Precarious work disproportionately affects women. The mobilizations also called for the ratification and implementation of ILO Convention183 on Maternity Protection.
Cambodian affiliates distributed posters and shared information on increased maternity protection and short-term contracts to both men and women workers at workplaces. Affiliates held demonstrations in front of their workplaces in support of increased maternity protection.
In Indonesia, more than 500 women and men workers rallied in front of the parliamentary office to push for the ratification of Conventions on Safety and Health and Mining (ILO 176) and Maternity Protection (ILO 183).
In the Philippines, almost 500 women and men workers marched to the Department of Labor and Employment to advocate for an end to precarious contract work, to support the proposed legislation to increase maternity leave to 120 days, and for the ratification of the maternity protection convention.
A dialogue between IndustriALL Philippines leaders was held with representatives of the labour department, stressing the call to end contractualization.
More than 400 workers from Thai affiliates assembled at the Democracy monument and marched to the Thai United Nations office to call on the government to ratify the maternity protection convention.
President of IndustriALL affiliate Korean Metal Workers Union (KMWU) Sang Gu, told the Congress that the government is removing laws protecting workers and calling it labour reform. Workers and unions are under attack, and the South Korean government is not adequately guaranteeing freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining agreements.
In 2015, the government of South Korea proposed changes to labour legislation making it easier for employers to dismiss workers, impose low wages and increase the use of precarious work.
On 21 November 2015, one week after a major union rally protesting against the proposed legislative changes, the government sent riot police to raid the offices of a number of unions including IndustriALL affiliate Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).
Korean police have investigated, arrested and jailed dozens of union members and leaders in the current crackdown. KCTU President Han Sang-gyun and Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU) Vice-President Cho Sung-deok, were sentenced in July 2016 to five years and two years in prison respectively, for their participation in the recent protests.
Dong Jin from IndustriALL affiliate Korean National Electrical Workers Union (KNEWU) told the Congress that the union and its members were fighting back against the repression, and called on IndustriALL and its affiliates to lend their support to the struggle.
IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan says that IndustriALL and its affiliates stand strong in their support for the Korean workers:
We call on the government to immediately stop its attacks on trade unionists and withdraw regressive labour reforms.
In a solidarity resolution adopted by IndustriALL 2nd Congress, IndustriALL
Unions from around the world have recommitted to a global campaign demanding mining and metals giant Rio Tinto to clean up its bad practices. The conclusion was reached during the IndustriALL Global Union 2nd Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Unions at Rio Tinto operations from all regions of the globe met at Congress. There were some positive reports, including new labour agreements reached without disputes, management not opposing union organizing in some locations, and the company seeking dialog with unions in a number of countries for the first time in decades, but in many cases unions reported that local Rio Tinto management continues to abuse workers and their unions.
AMWU of Australia and FIM-CSN of Canada reported that Rio Tinto is implementing its zero fatality policy by blaming and disciplining workers rather than reducing hazards at work. Workers are now on strike at Rio Tinto’s 40 per cent owned Grasberg mine in Indonesia, where three workers have been killed in three separate workplace incidents this year.
Canadian union Unifor said Rio Tinto is systematically violating the collective bargaining agreement at its aluminum smelter in Kitimat and members have agreed to a special assessment to fund arbitrations to defend the agreement.
Unions from Africa spoke of increases in Rio Tinto’s use of precarious workers and the company’s failure to take responsibility for violations of these workers’ rights. Rio Tinto’s precarious workers in Madagascar suffer from poverty wages and a lack of employment security.
Hundreds of Congress delegates posed for photos with signs protesting Rio Tinto’s increasing reliance on precarious work.
“IndustriALL strongly believes in dialogue with leading multinational corporations and welcomes Rio Tinto’s stated commitment to a new relationship with unions,” says IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan.
“However unions at Rio Tinto gave us a clear mandate: as our Congress motto says, we must fight forward at Rio Tinto until the company backs its words with real change at the worksites.”
"Youth is a priority. We want them to be union leaders of the present and the future," said former IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina, addressing the 1,500 Congress delegates.
On 3 October, 80 young trade unionists from Latin America, Germany, Russia, Japan and Austria made a surprise entrance into the Congress hall with tambourines, banners and flags.
The following day they took to the stage to discuss proposals including the need to provide training to young people, creating spaces for youth in the structures of trade unions, and the creation of affirmative and specific youth policies.
"Yesterday we sang and danced. Today, the youth is on the podium willing to create policies and make important decisions" said Sascha Ernszt from Austria to the whole audience.
"We need the support of all of you because united and together we are stronger. Viva Youth in Action! And peace for Colombia!” said Edwin Palma from Colombia, who consequently received the applause of those present.
IndustriALL Global Union 2nd Congress opened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 4 October 2016. In keeping with the Brazilian location, the opening ceremony was vibrant and colourful, with samba dancers, contemporary Latin and African-flavoured street dance, and drummers. It was a celebration of Brazilian culture, the strength and resilience of the labour movement, and the achievements of Lula’s government.
Born into poverty, Lula is a former metalworker who became president of Brazil. As a trade unionist, he lead a wave of strikes that shook the foundations of the military dictatorship. Lula has been subject to right wing attacks and trial by media in an attempt by his political opponents to use the legal system, and media outlets controlled by a rich elite, to turn back the clock on Brazil’s progress.
He said:
“My dear friends, delegates to the 2nd Congress of IndustriALL, welcome to our beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro.
“Welcome to Sharan Burrow and Guy Ryder, to the presidents of the unions, to the delegates from all over the world, and to the workers of planet Earth!
“I joined the labour movement in 1969 when I was 24. By 1972 I was a rank and file delegate. I became the president in of my chapter of the Brazilian metalworkers' union in 1975.
“In 1980, I was banned by the military regime, because of the strikes we organised.
“Why am I telling you this?
“Because the struggle goes on. And the struggle will go on for a long time, if we are not careful. But I say with pleasure and pride: another world is possible.
“When I attended the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, I delivered a speech saying that it was possible to end hunger, and to include the poor in the decision making process. I made the same speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“If they bailed out the poor the way they bailed out the bankers, we would be able to end world hunger! We spent US $14 trillion to bail out the financial system, and here we are. If this money was spent on productive investment to create jobs we'd be much better off. And imagine if we gave some of the military budget to the poor.
“If we invited workers to be part of the solution, I believe they would make much wiser decisions than many of the economists and PhDs who run the world.
“I have spoken to the leaders of many poor countries, especially in Africa, I have told them that this is possible. The poor need to be made a priority in national budgets.
“But you have to prepare yourselves because there is a lot of struggle ahead.
"We were making real progress in Brazil, creating good jobs, building a powerful, sustainable economy. But the coup by the right wing threatens to undo all of this.
“We need to take advantages of democratic spaces that are still open to us. We need to fight for the rights we have won, and demonstrate to the world that we can do things differently.”
Lula was met with a standing ovation from Congress delegates.
During his presidency, Lula’s government brought 30 million people out of poverty, reduced child labour, empowered women, raised the minimum wage, reduced unemployment, and provided social security – the Bolsa Familia. He achieved this while growing Brazil’s economy, and ensuring that the proceeds of this new wealth were fairly distributed.
Lula’s leadership has inspired unions across the world, particularly in other developing countries, where his model of state investment to improve the lives of ordinary people has underlined union demands to government.
Some 1,500 delegates from more than 100 countries are gathered in Rio for the Congress, taking place from 4 to 7 October.
On Wednesday 5 October, IndustriALL affiliates elected Jörg Hofmann from Germany as President of IndustriALL Global Union. Mr Hofmann comes from German metalworkers’ trade union, IG Metall, where he is also President.
Valter Sanches from Brazil was elected General Secretary. Mr Sanches is from Brazilian metalworkers’ union, CNM/CUT, where he was Secretary of International Relations.
Atle Høie from Norway and Jenny Holdcroft, who is British-Australian, were elected Assistant General Secretaries, along with Kemal Özkan from Turkey who was re-elected to the position of Assistant General Secretary.
Jenny Holdcroft was previously policy director at IndustriALL, while Atle Høie comes from The Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions, where he was International Secretary.
There are also six new Vice-Presidents from IndustriALL regions, they are Issa Aremu from Nigeria, Tahar Berberi from Tunisia, Raul Enrique Mathiu from Argentina, Anders Ferbe from Sweden, Carol Landry from the USA, and Aihara Yasunobu from Japan. Agustin Martin Martinez from Spain will take over from Anders Ferbe in 2018 until the next Congress in 2020.
Delegates paid a fond farewell to IndustriALL’s founding President, Berthold Huber, and General Secretary, Jyrki Raina, who stepped down.
On being elected President, Jörg Hoffman said:
“The increasingly flexible production model based on the division of labour confronts the union movement with new challenges. Multinational companies are the winners of globalization while workers in many countries count among the losers. Employers around the world demand flexibility through temporary and zero-hour contracts but refuse to give security and stability in return. This we cannot and will not accept.”
Reflecting the theme of the Congress – Fighting Forward/A Luta Continua – IndustriALL’s new General Secretary, Valter Sanches, said:
“IndustriALL Global Union is ready to fight forward as workers’ rights all over the world come under attack. We will intensify action to stop precarious work and combat corporate greed, while striving to reverse the model that concentrates wealth in the hands of so few. IndustriALL has much to be proud of after its first four years, now the challenge is to use the structure and support of the largest trade unions for the benefit of those most in need, especially in the countries of Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.”
IndustriALL’s 2nd Congress continues until Friday 7 October, during which time delegates will determine IndustriALL’s action plan for the next four years, and decide upon resolutions about Colombia, South Korea, and Brazil, among other matters.
IndustriALL has more than 600 trade union affiliates from 140 countries in the mining, energy and manufacturing industries. Founded in June 2012, it has become a new force in global solidarity taking up the fight for better working conditions and trade union rights around the world.
Background
IndustriALL was founded four years ago in Copenhagen, Denmark with the merger of three international trade unions, the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF).
Kemal Özkan was re-elected as Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union at its 2nd Congress on 5 October 2016. He was first elected to the position of Assistant General Secretary at IndustriALL's founding Congress in June 2012.
As an engineer with a master’s degree in economics and business administration, Özkan worked at Petroleum, Chemical and Rubber Workers’ Union, which belongs to the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Türkiye, for 16 years working at all levels of the union with his last position being Assistant to the President.
As of the beginning of 2007, Kemal Özkan joined the International Chemical, Energy and Mine Workers' Federation (ICEM) in Brussels as Chemical and Rubber Industries’ Officer. Along with his specific industrial responsibilities, in June 2011, he was appointed as Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs of the organization.
He has been active in international trade union solidarity action within global and European trade union federations, including participating in the founding congresses of ICEM and EMCEF in 1995 and 1996 respectively.
Coming from a family of trade unionists, Özkan’s father was imprisoned for four years for union activity during the military coup d’état in Türkiye in 1980.
Contact details:
Tel: +41 22 304 1843
Email: [email protected]
