India – IndustriALL affiliates share organizing strategies

The unity meeting of affiliates in India, held on 22 November 2016 in Delhi, focused on sharing information about various union organizing initiatives undertaken by affiliates in shipbreaking, steel, mining, energy, textile, garments, shoe and leather manufacturing sectors in India.

Affiliates shared organizing strategies and practices to learn how to best tackle problems in union organizing. The meeting also reinforced the understanding among affiliates to follow the principle of non-competitive and mutually complimentary efforts in organizing initiatives.

At the IndustriALL India council (IIC) meeting, held on 23 November 2016, Dr. G Sanjeeva Reddy, who is also president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and an IndustriALL Executive Committee member, underlined the importance of organizing more precarious workers across the country to build union power.

He said, “Trade unions cutting across political affiliations need to fortify collective trade union actions to defend workers’ rights and to defeat anti-worker policies of the government of India.” The national council also expressed solidarity with the Korean general strike that took place on 30 November. 

Women leaders from IndustriALL affiliates participated in the India Women’s Committee meeting held on 24-25 November 2016, which was organized with the objective to train women leaders on legal provisions of anti-sexual harassment laws and procedures.

Many of the India Women’s Committee members are part of the internal complaints committee at their workplaces and other establishments. The training focused on the implementation of sexual harassment laws, appropriate implementation of sexual harassment laws to protect workers against sexual offence, and discussed the role of unions in making the internal complaints committees function effectively.

Workers mobilize globally against LafargeHolcim human rights’ violations

Workers in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas will mobilize, take actions and demand that LafargeHolcim respect workers’ rights because “Workers’ rights are human rights”.

Rights violations that the action will highlight include:

Unions are demanding that LafargeHolcim use less precarious work, cooperate better with trade unions on health and safety and restructuring, and enter into meaningful negotiations with them about the future of labour relations and social dialogue.

“Since Lafarge and Holcim merged last year, there have been numerous workplace fatalities, precarious work has increased, the company has recklessly restructured and management has broken promises to reach a global agreement for a positive relationship with unions. We cannot wait any longer while our brothers and sisters die at work. LafargeHolcim workers around the world are standing up and demanding change,” said IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Valter Sanches.

“The right to decent work, safe working conditions and dignity are basic human rights that workers at LafargeHolcim should have; however, instead of respecting these fundamental rights, the company has repeatedly put corporate interests ahead of the rights of its workers.  Today, on this global day of action LafargeHolcim workers will mobilize and show the power of the people by calling on the management to immediately adhere to their demands,” said Building and Wood Workers' International general secretary Ambet Yuson.

“We expect that the world number one in the cement sector is not only number one in figures and cement sales, but also in labour standards and workers’ rights,” said general secretary of the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) Sam Hägglund. “We think that this is also part of future benchmarking. LafargeHolcim owes its workers the respect for their rights. We cannot understand why it took nearly one and a half years after the merger to negotiate a new joint European Works Councils Agreement, where European Workers’ Rights are defined, especially the right to information and consultation. We call upon LafargeHolcim management to enter into a real social dialogue about the future of this world number one in the cement sector.”

IndustriALL builds presence in the Caribbean

At a meeting held in the Caribbean island of Curacao on 21-22 November, unions agreed to establish an operating structure to help strengthen union power and deliver effective solidarity and joint action. The newly-formed council also agreed to take joint action in support of unions in Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados, which are currently under attack. 

The meeting was preceded by a one-day women’s workshop aimed at identifying ways of strengthening the participation of women at all levels of the labour movement, from the rank-and-file to the global level.

The meeting was hosted by the Petroleum Workers’ Federation of Curacao and chaired by Ancel Roget, President General of the Oil Workers Union of Trinidad & Tobago (OWTU) and substitute member of the IndustriALL Executive Committee.

“These two meetings mark important milestones for the work on industriALL in the region," said Jorge Almeida, IndustriALL regional Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The newly-formed council is made up of eight member unions and four candidate member unions. The members are affiliates from Trinidad & Tobago, Curacao and the Dominican Republic. The candidate members are potential affiliates from Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, St Lucia and Suriname.  The council plans to reach out to unions in Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Granada, Guadalupe, Haiti, Jamaica and St Vincent.

Contact people have been identified in each country to help coordinate outreach to potential affiliates within a single country as well as to assist with outreach to unions in countries where they have close ties. In addition, two women contact people will be tasked with gathering information on women at work and in unions.

The Council will hold an annual meeting once a year. The national contact people will meet face-to-face twice a year as well as via teleconference. The council will be chaired for the next four years Ancel Roget of the OWTU, whose union will coordinate the work of the council. 

“In almost every Caribbean country unions are struggling against the same neo-liberal government strategies, including the denial of union registration, the growing use of precarious work, attacks on acquired rights and benefits, as well as cultural attacks on trade unions. This new structure will help build union power to defend workers in the face of these attacks, and this in turn will strengthen IndustriALL Global Union,” concluded Ancel Roget.

Italian metalworkers reach a new national collective agreement

1 December all three unions FIOM-CGIL, FIM-CISL and UILM-UIL had a meeting and issued a joint statement, calling the newly achieved agreement “a good contract for metalworkers”.
 
The agreement, valid for four years, will cover the entire metalworking sector and apply to over 1.6 million workers employed in the sector. The national agreement is an umbrella contract, which guarantees a minimum set of benefits. Unions will be able to negotiate further improved benefits at the plant level. The agreement will now be submitted by the three unions to assemblies in working-places and finally to a binding referendum on 19, 20 and 21 December.
 among all workers concerned.
 
According to the new regulation for union representation, workers are granted the right to vote on company agreements, also upon request of only one trade union or 30 per cent of workers. This has always been part of the practice at FIOM, but never been implemented on a common basis until now.
 
The unions called the agreement “highly innovative” as “it expands and acquires new rights, from continuous training and the right to education up to the reform of grading system, from supplementary assistance for healthcare for all, to supplementary pension schemes, up to an easier operation of health and safety union representatives in the workplace”.
 
The newly achieved agreement strengthens bargaining and participation, it also protects income from inflation and strengthens the welfare, making strides in overall benefits for metalworkers, defines the rules of democracy and representation between unions, members and workers.
 
Maurizio Landini, general secretary of FIOM-CGIL, praised the agreement as the “newly found unity of the workers", as FIOM-CGILdid not sign the contract renewals either in 2008, or in 2012."The reached agreement does not present any kind of improper trading, instead it broadens rights, goes beyond inflation in its overall cost structure, introduces a democratic path in the national agreement that has always been a central demand for our organization."
 
Marco Bentivogli, general secretary of FIM-CISL,"We have regained trade union unity, and we did it with a truly innovative contract. The hardest thing is to draw a document that would look into the future. This time we did it."
 
Rocco Palombella, general secretary of UILM-UIL, "We have put in the center the value of the CCNL (National labour contract), we have stimulated the results of the second contractual level, we have determined management elements and related testing."
 
Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary welcomed the great result of the achieved agreement, saying “We congratulate FIOM-CGIL, FIM-CISL and UILM-UIL with a great achievement of their new agreement, but we are especially glad to hear that this was a joint exercise of solidarity restoring unity to all Italian metalworkers.”

Nicaragua: labour conflict criminalized as protesting workers found guilty

The twelve workers are awaiting sentencing, and could receive up to three years in prison. The workers were arrested in June 2016 when riot police stormed a peaceful protest outside the SAE-A Tecnotex factory in a free trade zone in Tipitapa, Managua.

The South Korean-owned factory employs 3,000 workers, and produces garments for export to companies in the United States, including Kohls, Target, JC Penney and Walmart. Tensions had been growing for some time, with workers demanding access to drinking water, health care and realistic production targets.

The conflict escalated when two leaders from the Esfuerzo Democrático union – affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union through the textile federation FESITEX – were fired. Three thousand workers downed tools to demand their reinstatement, and a peaceful protest was held outside the factory.

In a move never before seen in Nicaragua’s free trade zones, riot police were sent to quell the disturbance. The police arbitrarily and indiscriminately detained a dozen workers, including workers from other factories who had gathered peacefully outside the factory or were simply passing by, as well as a taxi driver who had nothing to do with the protest.

The twelve were arraigned for trail on charges brought by the public prosecutor. While awaiting trial those employed at SAE Tecnotex have not been able to work to support themselves and their families.

The trial took place last week. The sentencing is scheduled to happen on Monday 4 December.

The trial sets an ominous precedent for the free trade agreement that the countries of Central America have just finalized with South Korea, which is expected to result in a significant increase in Korean investment in the region.

Unions are under attack by the state at the behest of large companies in South Korea, and there are concerns that this model of industrial relations is being exported as part of the trade agreement.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches wrote to the public prosecutor, Ana Julia Guido Ochoa, condemning the precedent of criminalizing a labour dispute and calling on the prosecutor to drop the charges.

He wrote to the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, asking him to intervene, and that the government certification officer recognize the union as a legitimate representative of the workers.

Sanches also wrote to the chairman of SAE-A Tecnotex in South Korea, Woong-ki Kim, calling on the company to drop separate charges against the trade union leaders, and to pay the wages for the period they unable to work.

Copies of the letters were also sent to the brands.

He said:

“This unjust sentencing of workers for doing nothing more than defending their rights sets an appalling precedent.

“The company must drop the charges and negotiate in good faith with the union to renew the collective agreement.”

Chevron workers in Bangladesh protest against layoffs

Workers laid off by Chevron in Dhaka demonstrated against the company’s intention to sell its assets in Bangladesh, and demanded their jobs back.

Most of those laid off are precarious workers. According to workers, of the 500 people employed by Chevron, only 37 had a permanent contract.

For almost a decade numerous appeals to management to regularize all workers were met with disregard and intimidation. When Chevron workers formed a union in April 2015, they were denied formal union registration, allegedly after Chevron’s intervention.

Workers then approached the labour court to get union recognition and to make the work contracts permanent. Chevron management responded with union busting; stopping officials from the proposed union at the company gates to let them know they were made redundant.

Around 50 workers have been terminated with no prior notice, some even being told through a text message to their mobile phones.

After the workers’ demands were rejected by the high court, Chevron went on to fire more than 85 workers.

Diana Junquera Curiel, IndustriALL energy director, says:

It is unacceptable that Chevron continues to ignore the demands of their workers, some of whom have worked for the company for more than a decade.

We demand that Chevron make the workers permanent employees and respect their right to form a union, according to Bangladesh’s labour law.

EU must address Sri Lanka’s labour violations before granting trade preferences, says IndustriALL

In June 2016, Sri Lanka re-applied for inclusion on the list of eligible beneficiary developing countries for the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP+), which provides enhanced market access on the basis that the applicant is not in serious violation of a number of human rights instruments, including core ILO labour conventions.

However, Sri Lanka is currently in serious breach of those conventions. IndustriALL trade union affiliates in the country report violations including obstruction of the right to freedom of association, gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment and unsafe work places.

IndustriALL, CCC and the ITUC are therefore urging the European Union to seek agreement with Sri Lanka on a set of benchmarks to bring the country into compliance with core labour standards, particularly ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

Examples of union busting practices are blacklisting of workers in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone, who were suspended or dismissed on the grounds of trade union related activities, meaning they are unable to find another job. In the same Free Trade Zone, workers who affiliated to IndustriALL affiliate, CIWU, were systematically suspended and dismissed at Smart Shirts Ltd. Phase 1.

Similar practices of union busting are happening at ATG Ceylon (Pvt) and ATG Occupation Ltd, where managers tried to silence workers addressing toxic chemicals and their safety at work, and fired a woman who complained of sexual harassment by a male colleague and sectional manager. 

The Sri Lanka government and the Board of Investment, which governs the Free Trade Zones, do little to enforce the law, allowing these violations to continue with impunity.

In a joint positioning statement released before an EU meeting on the Sri Lanka’s GSP+ application on 5 December, the organizations said:

Clean Clothes Campaign, IndustriALL Global Union and the International Trade Union Confederation urge the European Union to adopt a roadmap with time-bound measures to comply with the ILO core conventions before benefitting from GSP+. There is simply no credible argument that Sri Lanka is not currently in serious breach of those conventions.

Massive global support for #KoreaGeneralStrike

Struggling against the President Park’s attacks on labour rights in South Korea, unions in the country held a general strike for workers’ rights on 30 November. Deemed illegal by the Ministry of Employment and Labour, the strike still went ahead.

220,000 union members, many from IndustriALL affiliates, participated in the strike. Around 60,000 people rallied in various cities in Korea, of which 20,000 in the capital Seoul, calling for the immediate resignation of the President and the abolishment of her government’s labour hostile policies.

Support for Korean unions was endorsed during the IndustriALL 2nd Congress in Rio, where a solidarity resolution was adopted. Consequently,
IndustriALL called for global action to support the Korean unions, including sending a protest letter addressed to President Park, taking action at Korean Embassies or Consulates or corporations, as well as encouraging supporters to take selfies with a protest sign and circulate online.

During the last couple of weeks, several hundred people from more than 30 countries have taken a stand on social media, supporting the general strike to defend workers’ rights in Korea.

Eighty-six unions in 48 countries have sent protest letters to President Park, expressing support for the general strike and calling for her immediate resignation.

North American affiliates USW and UAW delivered a protest letter and met with the South Korean Embassy in Washington DC.

Thai unions affiliated to IndustriALL and the Confederation of Industrial Labour Thailand (CILT) met with the South Korean Embassy in Bangkok to deliver a protest letter.

In Geneva, IndustriALL marched with other global unions to the South Korean Mission to deliver a protest letter.

Unions in Brazil held a protest at Hyundai plants in Anapolis and San Léopold.

IndustriALL General Secretary Valter Sanches says:

We will use the force of our affiliates to fight for union rights. The situation in Korea is made worse by the President’s implication in the corruption scandal, where multinationals like Samsung and Hyundai have bribed the government to adopt anti-labour legislation. President Park must resign immediately.

Korean unions are planning another rally on 3 December. It will be the sixth consecutive mass demonstration against the corrupt President and is expected to attract at least 100,000 participants.

Unions in Burkina Faso and Senegal fight back against precarious work

IndustriALL Global Union affiliates from Burkina Faso and Senegal gathered on 30 November and 1 December in Ouagadougou to take stock of the progress achieved through their fight against precarious work. In both Senegal and Burkina Faso, affiliates have actively fought the abusive use of daily and fixed term contracts for years.

Last September, after several months of labour conflict at the mining site of Bissa Gold, owned by Nord Gold in Burkina Faso, 750 temporary, fixed term contract, workers won permanent contracts. Two hundred temporary agency workers are expected to be directly employed as permanent workers by Bissa Gold.

This was the result of an active campaign and media exposure led by IndustriALL affiliate the general union Fédération des Industries Diverses (FID) and their confederation the CNTB, with the support of IndustriALL.

Nord Gold has announced that it will pay workers all unpaid overtime and holidays owed by its sub-contractor, Exterhum, as demanded by the workers. The case of 116 workers illegally retrenched in October 2015 is still at the labour court for a final decision.

In Burkina Faso in 2015, FID and the textile, garment and leather union the Fédération Nationale des Travailleurs du Textile, de l'Habillement et du Cuir (FNTTHC) recruited 548 new members from the precarious workforce.  Affiliates will take joint action on 7 December to denounce and demand the revision of a labour law adopted in 2008 that allows for the unlimited renewal of fixed term contract. Since the adoption of this law, the number of fixed term contract workers has exploded.

In 2016 in Senegal, the general union Syndicat Unique des Travailleurs des Industries Diverses du Sénégal (SUTIDS) successfully negotiated the regularization of 218 fixed term contract and daily workers out of 996 precarious workers working in 15 companies in the chemical sector.

The chemical union Syndicat National des Travailleurs des Industries Chimiques et Activités Rattachées du Sénégal (SYNTICS) successfully recruited 316 precarious workers. The lives of the workers who have been regularized have changed completely. Not only have their salaries increased, and sometimes doubled, they now have access with their families to medical care and they benefit from proper protective equipment.

In 2015, the unions launched a campaign to limit the use of day workers in their countries. As a result, in 2016, the unions are negotiating an amendment to the legislation on the use daily work at the national tripartite body.

The amendment aims to ban the use of daily work in core activities and to provide day workers with medical coverage and social protection. Affiliates plan another day of action in December to put pressure on both employers and government. IndustriALL affiliates succeeded in mobilizing several confederations and unions from services and agriculture for this campaign.

Lesotho: unions demonstrate to save AGOA

About 20,000 people from IDUL, the Lesotho Council of NGOs, and the Lentsoe La Sechaba social movement took part. The demonstrators called on the government of the small southern African nation to restore democracy and the rule of law after a coup in 2014. The political instability threatens Lesotho’s duty free access to markets in the United States through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is vital for jobs.
 
IDUL has called on the government of Lesotho to comply with recommendations made by the regional co-operations body, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to restore political stability. IDUL has 8,000 members who will be badly affected by job losses.
 
AGOA was introduced sixteen years ago by US President Bill Clinton, allowing a number of African countries duty-free access to US markets. AGOA transformed the economy of Lesotho, causing a 75 per cent growth in the garment industry, which is now the country’s largest private sector employer, with about 40,000 workers out of a total population of two million. An estimated further 200,000 jobs in transport, food and others areas are dependent on the garment sector.
 
Lesotho exports a quarter of a billion dollars worth of garments for US companies like Levi’s and Walmart every year.
 
But Lesotho’s access to AGOA is under threat: AGOA requires a commitment to political stability, democracy and human rights, and the 2014 coup has thrown the country into turmoil. After President Thabane suspended parliament to avoid a confidence vote, elements within the armed forces staged a coup. The president fled into exile and army commander Mahao was assassinated. A number of army officers were imprisoned and allegedly tortured.
 
The US has threatened Lesotho’s access to AGOA if the rule of law is not restored. SADC has intervened, and pledged to work with Lesotho to restore democracy, but the government has so far failed to implement SADC recommendations.
 
SADC recommends that the current army commander Kamoli resign, and that a criminal investigation into the death of Mahao is opened. Lesotho should also make structural and constitution changes to limit military interference in government.
 
Unions are calling on the government to adopt the recommendations and save the deal.
 
AGOA has transformed the lives of women. Eighty five per cent of textile workers are women, giving many financial independence for the first time, and the power to win paid maternity leave, and to challenge sexual harassment. These advances are threatened by the potential loss of AGOA.
 
Three other countries – Senegal, Madagascar and Swaziland – have lost access to AGOA for failing to comply with requirements for political stability and rule of law.
 
Last year, the US Congress voted to renew AGOA until 2025. The unions are calling on government to prepare an industrial development strategy for when this period ends.
 
IndustriALL assistant general secretary Atle Høie said:

“Lesotho’s workers, and particularly women workers, need AGOA. We call on the government to restore the rule of law, adopt the SADC guidelines and save the deal.
 
“The Lesotho government cannot be permitted to destroy progress made over the last years for these workers and the garment industry in the country. The international community must put pressure on the government to abide by the commitments in AGOA, which has made the industry and its workers prosper”