First union agreement reached at SKF factory in Czech Republic

The process started two years ago when, through the combined efforts of SKF factory workers, members of IndustriALL Czech affiliate OZ KOVO, and the assistance of the SKF World Union Committee, a new union organization was set up at the SKF site in Chodov.

This is a small organization of 33 people at the factory of 457 employees, with their biggest customer being Swedish truck manufacturer SCANIA. But this group of dedicated union activists made a major step forward by inviting factory management to discussions. The discussions became negotiations and finally the signing of the first collective agreement covering all employees at the factory.

Through the conclusion of the agreement workers received a number of benefits including among others:

Announcing the agreement, the local union chairman Vasileios Prodromou said,

"We signed the historical first collective agreement, which contains very attractive benefits and grows our salaries more than the local average!”

After the visit of Kenneth Carlsson, chairman of the SKF World Union Council, who met and spoke to the workers at the factory, new members joined the ranks of the union.

Kenneth Carlsson said,

“The recently concluded first collective agreement in SKF Chodov is a good example of what we can achieve through union cooperation across country borders, as part of a global union network sharing knowledge and experiences in the best interest for our employees.”

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL director for mechanical machinery and materials industry, responsible for SKF World Union Committee on behalf of IndustriALL said,

“We congratulate wholeheartedly our brothers and sisters at SKF Chodov factory. The creation of a union and conclusion of a new collective bargaining agreement is a wonderful example how global union networks function and how the global solidarity of IndustriALL can help to make the union family grow."

EDF hypocrisy revealed as 14 people fired during negotiations

The members of the Global Committee for Dialogue on Social Responsibility represent employees of the EDF group and have published the following statement:

"In total contradiction with the rules of the gas and electricity sector of Belgium, management abruptly fired the workers, some of them via text message, without any sort of negotiation with their union representatives.

"The members of the Global Committee for Dialogue on Social Responsibility (CDRS), representing the workers of the EDF group and meeting at a plenary session, firmly reject these shameful and unacceptable practices and refuse to let them extend to other workers.

“While the management of EDF was sitting down to discuss the issues in Belgium with the CDRS, this decision was being taken in Brussels, highlighting the cynicism of EDF management.

“Although EDF might cloak itself in claims of social responsibility, the CDRS notes that the top management of the group endorsed these actions.

"The management of EDF has scandalously broken their own ethical standards and shown that the EDF Group Agreement on Social Responsibility is worth little more than a used rag."

IndustriALL Global Union energy director Diana Junquera Curiel, says:

"This unacceptable behavior is in clear violation of Article 6 of our CSR agreement, which deals with anticipation and direction in industrial restructuring processes. We urge management to immediately engage in dialogue with the unions and resolve the situation. "

Global unions urge world leaders to elevate example of Bangladesh Accord

IndustriALL General Secretary, Valter Sanches, said:

The legally binding Accord is, at present, the only credible option for health and safety in Bangladesh garment factories and has saved lives since its creation. The new agreement puts greater emphasis on the right of workers to organize and join a union, recognizing worker empowerment is fundamental to assuring workplace safety. The Accord can be expanded to other sectors, and as worker representatives, we urge you to acknowledge the new Accord's significance as an important step towards responsible global supply chains.

Christy Hoffman, Deputy Secretary of UNI Global Union, said:

The discussion of responsible business practices is incomplete without a serious look at the Bangladesh Accord’s success and renewal. Simply put, this model of accountability and transparency works. The first agreement is saving lives in Bangladesh’s garment industry, and the 2018 Accord strengthens worker protections by explicitly acknowledging the role unions play in making work safe.

Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD General Secretary John Evans said:

The signing of new Accord shows that legally-binding agreement between brands and unions is a successful model for driving positive change in global supply chains. The G20 Leaders need to learn this lesson and give it full support.

UNI Global Union and IndustriALL Global Union along with more than 20 brands announced a new Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety at the OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct in Paris on 29 June.  Many more brands are expected to join.

The three-year agreement builds on the achievements of the first Bangladesh Accord signed in May 2013 in response to the Rana Plaza building collapse. It continues the first Accord’s 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.

The continuation of the Accord shows that binding agreements between multinational companies and global unions are proven as an effective means of directly improving working conditions in global supply chains.

Importantly, it recognizes the role of freedom of association and trade unions play in improving workplace safety. It includes enhanced protections for workers whose factories are closed or relocated due to the implementation of the agreement. It also presents the possibility to expand the Accord to sectors other than the readymade garment industry.

The Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013 claimed the lives of more than 1,100 workers, injuring 2,500 more. Six weeks later, unions, non-governmental organizations and brands announced the first Bangladesh Accord. Currently, the Accord covers more than 2.5 million workers. The new Accord goes into effect after the 2013 Accord expires in May 2018.

In May of this year, G20 labour and employment ministers drafted a declaration on shaping the future world of work that emphasized “violations of decent work and fundamental principles and rights at work cannot be part of the competition” within the global supply chain. This report will be presented in the summit this weekend.

Workers at Daimler in Germany fight for their future jobs

This decision was made following difficult negotiations with the company management over electric mobility and future of the Untertürkheim site, and provoked disruptions in the future supplies of Mercedez-Benz S-Class and E-Class cars produced at Sindelfingen.

So far, the plant management insists that the planned battery factory should not be a subdivision of the Untertürkheim site, but instead should be located at Deutsche Accumotive GmbH. Accumotive GmbH is a subsidiary company of Daimler AG based in Kamenz (Saxony). This represents a serious threat to some 19,000 workers of Untertürkheim site currently producing combustion engines, transmissions and axles for Mercedez-Benz cars.

The company is already manufacturing batteries at a larger scale and workers are afraid that the plant may lose orders in future as Daimler is increasing spending on electric cars that need engine with fewer parts and require fewer workers on the assembly line.

For all Mercedes-Benz plants, the question of the role of locations of key components production is of great importance for future e-mobility. Works Council representatives claim that the basic pledge to integrate the future electric vehicles into the existing plants is a prerequisite for the company construction works at the sites in Sindelfingen, Bremen and Rastatt. The Untertürkheim site lacks such an assurance, although its workforce will be gravely affected by the upcoming changes.

At the same time the plant management, among other things, wants to deduct three qualification days from the time account for all employees annually. The three days correspond to an equivalent value of 650 euros per employee per year depending on individual income and is strongly criticized by the works council.

So far management is resistant, claiming that the investments needed in order to keep battery production at the site are too high. This is due to a number of factors, including the current location of the Untertürkheim site. In Baden-Wuerttemberg state metal tariffs are higher than in Saxony, where the company already has a battery factory in the Kamenz district.

Earlier, during the negotiations for the introduction of electric mobility in the beginning of the year, the plant management had also announced the production of a rear eATS (electric drive system). However later the company representatives announced that this proposal is no longer part of the offer.

Wolfgang Nieke, Chairman of the Works Council at Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim comments,

"Our future here in the Neckar valley is closely linked to the future of the powertrain, which is why it is important today to set the course for tomorrow, with the workforce and the Works Council expecting the company to produce as many dimensions as possible of the electric drive components."

Leading fashion brands join with unions to sign new Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety

IndustriALL Global Union, UNI Global Union, together with brand representatives from C&A and LC Waikiki, will announce the new agreement at today’s OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct in Paris.  

The agreement has so far been signed by Kmart Australia, Target Australia, Primark, H&M, Inditex (Zara), C&A, Otto, KiK, Aldi South, Aldi North, Lidl, Tchibo, LC Waikiki, Helly Hansen, Loblaw and PVH. Further brands: Esprit, Hüren, Bestseller, Wibra, Schmidt Group, N Brown Group, Specialty Fashion Group Australia and Carrefour have committed to signing.
 

It means that over a thousand Bangladeshi garment factories supplying signatory brands will already be covered under the new Accord. This number will grow as more brands sign. 

Signatory brands of the current Accord are today meeting in Amsterdam to consider the new agreement, and it is expected that most of them will sign. IndustriALL and UNI are signatories to the new Accord, while four non-governmental organizations including the Clean Clothes Campaign and the Worker Rights Consortium will be witness signatories.

This three-year agreement builds on the achievements of the first Bangladesh Accord signed in May 2013 in response to the Rana Plaza building collapse. It continues the first Accord’s 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.

The Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013 claimed the lives of more than 1,100 workers, injuring 2,500 more. Six weeks later, unions, non-governmental organizations and brands announced the first Bangladesh Accord. Currently, the Accord covers more than 2.5 million workers. The new Accord goes into effect after the 2013 Accord expires in May 2018. 

IndustriALL General Secretary, Valter Sanches, said:

Brands' renewed commitment to factory safety in Bangladesh is a vote of confidence in the Accord. The Accord is, at present, the only credible option for health and safety in Bangladesh garment factories. It shows that industrial relations can be used to save lives and improve global supply chains.

The new agreement extends independent, expert building safety inspections for three more years for all covered factories, ensuring that safety improvements achieved under the first Accord will be maintained and that new problems in any factory will be addressed.

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 per cent of workplace dangers identified in the Accord’s original round of inspections have been remediated.

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

Over the past four years, unions and worker safety organizations have worked together with global brands within the Accord to find a solution to the seemingly intractable problem of dangerous factories in Bangladesh. Many said that change was not possible. We’ve proven them wrong. Our aim is to create a global economy which respects the lives and dignity of all workers, and the Accord is a big step along that path. The 2018 Accord will continue the forward motion.

Since the Rana Plaza tragedy, the Bangladeshi garment industry has grown—US$6.6 billion in annual revenue—and so has the Accord’s importance.

The new agreement puts greater emphasis on the right of workers to organize and join a union, recognizing worker empowerment is fundamental to assuring workplace safety. It includes enhanced protections for workers whose factories are closed or relocated due to the implementation of the agreement. It also presents the possibility to expand the Accord to sectors other than the readymade garment industry.

Amirul Amin, from IndustriALL Bangladeshi affiliate, the National Garment Workers Federation, said:

I am glad that we have reached agreement to extend the Accord. The IndustriALL Bangladesh Council of trade unions has zero tolerance of unsafe workplaces that threaten workers’ lives. The Accord is extremely important to workers who now know about the safety issues in their factory and can do something about them.

Project strengthens international youth movement

The first two main exchange meetings took place in Brazil in 2015 and Argentina in 2016, where participants learned about the trade union situation in each other's countries and the culture and history of these places.

The final meeting took place at IG Metall's education centre in Sprockhövel, and it was the turn of German trade unionists to speak about the history of their country and trade union movement. Members described their trade union’s structure, the collective bargaining system and how young workers organize at company level and within IG Metall/DGB in Germany.

“The exchange is very important to me. We have learned a lot about political and personal issues that went beyond strictly trade union matters. It doesn't matter what country you are from, or what language you speak, we are all fighting for the same thing – a fair world!”

said Felina Bodner of IG Metall.

Although the meetings were mainly dedicated to trade union issues, participants also had the opportunity to talk to representatives of civil society initiatives. For example, they learned about the campaign against the fascist political party, the NPD, and about the youth campaign against the G20.

They also discussed the importance of empowering women in all fields and the role of young workers in fighting for and achieving genuine change:

“It is important to know that there is global unity and solidarity in the women's struggle for economic and social emancipation and against domination and exploitation”.

We can pass on what we have learned is part of the transformation that we are seeking. Although there is still a long way to go, I now feel I have the support of a strong international youth movement,”

said Mariel Scamporrino of the UOM, Argentina.

When presenting their Trade Union Action Plans, participants described their project for organizing young workers in the unions, indicating what they hoped to achieve, the difficulties associated with implementation and the prospects for the future. Almost all the projects focused on encouraging youth participation by taking action to strengthen union youth policies and IndustriALL action plan guidelines.

“I have learned a lot from this three-year project. I had no idea about trade union systems in other countries and the difficulties they experience and how they deal with them on a daily basis. For example, look what is happening in Nicaragua, where workers are criminalized for protesting in defence of their rights!”

said Antonio Rodrígues Ferreira, a member of IndustriALL Brazilian affiliate FEQUIMFAR/FS.

Participants visited the Ford car plant in Cologne, where they met the youth representatives on the works council. They explained the legal basis for creating works councils and about the role of trade union delegates.

“The young workers all grew tremendously during the three years of the training programme. They gained in confidence, which probably helped them take on roles as trade union leaders. This is definitely not the end of the process but rather the start of something bigger!”

Sarah Flores, IndustriALL global youth projects officer, concluded.

The project was designed by IndustriALL and funded by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation of Germany, in collaboration with and with the support of IG Metall and trade unions in Argentina and Brazil.

Caterpillar trade union network masters challenges and makes progress

Caterpillar has undergone huge change over the past few years. The company seems to follow no distinct strategy and instead is taking ad-hoc decisions driven by financial markets.  The situation continues under the new CEO, Jim Umpleby.

Many plant closures (including Monkstown in Northern Ireland and Gosselies in Belgium) in recent years were executed with no proper information and consultation and without any real discussion with employees and their trade unions. It shows that the global trade union network is increasingly necessary to share information and communicate better between affected unions and workers.  

As one delegate stated the network's position and meaning:

“Caterpillar management must be aware: whatever they do and wherever they go, unions will keep an eye on them and will be there. We don’t care whether they acknowledge us or not – we just want to make sure that our colleagues, our brothers and sisters, are not played out against each other.”

Caterpillar is arguably one of the most anti-union multinational companies in the sector, but the existence of the IndustriALL trade union network and its improving internal communication, shows that even Caterpillar will not be able to avoid unions in the long term.  

Participants at the meeting not only discussed the bad practices of Caterpillar and their plant closures, but also developed strategies to find joint answers and to improve internal communication and information exchange. These activities will be conducted during the next twelve months and then revised at the next global network meeting in 2018.   

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL director, said about the meeting:

Caterpillar is a company which does everything to avoid unions, and at the same time they treat their workers without respect. We will do our best to give workers a voice. We will never accept an attitude that sees workers just as numbers on a balance sheet.

Trade union network at John Deere favours social dialogue

Trade unionists from Brazil, Finland, Germany, India, Spain and the United States met to discuss their concerns at the agricultural, construction, and forestry machinery company. While the overall situation at Deere is positive (especially compared to some of its competitors), there is always a need for trade unions to keep informed and prepare for the future.

On 1 June 2017, Deere announced it will acquire the Wirtgen group, a leading German producer of road construction equipment. It will bring approximately 8,000 new employees to the group and change Deere’s industrial footprint. After the integration of the Wirtgen group, Deere will have a stronger presence in the construction machinery sector.

Delegates discussed the consequences of this purchase and stressed the need for further cooperation to ensure the new entity becomes not only part of the company, but also the union-family.

As well as adopting a work plan for the coming year, the trade union network also resolved to approach Deere for meaningful dialogue between trade union organizations and company management in the near future. US union UAW will take the lead in order to verify whether there is also the readiness from company side to enter into social dialogue.

Delegates recognized the need for increasing participation from younger workers and women in unions, with Tim Bressler, UAW network chair, encouraging the participating unions to do more in this area.

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL director, summarised the meeting:

Although this is a quite a young network in the mechanical engineering sector, we have made great progress over the last three years. We not only have created a union structure, we also have built the necessary trust among the unions, which is crucial for a meaningful exchange. Now it seems the right time to also reach out to the management in order to offer a fruitful social dialogue on a global level.

Turkish sock and underwear factory sacks union members

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate Öz İplik-İş has been trying to unionize workers at the Beks Sock and Underwear Factory in the city of Çerkezköy in Tekirdağ, the province of Thrace in Western Turkey. This concrete union organizing drive is part of IndustriALL’s programme in the textile and garment sectors in Turkey.

The Beks plant, which employs 2,000 workers, is a major supplier of Tchibo, H&M and M&S. These companies prioritize corporate social responsibility (CSR), and IndustriALL has global framework agreements with Tchibo and H&M.

Beks started an anti-union campaign to counter the union’s efforts, threatening workers with dismissal if they joined the union. Eight union members were dismissed.

The company told workers that it would close the factory if it unionizes, and it is intimidating workers into disclosing the names of union members. Workers have been sent on unpaid leave, and contractors brought in.

The company defamed the union, claiming the union disclosed the names of members to management and paid bribes.

Because of the company’s anti-union campaign, the union was banned from talking to workers. After the union began addressing workers through the fence of the factory, the company put up a screen.

In response, the union used a crane so they could rise above the screen and address workers through a loudhailer. The company responded by filing a complaint, which resulted in the organizers being detained by police. The court issued a restraining order, banning some union officials from approaching the premises.

These are all clear violations of the right to freedom of association, as well as of the corporate policies of the companies Beks produces for.

IndustriALL and Öz İplik-İş informed Tchibo, H&M and M&S, and demanded they take the necessary corrective measures. The brands wrote a joint letter to employer, but the violations continued. The brand coalition met with Beks, and asked the employer to distribute a statement confirming that they respect union rights. However, Beks is still blocking the union.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“Why is Beks so afraid of the union, and of its own workforce? It is the right of every worker to join a union.

 “We have agreements with the brands supplied by Beks to respect trade union rights. We are already working with them and it is now very clear that Beks is violating our agreement, and that we expect urgent action to put an end to what is happening.

“We will stand with our affiliate until they win the right to join a union.”

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Uruguayan metalworkers reach agreement with CIMSA after strike and protest action

The cement company CIMSA finally listened to the complaints of its workers, members of the national metalworkers’ union, UNTMRA, an Uruguayan affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union. After taking action and calling an indefinite strike, the union reached an agreement with the company.

The workers said that CIMSA ignored Uruguayan labour law and failed to pay wages.

“The dispute was about CIMSA’s violation of the collective agreements in force. We defend the wages of the families, which were paid late and were not paid in full. We negotiated with the company for 45 days, during which time it ignored the law on collective bargaining,”

explained John Almada of UNTMRA.

After many rounds of talks, the company finally responded to the workers’ demands and agreed to pay 50 per cent of the arrears and pay workers for the days spent on strike. The union believes that the agreement represents progress with regard to collective bargaining and compliance with collective agreements.

CIMSA is an Argentinean company subcontracted by the National Fuel, Alcohol and Portland Administration (ANCAP). ANCAP is a Uruguayan state-owned multinational company that runs the national alcohol monopoly, fuel and Portland cement. It also imports, refines and sells petroleum products.

The workers are dissatisfied that ANCAP did not intervene in the dispute and force CIMSA to comply with the collective agreements. They believe that ANCAP was therefore complicit in the dispute.

“We repudiate the anti-trade union stance taken by ANCAP management against us and members of the ANCAP federation (FANCAP, also affiliated to IndustriALL),” said Almada.

FANCAP is also in dispute with ANCAP because of the latter’s decision to transfer its medical service to a private institution. The special medical service for ANCAP employees is one of the union’s main achievements.

Today, 21 June, FANCAP held a general meeting to assess the restructuring of the company’s medical service and decide what action to take. Both FANCAP and UNTMRA participated today in the partial national strike called by the Uruguay trade union centre PIT CNT .

IndustriALL director, Fernando Lopes, had this to say about UNTMRA’s and FANCAP’s disputes with CIMSA and ANCAP:

Our colleagues in UNTMRA and FANCAP can count on the support of IndustriALL and its affiliates. The struggle continues until we win.”