Agreement with H&M proves instrumental in resolving conflicts

The GFA, which was signed in November 2015, serves to protect the labour rights of 1.6 million workers in H&M’s global supply chain.

In Myanmar, the GFA was key to getting trade unionists back to work, as well as achieving trade union recognition at the Jiale Fashion factory in Yangon.

Eight union leaders were sacked at the garment factory in October 2015, leading to a month-long strike. The Confederation of Trade Unions in Myanmar (CTUM) reported the dispute to IndustriALL’s South East Asia regional office, which invoked the GFA with the H&M Sustainability offices in Yangon and Sweden, especially as the case raised issues on freedom of association.

H&M Sustainability then pushed for dialogue through both their local office in Yangon and Jiale Fashion’s owners in Hong Kong.  H&M Sustainability, IndustriALL and CTUM were involved throughout the process until an agreement was reached between workers and the factory.

As well as reinstating the dismissed workers, the factory agreed to recognize the factory trade union, the Jiale Basic Labour Organization, which is affiliated to CTUM and IndustriALL through the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).

Khaing Zar, assistant general secretary of IWFM said:

“Building trust between workers and management is the key to industrial peace. The formation of the Workers’ Coordinating Committee at the factory will improve workplace cooperation and, of course, the biggest achievement is the recognition of the trade union at Jiale Fashion.”

IndustriALL textile director Christina Hajagos-Clausen said:

“The GFA is founded upon a shared belief that well-structured industrial relations are essential to a stable and sustainable production model. This type of collaboration is crucial for lasting improvements for the garment workers in H&M’s supply chain.”

In November 2015, 88 workers at the Denim Clothing Company (DCC) factory in Pakistan were sacked for demanding their rights. The dispute began when five worker representatives were sacked on the spot for asking to discuss issues such as a lack of social security, insurance, and salaries below the minimum wage that often were paid late. When 83 of their colleagues stood up for them, they also lost their jobs.

As part of the newly signed GFA with H&M, both parties worked to bring the 88 workers back to work through joint negotiations with IndustriALL Pakistani affiliate NTUF and the local management at Denim Clothing. All workers were reinstated with full pay from 26 November, the date they had been fired. 

Nasir Mansoor, deputy general secretary NTUF, says that thanks to the GFA and the efforts from IndustriALL’s regional office the issues were speedily resolved:

“With a proactive brand the GFA is an efficient tool for dispute resolution and a great instrument to protect workers’ rights.”

Abdul Jabbar, one of the affected workers, concludes:

“This shows us the power of workers coming together and the strength of international solidarity to resolve crises. It not only gave us great courage, but did the same for other workers in the factory, as well as workers in other factories in the area.” 

IndustriALL condemns crackdown on Thai unionists

It followed a rally of 500 locked-out workers at Japanese-owned auto-part supplier Sanko Gosei outside the Ministry of Labour on 6 January.

At 19.00 three police units and military forces were used to break up the demonstrators who were planning to spend the night there. Shortly afterwards two union leaders, Chalee Loysoong, Vice President of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee (TLSC) and Amorndech Srimuang, President of the Sanko Gosei Workers Union, which is affiliated to IndustriALL through TEAM, were questioned by authorities.  

During this time their phones and ID cards were temporarily confiscated and they were escorted at all times, even to the bathroom.  

The union leaders had taken part in mediation negotiations with Sanko Gosei and the Ministry of Labour during the day, as the rally was taking place outside. 

“We are gravely concerned that the government is using the Public Assembly Act to curb the legitimate rights of workers to gather peacefully,” said Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL. “This goes against all norms and international standards.”

The Public Assembly Act carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison for causing a disturbance or disruption of public services.

“The crackdown is particularly disappointing considering our positive meeting in December at which the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Labour said the government shared IndustriALL’s will to protect the rights of workers,” added Raina.

In October 2015, IndustriALL filed an official complaint to the International Labour Organization against the government of Thailand for serious violation of trade union rights.

More than 600 Sanko Gosei workers, who are all union members, have been locked out after negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement and bonuses broke down. The company claims that it is unprofitable. In the meantime, casual workers have been brought in to replace the locked out workers.

The Sanko Gosei Workers Union accuses the company of using the dispute to bust the union and replace permanent workers with subcontractors. 

The Minister of Labour, General Sirichai Distakul, has reportedly promised to attend the next mediation meeting between the union and the company.

For more information, please contact: Leonie Guguen, Communications Officer, IndustriALL Global Union – [email protected] or tel: +4179 137 5436. 

Women affiliates trained in Myanmar

The Confederation of Trade Unions in Myanmar (CTUM) in partnership with IndustriALL, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) organized the training in Yangon and Sagaing from 15 -16 and 18 – 19 December 2015 respectively.

The workshops aimed to increase awareness and strengthen women’s participation in leadership and decision-making positions, as well as deepen participants’ understanding of leadership concepts and principles. Participants also learnt basic skills in communication as well as how to facilitate meetings and group discussions. 

In a session on sharing and group discussions, most participants said it was the first time that they has been able to share their situations as women and as workers. They raised issues such as occupation health risks in the workplace, working hours and low wages. They also said that despite their paid jobs they still had do all the house chores and take care of the children and elderly which usually hinder them from actively participating in trade union activities and taking leadership positions.

Sexual harassment, invisibility and multiple-burden were some of the concerns that were discussed which participants were not aware of.  The women expressed their desire to learn more about these problems.

IndustriALL presented the advocacy for women particularly on gender quotas and maternity protection. The ILO explained core labour standards and instruments related to workers.

Participants formulated their action plans to increase women’s participation in trade unions and leadership positions through formation of functional women committees and through solidarity with other women workers to improve and respond to women’s issues and concerns.

Applications open for Global Labour University

Trade unionists and social activists are encouraged to apply to for its Masters’ Programmes in Germany, India and the USA. Students have the opportunity to benefit from the expertise of the international GLU network of universities, international and national trade unions, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Masters’ programmes focus on policies for social justice including global governance, international labour standards, development, economics, trade, and multinational companies.

The programmes include discussions, internships and field research with trade unions and other progressive movements to provide unique insights into the international world of labour. A limited number of scholarships will be awarded. For more information and application forms visit http://www.global-labour-university.org

The GLU is also running an online course, starting on 3 March 2016. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Workers’ Rights in a Global Economy is jointly taught by academics, ILO and trade union experts.

The course runs over eight weeks and is free or costs 49 Euros for a recognized certificate awarded by the GLU and Penn State University.

Rio Tinto: question mark over safety record in France

Local French unions report that since the last week of October 2015, there have been four incidents at the plant, which produces cathodes for the aluminum industry. However, Carbone Savoie’s management appears to have minimized the gravity of the accidents in its reports or hidden them away.

At the beginning of November 2015, a worker suffered facial trauma when a cathode was broken during a loading operation. The worker returned home by his own means without getting any medical advice but needed several days off work to recover.

However, management failed to report the work stoppage or the worker’s injuries, instead classifying the accident as a quasi-incident with a moderate potential outcome.

At the end of November, an employee fell in the steel foundry workshop and again needed several days off work. The accident was not even declared.

During the same period, two further incidents took place. Although no injuries were incurred, they caused serious damage to metal structures at the plant. One of the incidents could have had grave consequences for workers. Unions report that no TapRoot (accident) investigation has been conducted, despite claims by management to the contrary.

“This practice is not restricted to Carbone Savoie. Unions at Rio Tinto in a number of countries have informed IndustriALL that Rio Tinto discourages injury reporting,” says Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.

In October, Rio Tinto expressed its concerns about the increase in the number of safety incidents at Carbone Savoie since the beginning of 2015. In a letter to workers, Rio Tinto claimed that management had taken measures to improve the health and safety situation at Carbone Savoie.

However, the lack of disclosure of correct figures or analysis of the causes of incidents seems in direct contradiction to Rio Tinto’s claim.

All the incidents occurred in an atmosphere of high pressure and anxiety for workers. Rio Tinto Alcan employs hundreds of people in both Notre-Dame-de-Briançon (Savoie) and in Venissieux (Rhône). The disposal of the two operation sites of Carbone Savoie to a French holding company, Alandia, has been made public this week.

Prior to this announcement, workers have been kept in the dark about their future. Trade unions requested information on the ongoing strategic review, as required by law, but management failed to reply.

Since the acquisition of Alcan in 2007, Rio Tinto has initiated a restructuring of its activities in France, with the closure or the disposal of several of its assets. Alcan, which employed 15,000 people in 2007, now has no more than 2,200 employees in France.  In the operations that Rio Tinto still runs in France, the company is increasingly turning to outsourcing. In Dunkerque, Rio Tinto outsourced part of the stock activities and transportation. The company was also planning to outsource some maintenance work but a labour dispute led Rio Tinto to renounce further outsourcing for the time being.

“Occupational health and safety is a rights issue rather than just a technical matter,” says Özkan, “Workers have the right to know and participate in safety matters which doesn’t seem to be the case at Rio Tinto in France. The lack of reporting brings their safety figures into question and risks lives. We call upon Rio Tinto to act properly”.

Launch of NXP Asian trade union network!

In 2013, hundreds of union members were forced to leave the production line at NXP Manufacturing in Laksi, Bangkok, when faced with a choice between signing a company form to accept a new work system with 12-hour shifts for four consecutive days to keep their jobs, or leave.

In 2014, the company sacked all 24 elected union officials at its plant in a special economic zone in Cabuyao, Philippines for taking time off on national holidays.

In the same year, management suddenly terminated Jubilee bonus at Kaohsiung plant in Taiwan-ROC.

Participants discussed the following objectives:

The participants also appointed contact persons from each union, and a coordinator in the region to for effective communication.

As the result of an acquisition with Freescale on 7 December, NXP is one of the largest semiconductor manufacturers in the world. The company now employs 45,000 worldwide, and the research and development and manufacturing sites are located in China, Germany, Malaysia, Netherland, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan-ROC, UK and USA.

2016 will be the critical year for all NXP workers as the integration process between the NXP and former Freescale is accelerating. IndustriALL Global Union will support the NXP trade union network and also focus on the organizing activities at unorganized ex-Freescale workplaces.

Precarious work abuse risks denounced at Rio Tinto

In October 2015, leaders of the unions of Rio Tinto Global Union Network demanded the company to limit precarious work and improve the working conditions of its precarious workers. Rio Tinto appears to be increasingly using precarious labour around the world, a threat to workers, their unions and communities. Unions have attempted to raise this issue with the company, but Rio Tinto’s response has been inadequate. Therefore IndustriALL has been reaching investors, highlighting the risks associated with Rio Tinto’s abusive use of precarious workers.

IndustriALL is notably highlighting the greater incidence of health and safety problems among contract employees than among direct employees at Rio Tinto. IndustriALL brings also to investors’ attention the disturbing number of fatalities at Rio Tinto operations. In 2015 only, Rio Tinto has had seven fatalities. At least three of the dead workers were precariously employed.

IndustriALL is asking the investors to engage the company by seeking notably from Rio Tinto: a change in practice to ensure that Rio Tinto’s contractors have their rights respected and; a better control by Rio Tinto of how contractors implement health and safety standards that the company has committed to.

A full text of the Investor Briefing is available on the link.

For human dignity against terror

I am trying to get through the usual Christmas market crowd in the old, historical quarters of my hometown Annecy in France. People are chatting, sipping mulled wine, and waiting for the light show to be projected on the town hall building. The three policemen present are vigilant but calm, as they see no imminent danger.

Yet danger is probably somewhere in the back of the heads of everybody, just a month after the terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, in the same country where I live.

But people have decided not to allow panic to take over, not to lock the doors and wait inside for the next strike, not to stop living. That would mean giving the terrorists what they want.

“We stand for freedom, solidarity, equality and democratic societies. We refuse to be diverted to the road of radicalism and xenophobia. We will not be intimidated and driven into hatred and misanthropy.”

This was the political message from IndustriALL Global Union’s Executive Committee, which gathered 150 union leaders from all five continents to Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 9-10 December 2015. The committee adopted a statement against terror, and vowed to continue work based on our shared trade union values.

The Executive Committee was shocked and appalled at the awful terrorist attacks against innocent people in France, Turkey, Mali, Nigeria, Tunisia, Lebanon and Syria, as well as on the plane flying from Egypt to Russia. The attacks do not target only these countries, but all peace-loving people. They are an attack on our common principles of human dignity, mutual respect and tolerance.

The union leaders said they would not allow being played off against each other over nationality, religious, political or other differences. Different cultures and religions enrich our society and the world. Globalization has developed into a process with two contradicting tendencies. On one hand, the world was integrated into a global economic system. But at the same time the majority of the world’s population has been socially marginalized into unemployment, precarious work and poverty, and bereaved of their rights.

We have to reject attempts to stigmatise refugees, who are victims of political and economic violence in their countries of origin. Today, at least 60 million people throughout the world are fleeing from poverty, hunger, war and persecution. They need our help.

Terror can only be eliminated in societies that guarantee quality jobs for all, social protection, adequate housing, education, cultures, and equal access to land. Building societies based on social justice is our global mission. Fighting terrorism can never be an excuse to limit democratic rights or individual and collective freedoms.

We congratulate once more our Tunisian sisters and brothers for the Nobel peace prize 2015. They have shown how trade unions can play a key role in building democratic and peaceful societies. This will be an essential part of our continued worldwide struggle in 2016.

Jyrki Raina

General Secretary

Global unions demand release of Chinese labour activists

IndustriALL has written to President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, protesting against the crackdown against labour activists. On 21 December, IndustriALL and IUF delivered a message to the Chinese mission in Geneva, Switzerland, on behalf of the global unions and ITUC.

At least four labour NGOs have been targeted by the Chinese authorities since 3 December 2015 in a crackdown in the southern province of Guangdong. 25 NGO staff and volunteers have been detained and questioned by police. One of the accusations was “assembling crowds to disturb public order”.

Seven activists either remain detained or cannot be contacted. These include Panyu Workers’ Centre director Zeng Feiyang and staff member Zhu Xiaomei, Foshan Nanfeiyan Social Work Services Organization director He Xiaobo, labour activists Peng Jiayong, Deng Xiaoming, Meng Han, and Tang Jian.

Four individuals – Zeng Feiyang, He Xiaobo, Zhu Xiaomei and Deng Xiaoming are confirmed as being in detention. The labour activists have been denied any contacts with their lawyers and access to documents related to their cases.

The labour centres have been promoting workers’ rights and providing services to workers for years. They have assisted workers to resolve labour conflicts and offered legal advice to workers injured at work, or with wage arrears, neglected severance pay and social contributions. Despite the positive role played by the labour NGOs, local authorities have, during the past three years, intimidated and detained their activists, revoked licences and forced some to relocate.

In his letter to President Xi Jinping, IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina wrote:

“IndustriALL calls on your government to free immediately all the detained labour activists, stop suppressing labour and civil society organisations, protect the freedom of civil society as prescribed by China’s Constitution, and respect the freedom of association and other fundamental labour rights enshrined in the Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO).”

“We are aware that the continued slowdown in Guangdong’s manufacturing industries has led to an increase in worker protests, as factories close down and bosses run off without paying their workers’ wages. These workers need all the necessary help from your government, the ACFTU and labour NGOs. Failing to provide help and acting against people who want to support the workers will only lead to more unrest,” Raina added.

Iraq: building capacity for new labour law

The new code brings an important momentum to the trade union struggle in Iraq as it recognizes fundamental rights like the right to strike, collective bargaining, prohibition of child labour, discrimination and sexual harassment.

“IndustriALL Global Union’s support for our campaign for a new labour law was essential,” said Hashmeya Alsaadawe, president of the General Union of Electricity Workers and Technicians in Basra (GUEWT) and member of IndustriALL’s Executive Committee in her statement during the meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, earlier this month. “And now IndustriALL’s affiliates receive substantial solidarity through capacity building sessions.”

IndustriALL has held a series of capacity building workshops with affiliated unions in Iraq. At the latest one in Baghdad on 27-28 November, more than twenty participants from the oil, metal, energy, textile and other manufacturing sectors, discussed challenges and opportunities with collective bargaining, union structures and the new labour code. Special attention was paid to freedom of association, as there is a current campaign on the issue.

The workshop covered four main political themes: fundamental labour rights covered by the law; women’s rights; collective negotiations; and workers’ rights during holidays and leaves.

"The new labour law is a valuable contribution to the lives of the Iraqi people and a step forward towards a fairer Iraq. The long struggle of the Iraqi unions and the support from the international movement is a good example of what solidarity can achieve, not only for workers but also for a whole society," said Wesam Chaseb, programme manager at AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center in Iraq, who gave several presentations at the meeting.

Iraqi unions look forward to seeing the real improvements of the new labour code, contributing to improved working and living conditions for their members. The Iraqi labour movement is strongly urging the authorities to accelerate a trade union law recognizing union pluralism and which is applicable for all Iraqi workers, including in the public sector.

Our Iraqi affiliates are showing an incredible example of struggle to the whole world. Our global union family will continue to give its utmost support to these remarkable efforts,

said Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.