Three years after Tazreen fire, brands must pay compensation

On 24 November 2012, approximately 120 garment workers burnt to death and 300 more were badly injured in the fire. Exits were locked and more than 100 workers were sustained serious injuries as a result of jumping for their lives from the upper floors of the factory building.

The anniversary falls just as Walmart, Tazreen’s biggest customer, can expect massive sales during Thanksgiving week. The U.S. brand still refuses to pay compensation to victims’ families and the injured.

One year ago, IndustriALL Global Union together with the Clean Clothes Campaign, C&A and the C&A Foundation signed an agreement, brokered by the International Labour Organization, to set up the Tazreen Claims Administration Trust to give compensation to victims from a dedicated Fund.

The Trust, which is based on the successful claims procedure used for thousands of Rana Plaza victims, will make payments to cover loss of income and medical treatment.

Brands and retailers with revenue over US$1 billion are being asked to pay a minimum of US$100,000 into the Fund. 

Only C&A, Li & Fung (which sourced for Sean John’s Enyce brand) and discount German retailer KiK have paid so far.

Other brands that sourced from Tazreen and have not paid are U.S. brands Disney, Sears, Dickies and Delta Apparel; Edinburgh Woolen Mill (UK); Karl Rieker (Germany); Piazza Italia (Italy); and Teddy Smith (France).

Monika Kemperle, IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary, said:

“The Tazreen Claims Administration Trust provides real hope to victims who can expect to start receiving payments in the coming months. While we thank the brands that have already paid, we are completely dismayed that Tazreen’s biggest customer, Walmart, won’t fork out after three long years.

“Once again, Walmart is ignoring its responsibilities and failing victims.”

KiK is the only brand to be involved in all three of the ‘big three’ tragedies to hit the garment industry in recent history – Tazreen, Rana Plaza also in Bangladesh, and the 2012 Ali Enterprises factory fire in Pakistan which killed 254 people.

While the processes to pay compensation to the victims of Rana Plaza and Tazreen are underway, the Ali Enterprise case has yet to be properly addressed.

Kemperle added:

“There is no reason why a model similar to the compensation process used for Rana Plaza and now Tazreen, cannot be applied to the victims of the Ali Enterprises fire. Again, appalling safety standards and locked exists led to a terrible loss of life. It’s about time KiK delivers on its promise to pay long-term compensation to victims.”

Ends

For more information on the Tazreen Claims Administration Trust go to 

www.tazreenclaimstrust.org

Click here for more information on the Ali Enterprises fire. 

For further information, please contact:

Leonie Guguen, Communications Officer, IndustriALL Global Union

e: [email protected] 

t: +4179 137 5436 

 

L20 highlights importance of concrete action in fighting inequality

In September this year, global unions made a statement expressing workers’ expectations of G20 leaders. One of the union movement’s key demands: “Creating quality jobs must become the central priority of the G20 with concrete policy commitments and coordinated follow-up”.

The labour statement included “increase public investment in social and physical infrastructure”, “raise low and middle incomes and reverse the decline in the labour income share”, “supporting youth employment”, “expanding women’s employment and promoting inclusive labor markets”, “tackling long-term unemployment”, “introducing global social protection floors”, “strengthening workers’ rights and social protection systems”, “guaranteeing safe workplaces” and “targeting commitments to settle refugees and asylum seekers and afford all migrants the right to work in the formal economy” as main messages for policy lines to the world leaders.

In the meantime, the L20 made a joint statement with B20 (business), called “jobs, growth and decent work”, in order to “determinedly tackle youth unemployment”, “pursue macro-economic policies that promote employment”, “make a reality of the 2014 Brisbane target of reducing by 25% the gender gap in employment in 2025”, “promote formality and implement the new recommendation on informality adopted by the 2015 International Labour Conference”, and “business and labour must play a key role in the shaping of economic and social policy”. The joint statement has given special attention to freedom of association, effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining and social dialogue.

The 2015 G20 Summit in Antalya witnessed an increasing common understanding and recognition, even from employers and governments, that growing inequality is one of the biggest threats to prosperity and economic growth in the world. However the union movement believes that fighting against inequality requires concrete action plans by the governments to create decent jobs, increase wages and improve working conditions as this is essential for a sustainable and stable world economy.

As a matter of fact, for the first time in G20 records, the statement made by the world leaders acknowledged that rising inequality is a major risk to “social cohesion”. The leaders committed to implementing the G20 Policy Priorities on Labour Income Share and Inequalities that recognize the need to strengthen labour market institutions, the role of minimum wages and collective bargaining.

The L20 is certain that such global level commitment needs to be implemented in the countries with concrete policies and plans. Union leaders attending the L20 welcomed the statement on refugees, as the world faces the biggest refugee crisis since WWII, and also welcomed the reference to climate.

“The L20 in Antalya has made an important step forward with higher visibility and profile given to workers’ demands,” said Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union who was one of the union leaders at the summit. “With this momentum, we need to be able to make progress in the 2016 G20 summit in Beijing for labour and social issues”.

The Labour 20 (L20) is one of six outreach groups within G20 and represents the interests of workers at the G20 level. It unites trade unions from G20 countries and Global Unions providing inputs to the G20 Summits by voicing the demands of the trade unions through frequent exchanges with the Employment Working Group, Sherpas, and Labour and Finance Ministers.

As Turkey held the 2015 Presidency, a steering committee was formed by L20 Turkey with involvement of three main Turkish trade union centers Türk-İş, Hak-İş and DISK in coordination with ITUC and TUAC.

Workers in Pakistan’s glass bangle industry face starvation

The glass bangle industry relies on an uninterrupted supply of gas but the gas department has being blocking supplies  for one day a week. Low gas pressure is also affecting furnaces, halting the production process.
 
Many of the workers are in precarious situations, often employed through subcontractors. Wages are low and health and safety provisions are bad. Some work 12-14 hours day, with no weekend?
 
For home-based workers, most often women, conditions are often worse. Women earn less than men and then have to pay rent, electricity and gas for their workplace themselves.
 
A joint survey by the labour department and UN Women found that home-based workers often suffer from kidney stones, skin and eye problems, hepatitis A, B, C, and asthma. This is the result of  harmful chemicals, gases and smoke, as well as a lack of proper light and ventilation.
 
Protesting against poor working conditions and low pay, glass bangle workers called a press conference on 11 November and presented a number of demands to the government.
 
Speakers included Nasir Mansoor deputy general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate National Trade Union Federation, Zahra Khan general secretary of the Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), Faisal Qureshi president All Hyderabad Glass Bangle Welding Workers Union, and Jameela Abdul Latif general secretary Home Based Women Bangle Workers Union.

Workers have yet to receive a response to their demands, which include:

Workers’ rights must be respected in HeidelbergCement’s takeover of Italcementi

Meeting in Steinbach, Frankfurt, on 16 November, the restricted committees of both EWCs, and IndustriALL agreed a joint strategy and demands for social dialogue in the new company. The worker representatives also discussed with the Global Human Resources Director to establish a roadmap to set up a joint EWC.

The representatives agreed with the global HR director on a timeline for future joint meetings and open issues. They also agreed to have a training session to create a joint body as soon as legally possible.

Determined that this takeover will not harm workers and their rights, both EWCs and the global unions insist on a continuous process of information and consultation throughout the process, and beyond.

HeidelbergCement EWC chair, Giel Beks stated at the end of the meeting:

“This was a very fruitful and efficient meeting because we worked jointly and focused on our goals. Now we have a clear common understanding of our goals and of how we will reach them. The next meetings will set the milestones for this process. I am quite confident that we will be able to create a smooth integration.”

HeidelbergCement employs 45,000 workers, and has an annual turnover of 12.6 bn €. Italcementi employs 18,000 workers, and has an annual turnover of 4.2 bn €. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in the summer of 2016, and no major delays are forecast such as from competition regulators.

This will be the second major change in the global cement market within 12 months following the LafargeHolcim merger in July 2015.

Core issues:

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL director for Materials Industries and Mechanical Engineering, promised:

The global unions will be at your side during this process. And we will also make the link between Europe and the other parts of the world that will be affected by this merger.

Korean unionists alert world to deaths at Hyundai shipyards

Sixteen workers died as a result of gruesome and preventable accidents during the period March 2014 until September 2015, which is almost one death a month. Yet HHI refuses to take responsibility for their deaths because they were all working for subcontracting firms.

Chang-min Ha, Chairperson of the HHI Subcontractor Workers Local union, which is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union through KMWU, said:

“We have come to Geneva and the UN forum because HHI violates the human rights of workers who face risk of death on a daily basis. Workers are too scared to speak about their concerns about safety because they fear getting fired.”

HHI makes container ships and tankers as well as ocean platforms for the oil and gas industry. Around 50,000 people work in HHI’s yards, with 80 per cent or 40,000 people employed by subcontracting firms.

The recent increase in deaths is linked to the rising number of subcontractors used by HHI in the past two years.

“There is no safety management among subcontractor workers, they have to do more things in less time and with less training and education. They rarely get any health and safety training at all,” said Ha.

Only an estimated 3.5 per cent of accidents are reported to authorities.

“From 2012, we have been watching hospitals for a week at a time to see how many injured workers arrive from HHI yards. We have counted from 40 to 80 injured workers a week, and this is by attending just one hospital at a time, when there are around 10 clinics in the area,” said Ha.

“Sometimes workers are brought to the hospital by HHI in trucks or cars instead of ambulances. They tell hospital staff that the victim had an accident at home. Workers themselves are even reluctant to tell authorities how they got injured in case they lose their jobs.”

In September 2012, a worker reportedly died because he arrived at hospital in a truck instead of an ambulance and did not get first aid in time.

Chang-min Ha said his union has had to sue subcontractor companies for not reporting accidents. Some companies have been punished by authorities for this but not seriously.

“Concealment of accidents leads to the deaths of workers,” said Ha.

The union is trying to improve safety at HHI but to no avail so far:

“We never get a response from HHI. We sent management a questionnaire about health and safety but they simply threw it out.”

Union hostility at HHI is rampant. As soon as HHI finds out that a subcontractor is a union member, he or she is fired, said Ha. This is completely against Korean and international law. In Korea workers have the right to organize.

Workers for subcontractors, who earn 70 per cent less than permanent employees, risk being laid off at any time. Subcontractors have been known to proclaim bankruptcy and disappear without paying wages.

Workers at KTK Sunbak, a subcontracting company used by HHI, have been demonstrating on the streets for more than 200 days fighting for their unpaid wages after the company closed down in March 2015. This is in contradiction of the company’s contract with HHI, which stipulates that a certain amount of sales must be kept aside to guarantee the money for workers’ wages. HHI refuses to take responsibility even though it caused the closure of KTK Sunbak.

Kan Matsuzaki, IndustriALL’s shipbuilding director, said:

The ratio of one fatal accident per month at the HHI shipyards is insane and clearly shows the company has no respect for the rights and lives of its subcontract workers. HHI must recognize the HHI Subcontractor Workers Local union which can make the workplace safer and sustainable through consultation and negotiation with management.

IndustriALL meets Bangladeshi government and lobbies for ratification of the Hong Kong Convention

Sector Vice-Chair V. V. Rane handed over the demands of the campaign explaining, “Bangladeshi ratification would be mutually beneficial to all parties. As shipping companies are under increasing pressure to have their ships recycled in a responsible manner, compliance with the Hong Kong Convention would bring investment, health and safety training, and business to Bangladeshi shipyards.”

The Ministry Secretary told the delegation that a Ship Recycling Act would be presented to parliament at the end of 2015, leading to ratification of the convention.

The reason given for a delay in ratification was that the Bangladeshi government did not want to ratify an act that it could not fully comply with yet. Therefore there has been and will continue to be a period of capacity building before ratification happens.

Bangladesh was one of the countries to originally propose the convention when it was established in the International Maritime Organization.

Strike win just first step for Rio Tinto contract workers

The workers, employed by Pro Tech Security to guard Rio Tinto’s QMM ilmenite mine, struck in response to the firing of two guards who are leaders of IndustriALL affiliate FISEMA. Strikers demanded that the two union leaders be reinstated and that a manager who routinely verbally abused workers and their families be dismissed.

The union ended the strike on 5 November after management agreed to all its demands. Management also agreed to provide full back pay to the workers for the period they were on strike.

“These workers stood up for their union leaders and demanded respect, and their victory shows the power of solidarity,” stated Eugène Chretien, FISEMA General Secretary for Anosy Region.

“I also want to applaud Pro’Tech Security management for listening to their workers and negotiating in good faith with FISEMA. We hope to build relationships based on mutual respect to address our concerns about working conditions at Pro’Tech and at other Rio Tinto contractors in Madagascar,” added Chretien.

Rio Tinto’s contracted security guards, catering employees, cleaners and drivers in Madagascar suffer from poverty wages, poor conditions and a lack of employment security.

IndustriALL has worked closely with FISEMA to train and mobilize these workers and publicize their struggles.

The workers participated in a global day of action at Rio Tinto on 7 October which highlighted the company’s overreliance on precarious workers and failure to take responsibility for them.

The global day included actions by unions at Rio Tinto worksites around the world. In Iceland, the VM union held a rally in front of Rio Tinto’s aluminium smelter protesting against the company’s threat to close the smelter if the union doesn’t allow a massive increase in contracting out to lower paid workers. Workers at the smelter recently voted to go on strike on 2 December unless agreement is reached before then.

“Unions in Madagascar, Iceland and around the world are increasingly standing up and demanding that Rio Tinto end its abuses of contract workers and precarious work,” said IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan. “The agreement in Madagascar was a positive first step, but Rio Tinto has a long ways to go to address this global problem.”

IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll Europe grieve with France

Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, and Ulrich Eckelmann, general secretary of industriAll Europe, say with one voice that they stand with the people of France:


"IndustriAll Global Union and industriAll European are shaken and appalled at the awful terror attacks on innocent people in Paris. We grieve with our comrades in France and the rest of the world over this meaningless attack, and offer our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the victims and their bereaved families. 

"These attempts are not directed only against France. They are directed against all peace-loving people and against everything that is human dignity, mutual respect and tolerance.

"The terrorists must never be successful. We won’t be intimidated and driven into hatred and misanthropy. We stand for freedom, solidarity and democratic societies. And we refuse to be diverted to the road of radicalism and xenophobia."

More than 130 people were killed and hundreds more are receiving treatment in hospitals in the French capital as the world looks on in horror and outrage.

French President Francois Hollande has called the attacks a ”declaration of war ” and has declared a national state of emergency.

Philippines – proposed law extends maternity leave to 100 days

The proposed law increases maternity leave from 60 to 100 days, and covers pregnant employees in both public and private sectors, regardless of employment and civil status. There is an optional 30 days leave without pay.     

The proposed law is a milestone for advocates of maternity protection. The Philippines is one of the countries in Asia with the shortest maternity leave.

Trade unions have been campaigning for the ratification of ILO 183: Maternity Protection Convention since its adoption in 2000, particularly on increasing maternity leave benefits. 

The bills both from Senate and House of Representatives will be submitted to the plenary for further deliberation and approval for second and third reading. Once approved by both chambers, it will be submitted to the President for approval.

FUP calls historic national strike in defence of Petrobras

The oil workers’ federation (FUP), affiliated to CNQ-CUT and IndustriALL Global Union, is in the middle of negotiations with Petrobras. It is trying to convince the company to deal with the difficult situation it faces by taking new initiatives rather than measures that harm workers, such as reducing investment and budget cuts.

In the absence of an agreement, the FUP has decided to continue the strike in the hope that the company will act responsibly.

“With this strike, we are on the frontline of the battle over the direction that the country’s biggest company should take. The oil workers and oil companies that responded to FUP’s call for action are taking part in a decisive and historic moment of this confrontation”, FUP said in a press release published on its website.

According to FUP, production has been completely or partly halted at the company’s installations and the company has lost millions of dollars. For example, in Ceará, 87per cent of oil production and 94 per cent of gas production have been halted during the strike.

More workers are joining the strike and more people are attending demonstrations to show their solidarity with each day that passes.

Fernando Lopes, IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary said:

Keeping Petrobras in the public sector and ensuring renewed investment is crucial for overcoming the crisis currently affecting Brazil.