Rana Plaza – tragic anniversary marks need for Accord work to continue

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the first binding supply chain agreement signed by garment brands and trade unions, has seen hundreds of factories inspected and many working hazards remedied since its creation in 2013.

But with only one more year to go and the majority of factories behind schedule with repair plans, IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Jenny Holdcroft says that the garment industry in Bangladesh is at a critical point and that making the industry safe must be a priority.

“With only one year left of the Accord, we need a new agreement or there is a real risk of safety standards slipping back to where they were in 2012. The government is not yet in a position to be able to guarantee workers’ safety in the factories and we are committed to continuing the Accord until they are.”

“Together with UNI Global Union we are currently in negotiations with brands for a new agreement, which will ensure that the work is continued.”

The Accord makes a difference and saves lives. Since its creation, there have been no workplace fatalities due to fire, electrical or structural hazards at an Accord-covered factory with an active or completed action plan.

And earlier this month, swift union action prevented a potential tragedy, clearly showing that strong trade unions are needed to achieve a safe and sustainable garment industry.

“The government as well as the employers have little commitment to freedom of association. The world is still watching and if more progress is not made on factory safety, freedom of association, and wages, confidence in Bangladesh as a garment sourcing country will be affected.”

IndustriALL Global Union is part of a coalition of trade unions and NGOs behind a recently launched transparency pledge, where companies commit to publish information on where their products are made. The pledge draws upon existing good practices of global apparel companies and sets a floor, not ceiling, for supply chain transparency.

72 companies contacted, 17 of which are expected to fully implement the transparency pledge by December 2017.

“Increased accountability means issues along the supply chain can be addressed and solutions found faster. Garment brands needs to take full responsibility and increased transparency is an important step for improving industrial relations,” says Jenny Holdcroft.

White-collar world conference reveals urgent need to organize

The 52 participants from 28 unions, including 22 women, recognized the importance of organizing white-collar workers as industry is becoming increasingly automated:

“Trade unions must meet the needs of all workers, especially as we go through digital transition,” said sector co-chair, Anne-Catherine Cudennec, from French metalworkers’ federation CFE-CGC.

“There are likely to be more and more white-collar workers. If we don't organize them in our unions, we won't succeed,” added co-chair Martin Linder, from Swedish union, Unionen.

Furthermore, technological transformation is blurring the differences between blue and white-collar workers. : “We don’t distinguish between blue and white-collar workers,” said Jay Albarece from ALU in the Philippines.

Issues that once affected largely blue-collar workers are now affecting white-collar workers, said Steve Kerr from British union, Unite:

“Historically, trade unions were more interested in blue-collar workers – and not in the professional engineers in my sector. That changed as blue-collar jobs went to low cost countries. Now we see professional jobs go to cheaper countries, such as Eastern Europe. Previously white-collar workers didn’t think they needed to be organized as unemployment wouldn’t affect them. Now it does.”

In some countries, white-collar workers are beginning to see the benefits of unionization themselves: “White-collar workers started to join the union when they saw it got better pay increases for blue-collar workers,” said Mohumad Reeaz Chuttoo, from the Chemical Manufacturing and Connected Trades Employees Union in Mauritius.

White-collar pressures

Several participants raised health and safety issues for white-collar workers. These include psychosocial challenges, burn-out, and fear of speaking out. In Japan, overtime is literally a matter of life and death. White-collar workers have worked such long hours they have taken their own lives or worked to the point of collapse.

Challenges

Conference participants raised the many challenges of organizing white-collar workers. Unions from both France and the UK highlighted the trend for human resource departments of multinational companies trying to take control of the workplace in a bid to oust unions.

Other problems included image problems for unions and the lack of structures in place to target white-collar workers.  “We asked young white-collar workers why they hadn't joined a union,” said Martin Linder "‘No one ever asked me’ said most of them.”

Simon Eppel from the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ union said: “We need sound industrial relations at every workplace regardless of whether the workers are white-collar or blue-collar. It could be the same union or different unions, but they need to cooperate. Everybody needs to be organized and work together.”

Unions shared examples of successful organizing and stressed the importance of meeting the needs of white-collar workers to increase membership. Grievance handling, legal assistance, and skilled wage negotiators are some of the incentives offered by ALU to white-collar workers in the Philippines.

“If we specialize what we offer to white-collar workers we can better organize them,” added Kerr.

Other trade unions in Finland, Germany and Belgium also told how they offer services and career advice to students – future white-collar workers – in a bid to attract membership. Participants agreed on the need for strong outreach to youth, women, and minorities.

Participants expressed a strong interest in emerging issues such as Industry 4.0, climate change, and Just Transition. There was also consensus on the need for good communications and networking within the white-collar sector.

Action plan

Participants gave suggestions for an IndustriALL action plan for the sector, which will be devised in alignment with IndustriALL’s five strategic goals. The plan will be considered and approved by the group in due course. The first step will be to carry out comprehensive mapping of white-collar workers on which to base action.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary, Atle Høie, said:

“The world conference has been a great new start for the white-collar section at IndustriALL. There have been some extremely useful presentations and enlightening discussions, and there is a real willingness for our affiliates to work together to organize. White-collar workers need unions as much as blue-collar workers – we are all part of the same global trade union movement.”

Unite appeals for solidarity with Fujitsu UK workers

Fujitsu workers in the UK will take further strike action over the company's plans to make cuts on jobs and pensions. 

At IndustriALL's World Conference for White-collar workers, participants expressed their support with Fujitsu workers in the UK. The conference called on unions to:

IndustriALL's UK affiliate, Unite the union, will deliver a letter to the Japanese ambassador Mr Koji Tsuruoka tomorrow (Friday 21 April) at the London embassy. The union has strongly criticized the way the UK management at Fujitsu has behaved over the proposed job losses.

Unite's Matt Whaley explains more…

 

Iraqi union organizes Shell workers

The recognition agreement is with the Basrah Gas Company, created by the Iraqi government in 2013 as a joint venture with Shell, Southern Gas and Mitsubishi.

The company is 51 per cent owned by the Iraqi government through its Southern Gas Company, and 49 per cent owned by Shell and Mitsubishi. Shell is the major operator. The company employs 6,000 workers: 4,000 seconded from the former Southern Oil Company, and 2,000 employed directly by the Shell. There are also a number of service companies.

The company was formed to exploit the gas that emanates from oil fields and used to be squandered and burned, leading to the loss of millions of dollars to the Iraqi economy throughout the years. The newly created company extracts, refines and exports gas.

Since the creation of the company, the IFOU has worked to defend workers' rights, improve working conditions and create a workers’ union in the company.

The IFOU wrote to Shell to request the creation and recognition of a union for the new company, citing the company’s commitments to international environmental and workers’ rights standards. The company initially refused.

However, after persistent effort by the president of the new union, Munqiz Abdelgabar, the company relented and the union was successfully formed in February 2017. Workers have elected their representatives in the company sites in Storage Terminal, Marine Terminal, Rafidiya, North Rumaila NGL plant, gas filling stations supplied by Southern Oil, South Rumaila, Shamiya Station and West Qurna.

IFOU is an active member of the IndustriALL Shell Global Union Network and the Middle East and North Africa Oil and Gas Unions’ Network. In both these networks, improving unions' regional networking, consolidating  genuine regional and national social dialogue and organizing at Shell are key objectives.

Hassan Jumaah Awad, president of IFOU said:

"The key objectives of the new union are to progress collective bargaining in the company, address women and youth issues, and consolidate a union base which is able to contribute to the company’s social and economic policies as well as promote labour education to all workers.

“The new union has wide support amongst workers – both Iraqi and migrants workers.”

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

"Iraqi unions successfully organizing at a multinational like Shell is a breakthrough for us. This is a great achievement by Shell workers, especially considering the tremendous challenges facing unions in Iraq.

“We will continue our work with IFOU to support the new union. We strongly urge the management to cooperate with our affiliate in Iraq and work on developing a genuine social dialogue at the company.”  

MEPs demand respect for labour rights in Sri Lanka

“We are willing to give preferences to Sri Lanka, but only if we are sure that the benefit also goes to the workers,” said MEP Lola Sánchez Caldentey in a statement following the mission.

Participants in the mission, which took place between 10 and 12 April, were invited by the IndustriALL Sri Lanka Council to assess the country’s progress in human and labour rights compliance in relation to the re-application by the Government of Sri Lanka for the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences Plus status (GSP+).

The status offers trade incentives to developing countries that implement core international conventions on human and labour rights, sustainable development and good governance.

However, after more than ten meetings in Sri Lanka, Sánchez Caldentey said:

“If the European Union consumers knew the abusive conditions under which the women make the cloth that they buy, they would be ashamed.”

MEP Anne-Marie Mineur added: “The government must ensure that these workers can organize themselves through trade unions, because otherwise they will keep on being exploited.”

The European Union is due to assess Sri Lanka’s application for GSP+ status over the next month.

The delegation, which also included representatives from trade union 3F of Denmark, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITWF) and Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), met workers and trade union leaders who have been subject to harassment, illegal dismissal, sexual harassment and labour rights violations in the Free Trade Zones of Sri Lanka.

The delegates expressed their concerns about the extensive use of manpower agencies for co-working arrangements, which have undermined freedom of association and collective bargaining in Sri Lanka. They were also worried that the judiciary has been increasingly interfering in labour disputes and collective bargaining to the detriment of trade unions.

In response to the fact finding mission’s statement, IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary, Jenny Holdcroft, said:

“It is good that EU Parliamentarians have been to Sri Lanka to see for themselves the conditions for workers. We hope that this will encourage the EU to put proper protections in place to ensure that the benefits of trade are passed on to Sri Lankan workers.  Full respect for the rights to freedom of association and to bargain collectively is essential.”

Union action prevents potential repetition of Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh

Almost 3,000 garment workers, most of whom were women, were working at the 15-storey Ananta Plaza building in Dhaka, home to the Ananta Fashion and Ananta Apparels Ltd garment factories, when a section of the ground floor collapsed on 5 April 2017 at around 5pm.

Security guardrooms on the ground floor of Ananta Plaza partially caved in and tilted due to major excavation work taking place next to the building.

To the garment workers, the incident came as a sharp reminder of the Rana Plaza tragedy of 24 April 2013, when an eight-storey building collapsed killing 1,134 and injuring over 2000 workers.

The Ananta Fashion & Apparels Workers Union (AFAWU), which is affiliated to IndustriALL through the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) called on the workers to immediately evacuate the building and asked management to close the factory until the building was made structurally safe. The management agreed to close the factory for two days, after which time it wanted to resume production.  

However, NGWF responded by holding a demonstration with factory workers the following day outside the headquarters of the Directorate of Inspector General of Factories & Establishment (DIFE). NGWF called on the officials to force management to close down the factories until structural remediation had been completed. 

The government office complied with workers’ demands and issued a notice directing factory closure and structural remediation. Workers also marched to the head office of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturer & Exporters (BGMEA), to press home their demands, including salary compensation and continuity of service while the factories were out of action.

At the same time, NGWF contacted the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh to investigate the Ananta building. Following an inspection, the Accord issued a closure notice and called for urgent structural remediation, including for the excavated area next to the Ananta Plaza building to be immediately and completely back-filled with sand and adequately compacted.

On 10 April the factory called workers to resume work. It announced that the emergency remediation was complete and the engineers of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and officials of DIFE had visited the site.

However, following workers’ apprehension, NGWF and the management asked the Accord to investigate the safety improvements. The Accord visited the factory on 11 April and announced it safe for human occupancy.

Workers returned to work the next day after a meeting between the representatives of NGWF, the factory union, management, the BGMEA, and Accord officials, including structural engineers.

Management agreed to pay salary compensation to the workers for the days the factories were closed and not to victimize workers for being part of the movement to shut down the. Management also committed to complete remediation of the building complex according to the recommendation of the Accord as soon as possible.

Amirul Haque Amin, President of NGWF and Chair of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council said:

Workers' united actions to win safe working conditions are a major step forward in the garment industry in Bangladesh. Significantly,  factory management, the BGMEA, and the Ministry of Labour recognized building safety as an important issue and quickly responded to workers’ demands. We are thankful to all stakeholders, particularly the Accord, who acted quickly to ensure workers' safety.

Global support for workers at VW Chattanooga plant

In December 2015, an overwhelming majority of more than 70 per cent of the skilled-trades workers voted to be represented by IndustriALL affiliate United Autoworkers (UAW). Yet VW Chattanooga is refusing to bargain with UAW Local 42, even after the U.S. government has ordered the company to enter into negotiations.

IndustriALL General Secretary Valter Sanches says:

“Volkswagen not recognizing UAW in this case is illegal, violates workers’ fundamental rights, and violates the Global Framework Agreement they signed with us in 2002. Many of us have raised concern with VW about this, but the company’s bad behavior continues.”

For two days, IndustriALL affiliates representing VW workers around the world met to exchange information on VW labour relations and show solidarity with VW workers in Chattanooga.

The meeting took place after a resolution, Holding Volkswagen Accountable, was passed at IndustriALL’s Congress in Rio de Janeiro in October 2015.

Concerns were raised over a lack of safety culture and constant shift-changes in the factory, with workers sometimes forced to work for 10 – 11 hours per day, for up to 13 days in a row.  Overtime may be ordered at the end of a shift, meaning workers do not know what time they will be home when they leave for work.

Although UAW Local 42 still is not recognized by management, the union continues to recruit new members. Unions participating at the meeting committed to support the struggle and bring attention to VW’s union-busting in Chattanooga.

“We will continue to seek dialog with VW at all levels in an attempt to get the company to end its union-busting in Chattanooga and enter into negotiations for a first collective bargaining agreement with UAW Local 42,” says Gary Casteel, UAW Secretary Treasurer.

“We will not quit until Volkswagen recognizes us.”

Trinidad and Tobago workers demand health and safety

The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) and the Steel Workers Union of Trinidad and Tobago (SWUTT), both affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, joined the Joint Trade Union Movement  (JTUM) in organizing a demonstration on 7 April to protest at the failure of multinational companies to comply with health and safety at work standards.

They called on the government to listen to workers’ demands and treat them with respect. One of their concerns is about BP, one of Trinidad and Tobago’s main oil and gas producers.

The company recently announced it will not build its Angelin natural gas platform in the country “due to project timeliness and other competitiveness factors".

However, the unions believe BP took the decision because of worker protests about the health and safety situation at their workplaces.

The workers believe the government should insist that multinational companies comply with national legislation, which provides that employers must provide decent health and safety conditions.

The OWTU leader and member of IndustriALL World Executive Committee, Ancel Roget, said “there will be more and more protests” unless the government is proactive in dealing with union demands and unless it treats workers with respect.

IndustriALL director Fernando Lopes, said:

 “We support the fight of workers in Trinidad and Tobago, which is for health and safety at work, sustainable development and an industrial policy that promotes industrialization in Trinidad and Tobago”.

Two thousand miners at Southern Peru Copper on indefinite strike

The miners’ union, the Sindicato Unificado de la Southern y Anexos (SUT SPCC), affiliated to the National Federation of Miners and Metalworkers of Peru (FNTMMSP), which is in turn affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, went on strike on 10 April after negotiations with the copper company broke down. The strike halted operations at the Toquepala and Cuajone mines and the Ilo foundry in southern Peru.

A few weeks ago, the union presented the following demands to the company, which is a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico:

After several meetings, company management showed no inclination to meet the workers’ demands. Two thousand miners therefore voted to go on strike.

In addition to stopping work, the miners have held mass rallies in Ciudad Nueva, outside the Cuajone (Moquegua) mine and at the Toquepala (Tacna) extraction unit.

Both sides say they are open to dialogue and want to reach a solution. In the last hours of 10 April, union representatives met Southern Copper managers but the talks failed. They scheduled another meeting for 12 April in the presence of the labour authorities.

The company produced 900,000 tonnes of copper in 2016, 21.1% more than in 2015. However, the union says that workers received between 13,000 and 16,000 soles (about $4,000) as their profit-sharing payment after receiving 40,000 soles (about $12,300) the year before as their share of company profits for 2015.

The FNTMMSP expressed its total support for the SUT SPCC’s demands and called on the company to reach agreement with the union. Meanwhile, IndustriALL general secretary, Valter Sanches, has written to the company president, Oscar González Rocha, to urge him to negotiate in good faith with the SUT SPCC.

IndustriALL director Fernando Lopes, said:

“Southern Peru is part of Grupo Mexico, known for its violations of freedom of association in Mexico and the USA. Peruvian workers will not let the company do the same thing to them. We extend all our support to the union and the federation”.

South East Asia intensifies campaign to stop precarious work

The purpose of the meeting was to share successes and challenges, and develop common action. Despite success in organizing contract workers and influencing government policy, precarious work is growing because employers do not abide by the law.  

In Indonesia, core activities should be performed by permanent, direct employees – but employers define what is core and non-core. Indonesian affiliates organized around 19,000 precarious workers last year. In some instances, new unions were formed to negotiate collective agreements separately for outsourced workers. Unions in some companies such as Quantum in Tangerang City pushed for permanent employment status of contractual workers.

Malaysian labour law is good, but enforcement of is ineffective. Unions work to safeguard not only Malaysian workers but also migrants. In some companies, 90 to 95 per cent of contract workers are migrant workers from Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam and sometimes Thailand. Although the law prohibits the employment of workers through temporary work agencies, companies still employ migrant agency workers with lower wages and benefits. In some cases, employers withhold workers’ passports. Migrants are reluctant to join unions because their contracts may be immediately terminated.

The National Union of Transport Equipment and Allied Industries Workers negotiated permanent employment for 400 contract workers at DENSO and Robert Bosch.

In Myanmar, there have been no changes despite a new government, because the practices set by the previous government are still implemented.  Foreign investors do not follow the law. Land grabbing is rampant in the mining industry, with promises of regular employment and good wages to farmers whose land was confiscated.  However, promises are not fulfilled.  Often only one member of the family will get a permanent contract, while others have agency contracts with no holidays or no paid overtime.

Through dialogue with the government, improvements are slowly taking place.  Since 2014, the 1952 and 1959 labour laws have been reviewed. A new employment contract was introduced in September 2015 by the government. The final version is in the process of endorsement by the Ministry of Labour, and will become the standard contract to be used for making employment contracts nationwide.

The union movement has campaigned for a better contract that promotes security of tenure and is against short-term contracts. The Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM) has encouraged both employers and workers to use the CTUM draft contract as a guideline.

Philippine affiliates have been active in fighting contractualization, making representations in tripartite councils.  During his presidential campaign and at the start of his administration, President Duterte promised an end to contractualization, saying that it is anti-people, and warning employers that they will be punished.

However, despite dialogue with the Department of Labor and Employment and the president, and protest rallies, no improvements were made. The situation has got worse with the new Department Order no. 174-2017 of 6 March 2017, which legitimizes the employment of contract workers through contracting agencies.  

Trade unions are calling on the president to issue an Executive Order prohibiting the use of contractualization in the country, and will mobilize continually, particularly during May Day.

The meeting adopted a five-year action plan of continuous education, campaigning and organizing, with a gender-balanced regional coordination group to implement it. Target companies were identified. The group will build alliances with other global unions, governments and civil organizations, and conduct skills trainings, organizing and advocacy activities.