Zimbabwe: Unions organizing against all odds

It is through organizing more workers that unions can build the power to confront employers on workers’ rights violations including the late payment of wages, gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

Reports on the union building project’s organizing and recruitment drives by women organizers from seven IndustriALL affiliates in chemicals, energy, garment and textiles, engineering, metal, mining, and automotive highlighted not only the achievements but the difficulties as well.

During membership drives to workplaces the importance of joining unions, workers’ rights, health and safety and social protection were discussed. Gender policies were also developed.

The meeting discussed how organizing was badly affected by the current political and economic crisis. The crisis, which reached its peak in 2008, led to the collapse of most industrial sectors. Hyperinflation reached record levels and the local currency was abandoned. Unemployment is estimated to be around 90 per cent with most workers now working in the informal sector.

Most industries in Zimbabwe have shut down, reduced working hours or were retrenching workers. For workers who still have jobs, pay day was anything from one month to more than 12 months. Some employers only paid 25 per cent of wages. Other benefits like medical aid and pension did not exist.

Although union dues were collected from workers, sometimes these were not paid to unions according to the laws. This worsened union finances.

The affiliates vowed to continue fighting against the irregular payment of wages by most employers. According to a Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe report, wage theft was common.

“This failure to pay what workers are legally entitled to is wage theft in that it involves employers taking money that belongs to their employees and keeping it for themselves. This is a clear violation of international labour standards, as well as national legislation on the employment of workers.”

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions was campaigning against wage theft, which has affected over 120,000 workers.

Angeline Chitambo, president of the Zimbabwe Energy Workers Union and IndustriALL Sub Saharan regional co-chairperson said the women’s committee played “a very critical role in mobilizing women's participation and activism in trade unions” and “in the fight against globalization and neoliberalism in all its forms”.

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

“It is unacceptable for employers not to pay wages on time. We will continue to support the women’s committee in its efforts to end such exploitation of the workers.

Kumho Tire fires union leader in USA

Workers at the Macon, Georgia, USA plant narrowly voted against union representation after management intimidation. The company has fired one of the union leaders and threatened others. United Steelworkers (USW) has filed unfair labour practice charges.

The election, on 12 and 13 October, saw workers vote 164 to 136 against union representation. The vote was held after more than 80 per cent of workers signed cards saying they wanted a union. The main issues at the workplace are health and safety, and a lack of transparency about benefits, promotions and other issues.

The day after the union’s election petition was filed, the company hired a firm of union busters, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to attack the reputation of the Steelworkers. Seven full time union busters were employed.

Workers at the Macon plant were required to attend daily anti-union meetings that lasted for several hours, with managers telling them that the newly-opened factory would be forced to close if they voted for a union. The Korean multinational is currently under control of a committee of creditors headed by the state-run Korea Development Bank, and plant managers emphasized this to play on workers’ fears.

Workers were also required to attend many one on one anti-union meetings. The company created an anti-union website, which included a message from the mayor of Macon, urging them to vote against the union. Eventually, after this psychological pressure, the union lost by a 15 vote margin.

Kumho Tire’s intimidation continues.  On 17 October, the company fired Mario Smith, one of the leaders of the organizing campaign.  Other workers were threatened with dismissal.

The Steelworkers have filed unfair labour practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. If they are successful, the election could be re-run or the company could be ordered to bargain with the union.

Tyre workers from around the world have sent messages of solidarity to Kumho workers, urging them to join the union family so that they would have a voice at work. Messages came from Kumho’s home country of Korea, where the company is entirely unionized. Chair of the local union, Cho Sam-su, said:

“Workers all over the world are one, I believe this slogan. I am sending my solidarity and support to the Georgia plant workers of Kumho Tire who are struggling to democratically unionize your factory.

Workers need a union, wherever you are working.”

Messages of support also came from Japan, Thailand, India, Poland, Hungary, France, Switzerland, Liberia, UK, Turkey and Mexico.

The Steelworkers represent workers at a number of other tyre manufacturers, including Cooper, Goodyear, Yokohama, Michelin, and Bridgestone/Firestone. The union will continue to fight for the workers of Kumho Tire.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“Instead of addressing issues at the plant, Kumho spent hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring seven full time union busters to wage psychological warfare and intimidate workers.

“The union busters lied to workers, telling them they would lose their jobs if they voted for a union.

“Now the sacking of our brother Mario Smith is totally illegal, immoral and unacceptable.”

“Kumho Tire must end its campaign of intimidation and negotiate with the union.”





New evidence reveals EU Action on Bangladesh labour rights abuses long over-due

In a new white paper released today and sent to the European Commission, Clean Clothes Campaign, the International Trade Union Confederation, the European Trade Union Confederation, IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union provide clear evidence that, despite signing a “Sustainability Compact” with the European Union four years ago, the Government of Bangladesh remains in violation of  this Compact, failing to make vital reforms required to ensure its garment industry complies with core international labour standards.

The white paper focuses on four key areas which have remained a major focus of concern for the EU, the ILO, unions and labour rights groups, and other stakeholders in the international community following the catastrophic collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, including labour law reform, freedom of association in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs), improving union registration and the curtailing of anti-union discrimination.

The Sustainability Compact for Bangladesh includes a number of specific and time-bound actions in these four issue areas which the Government of Bangladesh committed itself to implementing when it signed the Compact in 2013. However, although Bangladesh continues to fall behind on the required actions, the EU has yet to launch a trade investigation in Bangladesh to confirm the extent to which core labour and human rights standards are being met.

Jenny Holdcroft, IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary says:

Despite promises made, it is still extremely difficult for workers in Bangladesh to exercise their fundamental labour rights. The continued failure of the Bangladeshi government to take the necessary action to protect workers’ rights is ample reason for the EU to launch the much-needed trade investigation.

In May 2017, the European Commission extended the deadline for action to August 2017, at which time the Bangladesh Government was expected to provide the EU with “tangible progress” in order to remain eligible for the EU’s preferential trade access. This deadline extension followed a number of previous extensions and has now passed without consequences. This is indicative of the European Commission’s reluctance to use the power it has to adequately hold the Bangladesh government accountable through a trade investigation.

On behalf of Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) Ben Vanpeperstraete states:

There is insufficient progress towards labour law reform, no clarity as to what action will be taken to improve workers associational rights in the EPZs, a steep deterioration in union registration practices and a long list of severe violence against unions. The Bangladesh government has had over four years, considerable technical and financial support and numerous opportunities to demonstrate their commitment to reform.

As Bangladesh’s largest trading partner, the EU retains both the power and responsibility to help ensure labour standards are being met in Bangladesh. CCC’s new white paper on Bangladesh includes a number of case studies which underscore how union activists continue to face significant anti-union discrimination and violence. These cases coupled with the crackdowns on peaceful wage protests earlier this year prove that dialogue has been a completely ineffective approach for ensuring meaningful change in Bangladesh.

International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) General Secretary Sharan Burrow states:

The Government of Bangladesh is consistently failing to meet its obligations under international law to protect workers’ rights. The result is continued exploitation and poverty wages for workers in the garment industry. An EU investigation would help break the stranglehold that factory owners in Bangladesh have over the parliament and government, and would provide vital support for workers and their families.

Christy Hoffman, Deputy General Secretary of UNI Global Union adds:

The Bangladeshi government has dragged its feet to avoid real reform for a very long time. The rights to organize and bargain are still hollow promises for Bangladeshi workers who have not seen any changes on the ground. The EU should use its influence and investigate.

On behalf of European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Confederal Secretary Liina Carr states: “We call the European Commission to be consistent with its “Trade for all” agenda to promote the respect of labour rights around the world. Trade between EU and Bangladesh should be an opportunity to raise labour standards. We need to break up the vicious circle of workers’ exploitation in the garment industry in Bangladesh that ultimately affects European workers too in a race to the bottom.”

ITUC, IndustriALL, UNI, ETUC and CCC are urging the European Commission to stop extending deadlines and to act upon on its warnings towards the Government of Bangladesh by starting a trade investigation into its continued eligibility to preferential access to the EU market in order to pressure Bangladesh to embark upon meaningful labour reform. A trade investigation will provide ample opportunity for the Bangladeshi government to do the right thing, but will also provide the stick that is so clearly needed for change.

Tunisian metalworkers announce sector-wide strike

It follows the refusal by the employers’ federation of foundries and mechanical engineering to sign an agreement which allows for an increase in wages in the private sector in Tunisia for the years 2016 and 2017.

The agreement between the tripartite commission, which includes the Head of Government in Tunisia, the President of the employers’ union and the general secretary of the trade union confederation, UGTT, was signed in March 2017 following a long period of negotiation. Normally the accord is automatically signed by all the employers’ federations concerned.

The call for a three-day strike follows successful industrial action on 26 September 2017 by a large majority of workers in all the companies that apply the collective agreement for the foundry and mechanical engineering sector.

The FGME-UGTT says a conciliation meeting on 4 October made little progress, with the president of the national chamber for the foundries and mechanical engineering sector failing to show a serious commitment to negotiations and demanding more time to consult with affiliates. As a consequence, the union called for a three-day strike from 24 to 26 October at all the companies that apply the collective agreement in the sector.

“Until today, there have been no positive signs on the part of the employers to reach a consensus,” said Tahar Berberi, general secretary of FGME-UGTT.

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

“IndustriALL stands in solidarity with workers in the foundries and mechanical engineering sector, and all metalworkers in Tunisia. The employers’ federation is undermining industrial relations not just in its own sector, but across the whole private sector. We urge the employers’ federation to stop prevaricating and sign the agreement before the strike takes place.”   

IndustriALL Global Union also sent a letter of solidarity to FGME-UGTT.

Unions call to end grave human rights violations against Rohingyas in Myanmar

The unimaginable violence against Rohingyas unleashed by the Myanmar army in Rakhain province in late August 2017, resulted in over half a million people crossing the border and arriving in Bangladesh as refugees. The majority of the refugees are women, children, eldrely people and new born babies requiring aid and help.

The labour leaders acknowledged the Bangladesh government’s courageous decision to provide shelter to Rohingya refugees. They urged garment workers, factory owners and people at large to raise voice and take action against ethnic cleansing and come forward to help the Rohingya refugees.

The IndustriALL Bangladesh council, issued a joint statement and demanded that:

Amirul Haque Amin of the NGWF says:

“It is of paramount importance for unions to address the Rohingya humanitarian crisis. Some union volunteers are already engaged in relief work in Chittagong. We are also reaching out to large number of garment workers and people to seek support. The emergency solidarity fund launched by unions will be used to provide medical, food, clothes and other necessary support to Rohingya refugees. We seek support of international community to apply pressure on the Myanmar government to stop the genocide and ensure peaceful repatriation of refugees with dignity."

Bangladesh Garment workers have launched an emergency solidarity fund to help refugees. They are calling on the international community to stop trade concessions, sourcing and boycott products to create pressure on Myanmar to stop the genocide immediately.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR, increased its estimate of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh from 536,000 as 12 October to 582,000 as of 17 October, signifying the unabated violence in Myanmar. Since 25 August 2017, when the exodus began, on average 14,300 refugees every day arrived in Bangladesh. The UNHCR terms it as one of the fastest growing humanitarian crisis.

A question of dignity: a dark year for Algerian unions

It was just before midnight when union leader, Raouf Mellal, heard banging on the door of his hotel room in the Algerian city of Tizi-Ouzo. It was the police. They demanded that he get dressed and come down to the local police station immediately. They had no arrest warrant and no legal right to seize him but it would have been pointless to resist.

Mellal is President of the independent national union of electricity and gas workers, (Syndicat National des Travailleurs de l’Électricité et du Gaz, SNATEGS). He was not the only one to be seized on the night of 20/21 March 2017. Nine other colleagues, including five members of the union’s leadership committee staying at the hotel, were also taken into custody.

Down at the police station they were grilled about their union activities. Mellal was repeatedly told he was not a legitimate union leader, even though he had been elected in July 2016. They weren’t released until 2pm later that afternoon.

Mellal and the SNATEGS leadership had travelled to Tizi-Ouzo on the eve of a planned march in the city, part of the actions for a three day national strike against the state owned energy provider Sonelgaz. Workers were fed up with low pay, bad management and lethal working conditions at the company.

Over the course of the next three days from 21 to 23 March 2017, the police went to extraordinary measures to stop a series of sit-ins and rallies across the country. While the march at Tizi-Ouzu was prevented by blockades and the arrest of the union leaders, police attacked peaceful protestors including women at a sit-in at Sonelgaz’s distribution centre in Bejaia the next day. On the third day of the strike, police arrested some 400 trade unionists who attempted to protest outside the Sonelgaz headquarters in Algiers.

Despite the violence and intimidation, SNATEGS recorded a spike in union subscriptions and thousands of workers took part in the strike.

Propping up the Algerian economy

Sonelgaz is the second largest enterprise in Algeria, employing more than 87,000 workers. It provides gas and electricity to the nation and for export across Africa and Europe. Its contribution to the Algerian economy, which is heavily dependent on oil and gas, is immense. However, as the government grapples with an economic slump due to the global drop in oil and gas prices, attacks on democratic unions in Algeria have increased. SNATEGS, as the only independent union representing workers at Sonelgaz, has faced some of the worst oppression by authorities.

“Sonelgaz is the sole provider of gas and electricity in Algeria. It is a vital sector but workers’ basic salary is only 200 euros a month. In contrast, the basic salary in Morocco is 600 euros, even though Algeria exports electricity to Morocco and is the main provider of energy in North Africa,” says Mellal.

SNATEGS, which was registered in 2013, has succeeded in rapidly boosting membership to more than 35,000 workers, the large majority of whom are under 35 years old. Its president, at age 37, is one of the youngest union leaders in the Arab world. But his success as a union leader has had a heavy toll.

“As president of our union I am suffering. I am totally repressed. My career is destroyed. I lost my job three years ago,” Mellal recalls. He began working in the legal department at Sonelgaz in 2013. Just a year later he was fired for his union activities but worse was to come.

Sentenced for whistleblowing

In December 2016, Mellal was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison and a fine of 50,000 Algerian Dinars (US$455), after being accused of illegally obtaining documents. These documents, which were freely available online, exposed the illicit inflation of electricity bills by Sonelgaz over a ten-year period affecting eight million households.

Mellal has already lost an appeal against his sentence, and will be allowed one final chance to clear his name before his freedom is denied. Mellal also faces a further 27 charges, which include defamation against Sonelgaz.

Furthermore, Mellal says the government is trying to take away his right to work as a lawyer. He is now facing a disciplinary hearing from the bar association in Algeria, which could mean he loses his license to practice.

Exposing the corruption at Sonelgaz has cost Mellal his job, his career, and his security. Intimidation from the authorities has been so great that Mellal has been forced to move house, and so have his parents. But while Mellal is facing prison, no one has been held responsible at the company.

“Absolutely nothing has been done to hold people to account at Sonelgaz,” says Mellal. “The corruption has been completely ignored, even by the public. In the meantime, Sonelgaz has rectified the overcharging of customers but there has been no investigation or enquiry, neither on the part of the Ministry of Energy nor even from the judicial authorities.”

Deadly working conditions

The lengthy and deliberate overcharging at Sonelgaz was particularly unjust as it targeted the poorest in society, leaving big business and industry untouched.

However, Sonelgaz’s contempt for its customers is nothing compared to its disregard for the welfare of its workers.  The company has an alarming track record in health and safety, which sees electricity line workers being killed at the rate of three a month, according to the union.

“There are not even minimum levels of safety at the workplace. We work without safety protection; we risk death. In July seven workers died on the job. And those are the fatalities we know about. But the company always tries to blame the workers even though it provides inadequate safety provisions and faulty equipment. The situation is very serious and the workers are angry,” says Mellal.

In May this year, the Minister of Labour withdrew SNATEGS’ registration just days before a nationwide strike by Sonelgaz workers. In a letter dated 16 May, the Minister said the union had disrespected the Algerian law 90-14/1990 without detailing how. It also said Mellal had been dismissed from his role as union president.

However, the very act of deregistering the union flies in the face of the same law, which demands that the decision to suspend or dissolve a trade union cannot be authorized without proper judicial process. The government’s actions are also in violation of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which were ratified by Algeria in 1962.

Mass dismissals

As well as Mellal, Sonelgaz also fired SNATEGS’ ex-president, former general secretary and a further 46 people representing virtually the entire SNATEGS national and regional leadership. A total of twelve workers have been charged with criminal offences, while more than 900 workers are facing civil charges from Sonelgaz after they went on strike.

“Now it is a question of dignity… We are determined to do whatever it takes to get our dignity back,” says Mellal.

In June this year, Mellal joined a group of trade unionists from Algeria to attend the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, where Algeria was under examination by the Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) for breaching ILO Convention 87 on freedom of association.

A dark year for unions

In what has been described as a ‘dark year’ for unions, the Algerian authorities have declared strikes illegal, prevented union branches from meeting, fired numerous union leaders, and physically harassed union members. 

“The government crackdown is getting worse and they are turning to aggression to hold onto power. We are in a crisis situation which could erupt at any moment,” warned Rachid Malaoui, President of trade union confederation, Confedération Générale Autonome des Travailleurs en Algérie (CGATA), at a press conference in Geneva in June.

Algeria’s ailing, 80-year-old president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has led the country since 1999. In 2014 he was voted in for a fourth term despite rarely appearing in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. Bouteflika, who still earns respect for his role in bringing peace following Algeria’s brutal civil war during the 1990s, is propped up by an economic, political and military elite known as le pouvoir – the power.  Respect for freedom of association and trade union rights is minimal. But, Mellal observes, “Every time we write a letter to the ILO, Algeria ranks up its charm offensive”.

International Labour Conference

IndustriALL spoke up in defense of SNATEGS at the CAS in Geneva, calling for the government to stop oppressing the union and demanding that all its union leaders and members sacked for their union activities to be reinstated.

Among its draft conclusions, the CAS asked for a direct contact mission to Algeria and called on the government to ensure that freedom of association can be exercised in a climate free of intimidation and without violence against workers trade unions or employers. The CAS also urged the Algerian government to reinstate government employees fired on the basis of anti-union discrimination.

Despite the dismissals, despite the harassment and despite the court cases, SNATEGS members refuse to be cowed. On 20 July 2017, around a thousand protestors gathered from across the country in the Mediterranean port of Bejaia for a March of Shame against Sonelgaz.

They were met by some 5,000 police officers who arrested more than 600 union members and citizens in a strategy to prevent the right to peaceful assembly. Bejaia was effectively cut off by police barricades and more than 50 vehicles and anti-riot trucks. The union called off the march advising its members to comply with the security forces and avoid any clashes or disturbances that could harm public safety. “We are a responsible and peaceful organization and we do not want to put our members at risk,” says Mellal.

In its latest statement on 11 August, SNATEGS says its union representatives have been forced to apologize in front of a Sonelgaz disciplinary committee and renounce their affiliation to SNATEGS. Those that succumbed were demoted two levels and lost their bonuses. The union reps that refused to apologize have been sacked. 

The battle for Sonelgaz workers goes on but with backing of the authorities and the judiciary, the company has the upper hand. “Sonelgaz takes advantage of the poor economic situation in the country. If workers complain, they’re told they can leave and that there are plenty of people who want their job. Thousands have been fired abusively,” says Mellal.

International solidarity support and pressure from global unions such as IndustriALL, ITUC, IUF and PSI has been crucial in keeping their cause alive, says Mellal: “It is an enormous help to us and gives us the motivation to carry on the fight. The Algerian authorities have to know that the world is watching.” 

Bangladesh Accord’s binding arbitration process scores legal win

These cases represent the first tests of the Bangladesh Accord’s ground-breaking accountability structures.

For any brand that isn’t in compliance, this decision sends a message that they cannot shirk their responsibilities to worker safety,

says Jenny Holdcroft, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.

The claims against the global brands include that they failed to require suppliers to remediate facilities within the mandatory deadlines imposed by the Accord and failed to negotiate commercial terms to make it financially feasible for their suppliers to cover the costs of remediation.

The PCA has required that the names of the brands remain confidential.

The decision was reached by arbitrators appointed by the unions and the brands, and the process is administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. A thorough, technical explanation of the claims and the Permanent Court of Arbitration can be found in the PCA’s press release.

The legally-binding nature of the Accord is a central pillar of its effectiveness, and this decision is a win for worker safety and for accountability in Bangladesh’s garment industry,

says Christy Hoffman, Deputy General Secretary of UNI Global Union.

The Bangladesh Accord, signed in 2013 after the Rana Plaza industrial disaster, covers 2.5 million workers in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment factories It is the first agreement with a legally-binding mandate requiring fashion brands to help their contractors eliminate fire and structural safety issues.

So far, the Accord’s inspectors have completed fire and building safety reviews at 1,800 facilities which supply more than 200 signatory brands. Accord engineers have identified over 118,500 fire, electrical and structural hazards at these factories.

Nearly 80 per cent of workplace dangers discovered in the Accord’s original round of inspections have been remediated, and 500 Accord factories have completed 90 percent or more of the necessary fixes.

A second Accord was signed in June of this year. It goes into effect when the original agreement expires in May 2018 and extends the Accord’s protections until 2021.

Number of fatalities rises to ten at Gerdau's Brazil plant

Alicleia de Aquino Silva, a welder at the Ouro Branco plant, died on 8 October. He had been hospitalized since 15 August, after a chimney explosion during maintenance work of a gas tower.

Fernando Alves Peixoto, Cristiano Rodrigo Marcelino, Sandro Barbosa Gomes and Levindo Costa de Carvalho Neto also died as a result of that explosion. In less than one year, ten workers have been killed at the Ouro Branco plant.

“Our union has been at the side of the families throughout this critical phase. We made ourselves available to the families of all those involved in this terrible accident. We have to say ‘enough’ to these kinds of accidents!”

said the Ouro Branco Metalworkers’ Union (SINDOB), affiliated to the CNTM/FS, which is in turn affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union) in an official statement.

On 10 October, the union called a halt to work at Gerdau’s Ouro Branco plant in protest at the safety problems and placed ten white crosses as symbols of the dead workers.

Recently, workers’ representatives for IndustriALL's base metals sector met in Paris, France, and reaffirmed their commitment to support the Gerdau World Workers’ Committee in its demand that the company recognize unions at national and global level, and improve health and safety at its plants.

The committee visited the Gerdau Ouro Branco plant for the first time in May, and approved an action plan to promote a health and safety policy capable of preventing a repetition of this kind of accident.

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL General Secretary, has written several times to Gerdau’s CEO, André Johannpeter, to express his anger at the terrible working conditions at Gerdau, but has so far to receive a reply.

“It is unacceptable that the lack of preventive maintenance of equipment, excessive working hours and outsourcing of labour relations at the company continues to endanger the lives of workers. We call on Gerdau to recognize the Workers’ Network and open a dialogue with the trade unions to create a health and safety committee and together establish the parameters necessary to guarantee healthy and safe working conditions. With this, we will be able to avoid further accidents and deaths at Gerdau plants,” said Sanches.

The Philippines : Amertron fires 532 union members

The workers are members of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, Associated Labor Unions (ALU). Amertron is semiconductor and optoelectronics producer, producing technology for smartphones, the auto industry and aircraft. Major clients include Hewlett-Packard, Siemens and Osram. The Malaysian-based parent company, Inari Amertron Berhad, has production facilities in Malaysia, the Philippines and China.

There are two factories in the Philippines, Clark and Parañaque. The Parañaque plant has been in operation since 1988, and employs around 700 people, about 550 of whom are women. The Clark factory was opened in 2012 in the special economic zone of Clark Freeport. It employs about 2,000 workers.

There have been ongoing issues at Parañaque with poor wages. The majority of workers have ten or more years of service, but receive only US $10 per day. To represent their interests, workers at Amertron formed a union, the United Amertronians Organization (UAO) in January 2017. In June, the company announced its intention to shut the Parañaque plant and transfer production to more modern facilities at Clark, 120km away, by 2019.

Workers were given the option to transfer their employment to Clark, or accept a standard severance package, in line with Filipino labour law.

In July, the UAO affiliated to the ALU and submitted registration documents to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). To improve their bargaining position and achieve a fair severance package, on 15 August, the union filed a request with DOLE to be recognized as the sole bargaining agent at the company.

At this point, the company began harassing union officers and members. Workers were called into one on one or department meetings, and threatened with blacklisting and losing their severance pay if they didn’t leave the union. Union officers were offered bribes to leave the union, and two officers were suspended for distributing union leaflets.

When the union filed a complaint with DOLE of unfair labour practice and union-busting, the company responded with the mass layoffs of union members. On 21 and 22 September, around 300 workers were laid off. Although the company claims this is due to shifting production to Clark, that process is only due to be completed in 2019. Production at Parañaque continues, with the company hiring agency labour to replace the fired union members.

The company has now terminated a total of 532 union members, who have been denied access to the workplace. The workers are holding regular protests outside the company premises.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches wrote to the CEO of Amertron, saying:

 “We are extremely concerned and outraged to learn of Amertron Incorporated Philippines’s gross violation of trade union rights, including sheer acts of intimidation and harassment committed by management to weaken the resolve of the workers to form a union to better their working conditions. Instead of heeding the call of ALU to respect workers’ rights, your subsidiary served notices of termination to all union officers and members, and abruptly barred workers to enter the premises due to alleged factory closure.

“Therefore, I strongly urge you to reinstate right away all the unfairly dismissed union officers and members, stop harassing the workers, and respect the right to organize and bargain collectively.”

Digitization and precarious work dominate Asia-Pacific oil and gas meeting

Digitization (Industry 4.0) and its effect on the oil and gas industry, as well as the increase in precarious work in the sector, were both key issues during the meeting.

Participants called for greater cooperation among the network in order to be better prepared for the inevitable change brought about by digitization. They proposed lobbying governments, such as the ministries of energy or education, to provide retraining for workers whose skills could become redundant.  Most of the oil and gas companies in the region are under state control, apart from Indonesia, where more or less all the oil and gas companies are in the private sector.  

“Digitalization is upon us, we should train our workers for the future, if not they will be irrelevant and useless,” said Boon Jin Chew, President from the ExxonMobil Singapore Employees Union (EMSEU).

An IndustriALL survey of participating unions found an increase in precarious work in the sector from last year, as reported by the Taiwan Petroleum Workers’ Union (TWPU) and EMSEU.

The survey found three types of precarious work:

1. On-site contracting          

2. Temporary agency work/ labour hire/ Labour via brokers

3. Short term direct work/ casual work

Participants heard from Indonesian union, FSP KEP, and its challenge to organize due to the number of precarious workers both in upstream and downstream industries. Many contract workers are too afraid to join a union and have inferior conditions to permanent workers. The union also reported that some workers in downstream industries are earning less than the minimum wage.

However, FSP KEP has negotiated a collective bargaining agreement that also covers 1,000 contract workers at the Halliburton Group in Indonesia.

Even though it is difficult for unions to organize precarious workers due to various obstacle, they are nevertheless negotiating in order to improve their working conditions. TPWU has successfully raised the hourly wage rate for fixed-term workers through negotiating with employer. Zenkoku Gas union from Japan also said it encouraged its affiliates to improve precarious workers’ conditions proportionate to regular workers. In Thailand, the PTT LU union meets every month with management at the national oil company to try to solve problems about precarious work.

In his welcome to the meeting, the chair of the network, Chueh-An Chuang and president of TPWU, reminded participants of the power of international solidarity in union struggles. There were also welcomes from Indonesian Unions FPE SBSI and FSP KEP.

IndustriALL’s energy director, Diana Junquera Curiel, says:

“The only way to confront global capital, as well as the challenges of digitization and precarious work, is for unions to work together. Unity will make us stronger, and we look forward to seeing greater cooperation amongst the network members.”