On 7 October Rio Tinto workers everywhere are demanding decent work

Trade unions affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union at Rio Tinto worksites in 14 countries are taking part. The unions make up a trade union network that is campaigning to change the company.

The joint demands to Rio Tinto on 7 October are:

Each union in the Rio Tinto network is taking different types of action to mark the day, from leafleting worksites to mass meetings. Unions from all 14 countries also jointly sent a letter to Rio Tinto stating their demands.

Workers at Rio Tinto are not safe at work. In 2015 the deadly trend has continued with worker fatalities in Canada, Chile, Guinea, Indonesia, Madagascar and South Africa.

Another dangerous trend at Rio Tinto is the increasing amount of outsourced or contract workers to replace full-time permanent staff. The strategy means putting workers’ safety at risk while weakening workers’ rights, social protections and responsibility of the employer.

World Day for Decent Work will be marked by union campaign actions across industries and regions in a strong protest against precarious work.

IndustriALL recently surveyed Rio Tinto workers on the effects of precarious work and the results were damning. The results of the survey indicate up to 70 per cent of workforces being precarious, and show a growing trend. At the large Grasberg mine operations in Indonesia the prevalence of precarious work has doubled over the last five to ten years.

Permanent workers are made redundant and replaced with workers on temporary contracts. In Rio Tinto’s operations in Namibia it is those same sacked workers who are brought back on temporary deals.

“You can imagine how such a change in contract weakens the employee. He or she suddenly faces the prospect of their contract not being renewed as punishment for raising their voice to protest their treatment at work. Rio Tinto again and again shows its ugly side when it could easily act differently and become a standard bearer for the entire industry,” said Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.

See the Rio Tinto, Stop Precarious Work day of action leaflet here.

Download the report Rio Tinto: The way it really works here.

Japan

On October 6, 2015, Japanese Trade Union Confederation, JTUC-RENGO 14th National Convention, all the delegates of the National Convention stood up to take action for respond to ITUC's World Day for Decent Work. While JTUC-RENGO took action, one of IndustriALL affiliates in Japan, Japan Council of Metalworkers' Unions got gather to organizing a session for national campaign on "STOP! Precarious Work!" at the venue of JTUC-RENGO National Convention.

In addition, trainees of JCM Labor Leadership Course also took action on "Stop! Precarious Work!" at the training facility in Kyoto. Including Brother Yasunobu Aihara, President of JCM and Vice President, Executive Committee members, representatives of industrial federations and officers of JCM attended these activitie

On the occasion of the World Day of Decent Work the IndustriALL affiliate Japanese Federation of Textile, Chemical, Food, Commercial, Service and General Workers’ Unions, UA ZENSEN, demanded “Decent Work for ALL!”, especially for youth and women.

Women and youth members showed their commitments for Decent Work with flyers at the National Assemblies of both the Committee for Promoting Gender Equality and the Youth Committee.

The agenda of promoting Decent Work are linked to a series of challenges especially women and youth are currently facing, including more stable employment and better working conditions for precarious workers and promoting gender equality at work.

Women and youth leaders re-affirmed to continue taking actions, and at the same time it was a good opportunity for a broad range of leaders to deepen their understandings on the difficult situation in developing countries and the importance of Decent Work.

Kazakh and Ukrainian unions to be part of the ArcelorMittal European Works Council

The  representatives  of  the  Kazprofmetall  Mining and  Metallurgical  Industry  Union and the Metallurgical and Mining Industry Workers Union of Ukraine, both affiliates of IndustriALL, discussed  the  structure  and activities  of  the  trade  unions  at  the  ArcelorMittal  enterprises  in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and the development of social dialogue between the workers and the employer.

Nataliya Marinyuk,  the  local  union first  deputy chairperson at  the ArcelorMitttal  Kryvyi  Rih enterprise located in Ukraine said that after the TNC had come to the enterprise, the headcount decreased from 54.1 thousand employees in 2006 to 27.9 thousand employees in 2015.

In July, the management of ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the major mining and metallurgical company in Kazakhstan that employs around 40 thousand people, announced its plan to decrease the salary of all  employees by 25 percent under the pretext of the difficult financial situation due to a decrease in the production demand. Kazprofmetall chair Asylber Nuralin and Jean Luc Ruffin demanded that the company keep the same level of its employees’ purchasing power.

The ArcelorMittal trade unions from Kazakhstan and Ukraine decided to send a request to Mr.Lakshmi  Mittal,  the  CEO  of  ArcelorMittal,  to  let  their  representatives  become  part  of  the ArcelorMittal  European  Works  Council  at  least  as  observers.  Jean  Luc  Ruffin  promised  to provide the unions with the Charter and other statutory documents related to the ArcelorMittal EWC activity. IndustriALL affiliates also proposed to sign a Regional Framework Agreement between  the  respective  unions  from  Kazakhstan  and  Ukraine  and  the  management  of ArcelorMittal.

IndustriALL files ILO complaint against Thai Government

IndustriALL’s complaint to the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association, details 18 cases of trade union and worker abuses in Thailand.

IndustriALL, which has seven affiliate trade unions in the country, accuses the Thai government of failing to protect its workforce of 39 million workers, nearly half of whom are employed in the informal sector. 

While abuses of Thai workers are longstanding, the situation has not improved under the current Thai government, which was installed after a military coup in May 2014.

Thai law fails to provide the rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining to about 75 per cent of the workforce, leading the country to have the lowest unionization rate in the whole of South-East Asia at 1.5 per cent.

In Thailand’s industrial zones, where global brands manufacture in a variety of sectors, about 50 per cent of workers are temporary. Thai law makes it difficult for temporary workers to join a union at a company even though they may have been working in the same position for several years. 

Contract workers are also used to stop unionization of workplaces. One company sacked and replaced 60 per cent of its workforce to stop the unionization of its plant.

Workers are frequently sacked for being trade unionists or trying to bargain collectively. In cases where the courts have ordered workers to be reinstated, companies often ignore the ruling or put intolerable pressure on workers to quit. In other instances, court proceedings drag on for so long that the workers are forced to accept a payout and resign.

In the complaint, IndustriALL urges the Thai government to review labour laws in consultation with trade unions and to ratify ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and the right to organize and bargain collectively.

With regard to the 18 cases listed in the complaint, IndustriALL calls on the Thai government to “ensure that employers comply with any and all orders for remediation and compensation, and that workers’ fundamental rights are respected.”

IndustriALL’s general secretary, Jyrki Raina, said:

“Thailand is a hub in the global supply chain for many multinational companies. The government must do more to protect its workers, who are the backbone of the economy. Likewise, multinational companies must not allow worker violations at their suppliers and subsidiaries in Thailand just because they can get away with it.”

Ends:

IndustriALL uses the occasion of the World Day for Decent Work on 7 October to highlight the destructive effects of short-term, temporary or contracted work, otherwise termed as precarious work. Find out more on our STOP Precarious Work campaign pages.   

#STOPrecariousWork

For more information please contact Leonie Guguen, Communications Officer, IndustriALL Global Union. [email protected] Tel: +41 79 137 54 36

www.industriall-union.org

Getting ready for 7 October

7 October will be the culmination of several ongoing national campaigns  against precarious work. In many countries, affiliates will articulate the global campaign to their national fight for a better legislation.

In the Philippines, 7 October will mark the kick off of the IndustriALL affiliates’ joint campaign “Stop Precarious Work! Regular Jobs for All”. IndustriALL affiliates are organizing a joint rally towards the Department of labour and employment (DOLE). They are expecting a participation of more than 750 people, both permanent and precarious workers. After this mobilization, representatives of IndustriALL’s 15 affiliates will have a discussion with the Labour Secretary. They will present their joint position paper on precarious work and their campaign which aims mainly at reviewing existing bills on security of tenure.

In Sri Lanka, affiliates will organize joint rallies as part of their ongoing campaign for the modification of the legislation in order to set limits the use of precarious work.

In Cameroon, IndustriALL affiliates are working towards the introduction of specific regulation for subcontracting to avoid the use of subcontractors in key and permanent activities of the companies. Within the framework of this campaign, they will organize a tripartite meeting with representatives of government and employers’ associations on 7 October.

In Brazil, a demonstration involving several trade union centers along with other organizations of the Brazilian social movement will be organized on 3 October. Among other demands, trade unions will request to limit the outsourcing. In April 2015, the House of Representatives in Brasilia had adopted a bill in favor of the liberalization of outsourcing. Trade unions are since then conducting an active campaign to delay its adoption by the Senate.

In Cambodia, affiliates will link their action with the ongoing campaign on maternity protection. They will organize a protest in front of factories and offices demanding “Maternity protection for all women” and “STOP Precarious Work”. They will also discuss both issues in a workers' study circle.

In Europe, affiliates will also take action. In Belgium, IndustriALL affiliates will participate in a national manifestation against antisocial policies of the governments, presenting their alternatives.

In Germany, IGMetall will mobilize against the abuses of the use of the contracts for work and services (“Werkverträge”) under the slogan “They will not divide us”.

This year again on 7 October, IndustriALL affiliates will send a strong message to the world to STOP Precarious Work!

India – violence against peaceful demonstration at Maruti Suzuki plant gates

The agreement between Maruti Suzuki management and unions at the three plants in India does not cover wages of temporary workers, or the workers dismissed in 2012.
 
The more than 3,000 temporary workers at the Manesar plant had been demanding wages at par with permanent workers, and rallied at the plant gates to show their discontent.
Police responded by violently breaking up the demonstrators. Several workers were injured and arrested. Some of the arrested workers have since been released on bail.

IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary Fernando Lopes says

This level of violence is wholly unacceptable. IndustriALL condems the brutal acts of the police, clearly supporting company management. We call for a peaceful resolution of all labour issues at Maruti Suzuki, including the temporary workers.

Apparel brands urge Mexico to comply with ILO recommendations

The brand’s letter specifically points to the problem of protection contracts that “allows the registration of collective agreements by trade unions that cannot demonstrate the support of the majority of workers they intend to represent, by means of a democratic election process.” It notes that many Mexican workers still don’t have access to copies of these agreements.

Signatories to the joint letter include: Adidas Group, American Eagle Outfitters, New Balance, Nike, Patagonia, Puma, PVH, and The Walt Disney Company.

The letter is an initiative of the multi-stakeholder Mexico Committee, in which IndustriALL Global Union participates.

Mexico is under growing pressure from governments, democratic unions and the ILO to implement concrete measure to guarantee that workers can exercise their right to be represented by the union of their free choice and to bargain collectively,

says IndustriALL assistant general secretary Fernando Lopes.

We applaud these brands for adding their voice to the call for freedom of association in Mexico.

According to Lopes, over the past few years, the Mexico Committee has been grappling with the question of what brands can do to deal with the problem of protection contracts and other barriers to freedom of association in their Mexican supplier factories. In addition to IndustriALL, the Committee includes a number of US and European apparel and sportswear brands, the Fair Labor Association, and the Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN).

The joint letter also expresses the hope that Mexico will take concrete steps to ensure that positive reforms made to the country’s Federal Labour Law in 2012 are fully implemented at the local level. These include requirements for greater transparency of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and union registrations and bylaws, as well as the urgent revision of clauses in CBAs that permitted the firing of workers who are expelled from or voluntarily resign from an unrepresentative union.

The letter also expresses the brands’ support for Mexico signing ILO Convention 98 on the right to organize and bargain collectively.

Improving maternity protection in South East Asia

An IndustriALL project on gender-maternity protection started with the implementation in four countries; Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Philippines. Regional secretary Annie Adviento and project coordinator Lorna Ferrer met with key officials of the four countries’ trade union councils and its Women’s Committees on 17-29 September to introduce the project.

IndustriALL’s affiliates in the countries have been campaigning on ILO convention 183 on maternity protection. Participants vowed to continue and intensify the campaign towards ratification of the convention through continued dialogue with parliamentarians and employers, as well as forging alliances with other organizations.

Women trade union leaders and members are encouraged to be more pro-active in their advocacy to lobby and campaign on improved maternity protection. Organizing women workers, strengthening women committees and development of pro-women provisions in the collective bargaining were some  of the highlights of the discussions during said activities.

The project will gather statistics on women’s leadership in trade unions which will form part of a study on women workers’ situation related to maternity protection, focusing on health of pregnant women and her child, breastfeeding provisions and work-leaves and cash benefits.

A brief summary of the study will be presented in November at a regional conference, expected to frame consolidated campaign strategies and concrete action plans to achieve improved maternity protection and strengthen women workers within IndustriALL.

Bangladeshi trade union leader receives human rights award

As president of NGWF, affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, Amirul Haque Amin has been fighting for the rights of garment workers in Bangladesh for more than three decades.
 
As a trade union leader, Amin has been active in the introduction of a minimum wage and the signing of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety.
 
IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina applauds the distinction:

It puts the spotlight on our affiliates’ continuing struggle in Bangladesh. Awarding Amirul Haque Amin this prize is an important acknowledgement of his and the trade unions’ efforts on organizing and fighting for safe and healthy workplaces, and a living wage in the country.

The international jury praised Amin for "the tenacity and intrepidity with which he has tried to improve the lives and working conditions" of Bangladeshi garment workers.
 
The Nuremberg International Human Rights Award is presented every two years to individuals or groups who have, in an exemplary manner, committed themselves to human rights, sometimes at considerable personal risk.
 

Interview: How Jordan’s unions are helping Syrian refugees

However, this month the World Food Programme was forced to stop food aid to almost 230,000 Syrian refugees living in Jordan as it can no longer afford to feed them. Another 200,000 refugees in the country have had their aid cut in half. This has left some Syrian families living on less than 50 cents a day.  

Speaking at IndustriALL Global Union’s Women World Conference in Vienna last week, Ahlam Alterawi from the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile Garment and Clothing Industries (JTGCU) explained what unions have been doing to integrate refugees into the workforce…  

How have trade unions in Jordan been assisting Syrian refugees?

When Syrian refugees started arriving in Jordan four years ago, we helped to provide practical relief such as food and blankets. But they couldn’t find work without paying for a permit and residency, which was a cost they couldn’t afford. So they came to us for help. At the same time, some businesses asked us for support so that they could use the skilled Syrian labour rather than migrant workers from countries such as Bangladesh.

At the end of 2013, our union and other unions went together with the Jordanian business association to the Ministry of Labour to ask if skilled Syrians could join the labour market. The Labour Ministry agreed and also reduced the cost of a work permit for Syrian refugees by 50 per cent.

How else has Jordan been indirectly affected by violence in the region?

As well as the large number of Syrian refugees in the country, more and more Iraqis are also coming to Jordan. This has been a problem for our country. We have had to decrease our use of water, oil and electricity. We have to import more food, more energy for electricity, and more oil to cover all that is needed for all these people that are in Jordan. Our population used to be around six  million. Now we are nearer nine or ten million. For this reason, they have started building refugee camps in the desert and all the empty places on the border with Saudi Arabia.

How have refugees affected the labour market in Jordan?

We still have thousands of Syrians who cannot join the labour market. However, there are large numbers of Syrian refugees living in Jordan’s cities. Many are young and skilled in sectors such as food services, textile and garment, and the construction industry. For this reason employers and owners of some companies prefer to take on Syrians because they are more skilled than the young Jordanians. Also, the refugees are prepared to accept lower wages, which are supplemented by support from the UN. Local Jordanians can’t afford to accept such low salaries.

What is being done to help local Jordanian workers?

Now international organizations are putting together a programme to include Syrian refugees in the workplace without it having an adverse affect on local women and young people in the labour market. By training the Jordanians, giving them skills to work, side-by-side, with Syrian workers so that Jordanians don’t lose their jobs, especially educated people. We have a high percentage of well-educated women and young people with university degrees and good qualifications.

You also have over a million migrant workers in Jordan, of which only a quarter are officially documented…

There are many migrant workers in Jordan, especially in the textile sector. They make up 75 per cent of textile workers and come mainly from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka Myanmar, China, Nepal and Madagascar. There are around eight nationalities working in the sector.

The migrant workers are popular with employers because they earn lower wages, work longer hours, don’t get pregnant and take their annual leave at the end of their contract. Local women have more family responsibilities; she uses her annual leave and sick leave and maternity leave. So businesses prefer migrant workers. But we are trying to replace these migrant workers with Syrian refugees because they are already in Jordan. Employers don’t need to spend money on flights bringing them to the country.

What is the average wage for a textile worker in Jordan?

The wage for textile workers is around 110 Jordanian dollars (US$ 155). However, the average Jordanian wage is 350 to 420 JD. (US$ 490 to US$ 590). Which means most local people are not interested in working in our sector.

What are you doing to try and increase wages in the textile sector in Jordan? 

We signed a sectoral agreement in 2013 to increase salaries for all workers – migrants and Jordanians – by 5 JD (US$ 7) per year. This is expired in May 2015 but we now have an extension to 2017 when the minimum wage will be 120 JD per month by the end of 2017 (US$170).