Numsa strikes on steel

The one day strike was legal after successfully declaring a dispute at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), South Africa’s tripartite social dialogue forum. Demands with respect to the jobs crisis in South Africa related to an impasse in dialogue on the need for protection and support in the steel sector.

Numsa has been demanding locally produced and manufactured steel as opposed to imported steel be used in Government infrastructure builds including state owned enterprises capital programmes. The union wants a strategic approach to steel to be taken in the proposed Government’s Strategic Infrastructure Projects (SIPs) as a lever to drive local procurement.

Numsa also has continued to argue against Import Parity Price (IPP) and for fair pricing based to some extent on a regulated steel price. The union wants the South African government to take forward its beneficiation strategy including banning steel scrap exports as half of all raw material used in steel is currently being imported.

Numsa as called for government to set up a high level tripartite steel crisis committee with all government, labour and industry players to develop short and long term interventions for sustainability of the industry and jobs.

The strike action included demands against corruption more broadly and enjoyed popular support with many people joining in solidarity with Numsa and to draw government’s attention to a range of burning issues.

Organizing workers in Sri Lankan Free Trade Zones

Apoorva Kaiwar, Regional Secretary of IndustriALL’s South Asia Office, began proceedings by explaining the need to organizing women workers, who constitute almost 80 per cent of the workforce in the FTZs of Sri Lanka. Anton Marcus from IndustriALL Sri Lankan affiliate, the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union, conducted a session covering important labour laws related to the rights of women workers.

This was followed by a brief interactive session on the issues related to occupational health and safety (OHS) in the garment and the plastic sector in the FTZs. It was observed that there are many issues related to the women workers that are affecting their reproductive health, anaemia and also menstruation cycles.  A session was also conducted to discuss the various strategies to organize women workers in FTZs.

In the concluding session, participants expressed the need for further training on topics including labour law mechanism, OHS, Global Framework Agreements and ILO complaint procedures. Hence the next year’s activities of the project will be planned to cover these topics that are of relevance and would help in the organizing of the workers in EPZ’s.

Colombia: trade union activist Francisco Ramirez Cuellar must be kept safe!

Francisco Ramirez Cuellar is a member of the national executive committee of FUNTRAENERGETICA, and lead the process which condemned US based coal company Drummond for their involvement in the assassination and displacement of thousands of Colombians.

Having already escaped eight attempts on his life, IndustriALL is asking the government of Colombia to protect Cuellar's life and to identify those responsible for the attacks and threats against him. The government should take immediate action to dissolve the paramilitary groups in accordance with repeated recommendations by the United Nations.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Fernando Lopes says:

We demand the highest guarantees to protect the work and the life of Francisco Ramirez, who acts as special advisor on human and trade union rights for IndustriALL, against threats and intimidations by Drummond’s lawyers. His investigations are fundamental for all workers, in particular in the mining sector in Colombia.

IndustriALL is asking the Comisón Interamericana de Derechos Humanos to ensure that the government takes the necessary steps to ensure Cuellar¹s safety.

Drummond must immediately drop the charges of defamation brought against Cuellar and provide guarantees that it will not condone any threats or violence against him.

Help us send the message that Cuellar should be protected by clicking on Take action to the right!

More workers killed in Bangladeshi shipbreaking yard

This latest accident took place in S. R. Corporation, one of the major shipbreaking companies in Bangladesh.

In the process of dismantling a ship, the S. R. Corporation workers were cutting a gas cylinder when it exploded.

The injured workers were sent to the nearby hospital for treatment but doctors could not save their lives as they were all severely burned.

The names of the workers who died were Rusel, Kairul and Aminul. All three were employed as gas cutters.

IndustriALL director for the shipbuilding and shipbreaking sector, Kan Matsuzaki said:

Every occupational death is avoidable. And every time a shipbreaking worker is killed at work it strengthens our resolve to campaign for the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention. When we succeed in making that resolution a reality the lives of workers in the world’s most dangerous job will change.

BMF (Bangladesh Metalworkers’ Federation) and BML (Bangladesh Metalworkers’ League), two major IndustriALL affiliates took up the issue with the employer and local authority to ensure that the families of the deceased workers get an adequate compensation.

Only last month, 5 September, four workers were killed following a gas cylinder explosion in the Shital Shipbreaking yard in Chittagong. Such deadly accidents are the result of a continued lack of proper procedures, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient training and no compliance with safety norms.

IndustriALL and Umicore renew sustainable development agreement

The agreement, which applies to more than 14,000 Umicore employees in 38 countries, covers human rights (including collective bargaining and equal opportunities), safe and healthy working conditions, and environmental considerations.

Umicore's Chief Executive Officer, Marc Grynberg and IndustriALL general secretary, Jyrki Raina signed the agreement in Brussels on 20 October. IndustriALL’s Belgian trade union affiliates were co-signatories.

IndustriALL has carried out numerous missions to monitor Umicore operations since the agreement was first signed by IndustriALL predecessors, IMF and ICEM, in 2007.

Speaking at the signing, Marc Grynberg said:

"This agreement reaffirms our commitment towards sustainability in which the engagement of all Umicore employees is key. Our dialogue with IndustriALL plays an important role in our quest to be a frontrunner in all aspects of sustainability."

Jyrki Raina added:

"IndustriALL Global Union is pleased with our eight-year experience in the context of this global agreement and we look forward to this continuing in the coming years. We find at all the sites of Umicore we visit the same level of commitment to sustainability that we obtain from the company headquarters in Brussels. It is a clear sign for us of the true engagement of all."

Over the past eight years, IndustriALL’s joint monitoring missions with Umicore have included visits to Umicore industrial operations, such as Shanghai (China), Guarulhos (Brazil), Port Elizabeth (South Africa), Tulsa (USA), Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Subic (Philippines).

In February 2015, IndustriALL carried out a joint mission with Umicore to its plant in Subic Bay in the Philippines. The company’s industrial investment in the remote region makes an important contribution to workers’ lives and the whole community. A tour of the plant and meetings with local union representatives confirmed that Umicore was fully meeting the commitments defined in the global agreement to sustainability in the field.

IndustriALL also visited the Philippine capital, Manila, where Umicore has been supporting a project with a Belgian NGO that provides micro-entrepreneurs with much-needed training and funding. The scheme helps people in the Philippines to set up businesses, create local employment and build better lives without depending on foreign aid.

Repsol network meets in Peru

The announcement was triggered by the low oil price. The company claims it can get by at US$45 a barrel, butlower than that divesting would have to be considered. About half of the jobs would be axed in Spain. The company promised that the cuts would be done responsibly over three years. The effects will be much worse on contract workers.

Peru is the country outside of Spain with the most direct workers. Nevertheless 70 per cent of the workers are contract workers. Repsol's health and safety record leaves a lot to be desired. Excessive hours can lead to accidents. And trade union unity in Peru is still a challenge. The Repsol network coordinator, Jenaro Prendes, from FITAG-UGT in Spain, recommended that network call a specific meeting for Peru to deal with the issue. Moreover, Peruvian workers have a hard time getting time off for trade union business, although the right exists on paper.

Repsol acquired Canadian oil and gas producer Talisman earlier in 2015 in an US$8 billion deal. The acquisition created a certain number of synergies. Now the company has three key regions – Latin America, North America and Southeast Asia. Projects will be cancelled in the next two or three years due to the synergies and especially the low crude oil price.

The company presented the strategic plan until 2020 as well as the sustainability program. Repsol is one of the oil companies that does the most for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Still, says Prendes, "CSR cannot just be unilateral action by the company, but rather it should be a joint commitment."

IndustriALL explained the importance of the GFA's and networks in the energy sector. The Repsol network is one of the tools of IndustriALL’s strategic goals to confront global capital to enable trade unions to articulate solutions. It makes it possible to contemplate joint action to achieve sustainable development for the company and the workers.

The network should perform certain functions, such as following how the strategic plan is implemented, how the reorganization is carried out, and how the job cuts are managed.

In addition, especially in the Latin America region, there should be a role for the network to play in connection with indigenous peoples because Repsol's operations affect them.

IndustriALL affiliates from Spain, Peru, Colombia and Bolivia attended the network meeting and will carry on the work between meetings. Isidor Boix, founding member of the Repsol network, commented: "Repsol is a different company from when we founded the network, now it is a global company, and we need a global network, especially after the addition of Talisman."

IndustriALL campaign contributes to Mulberry supplier agreement but struggle continues

Considerable severance payments were given to dismissed workers who SF Leather refused to reinstate.

The IndustriALL affiliated Deriteks is determined to support the SF Leather workers in organizing a union and gaining a voice at the workplace.

A 14 October Memorandum of Understanding between the union and employer brought an end to all court cases filed by both parties, agreed compensation to dismissed workers, and also affirmed SF Leather’s commitment to respecting the ILO Conventions on union organizing.

During break time at the factory on 14 October, Deriteks representatives were introduced by management to inform the full workforce that they have the right to join the union without reprisals.

However, while the commitment was made in the Memorandum of Understanding with Deriteks, management did not make it clear with workers that it supports their right to join a union. The commitment will be put to the test over coming months as workers continue to unionize.

IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan stated:

Deriteks has been recognized by SF Leather as its social partner, able to solve problems at the workplace. SF Leather workers should now be able to join Deriteks without fear of being sacked. We continue to expect Mulberry to ensure all labour rights are respected at SF Leather, and our focus remains on this factory until it is unionized.

Deriteks General President Musa Servi stated:

“Since the beginning of the process, we have always sought dialogue and a peaceful solution. We have a duty to defend and promote the rights of our members. The union’s objective is to ensure protection of the value and dignity of work, and health and safety conditions in a regulated and stable working environment. I call on all our fellow workers at SF Leather to join us in concluding a collective agreement.”

Sign the IndustriALL-LabourStart campaign here and write to the UK-based Mulberry. Well over 11,000 supporters have already done so.

Turkish labour law requires over 50 per cent of the workforce to join a single union before it can be officially registered. There are approximately 190 employees of SF Leather.

British government must act to save UK steel industry

It follows the announcement from Tata Steel on 20 October that it will cut 1,200 jobs in Scunthorpe and Scotland.

Last month one of the UK’s biggest steel production sites, situated in Redcar, announced that it would stop production after nearly 100 years leading to the loss of 2,200 jobs. The plant’s Thai owner, SSI, blames falling steel prices as the reason to close Europe’s second largest blast furnace.

Meanwhile, Caparo Industries, a steel products company based in the West Midlands, has also announced that it will go into administration, affecting 1,700 employees.

IndustriALL has three UK trade union affiliates whose members are affected by the mammoth job losses: Unite the Union, Community and GMB.

Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said: 

“Time is ticking on the UK’s steel industry. The news of job losses over the last few days should jolt the government out of its laissez-faire approach to this vital part of the UK economy. Failure to act urgently could lead to a domino effect taking hold across the industry, leading to the loss of yet more skilled jobs as firms buckle under a combination of steel dumping and high energy costs.”

Fernando Lopes, IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary said:

“Whole communities will be destroyed by these job losses. We urge the government do everything in its power to defend the British steel industry as it struggles to compete with cheap Chinese steel being dumped in Europe. The British government must support the steel industry during this time of difficulty rather than stand by and let it die.”

In May this year, IndustriALL passed a resolution at its Executive Committee meeting in Stockholm supporting Tata workers in their battle to stop pension cuts. Tata had threatened to close the British Steel Pension Scheme in April 2016. However, facing the biggest nationwide strike in 35 years, Tata Steel returned to the negotiating table. In July, members of all three unions voted in favour of new terms, which kept the pension scheme open.

Guard strike points to global problem at Rio Tinto

Over 100 workers who provide security at Rio Tinto’s QMM ilmenite mine in Madagascar went on strike on Sunday. They are protesting the firing of two guards who are leaders of IndustriALL affiliate FISEMA. They are also demanding that a manager who is said to routinely verbally abuse workers and their families be terminated.

The guards, employed by Rio Tinto subcontractor Pro’Tech Security, are treated poorly as are other Rio Tinto indirect, precarious employees at the mine.

“Rio Tinto’s subcontracted security guards, catering employees, cleaners and drivers at its mine in Madagascar suffer from poverty wages and a lack of employment security,” stated Eugène Chretien, FISEMA General Secretary for Anosy Region.

“While Rio Tinto’s direct employees have a decent canteen and clinic, the subcontracted employees must eat in the open air in dusty conditions and be treated in an inferior clinic. Also, their personal protective equipment is not always replaced according to the security norms. This is especially troubling in light of the January fatality at the mine,” added Chretien.

FISEMA recently requested a meeting with Rio Tinto to discuss how to improve the treatment of Rio Tinto’s indirect employees in Madagascar, however the company refused.

Rio Tinto’s excessive use of indirect, precarious employees around the world generated a global protest earlier this month.

Unions at Rio Tinto organized a global day of action on 7 October demanding good, safe jobs instead of precarious work.

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.

In Namibia, the MUN union rallied and delivered Rio Tinto’s Rossing uranium mine management a petition demanding an end to exploitation of contractors. This includes paying some contractors only one-seventh as much as regular workers, forcing them to work longer hours with less job security, and victimisation of union members.

Unions representing workers at Rio Tinto in fourteen countries sent a letter to Rio Tinto’s CEO on 7 October requesting to work collaboratively with the company to address these problems.

“The security guard strike at Rio Tinto in Madagascar is a symptom of a global problem that requires a global solution,” said IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan. “We hope Rio Tinto will respond positively to the unions’ offer to work toward that solution.”

Defending democracy in Brazil and in the region: Declaration of the Regional Council of Global Unions and the CSA

In Brazil and in other countries in the region democracy is at stake, debated by the interests of international financial markets and multinational companies. In Latin America and the Caribbean, democratically elected governments are constantly harassed, and sometimes violently attacked by the elites and powerful minorities that control the economy and who have chosen to cause separations, even by using legislative and judicial mechanisms to overthrow the governments.

The media, oligopolistically concentrated at national and international levels, are the main instigators of these undemocratic and reactionary agendas against the interests of the majority.

A "civil society" built in the image and likeness of a racist and reactionary minority, occupies the streets and public spaces to preach hate against the peoples' conquests.

Coups have been and will always be linked to the interests of those who want to impose reactionary and anti-popular political and economic agendas, using all possible means, from the persecution and murder of political and union leaders to the destruction of their representative organizations. There is no justification for ultra reactionary groups defeated at the polls, to want to make in Brazil and the rest of Latin America what we have seen happen in countries like Honduras and Paraguay in recent years.

Our organizations are strongly committed to defend these democracies that we managed to win by dint of enormous sacrifices. Democracy and freedom of expression, as well as more labour rights and income distribution, are basic requirements for the construction of a fairer Brazil and a fairer continent.

We will continue to fight for additional rights and more inclusion. Inclusion, which is being attacked and debated by the prophets of hate.

Sao Paulo, 13th of October, 2015

CSA, Víctor Báez, Secretario General

ICM-BWI, Nilton Freitas, Representante Regional

IndustriALL, Jorge Almeida, Secretario Regional ALC

ISP, Jocelio Drummond, Secretario Regional

UNI Américas, Adriana Rosenzvaig, Secretaria Regional