Violence against women: not in my union, not in my workplace

https://youtu.be/11H_Ydc8-1U

Violence against women at work is a core trade union issue. IndustriALL Executive Committee calls on affiliates to take the pledge to combat violence against women and take active steps to implement its commitments.

Violence against women is a violation of human rights. It is an obstacle to gender equality. According to a UN report, today 35 per cent of women have experienced physical, psychological or sexual violence. In some countries, this proportion reaches 70 per cent.

Violence against women remains one of the most tolerated violations of human rights. Unions have their share of responsibilities in promoting and defending women’s rights. Violence against women at work affects workers’ rights, safety, health and dignity.

Unions, say no to violence against women

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IndustriALL Executive Committee takes strong stand against corporate greed and violence against women

Trade union leaders from nearly 50 countries met in a display of the full force of the global union movement.

An important discussion on what women face daily in their working lives was held, with the Executive Committee adopting a resolution on violence and harassment against women in the workplace. Violence against women in the workplace is real, and happens every day. It takes many forms – from verbal harassment to physical and sexual abuse.

Delegates were asked to take a stand and support and promote a pledge in their unions, clearly stating that all forms of violence against women are unacceptable.

IndustriALL is a campaigning organization. The Executive Committee supported the launch of two new corporate campaigns; against oil giant Shell and mining and commodity company Glencore.

The campaign against Shell calls for equal rights for all workers in Shell operations. Currently, there are huge discrepancies in the way the company treats its workforce in different jurisdictions.

The campaign against Glencore demands that the company respect workers’ rights, improve health and safety, and shows good faith in both direct and indirect negotiations with employees.

The immediate impetus for the campaign is disputes in Australia, Canada, and South Africa, including the Oaky North lockout in Queensland, Australia, and a ten month strike at a refinery in Quebec, Canada. The campaign seeks to resolve these disputes, and establish meaningful global dialogue with the company that addresses concerns about union rights and health and safety at operations across the world.

Mining can be a treacherous profession. IndustriALL’s fight for workers at Freeport’s copper mine in Grasberg, Indonesia, continues. Indonesia’s national human rights commission has found that the company’s dismissals of thousands of workers are violating human rights, and is recommending they be reinstated.

IndustriALL General Secretary Valter Sanches said:

Workers face injustice in all countries of the world. We need to fight back, using the leverage we have.

Fighting precarious work is important to IndustriALL. After the Executive Committee’s first day, delegates joined affiliates in Sri Lanka in a demonstration to demand that the government take action to stop the spread of precarious work.

Trade and industrial policy

Industry 4.0 is having a big impact on some of the industries of IndustriALL’s affiliates. It is transforming work and production, eliminating and changing jobs.

The Executive Committee endorsed the action plan for Industry 4.0.

The IndustriALL working group on trade is demanding that any trade agreement needs open and transparent negotiations, including labour rights. The issue needs to be discussed globally and all affiliates need to be part of the discussion.

The Executive Committee adopted a number of solidarity resolutions:

The text of all resolutions can be found in the links at the side of the article.

Romania: protest against shifting cost of social security onto workers’ shoulders

The protests started as a response to the announcement of an overhaul of the system of taxation. The measures proposed by the Romanian Government plan the rise of the minimum wage, but contributions to a compulsory private pension fund scheme will be limited.

Employers would pay a 2.25 per cent tax on their overall wage fund and small businesses with annual turnover below one million euros would contribute only one per cent tax on turnover instead of the current 16 percent tax on profit, thus lowering social security contributions by employers and shifting their entire burden onto employees.

It will also be up to the employees to bargain with their employers individually about potential increase of their wages in order to cover the difference in underpaid social contributions.

If approved, the measures will come into effect on 1 January 2018.

The Executive Committee of IndustriALL Global Union at its meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 8 and 9 November 2017 unanimously adopted a special resolution in support of the workers and the affiliated trade unions in Romania condemning the project of tax revision proposed by Romanian Government. Text of the resolution in English and Romanian.

IndustriALL Global Union also sent a letter to the Government of Romania calling them on “to desist from making workers pay the employers’ portion to their social security”.

In the letter Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary said,

“All across Europe and beyond, social security contributions are financed jointly by employees and employers. It is quite surprising, to say the least, that a government led by a Social Democratic majority approves such a measure that goes against the principle of solidarity and the objective of ensuring decent working conditions and improving general welfare. Shifting the whole burden of social security taxes to employees will lead to a further drop in purchasing power and deterioration of living standards of citizens, and push even more young people to leave the country.”

“This measure blatantly ignores European and international standards. It is in contravention of universally accepted fundamental human rights and labour rights, as inscribed, inter alia, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and International Labour Organization’s conventions and recommendations dealing with social security, including Convention 102, which was ratified by Romania, and Recommendation 202.”

Sanches further called on the Government of Romania,

“to guarantee the human rights and labour rights of workers, deliver effective social policy and ensure that the principle of shared responsibility of social protection contributions is maintained.”

Indian unions mobilize thousands of workers to protest anti-worker policies of Modi government

The massive gathering was a reaction to the governments faint response to a 12-points charter of demands presented by the unions on 7 November.

Workers’ demands include urgent measures to contain price rises, a strict enforcement of labour laws, universal social security cover for all workers, increased minimum wages, pension for all workers, as well as the ratification ILO convention 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The government of India’s “reckless policies of demonetization and hasty implementation of goods and service tax (GST), has led to job losses and price raise,” according to a statement by the unions.

The last three years have seen workers’ real wages have go down, and India has witnessed decline in employment. The government is also going ahead with anti-worker labor law amendments, privatization of public sector utilities including defence equipment manufacturing units and railways.

The demonstrations concluded with the resolution that, if there is no change in government attitude, the central trade unions will explore a countrywide national indefinite strike.

In the meantime, the unions decided on the following actions:

IndustriALL Global Union, at its Executive Committee meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 8-9 November 2017, passed a resolution in solidarity with its affiliates in India and the Indian trade union movement in their struggle to defend workers’ rights.

IndustriALL calls on Government of Iran to release Mahmoud Salehi and Reza Shahabi

IndustriALL has received reports from Iranian affiliate the Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of Iran (UMMI), as well as from other free and democratic Iranian civil society organizations, of the persecution and detention of workers and trade union leaders for exercising their fundamental trade union rights. UMMI is campaigning in solidarity with these imprisoned workers, and has issued a call for support.

The Iranian government pursues a strategy of homicidal negligence towards jailed union activists, by subjecting them to severe torture, medical neglect, extended and repeated imprisonment and gross mistreatment.

Long-time labour activist, Mahmoud Salehi, who has been in and out of jail for the past thirty years, was re-imprisoned on 28 October 2017. On 3 November 3, Mr. Salehi suffered a heart attack and was taken to hospital from the prison; however, he was shockingly transferred back to prison on 11 November despite the fact that only 30 percent of his heart is functioning. Mr. Salehi has lost both of his kidneys during his imprisonment and must undergo kidney dialysis in the hospital twice a week. The life of Mahmoud Salehi will be in grave danger if he remains in prison.

Reza Shahabi, an executive board member of Tehran Bus Workers’ Union (Vahed Union), has been in and out of prison since 2010. He was re-imprisoned on 9 August 2017. Mr. Shahabi also has serious health issues, allegedly because of years of mistreatment and torture during his interrogations.

In a message from prison, Reza Shahabi said:

“The support of workers and defenders of workers’ and human rights in Iran and internationally, will be the only guarantor of my freedom and the freedom of my incarcerated colleagues.”

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches wrote to President Rouhani of Iran, saying:

“IndustriALL Global Union once again urges the Government of Iran to ratify ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, and Convention 98 on the Right to organize and Collective Bargaining.

“We call on the Government of Iran to put an end to arrests and repression of labour activists, and we reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mahmoud Salehi, Reza Shahabi and all other jailed labour activists.”

South Africa: Coalminers give notice to strike

The NUM is also insisting that they will only sign a three-year agreement with the Chamber of Mines if it remains committed to the Collective Bargaining Forum.

“Settling with unions at company level promotes competition and inter-union rivalry at the expense of workers’ unity. It divides workers and sometimes breeds violence between unions, thus weakening union power,” NUM said in a statement defending its continued fight for centralized collective bargaining that included unions, employers and the government.

At the negotiations, the Chamber of Mines represented coal companies including Anglo American, Glencore Operations SA, Msobo, Delmas, Exarro, Kangra and others. However, nothing came out after months of negotiations. Taking the matters to the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration did not help either.

The NUM represents 70 per cent of the unionized coalminers. According to the Chamber of Mines the coal sector employed over 87 000 workers, and was the third largest employer after gold and the platinum group metals.

StatsSA also reported that jobs were being created along the coal mining value chain including in lignite which employed over 6000 workers. Other jobs were in the coal-to-chemical producers where SASOL employed thousands.

More jobs were in the energy sector as 77 per cent of South Africa’s energy was generated from coal.

The NUM said the employers were not committed to improving the lives of the coalminers. “The Chamber of Mines continues to be arrogant and negotiating in bad faith. The NUM is determined to force the companies to lend an ear to its wage demands”.

Fabian Nkomo, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa said:

“We always hope that negotiations will lead to collective bargaining agreements but when that does not happen workers go on strike to push for their demands. We support their actions and are convinced that workers should always fight for fair and living wages.”

IndustriALL Executive Committee endorses Glencore campaign

The Glencore campaign comes on the back of a successful campaign against mining giant Rio Tinto.

“Glencore has no corporate soul”, said Tony Maher, national president of Australian affiliate the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Engineering Union (CFMEU).

“This is a Frankenstein company, stitched together with body parts.”

The immediate impetus for the campaign is disputes in Australia, Canada, and South Africa, including the Oaky North lockout in Queensland, Australia, and a ten month strike at a refinery in Quebec, Canada. The campaign seeks to resolve these disputes, and establish meaningful global dialogue with the company that addresses concerns about union rights and health and safety at operations across the world.

The Swiss-based company employs small numbers of workers at a handful of sites in Europe. These sites are generally unionized and conditions are good, but at other global operations, the story is different, for instance, two mines in Colombia, the company has tried to undermine the union, and there is no proper health care or safety programme: workers who fall ill are sent to recover in a trailer they call “Guantanamo”.

At Oaky North in Australia, which is organized by the CFMEU, union members have been locked out since May, after going on strike against the company’s attempts to replace them with contractors.

At the CEZinc refinery in Quebec, workers have been on strike for nine months against a raid on their pension schemes.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa has a campaign for a living wage at Glencore operations, and is planning mass action against the company. The union wants national collective bargaining and harmony of conditions at Glencore operations. Glencore has recently refused union officials in the operations. It employs 27,000 workers in South Africa.

Glencore employs about 15,000 people in Australia, 18,000 in Colombia, 7,500 in Canada, with significant numbers in Bolivia, Zambia and the Congo (DRC). The company directly employs 155,000 workers worldwide.

“lndustriALL affiliates have good coverage at Glencore operations”, said IndustriALL mining director, Glen Mpufane.

“A coordinated campaign is an effective way to change the way this company behaves. In the short term, we want to resolve the current disputes. But our long term goal is to establish meaningful global dialogue with the company.”

The meeting also discussed the revelations in the Paradise Papers of underhand business practices and tax dodging by Glencore. Glencore provided a loan of $ 45 million to a fixer for the rights to the Katanga mine in the Congo, a dangerous site with poor safety standards.

“Glencore has tried in recent years to improve its image. However, the company has a bad reputation earned from years of shady deals and mistreatment of communities,” said IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan.

“Glencore workers of the world are demanding that Glencore live up to its claim to be a responsible company, starting with respecting workers’ rights.”

Tunisian metalworkers’ strike results in salary increase

On 3 November 2017, at a meeting at the Ministry for Social Affairs in Tunisia, the employers' federation of the foundries and mechanical engineering sector signed a sectoral agreement with metalworkers' union FGME-UGTT and the government that will give workers a back-dated salary increase of 6 per cent for the year 2016. The salary increase for 2017, due to be fixed last July will be fixed in January 2018.

In March 2017, the Head of Government in Tunisia, the President of the employers’ union and the general secretary of the trade union confederation, UGTT, signed a sector-wide agreement to increase salaries. Normally the accord is automatically signed by all the employers’ federations concerned. However, the employers’ federation of foundries and mechanical engineering refused to sign the agreement, which allows for an increase in wages in the private sector in Tunisia for the years 2016 and 2017.

This led FGME-UGTT, to hold a nationwide strike on 26 September 2017, which drew support of 90 per cent of workers in the sector. Following the lack of serious commitment to negotiate on the part of the employers, the union announced it would hold a three-day national strike from 14-16 November unless the employers signed the agreement.

“The most important factor about this struggle is that it has reignited the resolve of our members and encouraged them to carry on fighting for their rights. It’s served as a reminder that if we’re not happy with our company or employers, we can fight to get our rights,” said Tahar Berberi, general secretary of FGME-UGTT, speaking at IndustriALL’s Executive Committee meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

“The agreement now needs to be implemented. There are some companies that don’t want to apply the wage increase so we will continue our struggle at the company level but we are in a good position to negotiate with the employers, who don’t want any more problems. The employers now understand that the wage increase is a right.”

Tahar Berberi emphasized that workers need an immediate pay rise, as prices have gone up more than 100 per cent in Tunisia. “We’ve managed to raise salaries for 2016 and 2017. Next we will concentrate on 2018,” he said.

IndustriALL affiliates protest against precarious work in Sri Lanka

More than a hundred representatives of IndustriALL affiliates, together with workers from Sri Lankan trade unions, took to the streets of the capital Colombo to demand that the government implements amendments to Article 59A of the Wages Boards Ordinance.

The amendments seek to limit and restrict the employment of manpower workers (precarious third-party contract workers) in the core work of a business, and where the work is regular and permanent in nature. Unions in Sri Lanka want the amendments to be implemented to stamp out the prevalence of precarious contract work in the country. 

“We are here to support our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka in their fight to limit the use of manpower, to limit the use of contract workers,” said IndustriALL general secretary, Valter Sanches.

IndustriALL President Jörg Hofmann, also addressed the crowd, declaring precarious work as a disease of our time affecting workers on a global scale. He said:

“The whole world is in solidarity with workers in Sri Lanka. The global trade union movement supports your demands for decent work and living wages. Agency work, contract work, short-term jobs increase insecurity for all workers. We want to stop this practice in Sri Lanka. We want to stop this practice in Asia. We want to stop this practice all over the world.”

Though the amendment was proposed in 2009, it was the first big demonstration calling for its implementation. IndustriALL’s five trade union affiliates in Sri Lanka took part.

Valter Sanches also used the demonstration to give backing to Sri Lanka’s GSP+ status that gives preferential trade tariffs for the country’s exports to the European Union.

“We are here to support the government to keep GSP+ status as long as they ensure that all the working conditions, labour rights and the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining are respected.”

IndustriALL is holding its Executive Committee meeting in Colombo from 8-9 November, which will include participation from affiliates in countries from Brazil to Belarus, and Norway to Nepal.

IndustriALL’s Women’s Committee calls on unions to take pledge to combat violence against women in the workplace

Violence against women in the workplace is real, and happens every day. It takes many forms – from verbal harassment to physical and sexual abuse. All forms of violence are unacceptable, and IndustriALL is campaigning to combat violence against women in the workplace.

IndustriALL’s campaign to highlight the issue calls on unions to take a stand against all forms of violence in the workplace under the slogan “unions say no to violence”.

Michele O’Neil, Women’s Committee co-chair, said that the fight against violence is hard work and will not change overnight:

“How can we think of reaching gender equality without eliminating violence against women which stands in the way of gender equality?

“But I have confidence that if IndustriALL and its affiliates take this fight seriously we will bring about change.”

Delegates agreed on a pledge and a resolution to be put to IndustriALL’s Executive Committee for adoption, clearly stating that all forms of violence against women are unacceptable.

The campaign will include mobilizations on 25 November, 8 March and around the International Labour Conference in June. There will also be an ongoing collection of information and exposure of violence against women in IndustriALL’s sectors.

Women’s Committee co-chair Monica Voloso, reinforced the importance of the campaign reaching all affiliates in the world to bring a change that guarantees women safe places to work.

“The campaign against violence against women is strengthened with the global support of IndustriALL. If all unions involved say NO to violence, we have powerful allies in the fight against violence.”

Aya Matsuura, gender specialist from ILO, spoke to the Women’s Committee about the ILO standard-setting process to end violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work.

The Women’s Committee supports a comprehensive ILO Convention, supplemented by a Recommendation, with a strong focus on gender based violence. But with only 38 out of 187 of ILO’s member-states in favour of such a convention it risks being  a non-binding recommendation.

The Women’s Committee highlighted the importance for unions to take action and lobby their governments to support the adoption of a Convention.

Women in male dominated sectors

The overall objectives of IndustriALL’s work on women is to increase participation and representation in IndustriALL and its affiliates, and to promote, advance and protect women’s rights and equality. This is done through integrating women work in all sectors, networks, regional and project work and through addressing participation and representation.

In 2018, the work will focus on the male dominated sectors of mining, base metals, materials and energy, and on developing action plans to address women issues in unions and companies in those sectors.

Achieving the 40 per cent target for women’s representation in IndustriALL structures is a priority for the Women’s Committee. In IndustriALL’s youth work, targets are set higher, at 50 per cent, presenting equality as a fact and not a goal.

IndsutriALL Assistant General Secretary Jenny Holdcroft said:

“It is clear that without significant changes within unions, the 40 per cent target for women’s representation will not be reached.

“We will continue to support the work of the Women’s Committee in providing essential guidance to affiliates on the steps they must take to make space for women in their structures and decision-making.“