments:

“IndustriALL Global Union welcomed ArcelorMittal’s statement not to prosecute workers for their participation in the strike. The company should likewise not prosecute the union for basic acts of solidarity. We demand that ArcelorMittal Temirtau withdraws the lawsuits against the chairpersons of the rights protection organization Miner's Family, and both the Metallurgical Workers' Union Zhaktau and the Industrial Trade Union of Fuel and Energy Sector Employees.”
 

Struggle for democracy in Brazil continues

The judges in the court of appeals ruled to uphold the ex-president’s conviction, without any evidence to justify their decision, and requested an extension of his sentence to 12 years in prison.  Soon after the ruling of 24 January, Lula responded in no uncertain terms before a crowd in Sao Paulo: “Everything they are doing is to prevent me from running, but I will run.” 

According to a poll published by the Datafolha Institute on 31 January, Lula is still ahead in the polls for the Brazilian presidential elections to be held in October.  Hence, if he is disqualified (under a law which forbids convicted persons from running for public office), it would cast doubt on the legitimacy of the elections and undermine democracy in Brazil. 

The support revealed by various surveys could be seen on the streets on the day of his conviction in the court of appeal.  Thousands of people gathered at various locations in Brazil to express their support and solidarity.

A delegation of 70 representatives of Uruguayan unions affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union traveled to Porto Alegre, accompanied by the regional secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Marino Vani.  They marched together with IndustriALL affiliates in Brazil demanding justice and democracy, saying that presidential elections in October without Lula would be a fraud.

“The people and workers of Brazil are watching closely and will not accept what is happening in the courts. The decision to uphold the conviction was deplorable because it means that the coup in Brazil continues, together with the state of emergency, and this is an attempt to prevent Lula from running in the election. In any case, there are still possibilities, because he will continue to demonstrate his innocence in the next appeal court,” said Vani, adding:

“Social movements are very united and this hasn’t been seen for a long time in Brazil. Street demonstrations and the pressure are continuing.  It is very possible that the electoral process may lead to the return of a democratic government, and that a stop will be put to unemployment, the loss of workers’ rights and social, economic and political regression in Brazil,” Vani concluded.

IG Metall sets work-life balance precedent with major victory

IG Metall has won its key demand that workers should have the right to reduce their working week from the standard 35 hours to 28 for a period of up to two years, for family and caring responsibilities. It is the first major union agreement that prioritizes working hours over wages.

The two-year, sector-wide collective agreement was signed between the union and the employer’s organization for South West Germany, Südwestmetall, after several rounds of tense negotiation, and a series of 24-hour “warning strikes” – the first of their kind in 34 years.

The strikes cost producers like Porsche, Daimler, BMW and Airbus almost €200 million in lost production. IG Metall threatened to ballot its members for extended industrial action if the employer body did not make a serious offer.

The agreement covers 900,000 workers in Germany’s industrial heartland. It is likely that employer organizations in other regions will sign up to the same terms, covering a total of 3.9 million workers.

The agreement will see a wage increase of 4.3 per cent over 27 months, as well as some supplementary payments. IG Metall had demanded a six per cent increase, while employers initially offered 2.3 per cent. The union turned down a subsequent offer of a 6.8 per cent increase in favour of the demand to reduce hours.

The agreement heralds the end of a decade of wage restraint in Germany, against a backdrop of strong economic recovery and the lowest unemployment since German reunification in 1990. Employers and the European Central Bank have anxiously awaited the results of the negotiations, which will affect wage settlements and economic forecasts across the continent.

“The collective agreement is a milestone on the way to a modern, self-determined working world," said I G Metall chairman and IndustriALL president, Jörg Hofmann.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches said:

“In the past, companies demanded flexibility from workers, not the other way around. This has been turned on its head. Giving workers the right to shorten their working hours and determine their own work-life balance is an excellent union response to Industry 4.0.

“New technology means that productivity continues to rise, without necessarily creating new jobs. The right to work fewer hours, while still earning enough, is an essential response. The productivity gains from Industry 4.0 must be shared with society and workers, and reducing working time is a way to avoid greater concentration of wealth in the pockets of a few.

“The wage increase will also stimulate the German economy from below.”

IG Metall, with almost three million members, is one of the world’s biggest and most powerful unions.

Job at IndustriALL Global Union Asia Pacific Office

The textile, garment, shoe and leather industry is IndustriALL Global Union’s biggest sector, with 60 million workers in the world. Very few of them are organized, and the industry has been characterized by low wages, long working hours and hazardous workplaces. The Bangladesh Accord started a systemic change, and we are now focusing on organizing workers and securing bargaining structures with living wages through the ACT initiative.

We are seeking a Regional Asia Pacific Textile and Garment Coordinator to assist in our work in the sector. The position will be based in the region and involves frequent travel.  The selected candidate will work closely with the IndustriALL Textile and Garment Director and the Regional Secretaries in South Asia and South East Asia. This position is currently funded for 12 months, with the possibility for a renewal for another 12 months.

Principal tasks include:

 Requirements:

Applications by 9 March 2018

Please email your application, including your Curriculum Vitae and a letter explaining why you want the job to Janire Escubi at [email protected] by 9 March 2018. A short list of candidates for interview will be selected on the basis of their Curriculum Vitae and supporting letter.

UK: solidarity with Unite opposition to hostile takeover bid of GKN

GKN is a ‘tier 1’ supply chain manufacturer for automotive and aerospace with nearly 60,000 workers around the world, currently under threat of takeover by Melrose Industries.

IndustriAll Europe and IndustriALL Global Union share Unite’s deep concern that Melrose is a ‘turnaround’ company, which purchases firms to boost the share price and sell them at profit. Melrose has no experience in managing a business as large as GKN, or a serious plan for the long-term investment that is needed.

In a press release published on 5 February, Unite called on the House of Commons business, energy and industrial strategy committee to insist on a review of Melrose’s debt-fuelled takeover bid of GKN. It comes amid fears that the deal could damage the government’s industrial strategy and national defence interests.

As Britain’s largest union, Unite also raised concerns over Melrose’s bid with the House of Commons defence committee. Unite believes that if successful, long-term investment could dry up leading to cuts in research and development which would harm the UK’s current and future defence capability, as well as endanger jobs.

The general secretaries of IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll Europe, Valter Sanches and Luc Triangle, reacted quickly to Unite’s plea for support by penning a solidarity letter in strong support of Unite’s position:

“It is extremely worrisome that Melrose’s bid is being funded by debt, which would be used to pay GKN shareholders an ‘exceptional dividend.’ GKN would then be saddled with the debt, meaning there’s no risk to Melrose, whose bosses would make £284 million in bonuses from the deal. 

"The bid is purely focusing on share price, not underlying performance, which is strong in both GKN‘s Automotive and Aerospace divisions.  What both divisions actually need is long-term investment, not two sets of management competing for the affections of investment funds by boosting the share price with cuts and restructures.”

Taking all of this into account, IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union urges its global and European network of millions of workers in mining, energy and manufacturing industries in Europe and worldwide to also oppose Melrose’s hostile takeover of GKN. 

IndustriALL and global unions protest against trials of Algerian trade union leaders

The action took place on the eve of the trial of Abdelkader Kawafi, general secretary of IndustriALL’s energy affiliate SNATEGS, and Kaddour Chouicha, national coordinator of teachers’ union SESS. Both are set to be in court tomorrow 6 February 2018 under accusations of “defamation” and “incitement to unauthorized gathering” for carrying out their legitimate trade union activities.

Dismissed union leader, Benzine Slimane, president of SNATEGS security guards and protection union, will also face trial this week on 8 February. According to the union, he is accused by state energy company Sonelgaz of defamation for talking about precarious work at the company and calling for an end to sexual harassment of female workers.

Furthermore, SNATEGS president, Raouf Mellal is currently appealing numerous court sentences amounting to 17 months in prison and fines totaling 10,000 euros (US$12,300).

Raouf Mellal has been under increasing oppression since he blew the whistle on the illicit inflation of electricity bills by Sonelgaz over a ten-year period affecting eight million households in Algeria.

The protest comes ahead of a planned direct contact mission by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to Algeria at the end of the month. In June 2017, the ILO Committee on the Applications of Standards urged the Government of Algeria to halt all practices of intimidation and police violence against trade union leaders, as well as to proceed immediately with the registration of the independent unions, and the reinstatement of the dismissed workers based on their trade union activism. 

In the letter to the Labour Minister in Algeria, Mourad Zemali, delivered to the permanent mission today, the global union leaders said:

“On behalf of all our members around the world, we call on the government to abandon all legal proceedings against the elected representatives and trade unionists of SNATEGS, to immediately and unconditionally reinstate all those who have been dismissed for their union membership and to comply with the ILO recommendations to ensure freedom of association in Algeria.”

IndustriALL’s general secretary, Valter Sanches, who along with leaders from PSI and IUF, met with the representative from the Algerian permanent mission, said:

“We made it clear to them that if the government doesn’t engage with us, we’re going to act.”

Belarus: unemployed will pay more for public services

The new decree No.1 “On promotion of employment of population", adopted on 25 January 2018, replaces the heavily criticized decree No. 3 “On prevention of social dependency", dubbed ‘decree on social parasitism’, which resulted in mass protests in the beginning of the last year.

IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliates in Belarus welcome the abolishment of the tax on being unemployed, but raise concerns about the new decree.

The new decree cancels the previously imposed US$240 tax on unemployed Belarusian citizens if they worked less than 183 days a year. However, starting from 2019, unemployed workers will have to pay full costs of public services subsidized by the state. The list of services will be determined by the government by April 2018. Therefore, the concept of punishing citizens being not able to find a job in Belarus remains a key feature of the new decree. The decree will most likely further impoverish people who already suffer from joblessness.

There are also views that the new decree could stimulate employment, as it simplifies registration process for an individual entrepreneur. With the new decree, it is said, it will be easier for Belarusians to find a job in the service sector. Along with this, since the authorities will have to provide a job guarantee, in case of redundancies at an enterprise, unions will be able to demand from local authorities retraining and employment of dismissed workers.

However, most unions are of the opinion that the new decree will not properly address the concerns of Belarusian workers and in fact will strip them of their social protection and demotivate in getting decent wages and good working conditions.

According to one IndustriALL affiliate: “The government seems to be ready to employ everybody, but there is not a word about the wage. Just a job for job’s sake. The decree does not provide motivation for a high-performance and quality work. To which category we should refer more than 700 thousand citizens who work abroad and bring earned money to their families? What should we do with housewives raising their children? Previously, they were classified as ‘parasites’?”

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“Apparently there are no significant changes through the newly-adopted decree as its main structure remains the same as the previous one. It is shameful that Belarusian workers continue to suffer from meaningless decisions taken by the government.

“We stand in solidarity with all the workers in Belarus. We strongly support fundamental trade union rights and democracy in the country. However, independent unions, particularly REPAM and its leadership, are still subject to prosecution over their democratic opposition to the policies and decisions, which we believe, lead the country nowhere.”