Four coal miners die in Pakistan

Pakistan's coalmines are some of the most dangerous workplaces in the world.

In the absence of safe working conditions, there is a frequent loss of lives. On 8 September, poisonous gas suddenly filled the space deep inside the mine, killing four workers and critically injuring two more.

In the recent past IndustriALL affiliates reported many mine accidents and called on the government of Pakistan to improve mine safety.

Sultan Muhammad Khan,secretary general of Pakistan Central Mines Labour Fe deration (PCMLF) said:

“We strongly condemn these avoidable deaths. The government must place the lives of mine workers above profit. We call upon the government to take immediate steps to improve safety in Pakistan’s mines.”

Glenn Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director said:

“The Pakistani government’s continuing negligence is leading to frequent deaths of mine workers. Pakistani mines are turning into graves. IndustriALL reiterates our demand that Pakistan should immediately ratify and implement ILO Convention 176 on Health and Safety in Mines.”

Workers in the Dominican Republic Free Trade Zones achieve historic increase in minimum wage

The agreement is the result of months of negotiations between the FEDOTRAZONAS, FENATRAZONAS, FUTRAZONA and UNATRAZONAS unions and employers, and is an important victory for the more than 100,000 workers employed in free trade zone enterprises.

The agreement was adopted as a decision at a special meeting of the National Wage Committee on 6 September. It will enter into force on 1 October with an increase of 15 per cent, and a further increase of 5.33 per cent as of 1 January 2018, thereby reaching the level of 10,000 Dominican pesos per month (US$210).

The agreement also includes provisions to reactivate the Tripartite Commission created by the Decree of the Executive Authority to develop initiatives to improve the workers’ quality of life.

“This is the first time in recent decades that we have achieved an increase of this magnitude," says Mayra Jiménez, coordinator of the IndustriALL National Council the Dominican Republic.

“Despite achieving an increase well above the inflation of 5.4 per cent, the minimum wage in the free trade zone is still very fragile. So we hope we can continue to rely on the support, solidarity, assistance and commitment of our great global family of IndustriALL in our fight for a decent wage.”

IndustriALL supports the fight for a decent wage for workers of the sector in free zones in the Dominican Republic, and has been providing training and assistance to design strategies to strengthen their struggle and their negotiating capacities with a view to improving their quality of life through better wages.

Pakistan – little change five years after deadly fire

The Ali Enterprises Factory Fire Affectees Association (AEFFAA) and National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) held a gathering on 11 September outside the factory where the fire took place.

Speakers at the event said that justice has not been delivered to the victims, as the factory owners have been relieved of all charges. At the time of the accident there was no emergency exit at the factory and the only gate used was locked after the fire started. The absence of fire alarms contributed to large number of deaths.

While international and local brands and the employer are directly responsible for the accidents in factories, negligence of the government authorities helped them to get away.

AEFFAA representatives said that although German company KiK, who sourced most of the products made at Ali Enterprises, paid US$5.15 million to the International Labor Organization after reaching an agreement with IndustriALL Global Union and Clean Clothes Campaign in 2016, there are issues concerning the compensation payments.

Nasir Mansoor, president of IndustriALL affiliate NTUF said:

“The government has not learnt its lesson from the fire. Precarious work and dangerous working conditions are still the norms. A majority of the factories do not allow workers to form unions, who can contribute to improve workplace safety. Employers force workers to work beyond eight hours shift, do not provide written contracts, nor register them with the social security and pension institutions. This has to change.”

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL textile and garment director said: “Pakistan’s government should take immediate steps to improve safety in garment factories. Workers’ right to form unions must be respected and will help to resolve number of issues faced by workers.”

Global unions call for more brands to sign 2018 Bangladesh Accord

IndustriALL and UNI have written to existing Accord brands that have not yet signed the new agreement to call on them to sign up. To date, 30 brands have signed the 2018 Accord, bringing more than 1,160 Bangladesh garment factories into the scope of the new agreement.

The two global unions are calling on brands to sign up to the Accord by 5 October 2017, in time for the World Day for Decent Work on 7 October.

“Our work must continue in Bangladesh because the Accord is still the only credible option to ensure structural integrity and fire safety in garment factories there,” said Jenny Holdcroft, IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary. “Not enough factories have been fully remediated and too many life-threatening safety issues remain uncorrected.”

Unions, non-governmental organizations and brands announced the first Bangladesh Accord in the weeks following the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, which claimed the lives of more than 1,100 workers, injuring 2,500 more.

Under the first Accord, engineers carried out fire, electrical, and structural safety inspections at more than 1,800 factories, identifying 118,500 hazards. Seventy-nine percent of workplace dangers identified in the Accord’s original round of inspections have been remediated.

“While many brands talk about supply chain transparency and social responsibility, those are just empty words without accountability,” said Christy Hoffman, Deputy General Secretary of UNI. “The Bangladesh Accord is the only platform that is legally binding, and its track record of life-saving remediation is proof of the effectiveness of this model.” 

The new 2018 Accord goes into effect after the 2013 Accord expires in May 2018. It builds on the achievements of the first Accord and maintains the ground-breaking, legally binding framework and commitment to transparency. It also adds new worker protections and ensures that many more factories will be inspected and renovated, as signatory brands add suppliers.
 
An important element of the 2018 Accord is to work towards handing over its functions to an appropriate national regulatory body, once that is in place. IndustriALL and UNI are committed to working with and supporting the Government of Bangladesh and the BGMEA to ensure that happens as soon as possible.

Brazil: miners’ union defends Amazon reserve

On 23 August, right wing Brazilian President Michel Temer abolished a reserve in the Amazon rainforest, making it available for exploitation by mining companies. The National Reserve of Copper and Associates (Renca) protected 46,000 square km, an area larger than Denmark.
 
The reserve in is believed to have significant reserves of copper, gold, iron ore, tantalum, nickel and manganese. More than 20 Brazilian and international mining companies have expressed an interest in developing the area.
 
A Brazilian federal judge temporarily halted the plan last week. However, campaigners believe that Temer will push the plan through Congress.
 
Brazil has a terrible history of tragic mining disasters leaving a toxic legacy. In 2015 a dam at the Samarco mine in Mariana burst, killing 19 people, displacing 500 more, and poisoning the watercourse.

IndustriALL affiliate the Confederacão Nacional dos Ramos Quimicos da Central Unica dos Trabalhadores (CNQ-CUT) has expressed its opposition to Temers’ plan.

In a statement, the CNQ-CUT said:
 
“The heart of the Amazon forest, which is important not just in terms of the national environmental, but also owing to its great influence on the dynamics of global climate, was abolished by the stroke of a pen by the usurper Michel Temer.
 
“The large mining companies had access to privileged information regarding the government’s actions in advance. The people did not take part in any discussion. Environmentalists, social movements and the local community were not consulted.
 
“There was no debate; the measures benefit only the market. There is a need to discuss which model of economic and social development the country wants to adopt. Actions that prioritize primary resource extraction for foreign markets are part of an outdated and backward model that only concentrates wealth.
 
“Brazilian tragedies involving mining are numerous. We are talking about workers mutilated and contaminated due to the negligence of corporations, deforestation, polluted rivers, populations affected socially by human rights violations and even by restricted access to drinking water etc.

“The environment suffers irreversible damage and future generations will be negatively impacted. This is the “cursed inheritance” of the Serra Pelada gold rush and all of the associated social and environment regressions. Or of Mariana, and the great crime that remains unpunished.”

The CNQ-CUT says that in order to be for the Amazon, campaigners need to oppose the Temer government, and the companies who support him.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches said:

“Turning a large part of the Amazon rainforest into a mining concession would be a disaster. Mineworkers want jobs, but not at the expense of the natural environment and the indigenous communities who live there.

“We need a mining industry that provides safe and secure jobs, is environmentally sustainable and culturally sensitive. We call on the world to support the CNQ-CUT defense of the forest, and to oppose the corporate takeover of Brazil by the Temer government.”

Since 1970, more than 19 per cent of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed due to economic activity. The destruction of the rainforest contributes to climate change. The Amazon produces about 20 per cent of the Earth’s oxygen.

Proposed ILO convention on gender based violence – take action now!

Following a long-running campaign by the international trade union movement, the ILO Governing Body has placed an item on violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work on the agenda of the International Labour Conference in June 2018, with a view to the setting of an international labour standard.

Getting a binding rule would be a great victory, but it will not be easy and IndustriALL and its affiliates will have to work together to achieve it. It is very likely that employers’ associations and several governments will want to opt instead for a weak and non-binding guideline.  

Which is why we need you to take action now!

The ILO has recently sent member states a questionnaire to seek their views on the form (binding Convention or Recommendation) and content of the proposed ILO instruments, after consultation with the most representative organizations of workers and employers.

IndustriALL is calling on affiliates to:

There is still no law at the international level that sets a baseline for taking action to eradicate violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment, in the world of work. Existing standards do not define what is understood by violence or harassment, nor do they provide guidance on how to address its various forms. Only a few countries provide wide protection against violence and harassment in the world of work.

The eventual standard adopted by the ILO could be a binding instrument, known as a Convention; non-binding guidance, known as a Recommendation; or a Convention accompanied by a Recommendation.

IndustriALL Global Union together with the trade union movement is advocating for the adoption of a comprehensive ILO Convention supplemented by a Recommendation, with a strong focus on preventing, addressing and remedying gender-based violence in the world of work.

Although both men and women may experience violence and harassment in the workplace, unequal power relations in society and at work often make women more vulnerable to abuse. Gender-based violence is violence directed against any person based on their gender identity. Women, as well those who do not conform to dominant gender stereotypes or those who do not conform to socially accepted gender roles, are the main victims of gender-based violence.

Swaziland: Bring back AGOA status, say unions

Swaziland was suspended from AGOA in January 2015 for not respecting workers’ and human rights as seen in the refusal to register ATUSWA and TUCOSWA. Further, the Industrial Relations Act, the Suppression of Terrorism Act, and the Public Order Act, had sections which restricted freedoms of assembly, expression, and association. Concerns were also raised over the use of security forces to crush peaceful demonstrations and arbitrary arrests. Although some of the offending sections have been removed, more needs to be done.

The meeting called upon the government to adhere to international labour standards, respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Social dialogue that included active participation of stakeholders in the formulation and implementation of the AGOA utilization strategies was recommended. Emphasis was also put on inclusion of small scale indigenous Swazi companies and cooperatives rather than only big multi-national companies as beneficiaries.

The decision to call for the readmission was not taken lightly, but after extensive consultations and assessment by TUCOSWA. This included participation in the ILO process to review whether Swaziland had met the international standards on workers’ rights.

In a press statement released after the meeting, the unions stated:

“We support Swaziland’s readmission to AGOA because this will not only save jobs but create thousands more in the textile and apparel industry, and across the supply chain. In our fight for decent work, these jobs are an important lifeline for young women who constitute over 90% of the workers in this industry. By calling for the reinstatement, we are helping the Government of Swaziland to protect and create jobs, and to also develop sustainable industrial policies. The manufacturing sector is strategically placed to play a role in job creation and government policies must encourage foreign direct investment”.

Over 17,000 jobs were affected when AGOA benefits, which included duty-free exports to the US, were withdrawn.

The meeting took place on the side-lines of an IndustriALL-supported young workers' programme that saw youth going on a recruitment drive at Nhlangano’s textile factories, some 92 km from Manzini, where they addressed 2,000 workers, mainly women, during lunchtime. They stressed  the need to join the union to strengthen the fight for a living wage, and for better working conditions.

Nationally, ATUSWA is affiliated to TUCOSWA and globally to IndustriALL.

South Africa: Transformation too slow for women mineworkers

The NUM said transformation was slow despite the existence of laws and a constitution that supported change. According to an NUM study, gender discrimination was common in the mining industry in which only 11 per cent of the workers were women. In mining, most women occupied low paying positions with less opportunities for development or empowerment. They also faced sexual harassment, stigmatization, ridicule, and sometimes total disregard of physical differences between male and female workers.

Mining companies were also reluctant to hire women as operators, drillers, shift bosses or blasters. Basic conditions such as maternity leave was denied, and some mines did not provide personal health and safety protective equipment including overalls, boots, earphones, goggles and so on. Women were also forced to carry heavy loads which caused miscarriages, and back and waist pains. Some physical tests, that had no bearing on job performance, were carried out on women.

With a lack of support from male workers, women miners were forced to work harder to prove themselves.

The grievances expressed to the Chamber of Mines included an end to sexual harassment and gender discrimination on wages, promoting equity in business, more participation and integration of women, accepting physical differences between men and women, and an end to patriarchy and violence against women at workplaces.

Phumeza Mgengo, NUM women’s structure national secretary said:

“No country can achieve liberation without the emancipation of women which shouldn’t be an act of charity. We demand that managers be trained to understand what gender equality and 50 per cent gender parity means. Transformation must take place without the risk of women losing their right to integrity, respect and most importantly equality.”

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

“We support the calls by the NUM for transformation and empowerment of women who are working in the mines”.

Middle East and North African textile and garment unions discuss Inditex agreement

A major focus of the meeting was on coordinating union activity to use the global framework agreement signed between IndustriALL Global Union and Inditex, the Spanish clothing giant that owns Zara and a number of other brands.

The meeting was attended by IndustriALL affiliates from Morroco (SNTHC-CDT and SNTTC-UMT), Tunisia (FGTHCC-UGTT), Jordan (JTGCU) and Turkey (Öz İplik-İş and TEKSIF). A delegation from the Federation of Garment and Textile Industries Workers is Egypt was unable to attend.

A session was held to raise awareness of how IndustriALL uses global framework agreements, highlighting the growing recognition of these agreements within international organizations, such the ILO and the OECD.

María Morell Camacho, from the corporate social responsibility department of Inditex, gave a detailed presentation on the company’s overall global sourcing strategy and the role of the agreement with IndustriALL. Inditex regional sustainability manager Mohammed Zeggaf Tahri spoke about how the company operated in the region.

This was followed by a session exploring the implementation of the agreement in Turkey, by Murat Akkun, from the Inditex sustainability department in Turkey, and industrial relations expert Dr Sedat Kaya.

Affiliates then discussed organizing priorities and social dialogue, with a focus on building regional and sectoral trade union networks, using global agreements to improve local conditions.

The affiliates exchanged experiences, organizing successes and challenges. Affiliates from Inditex sourcing countries (Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Turkey) affirmed their commitment to work together to exchange information and establish an Inditex regional network to implement the agreement on a national and regional basis.

The delegation from Jordan requested that Inditex consider sourcing from Jordan. They would welcome a visit from IndustriALL and Inditex sourcing and buying teams.

The meeting planned a series of event to implement the agreement.

In Morocco, an awareness raising meeting will be held with key Inditex suppliers. After discussion with Inditex, an industrial relations and social dialogue programme will be launched in two factories, Morosco and Best Invest.

For Tunisia, a meeting and two factory visits are planned. Initially, the unions would meet each other, before meeting suppliers. Non-union suppliers would also be invited.

Delegates from Egypt will be invited to attend one of the meetings to gain the experience they missed.

The Turkish delegation will seek clarity from Inditex about which Turkish suppliers also work in Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia. 

María Morell Camacho of Inditex said:

"Through cooperation and dialogue with local unions we are building bridges and creating tools for workers’ empowerment in the region. Inditex’s GFA with IndustriALL is not only a commitment, it reflects how we envision a sustainable supply chain: the worker always at the centre."

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL director for the textile and garments sectors, said:

“We made a lot of progress, and took some really important practical steps. If we work strategically, we can use the global framework agreement with Inditex to make a huge difference to the garment and textile supply chain in the region.”

Korean union secures thousands of jobs for contract autoworkers

A combination of strikes, protests and court battles in a campaign lasting more than ten years paid off for KMWU, which together with its affiliate the Hyundai Irregular Workers’ Union, has succeeded in securing permanent jobs for 6,000 contract workers at Hyundai Motor Company in Korea.

The quest to convert irregular workers into permanent employees at Hyundai began in 2004, when the Hyundai Motor Irregular Workers’ Union and KMWU appealed to the Korean ministry of labour to stop the illegal dispatch of workers at the company.

The move came in response to a joint survey of contract workers at Hyundai Motor carried out by KMWU, which revealed that around 9,300 of the 10,000 contract workers at Hyundai Motor plants in Korea (out of a total of 60,000 workers) were being illegally employed as subcontractors.

Under the country’s Act of Protection for Dispatched Workers, it is forbidden for contract workers to be dispatched to assembly lines in the manufacturing industry. Contract workers must also be hired if they work for more than two years in the same position.

Yet, thousands of subcontracted workers were being employed on the Hyundai production line working alongside regular workers. They used the same tools as regular workers and worked under direction of Hyundai management, but for 50 per cent less pay, no welfare benefits and no job security. Many had been doing the same job for more than two years. This form of disguised employment is common in the South Korean manufacturing industry.

Despite the ministry of labour issuing an administrative order recognizing the illegal subcontracting of Hyundai workers at its plants in Ulsan, Asan and Jeonju, the company failed to regularize the workers, preferring to pay minimal fines instead. The illegal dispatching continued when the authorities decided not to prosecute Hyundai Motor in 2005, even after the ministry submitted its opinion that the company should be indicted.

When more than 200 subcontractor workers took strike action to demand permanent contracts at the beginning of 2005, 100 of them were fired while one of the dismissed workers, Ryu Ki hyuk was so desperate he took his own life.

In a long period of slow progress, the Hyundai Irregular Workers’ Union continued its protest actions alongside KMWU, which pursued the illegal employment of contract workers through the courts. 

A major breakthrough came in July 2010, when the Supreme Court of Korea ruled in favour of Choi Byeong-seung, a member of the Hyundai Motor Irregular Workers' Union, who had been sacked after three years working for an in-house subcontractor.

The Supreme Court ruled that Choi was unquestionably an illegal dispatch worker and must be regarded as directly employed by Hyundai the day after he worked more than two consecutive years at the plant. This ruling of the Supreme Court also meant confirming all the subcontract workers at Hyundai Motor were illegally dispatched.

The Supreme Court’s decision, although ignored by Hyundai, enabled the Hyundai Motor Irregular Workers' Union, to build an organizing campaign increasing its membership to nearly 2,000.

Hyundai responded by terminating its contract with subcontracting companies, meaning that the irregular workers immediately lost their jobs. Hyundai went one step further and insisted that workers would only be rehired by the new subcontracting company if they withdrew their membership from KMWU.

This triggered strike action and contract workers occupied the Ulsan plant for 25 days from 25 November 2010, demanding permanent jobs. The company claimed the strike cost the company 21.3 billion won (at the time equal to USD277 million).

In August 2012, Hyundai Motor submitted a proposal to convert 3,000 contract workers into permanent jobs. But this was not enough for KMWU and Choi began a mammoth protest occupying an electricity pylon for 296 days, demanding that Hyundai convert all contract workers into regular employees. His protest, which received worldwide media coverage, inspired the contract workers to reject the company’s offer and they began a wave of strikes. Through these actions, they strengthened their organization and their negotiation power against the company, while also gaining public sympathy.

In August 2014, ten years since the initial dispute began, Hyundai agreed to convert 4,000 contract workers into permanent posts, which was implemented by the end of 2015.  In March 2016, a second agreement was reached, confirming the employment of an additional 2,000 workers by the end of 2017.

IndustriALL’s general secretary, Valter Sanches, says:

“KMWU’s struggle to regularize workers at Hyundai Motor is an example that affiliates can use to fight back against multinational companies that disguise precarious work through outsourcing and contracting out. KMWU's heroic campaign shone the spotlight on Hyundai’s behaviour, which in turn received universal condemnation from politicians, civil society and the wider labour movement. It was this public pressure, combined with KMWU’s actions, that finally caused the company to comply with Korean law and make 6,000 contract workers permanent.”

Hyundai Motor now has 4,000 temporary workers in Korea, most of whom are employed through short-term contract workers permitted under current labour laws.  Korea’s new president, Moon Jae-in, has promised to wipe out irregular work in the country, but it will be a tough journey despite his own willingness.