United Steelworkers fighting for fair contracts

On 12 September ArcelorMittal stopped negotiation, leaving union negotiators “disappointed by not surprised, since management has drawn out the process every step of the way”, according to a USW statement released the same day.

Workers’ representatives had delivered a comprehensive proposal to ArcelorMittal management that would meet the needs of active and retired steelworkers, while maintaining benefits and saving the company millions of dollars in expenses and liabilities.

But instead of pursuing negotiations in good faith management decided to leave the room. The company insists on large economic and non-economic concessions concerning vacation pay, health benefits, incentive pay, sickness and accident benefits.

The USW declared that the union has been “flexible and creative in addressing many of the concerns raised by management”, but management seems to have forgotten of “workers’ hard work and dedication” which saved these facilities in industry crisis of 1998-2002, when many steel companies went bankrupt.

The negotiations of a new contract started in June, a few months before the expiry of the previous contract on 1 September.

Another steel giant, U.S. Steel is still demanding drastic cuts, as well as introduction of a two-tier scheme undermining solidarity among newly employed and current workers. Health care, occupational safety, extensive use of outsourced workforce, reduced profit sharing and cut benefits are the subject to major attacks from the side of the company. The USW committee is continuing negotiations to reach a fair contract settlement.

IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary Fernando Lopes says, "IndustriALL expresses full solidarity support to our affiliate USW and all steelworkers fighting for decent life, wage and benefits, and will continue regular reporting on progress of the negotiations".

Forward ever – backward never! IndustriALL Women World conference

The lively and engaging conference, which ran from 14 to 16 September, was marked by its inclusiveness – 86 women were able to participate in the debates which took place across two days.

In a key outcome, the conference unanimously passed a resolution to increase the percentage of women in lndustriALL leadership from 30 to 40 per cent.

The proposal will be taken to IndustriALL’s Congress in Rio in 2016 for inclusion in IndustriALL’s statutes.

“Here it is not just a question of mere figures, but of transforming structures. If the trade union movement is to be transformed, then women need to be encouraged to join unions, and this will be more likely if the structures reflect the members that should be attracted,” says the resolution.

“Men and women working together to organize are more successful than men working alone,” said IndustriALL general secretary, Jyrki Raina, who endorsed the resolution for a 40 per cent quota.

The inaugural ceremony featured speeches from key figures from the Austrian government, including the President of Austria, Dr. Heinz Fischer. The President took up the key theme of the conference to end violence against women. As Austria is positioned at the heart of the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe, he said most women escaping conflict say the threat of sexual violence is one of the reasons for fleeing their country.

“All countries have good laws, but laws and reality are two different things, even in Austria. Trade unions and social partners can make good agreements to improve on legislation or to fill a vacuum; such as we have seen with the Bangladesh Accord where the agreement is saving lives,” said IndustriALL assistant general secretary Monika Kemperle.

Stop violence against women!

The conference endorsed a new IndustriALL campaign to stop violence against women. Participants at the conference called for the issue to be a permanent theme of IndustriALL’s work.  Affiliate unions will be encouraged to include the problem in networks and address it in collective bargaining.

Some conference participants told compelling stories about their fight for maternity rights. Only 28 per cent of the world’s women benefit from paid maternity leave, according to the United Nations.

Conference themes, women’s health and maternity protection, are integral to other areas of IndustriALL’s programme, in particular precarious work. Unions were reminded to take to the streets on 7 October, the World Day for Decent Work.

Conference adopted an Equality Charter and a paper on sustainability and women. The Equality Charter outlines women’s demands and outlines practical measures to achieve them.

The elections on day three confirmed Christine Olivier from NUMSA, South Africa and Gwenne Farrell from COPE, Canada, as co-chairs of the women’s committee. At the 2016 Congress, the women’s committee will introduce a system whereby the co-chairs will be rotated according to region. The first co-chairs from 2016 will be from Latin America and Asia/Pacific.

"The conference has really inspired me and showed us the reality of the other regions and the problems that they have. It has given us more strength and more power. I am leaving with more energy and more ideas,” said Diana Junquera from FITAG-UGT in Spain.

Looking forward, IndustriALL needs to broaden participation among young women workers, as a means to strengthen the organization. This was an aim supported by several young speakers at the conference.

“I’ve never seen women so united in confronting the struggles that women face on a daily basis. It was clear that the struggles of women all over the world are the same and therefore we should continue with the solidarity and the unity that we saw at the conference in the future,” said Christine Olivier, co-chair of the women’s committee.

Four union members killed ship breaking in Bangladesh

A gas cylinder exploded killing four and injuring a further four members of IndustriALL Global Union’s major Bangladeshi affiliate the Bangladesh Metalworkers’ Federation (BMF). The injured workers suffered severe and life threatening burns. The accident occurred while the eight ship breakers were getting ready for work.

The names of the killed are Khokon, Moksedul, Alamin and Shajahan.

The BMF and the Shipbreaking Platform assembled on 10 September to demand action and change from the industry employers, conducting a human chain and protesting the shocking working conditions in the industry in Bangladesh.

On 14 September the BMF again formed a human chain demanding proper safety provisions at the Shital yard. BMF is also working to ensure proper compensation is paid to the families of the killed and injured workers.

At the time of the accident the Shital ship breaking yard had two ships docked for dismantling, one from Russia and one from Greece.

The Bangladeshi Shipbreaking Platform reports that in 2015 alone 12 shipbreaking workers have died on the job, and 17 more have been severely injured in the country’s ship yards.

IndustriALL Global Union is campaigning to clean up the industry. Ship building and ship breaking sector director Kan Matsuzaki states:

The IndustriALL affiliates in this sector are taking action as part of our campaign for ratification of the Hong Kong Convention. Over the last three weeks major trade unions in Japan, Germany, Australia and Denmark have reasserted their demand for their governments to ratify this international convention that will secure health & safety and save the workers’ lives.

Facing up to the climate change

On 15 – 16 September, global trade union leaders met with French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who will preside over COP21. They also discussed their demands at the Trade Union Climate Summit, organized by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

Three essential demands were identified:

Brian Kohler, IndustriALL Global Union director of sustainability, said:

A global industrial transformation is coming and it will come whether a deal is reached at COP21, or whether we fail once again to take effective action. The casino economy has no answers to these questions. We must lead – no-one else will do so – in planning a hopeful future for all workers, including those in industries that may be impacted by efforts to limit greenhouse gases. It is simple social justice.

Just Transition is simple. Workers, their families, their communities and their unions should be kept whole in terms of incomes, social benefits, and opportunities. The entire cost of changes to protect the environment should not be borne by working people and the world’s most vulnerable; but in the absence of a Just Transition program, that is exactly who will pay the price.

In the industrial transformation ahead, the public policy question who pays for, and who benefits from, a transition to sustainability. And the social outcomes will depend on the social and industrial policies adopted.

The science is unequivocal. The need for action is clear, and urgent.

Kohler continues:

We can’t bargain with the laws of physics and we are out of time. Climate change threatens everything the labour movement stands for: fairness; social justice; decent work. Any agreement coming out of COP21 will not be the final word but only the start of a journey.

However a climate deal that supports sustainable industrial policies and comprehensive Just Transition programmes could become one of the greatest opportunities the labour movement has ever had.

A pessimistic future is not a just future.

There must be a future that sounds good; a future that is attractive to today’s workers as well as optimistic for future workers, and we will do what is necessary to achieve it

concludes Kohler.

Finland – demonstrations to counter government attack on collective bargaining

If the government proposals are approved, Finnish workers could be deprived of a number of rights, including rights laid down in collective agreements.

The Finnish government is using the pretext of boosting competitiveness in order to:

IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Jyrki Raina underlines the full support for Finnish trade unions' demands that the government withdraw these legislative proposals:

We urge the government to sit down with the unions that represent a big majority of the Finnish workforce, and hold discussions with them in good faith to find solutions that the Finnish people can accept, whilst respecting the social partners in the country and their right to conduct collective bargaining freely.    

Ukraine: Law reform threatens workers and trade union rights

In July 2015, the Ukrainian parliament approved at a first hearing Draft Law № 2983 “On State Registration of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Community Groups”.

Instead of the current notification system on the trade union creation, the draft law introduces a strict procedure for registration of trade unions and their associations by public authorities. This is a clear violation of Article 2 of the ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, which defines that “workers shall have the right to establish and, subject only to the rules of the organisation concerned, to join organisations of their own choosing without previous authorisation.”

If adopted, this draft law would amend the law "On Trade Unions, Their Rights and Guarantees of Activity” and weaken trade unions’ autonomy and depriving them of the protection from

external interference, including that from public authorities. IndustriALL Global Union shares the concerns of its Ukrainian affiliates that this could result in state control over trade union activity.

In a letter sent to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, IndustriALL is  calling on the Ukrainian parliament to withdraw the draft law that contradicts international labour conventions ratified by Ukraine and violates basic workers and trade union rights, such as freedom of association. Efforts should instead be made to ensure that a new revision of this draft law respects trade union rights and abides by international laws.

Unions from South East Europe join global campaign against precarious work

The countries of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro are experiencing restructuring and privatization, with industry jobs expected to be lost as a result. High unemployment rates have led to massive violation of workers’ rights and there are no real sanctions against employers that abuse the laws. Wages are often not paid, sometimes for months.

Precarious work, membership development and unity building were key issues on the agenda of a workshop held on 8-9 September 2015 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Participants at the workshop firmly denounced the complicity between employers and the political elite, and the lack of genuine social dialogue at all levels. 

Under pressure from international financial institutions of Bosnia-Herzegovina recently adopted a new Labour Act, extending the time during which a worker can be hired on a fixed-term contract from two to three years.  Debates are going on in the Serb Republic of Bosnia and new legislation is expected soon. Temporary contracts may be renewed up to five years in Macedonia and two years in Montenegro.

Kata Iveljić, president of the Trade Union of Chemistry and Non Metal Workers of Bosnia & Herzegovina said:

In the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina we have a new Labour Law which weakens workers’ rights. Our union has to renegotiate and align the general and branch collective agreements with the new provisions in the Law. We will seek to ensure that the rights enjoyed by workers are being maintained in the new agreements. We will also challenge the new legislation that was adopted without union consultation.

IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliates reported that fixed-term employment contracts have become common practice, particularly in the case of greenfield investment. In Macedonia, all new jobs created in the industrial development zones are temporary. Besides lax labour legislation, the government offers various incentives to multinational companies that set up plants in these zones, so allowing them to garner huge benefits at the expense of workers.  

Auto parts manufacturers in particular are employing thousands of people on fixed-term contracts and with poor wages (€150-160 per month). These developments are slowly impacting on working conditions in other companies. 

Lively discussions were held on the issue of organising and union building. Employers claim publicly that they respect legislation and the right to organise, but  in reality they resort to various tactics and covert means of pressure to prevent workers from doing so.

Pavel Trendnafilov, president of the Trade Union of Civil Engineering, Industry and Planning of Macedonia stated:

Macedonia has not been immune from the global trend towards precarious work. It is a major obstacle to organizing since workers on temporary employment contracts are scared that their contacts will not be renewed if they join a union

Union leaders at the workshop stressed the importance of networking at regional and global level to better advance their rights and assist one another in organising and collective bargaining campaigns.

IndustriALL Global Union and its European sister organisation will continue to work with affiliates in the region and support their struggle for decent working conditions and sustainable livelihood.

Workers killed making clothes for Primark, TOPMAN, Burton, New Look, River Island

Jeans Company Private Limited was registered in 2010 and was producing jeans, shirts and caps for the well-known brands. Around 1,150 workers were employed in the factory but because it was a Friday, most of them had left their workstation to attend Friday prayers. Only 40 workers were present when the roof of the factory caved, otherwise there would be more casualties.

IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Jyrki Raina said:

Garment factories are still dangerous in Pakistan and in Bangladesh garment companies are making much too slow progress in improving factory safety. There is still too much complacency among global brands: how many more dead bodies do we need before brands take responsibility to ensure safe working conditions for all the workers who contribute to their multibillion dollar profits?

The roof of the factory was in a poor condition, built with canes and mud. Recently, on the rooftop a number of chemical-filled drums had been stored by the management, which could be a reason for the collapse. Six persons including the factory manager were arrested after the accident.

IndustriALL affiliates in Pakistan condemn the incident and have raised their concerns over health and safety issues in the garment sector. Niaz Khan, General Secretary of the Ittehad Labour Union for Carpet Industries demanded that the Government restore and activate factory labour inspection and ensure the safety of workers at the workplace. Under pressure from several sides, the Chief Minister of Punjab announced compensation of Rs. 500,000 (US$ 4,800) for deceased workers and Rs. 100,000 for injured workers.

In addition, Pakistani trade unions are also ensuring that deceased workers’ families will receive Rs. 400,000 of their insurance claim. Nadeem Parwaz from the Pakistan Textile, Garments and Leather Workers' Federation said that they are in the process of establishing relations with the families and kin of the deceased workers, so that support could be provided to them.

The incident is likely to raise questions about the country’s industrial safety policy since many factories are running in poorly built buildings and in a shabby condition, causing a major threat to workers’ lives.

The third anniversary of Pakistan’s worst industrial accident in the garment industry, Ali Enterprises, 11 September, is being marked by loud calls on German retailer KiK to pay compensation to the victims who were killed whilst making KiK clothes.

Watch the Women World Conference LIVE

(NB. Requires Safari, Explorer 10, Chrome or Firefox internet browsers)

Join global action for justice at Mulberry’s supplier in Turkey

Join the action online (#Justice4MulberryWorkers) or at your local Mulberry store and demand that the luxury handbag and clothing brand lives up to its own 'Global Sourcing Principles'.

SF Leather reacted to its workers organizing into IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliate Deriteks by sacking 14 key union supporters on 26 March. When Deriteks rejected the company’s offer in April to reinstate 11 of the 14 on the condition they forget the union, SF Leather aggressively campaigned to crush the organizing drive completely.

Around 90 per cent of the leather purses made by the 190 workers at SF Leather go to Mulberry. Mulberry’s only action has been to hire independent auditing firm, Re-Assurance to conduct an investigation. The auditors have not spoken to the affected workers.

Instead of taking steps to solve the conflict, SF Leather has brought charges against Deriteks. The president of the union’s Izmir Branch, Makum Alagöz, now stands trial for non-compliance with the 26 May impounding of a union banner; the 3 June instruction to stop distributing campaign material online; and using Mulberry’s name in the campaign.

The three demands to Mulberry are:

1) Require that SF Leather immediately drop all court cases against Deriteks Sendika and the SF Leather workers.

2) Require that SF Leather hire back the 14 illegally dismissed workers

3) Require SF Leather to immediately stop all illegal union-busting activities

The IndustriALL-LabourStart campaign has already directed over 10,000 messages to Mulberry in support of the workers’ right to join Deriteks at SF Leather in Izmir.

IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan states:

“Deriteks’ global trade union supports wholeheartedly the 16 September action and its key demands. Mulberry’s inaction is unacceptable. The company sells high-end purses from SF Leather under the pretext that it respects the workers who made them. Lies.”

Find Mulberry online here:

Twitter: @Mulberry_Editor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mulberry?fref=ts