Workers at Nissan US fight for the right to organize

For more than 10 years, management at the Nissan factory in Canton, Mississippi has been intimidating workers who show an interest in unionizing. On 12 October, trade unions from France and the US, workers from the Nissan plant, civil society leaders and a gospel choir marched together with American actor and activist Danny Glover through Paris to the French parliament building, l’Assemblée Nationale.

Danny Glover says that Nissan continues to threaten workers who want to join a union.

“Workers’ rights are civil rights and our message is simple – enough is enough. Nissan must stop intimidating the workers and let them vote for a union without company interference.”

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Jenny Holdcroft told the rally:

“Unions rights are fundamental and universal. Nissan workers in Canton, Mississippi should have the same right to join a union as workers in France and Japan.”

The delegation was met by a number of parliamentarians who are demanding that Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn take a closer look at the social dialogue in Canton.

Christian Hutin, member of l’Assemblé National, said:

“France is the country of freedom and human rights, and we are asking Carlos Ghosn to act to change what is happening in Canton. The workers are not asking for a revolution, they are simply asking for fair treatment!”

This spring, after Ghosn had told the l’Assemblé National that he cooperates with unions wherever they operate and that there is no anti union tradition at Nissan in Mississippi, the company launched a comprehensive anti-union campaign including showing a video designed to scare workers away from the union.

Sanchioni Butler has spent the last 12 years organizing on behalf of the United Autoworkers (UAW) for change in Canton. With no access to the plant and substantial anti-union propaganda by the company, she meets workers in their homes.

“A lot of the workers don’t even think they have a right to join a union. And they are afraid; management says that the plant will close if there is a union.

“But I will keep going; every time I reach one person there is hope for another day.”

The National Labor Relations Board, an agency of the U.S. government has charged Nissan with:

Many of the 5,000 workers at the Nissan factory are on temporary contracts and safety conditions at the plant are a major concern: Nissan has been fined at least twice for safety violations.

Unions discuss transatlantic organizing

The Transatlantic Labor Dialogue meeting also included participation from IndustriALL, journalists and academics. It was hosted by IG Metall.

Leaders of U.S. unions AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union discussed weak U.S. labor law and union avoidance tactics that make recruiting new members difficult, and also presented successful campaigns like Fight for $15 through which low wage workers are achieving huge gains.

An IG Metall member and leader in the Airbus works council in Germany said that over 80 percent of Airbus workers in Germany are union members and they have good social dialog with German management.

When he visited an Airbus aircraft assembly plant in the U.S. state of Alabama where employees are trying to organize with IAM, U.S. management told him that the Global Framework Agreement doesn’t apply to the U.S., they don’t want a union in Alabama, and he is not allowed to talk with Alabama Airbus workers. He spoke with the workers as a show of solidarity.

An IUE-CWA member and Siemens employee discussed IG Metall support for a joint initiative by U.S. unions to organize at Siemens, which has signed a Global Framework Agreement with IndustriALL. He said the long-term aim of the initiative is to organize all Siemens facilities in the U.S. though it won’t be easy given the prevalence of union-busting in the U.S. even at German companies.

The Chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation Reiner Hoffmann discussed today’s rejection by Germany’s top court of a legal challenge to the proposed EU-Canada trade deal CETA for being undemocratic. Hoffman said he is not opposed to globalization but trade agreements have worsened inequality, failed to safeguard social standards and given too many rights to investors.

IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan raised the need for trade agreements to defend labour norms and ensure democratic control. He also discussed instruments on an international level that IndustriALL uses to confront multinational corporations.

The meeting follows increasing organizing collaboration between IndustriALL affiliates in Germany and the U.S., especially IG Metal and UAW. They recently formed the Transatlantic Labor Institute which focuses on organizing German auto companies in the U.S. South. The aim is to increase organizing success in the U.S. and maintain bargaining power in Germany.

“IndustriALL is committed to organizing, and it’s a part of nearly everything we do,” said Özkan. “We support initiatives by our German and U.S. affiliates to organize better through working together.”

IndustriALL rallies against precarious work on 7 October

The campaign to STOP precarious Work is a key action plan goal for IndustriALL and the theme dominated the closing proceedings of the Congress. As well as seeing the new logo for the first time, Congress delegates heard personal testimonies from IndustriALL affiliates on the scourge of precarious work.

Outside of Congress, IndustriALL affiliates from India to Nigeria, Pakistan to the Philippines once again took to the streets to raise awareness of the dangers of precarious work on 7 October, the World Day for Decent Work.

Around 700 shipbreaking workers held demonstrations against precarious work at shipyards in Alang and Mumbai in India. Meanwhile, affiliate unions in the Philippines called on new President Rodrigo Duterte to honour his promise to outlaw contract work. Elsewhere in South-East Asia, unions used the World Day for Decent Work to highlight the need for better maternity protection.

Take a look at our flickr stream to see all the action photos.

Report reveals medieval practices at Samsung

The joint report Samsung – Modern Tech Medieval Conditions reveals the appalling truth about Samsung’s no union policy, which affects the entire Asian electronics industry.

“From denying justice to the families of former employees who died from cancers caused by unsafe workplaces, to dodging tax and engaging in price-fixing cartels, one thing is constant: Samsung’s corporate culture is ruthlessly geared towards maximising profit to the detriment of the everyday lives of its workers,” said Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary.

The global high-tech manufacturer is denying workers their fundamental freedoms including the right to associate and collectively bargain for better working and living conditions.

“From the top of its supply chain down, Samsung prohibits the formation of unions by threatening to cancel contracts wherever workers organize,” added Burrow.

Samsung is one of the largest and most powerful companies in the world:

Follow the link and support IndustriALL and ITUC protest petition to Samsung to end worker abuse and abolish its no-union policy.

To shed more light on ordinary worker life at Samsung ITUC also launched a new video called Samsung’s Secret which tells the story of one union family caught up in Samsung’s no union policy.

For further information read the ITUC and IndustriALL’s Briefing “Samsung – Modern Tech Medieval conditions”

IndustriALL Congress – A luta continua!

For three days, delegates from affiliated unions discussed building stronger unions, confronting global capital, defending workers' rights, sustainable industrial policy and precarious work.

Take a look at the full collection of colourful photos from IndustriALL's Congress opening ceremony on 4 October; beautiful Brazilian dance and music, and a welcome address from former Brazilian president Lula, which tore the house down. 

A luta continua!

Action in Bangladesh on 7 October

The NGWF union leaders said decent work includes workers’ rights to a safe workplace, a living wage and rights to organize or join in trade union.

The speakers expressed deep concern at the continued increase of precarious jobs in Bangladesh, while permanent safe and decent jobs are in decline. 

Unions in Philippines call on President to stop contractualization

The groups gathered to show full force and express their sentiments on the slow implementation of the earlier labour policy pronouncements made by President Duterte.

President Duterte’s promises to reduce contractualization by half this year and to totally eliminate the system in 2017 gave workers high hopes. Unfortunately, after 100 days in power, there has been no real changes to improve the lives of Filipinos compelled to work on contractual basis, said IndustriALL unions in the Philippines.

During the protest, the group released the results of IndustriALL commissioned research on the impact of precarious work, conducted on August 2015.  The study says precarious work in the Philippines has serious social consequences on workers, their families and communities including inhumane family life conditions; conscious sacrifices by workers on very basic needs, such as food, in order to set aside some money to send children to school; willingness to grab any opportunity to earn a little additional income regardless of working conditions and exhaustion; and ignoring illness and health problems to avoid absence from work and the consequent loss of income, among others.

While most of the study respondents were garment sector workers of the Cavite Export Processing Zone, anecdotal evidence reveals that the same realities exist across industries, sectors and geographical locations.

The results of the study were personally handed over to labour officials by the IndustriALL leadership. Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod of the Department of Labour and Employment listened to the views of the leaders particularly on the issue of contractualization and proposal to increase maternity leave to 120 days and for the ratification of ILO maternity protection Convention.

Action in Sri Lanka on 7 October

Action in India on 7 October

Shipbreakers in India protest to STOP Precarious Work