Global unions urge more brands to sign new Bangladesh Accord

So far, almost 50 brands using 1,173 ready-made garment factories, have committed to signing the 2018 Accord with IndustriALL and UNI. The 2018 Accord extends the legally-binding commitment to factory safety in Bangladesh for three more years.

IndustriALL and UNI called on brands to sign the 2018 Accord by 7 October, the World Day for Decent Work, but many have failed to do so, showing their lack of commitment to staying the course to prevent another Rana Plaza tragedy.

A full list of the 46 signatory brands to the 2018 Accord can be found here, and a list of brands that have NOT signed the 2018 Accord is here.

Jenny Holdcroft, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Gobal Union, said:

"The Accord has been a success improving safety at 1,800 garment factories, but until there is a reliable system of regulation in place in Bangladesh, we cannot be confident that all the good work of the past four years will not be undone."

The first Bangladesh Accord, which expires next May, was launched in the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013 that killed 1,134 workers and injured 2,500 more.

The 2018 Accord builds on the achievements of the first agreement. It also adds new worker protections and ensures that many more factories will be inspected and renovated, as signatory brands add suppliers.
 

UNI Deputy General Secretary, Christy Hoffman, said:

"It would be irresponsible to abandon the progress that the Accord has made. As two tragic incidents in recent months have shown, the Accord’s work must continue, and its scope should be broadened. Coming into the holiday season, that is the message we believe consumers will begin telling brands."

The first Accord covers ready-made garment facilities, while the second agreement makes possible the inclusion of suppliers producing home textiles, yarn, cloth and other related products. A fire in a textile factory that killed six last month illustrates why this provision is important. After a boiler explosion in July killed ten and injured 50 at a garment factory, talks began to expand the scope of the Accord to include boiler safety.

Currently, the 2013 Accord covers 2.5 million workers in ready-made garment factories, and the Accord has completed fire and building safety inspections 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.

ENDS

For more information, please contact: Leonie Guguen, Communications Officer, IndustriALL Global Union. Email: [email protected] Tel: +41 79 137 5436.

Stop precarious work!

Kazakh court rejects union leader’s appeal for justice

At the court hearing of Kharkova’s appeal against her sentence on 28 September 2017 the judge refused to invite specialists, knowledgeable about specifics of trade union work or other witnesses, and left the earlier court verdict in force.

Larisa Kharkova, former chairperson of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Kazakhstan (KNPRK) was sentenced on 25 July on false charges to four years of restriction of her freedom of movement, 100 hours of forced labour, and a five-year ban on holding any position in a public or non-governmental organization. Kharkova is prohibited from changing her place of residence and place of work. The union leader is banned from visiting certain places, and is not allowed leave her city of residence without authorization.

Kharkova believes her rights were infringed due to poor awareness of the prosecutor and investigator about the national law on trade unions. Kharkova’s lawyer also expressed the opinion that in the case of Kharkova there were many discrepancies and irregularities while accusations against her were not upheld by evidence and needed to be considered in a civil or an economic court.

The case against Kharkova was initiated based on protests of striking oil workers of Kazakhstan’s Oil Construction Company (OCC), who fought against KNPRK’s closure. Nurbek Kushakbayev and Amin Yeleusinov were identified by the authorities as responsible for the illegal strike and sentenced to two and a half years and two years of jail accordingly.

At the same time KNPRK union activists reported acts of intimidation. Kharkova’s own family was subject to intimidation. On 14 September, her son’s car was set on fire. Other KNPRK representatives also reported on irregularities with their vehicles and having identity documents stolen.

IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan comments,

“IndustriALL is worried about this unfair verdict of the court, which sentenced Kharkova based on ungrounded accusations. And now as it was not enough, in addition to worrisome criminalization of trade union work in Kazakhstan we also witness even further acts of intimidation against KNPRK leaders and rank and file members endangering their lives.

"We demand that Kazakh authorities immediately start a proper investigation of all the cases related to KNPRK members, stop prosecution of Kharkova and other KNPRK leaders and restore freedom of association and rule of law in Kazakhstan. And the first step in this direction is to free earlier jailed leaders Kushakbayev and Yeleusinov.”

10 ways to fight precarious work

1. Join a union

The first step is for precarious workers to join a union. Whether you’re contract, agency, temporary, outsourced or zero hours, unions have effective ways to win secure employment.

As Abdoulaye from Senegal says in the testimonial at the end of this article:

“Since 2014, I have a permanent contract thanks to the action of SUTIDS union. Today my life and that of my family has changed completely: my income has increased by 125 per cent. 60 per cent of the medical care for my wife and four children is covered by the company.

“Consequently, I am now a militant activist for the defence of precarious workers’ interests.”

Maria Carmo of the CNQ/CUT in Brazil said:

“I started outsourcing work through a cleaning company. My salary was half than that of my colleagues. I was getting sick from inhaling the gasses of the materials. Every day I could be given a different time to work. I couldn’t plan my social life, study or have a family life. With my union, I’ve recovered my self-esteem. All workers should have the same benefits regardless if they are contract or permanent workers. And they all need to be unionized.”

2. Organize precarious workers

With the support of IndustriALL projects in precarious work, affiliates organized around 30,000 precarious workers between 2014-2016. In a recent example from Nigeria, 7,500 precarious workers in the oil and gas supply chain were organized into unions.

3. Resist outsourcing

One of the best ways of fighting precarious work is to defend permanent jobs, like this mining union in Zambia.

4. Building solidarity between permanent and precarious workers

Solidarity works! In South Africa, permanent workers went on strike in solidarity with precarious workers at a plastics factory, demanding the same terms and conditions for everyone.

5. Get precarious workers permanent status

The Korean Metal Workers’ Union fought with the Hyundai Irregular Workers’ Union for precarious workers at Hyundai for over ten years, using a combination of strikes, protests and court battles. The action culminated in the dramatic occupation of an electricity pylon for 296 days by one of the precarious workers. The company conceded and 6,000 permanent jobs were created.

6. Collective bargaining

The Indonesia Federation of Pulp and Paper Workers Unions inserted an article in its constitution affirming the equality of permanent and outsourced workers. The union carries this principle into all its collective bargaining negotiations. Last year’s agreement with Pindo Deli Pulp and Paper Mills guarantees the same conditions for the 1,000 contractors who work alongside the 5,000 permanent workers.

7. Global Framework Agreements

Global unions sign agreements with multinational companies that guarantee labour standards in the supply chain. IndustriALL has a longstanding agreement with Volkswagen to limit precarious work at all its operations around the world. Precarious work is limited to 5 per cent of the total workforce to allow for flexibility, and precarious workers will be offered training and opportunities that arise.

8. Public Pressure

In the UK, zero hour contracts – which offer no guaranteed working hours or pay and require workers to be available on demand – soared from 2010 and peaked in 2016 with 1.7 million people.

Unions mounted strong campaigns against them, including media exposés about conditions in big distribution centres, and holding protests outside shops that used these exploitative contracts. Zero hours became a major political issue and a number of employers pledged to end them. In 2017, there are 300,000 fewer zero hours contracts than last year.

9. Legal action

In South Africa, around one million people work for labour brokers – employment agencies that companies use to avoid taking responsibility for workers. South African affiliate NUMSA took a case to the Labour Court. The court ruled that after three months, temporary contracts lapse, and workers must be considered permanent.

10. Change the law

In New Zealand, a powerful campaign by the Unite Union lead to parliament banning zero hours contracts.

Minimum wage in Cambodia increased to US$170

For the first time, IndustriALL's Cambodian affiliates took a strong and united position into the Labor Advisory Committee consultations to demand an increase to US$176.25. The tripartite process resulted in unanimous support for a new minimum wage of  US$165, which was subsequently increased by an additional US$5 by the prime minister, as has been done in previous years. The Labor Minister’s notification issued on October 5 declared that the USD170 will take effect from 1st January 2018.

The union claim for the minimum wage was based on a report commissioned by IndustriALL, FES and the Solidarity Center on Minimum wage Setting and Adjustment in Cambodia’s Garment and Footwear sector, through the Center for Policy Studies. The report presented to the unions followed the 7-point criteria to set the minimum wage in Cambodia.

Based on this report, a meeting lead by IndustriALL affiliates in Cambodia on 24 September unanimously agreed to propose US$176.25 in the Labor Advisory Committee, the tripartite body composed of representatives from unions, employers and government.

Ath Thorn, President of IndustriALL affiliate Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Unions (CCAWDU) says:

The Union was united in proposing US$176.25 which was based on a consensus building meeting held on 24th September 2017. The union held firm together until the final figure was decided. It is a victory for the workers in Cambodia. We are happy that this time, the Unions were united in one voice. This is good for the trade union movement and the industry.

Chuon Monthol, President of IndustriALL affiliate Cambodian Union Federation (CUF) says:

The garment brands need to increase their orders in Cambodia. The government is making progress by increasing the wages, improving maternity protection and other improvements to conditions for workers, but this cannot be sustained without stable orders from the brands. The unions are united, but we need a stable garment industry in Cambodia.

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

This is a welcome increase to the minimum wage which moves Cambodia further towards a living wage for garment workers.  There is still a long way to go, and we look forward to implementing the ACT process in Cambodia as a further means to increase wages through industry-wide collective bargaining linked to brand purchasing practices.

South Africa: NUMSA condemns police violence against striking South 32 workers

The 600 striking workers were demanding general wage increases of 7.5 with 8.2 per cent for the lowly paid, medical aid contributions from the employer, a housing allowance of US $367 and equal pay for work of equal value. IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), condemned the use of violence against the striking workers.

Instead of meeting the workers’ demands, South 32 came up with proposals for a lower wage increase of 5.1 per cent and offered cash payments. There was even a cash pay-out of $764 if workers agreed to drop all their demands in favour of the company’s offers.

The union, which is intensifying the strike after failing to reach an agreement with the company management, is against the cash payments.

“Ultimately, workers will end up poorer if they do not receive an annual increase. Instead of giving a wage increase they want to try and bribe our members with cash.”

NUMSA also questioned why a global company with operations in Australia, Colombia, and Mozambique, that made 1.23 billion US dollars in profits, “refuses to share the gains with their employees”.

Further, NUMSA was against the use of scab labour from Mozambique as such actions caused violence and xenophobia. The Mozambican workers lived in “sweat shop like conditions” at the plant.

On the violence, NUMSA will lodge a complaint with the police:

“The police continue to be used to unleash violence on the working class, especially when they are exercising their democratic right to protest. It is the role of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to protect protestors, and create an enabling environment for them to express their just demands for better working conditions. But sadly, too often, some members of the SAPS resort to tactics which were practiced by the authoritarian apartheid regime”.

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

“Workers’ rights to strike are protected by South African law, and the police should respect those rights. Use of force and intimidation won’t stop workers from fighting for better wages and working conditions.”

Malagasy unions prepare for global day of action against precarious work

Over 3,000 workers are expected to march to the RTA Dome in the capital, Antananarivo, and in Port-Dauphin, on 7 October, after which there will be several union activities and entertainment. The activities will be held with support from FES.

The campaign happens at a time of increasing job insecurity common with short-term lowly paid jobs, long working hours especially in the textile sector, increasing sub-contracting, poor health and safety at work, and non-payments of benefits by most employers. It was also increasingly becoming common for workers to work with neither a contract nor benefits. This made it easy for employers to dismiss workers without fear of the law.

With minimum wages of around $50 per month, most workers in Madagascar are living in poverty. According to the unions, workers needed at least $300 to be able to meet their basic needs.

Although employers deducted social security and pension dues from wages, they did not surrender these to the relevant authorities. This meant that when retirement came workers were not given the benefits due to them. Despite the existence of labour laws, enforcement was low and corrupt employers simply paid bribes to avoid being taken to court.

Confronted by these serious attacks on their existence, Malagasy unions have been fighting back against precarious working conditions. Speaking to Infinity, a community radio station in Fort-Dauphin, first secretary of SVS, Anosy Region, Eugene Chretien, said unions were demanding living wages:

“We are fighting for workers to live in dignity and not in poverty. Workers must be paid enough money, including overtime pay due to them, so that they can afford to buy food, hospital and transport fees. It is unacceptable for workers to walk for 20km from their homes to workplaces. Workers must also have access to clean water and electricity.”

Said Tendai Makanza, IndustriALL union building project coordinator for Sub Saharan Africa:

“We are putting more effort into strengthening organizing and recruitment of workers into unions in Madagascar. With unity and collaboration, the unions will be able to deal more effectively with precarious work that threatens decent jobs”.

We can turn the tide on precarious work

STOP Precarious Work! The words jump out from posters and banners, held aloft by union activists around the world. For years, we’ve been marching, protesting, demonstrating, trying to hold back the growing tide of precarious work that is sweeping away workers’ terms and conditions.

Sometimes we felt like King Canute, who in the 11th century sat by the seashore and commanded the tide not to wet his feet. There has been an explosion of precarious work, and it has seemed unstoppable: temporary, agency, contractor, fixed term, zero hours, self-employed, labour broker. There are many words and many forms, but they all boil down to employers washing their hands of responsibility for their workforce.

The world economy is shifting rapidly. The development of Industry 4.0 means there will be very few jobs for life, and most workers will have to retrain or change the way they work. We won’t return to a world where generations work in the same industry or factory, doing the same shift and the same job for a steady wage. But we can have jobs that are flexible enough to suit a changing economy, but secure enough to guarantee workers’ rights.

Despite the uphill struggle, despite the apparent inevitability, unions have fought back. The fight against precarious work has taken many forms: organizing workers, collective bargaining at company or sector level, global framework agreements with mechanisms to limit precarious work, taking companies to court, changing the law and mobilizing public opinion.

And sometimes, we have won.

An accumulation of small victories may be on the point of achieving critical mass, and turning the tide. If we continue to push, we can reverse the trend. Precarious work belongs to an economic model that is failing around the world, and politically, the moment is ripe for change. We can bring security back.

The most recent dramatic example is the Uber ban in London. The private taxi company is the poster child for the digitized, precarious, platform-based gig economy. Uber has “disrupted” the transport industry by ignoring regulations and relying on its low cost and convenience to get the public on its side.

Hundreds of thousands of people drive for Uber, but the company doesn’t employ them directly. City regulators, established taxi drivers and unions have fought back against Uber. Unions have taken the company to court in a number of jurisdictions.

And it is starting to pay off: IndustriALL affiliate the GMB, which has an Uber drivers’ branch, took the company to the employment tribunal over bogus self-employment. The tribunal found in their favour.

Uber may succeed in overturning the ban, but the company will have to make significant concessions.

This it sets a precedent: couriers for companies like Deliveroo are organizing in many countries, and are likely to be encouraged by the Uber ruling.

In the UK, the use of zero hour contracts sky rocketed in recent years – and has now begun to fall. Zero hour contracts are at their lowest level in three years. No one is sure exactly why – but there has been a public backlash against these contracts after union campaigns to expose how exploitative they are.

There is growing public awareness of how inequality hurts the economy, and the inability of young people to ever have a secure home, freedom from debt, or a pension. Some companies have pledged to stop using zero hours and offer staff guaranteed hours.

In New Zealand, the Unite union has signed collective agreements with McDonalds and many other fast food companies, giving workers more security.

IndustriALL affiliates have organized tens of thousands of precarious workers. In Korea, a ten-year union campaign lead to 6,000 contract workers at Hyundai being given permanent jobs.

In South Africa, NUMSA effectively ended precarious work in the rubber sector, by making it a red line in negotiations with the employer body. In Turkey, Lastik-İş persuaded multinational tyre manufacturers to make thousands of contract workers permanent, and DİSK-Tekstil achieved the same in the packaging industry.

In India, contract workers at the LafargeHolcim Jamul cement plant got secure contracts through the work of their union, PCSS, and IndustriALL. The agreement sets a precedent in the industry, as unions build international networks to coordinate negotiations with multinationals.

These and many other examples show that it is possible to win victories against precarious work. These victories add up, accumulate and set a precedent.

So take heart: join us on 7 October this year to say STOP Precarious Work! This year, our demonstrations can be a celebration of what we’ve won, and resolve to take our victories further.

We can win this fight.

DowDuPont: Unions voice their concerns and demands over mega-merger

The largest merger in the chemical industry was realized by two American chemical giants, Dow Chemical Co and DuPont, with the creation of DowDuPont. Both companies announced the US$130 billion merger in December 2015 and finalized at the end of August this year following the approval procedures in various countries. The newly formed chemical giant plans to break up into three independent divisions within the next 17 months, focusing on agriculture, specialty products and materials. Unionists are concerned about the potential effect of the split on employees, their families and communities.

This merger also triggered other large deals in the chemical industry, including those of ChemChina (China) and Syngenta (Switzerland), and Bayer (Germany) and Monstanto (USA). With the mergers of Bayer/Monsanto, Dow Chemical/DuPont and ChemChina/Syngenta, these new three companies control 70 percent of the global pesticide market and 80 percent of the U.S. corn-seed market.

Earlier this year, two industrial gases companies Linde (Germany) and Praxair (USA) announced a US$43 billion merger while US-based Huntstman and Swiss-based Clariant made a deal US$20 billion deal.

Under these circumstances, union leaders representing thousands of workers at DowDuPont operations in North America and around the world met in Kentucky, USA, on 25-28 September 2017.

Participants at the DowDuPont North American Labor Council meeting discussed key issues concerning the recent merger.

“The workers of DowDuPont are facing many changes and challenges in the coming months, and the unionized sites of DowDuPont around the globe will be working together to ensure the members’ best interests are represented,” said Kent Holsing, chairperson of the DowDuPont North American Labor Council and president of USW Local 12075 in Midland, Michigan.

“We are speaking not only for the unionized employees of DowDuPont but also for the non-union employees who don’t have that voice. We are preparing action items to address these concerns,” added Holsing.

Other topics included workplace safety, organizing, and the need for proactive communications between the corporations and the respective unions. The meeting also served to strengthen international connections and increase mutual respect and understanding across DowDuPont’s unionized worksites.

IndustriALL Global Union’s Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan, who joined the meeting by video-conference, shared developments in the operations of the company throughout the world. Özkan reported feedback from the unions over lack of information and social dialogue, fear about future of plants and gained rights, particularly succession of collective bargaining agreements. The unions also raised their demands for continuous exchange of information and experience and regular communication and joint action if needed.

The meeting also reported the conclusions of the ILO’s Tripartite Meeting on Promoting Social Dialogue on Restructuring and its Effects on Employment in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries in 2011.

The ILO meeting agreed that “Social dialogue plays an essential role in making restructuring processes successful in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. To be effective in this respect, such dialogue should:

Kemal Özkan said: “As the unions representing DowDupont employees worldwide raise their concerns about the merger, the company management must listen and sit down to discuss the consequences for employees. This is one of our main demands.

“Our union networking among the unions at DowDupont operations throughout the world will continue. We are ready to act together,”added Özkan.

The global chemical industry is one of the largest sectors within the manufacturing ecosystem generating US$3.9trillion in sales with a growth industry with a global rate of 3.6 per cent. The industry directly employs around 20 million globally.

The Kentucky meeting included representatives from the United Steelworkers (USA and Canada); the International Union of Operating Engineers; Texas City Metal Trades; the International Chemical Workers Union Council/UFCW; National Conference of Firemen and Oilers; the Ampthill Rayon Workers Incorporated (ARWI);  the Dow Chemical-Stade Works Council (Germany); UNITE the Union (United Kingdom, Ireland); the Union of Workers and Employees Petrochemicals States-SOEPU (Argentina), the CUT and Forca Sindical (Brazil); and IndustriALL Global Union (Geneva, Switzerland).

Unions gather for a regional meeting in Armenia

Trade union leaders from eight countries – Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine – discussed trade union development in the context of the ongoing regional economic crisis, increasing pressure on unions by employers, as well as challenges caused by digitization and robotization, also known as Industry 4.0.

During the opening ceremony, Gamlet Danielyan, president of the Republican Branch Union of Trade Union Organizations of Industrial Workers of the Republic of Armenia, and Eduard Pakhlevanyan, president of the Branch Union of Trade Union Organizations of Miners, Metallurgists & Jewellers of Republic of Armenia, welcomed the guests.

Leaders of IndustriALL affiliates reported on the trade union situation in their countries.

Zinaida Mikhniuk, deputy chair of Belarusian Radio and Electronic Industry Workers' Union, spoke about repression against independent unions in Belarus caused by union action against the so-called decree on “social parasitism”. IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan expressed the hope that the government of Belarus would follow the international standards, stop the persecution of trade unions and return to the civilized social dialogue. He also announced the recent release from prison of the union leader Ihar Komlik. 

Svetlana Klochok, chair of the Belarusian Trade Union of Chemical, Mining and Oil Industries Workers, announced their union demands to increase current monthly unemployment benefits of US $14 and insure workers against bankruptcy or reorganization of enterprises. There are about 4,000 companies on the verge of closure in Belarus. Only one of four workers can count on partial compensation.

Representatives of trade unions of Moldova referred to difficulties with concluding new collective agreements and saving social achievements in them.

Valery Matov, chair of the Nuclear Power and Industry Workers Union of Ukraine, told the participants about the union’s victory and restitution of pension benefits from 1 January 2018 to the workers occupied in dangerous and harmful conditions. Matov also thanked IndustriALL for support in resuming the operation of the state company Eastern Mining and Ore-Dressing Combine. 3,000 mineworkers returned to work after three months downtime.

Alexey Bezymyannykh, chair of Miners' & Metallurgical Workers' Union of Russia, told delegates about a MMWU pilot project training a group of 25 organizers. The union is moving away from the traditional approach of group learning in large cities to training people on the ground.

Ivan Mokhnachuk, chair of the Russian Independent Coal Employees' Union, emphasized the importance of strengthening and reforming union structures.

Tamaz Dolaberidze, chair of the Trade Union of Metallurgy, Mining and Chemical Industry Workers of Georgia, underlined the importance of an effective labour inspectorate in Georgia. Since its abolishment in 2006, more than 90 people are killed and 170 become disabled at work every year. Union activists and members are subject to pressure from government and employers. As a result, 700 members left the union in 2017 alone.

On 3 October, Gocha Aleksandria, ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia specialist, made a presentation about liberalization of labour legislation and regular violations of trade union rights in Belarus, Georgia and Kazakhstan.

Kemal Özkan highlighted the issue of impacts on labour and trade unions by Industry 4.0.

Summing up the meeting results, Kemal Özkan noted fruitful work in all countries. He announced that IndustriALL would continue working on the creation of youth and women's trade union networks in the CIS region, which started in 2017.

Özkan said,

“Labour legislation is changing in many countries. Governments are competing with each other for investments though decreasing workers’ rights. We believe that recognizing and reinforcing fundamental rights and working conditions would help to achieve strong economic growth. This is why we need to be able to work together more than ever across national borders”.

“We will continue to be shoulder in shoulder in solidarity with you. We give our heart to you. Solidarity support is the most important in global union. Struggle continues!”