IndustriALL in solidarity with Arauco workers in Argentina

IndustriALL affiliate the Paper workers’ union Sindicato de Obreros y Empleados Papeleros (SOEP) in the province of Misiones is currently demanding the reinstatement of over 20 workers dismissed from the Arauco cellulose plant. The SOEP is affiliated to the Energy, Industry, Services and Associated Workers’ Federation (Federación de Trabajadores de la Energía, Industria, Servicios y Afines – FeTIA), an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union. It is also calling for better working conditions, insisting on the lack of health and safety at the plant.

The workers decided to protest following the company’s decision to dismiss more than 20 employees. The company responded by ordering the arrest of 11 workers exercising their right to strike. Although they were released hours later, the general secretary of the FeTIA, Pedro Wasiejko, commented that it was the kind of “unjust and illegitimate practice typical of this employer”.

The union decided to step up the protest to press the company to reinstate the dismissed workers. The Labour Ministry has ordered compulsory arbitration and has committed to taking every step to mediate the reinstatement of those dismissed.

The Labour Ministry also confirmed the “lack of health and safety” in twelve parts of the former Alto Paraná cellulose plant in the city of Puerto Esperanza. The workers have been calling for the application of the health and safety law for months.

Jorge Almeida, IndustriALL Regional Secretary, says:

IndustriALL supports the organisation’s demands and is ready to offer all the backing required to find a solution to the dispute.

Labour related Master programmes open in Brazil and South Africa

The programmes focus on global governance including international labour standards, economics, trade, and multinational companies from a labour perspective and on trade unions and other social movements as actors of change.

A limited number of scholarships will be awarded by the GLU network to students in need of support. 

The deadlines for application as well as programme details are available through the links below:

1 September 2015 for University of the Witwatersrand  http://www.global-labour-university.org/3.html
Contact: Pulane Ditlhake [email protected]  



1 October 2015 for University of Campinas http://www.global-labour-university.org/114.html 

Contact: Prof.  Eugenia Leone [email protected]

The Global Labour University is a joint initiative of universities from different continents, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) the international trade union movement and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. GLU offers Masters Courses in five different countries on trade unions, sustainable development, social justice, international labour standards, multinational companies, economic policies and global institutions and promotes research cooperation on global labour issues. For more details visit the website http://www.global-labour-university.org/.

Pakistani PCEM victory against precarious work at Shell

In face of management resistance and appeals, the victory has been achieved by IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliate PCEM, the Pakistan Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers’ Union.
 
Around 300 workers from Shell Pakistan’s Lubricant Plant in Karachi first applied for registration in 2013 for the Insaf Shell Pakistan Workers Union. In 2014 the registration office in capital Islamabad received an appeal from the company management for the union’s registration to be cancelled on the grounds that the 300 contract workers were not officially Shell employees.
 
The PCEM supported the 300 contract workers to file for their regularization before the national industrial relations commission in Karachi. Their case for regularized contracts will now be strengthened following the decision of the trade union registrar. There are only 59 permanent employees at Shell Pakistan, and around 500 employed on a contractual basis.
 
PCEM President Imran Ali, who is also chair of the IndustriALL national council in Pakistan, reports:
“Shell Pakistan's management was not accepting them as workers of Shell Pakistan and therefore saying that they don't have rights to form a union or to participate in any union activity, but with the support of PCEM these workers were able to register a union. And on 16 July 2015 Pakistan’s trade union registrar dismissed the management's appeal.”
 
The newly formed Shell Pakistan Workers’ Union will now participate in bargaining a new collective bargaining agreement, and become members of the PCEM.
 
IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan states:

Our PCEM Brothers are on the front line of the global struggle against precarious work. We are proud of this victory and the union will continue win the employment conditions Pakistani workers are entitled to.

Kenyan unions prioritize organizing

‘’This is good for our affiliates in Kenya and will support them to achieve their objectives,” said Isaac  COTU Public  Relation Officer.

A National Project Planning Meeting with Kenyan affiliates took place in Nairobi on 17 and 18 July 2015.  IndustriALL project coordinator Aneno Catherine shared the strategy developed with Ugandan affiliates and the same approach was adopted for Kenya by all participating unions.  The strategy focuses on three key approaches; a joint action strategy for organizing, education for action on precarious work and capacity development for occupational health and safety.

Mapping of new companies was discussed and participants adopted a mapping tool that was reviewed during the meeting. Individual unions also developed targets for recruitment and work plans to take forward the project.

Affiliates also formed a National Council to come together and plan joint work for unity and cooperation amongst themselves. Substructures were also formed on organizing and occupational health and safety for the effective implementation of project activities within the unions. 

Ugandan affiliates boost organizing

Four IndustriALL affiliates National Union of Clerical Commercial professional and Technical Employees (NUCCPTE), Uganda Textile, Garment, Leather and Allied Workers' Union (UTGLAWU), Uganda Chemical, Petroleum and Allied Workers Union (UCPAWU) and Uganda Hotel Food Tourism and Allied Workers Union (UHFTAWU) participated in the training, which is part of the IndustriALL East African Union Building Project.

Jan Toft Rasmussen, OHS consultant from Dansk Metal, Denmark facilitated the workshop. Rune Albertine, programs’ officer of the Danish trade union council for international development co-operation LO-FTF, was also present.

The participants received a comprehensive training on the ways to do organizing by dealing with health and safety issues and precarious work. The organizers shared their skills and experiences and discussed future strategies and cooperation among the unions.

Talking about the legal framework in Uganda, Moses Mauku, Director of the Planning and Development Hotels Union (UHFTAWU) stressed upon the importance of the industrial relations adamant for most employers, but bewailed the difficulties faced by the unions when it comes to implementation of their rights to organize.

Presenting the issue of precarious work Catherine Aneno, the Project Coordinator, Industriall East African Union Building Project said, ‘’Workers cannot save for their future, locked in the cage and the economy is robbed since this worker cannot pay taxes to build the economy’’. In her presentation Catherine Aneno touched upon the factors contributing to the spread of precarious work and disadvantages for workers and the economy. She also spoke about the ways to combat precarious work.

Moses Mauku, Director Planning and Research at UHFTAWU talked about the aspects of aspects of laws that regulate the OSH implementation in Uganda.

Jan Toft Rasmussen took the participants through the steps of developing trade union OHS strategy. Basing on the best practices in Denmark in his presentation he explained how to use OHS as an organizing tool targeting especially employers.

Catherine Aneno explained to the participants the various steps that need to be done in order to prevent accidents at workplaces and what to do if accidents happen.

At the end of the workshop it was decided that participants will write reports about the training and present them to their General Secretaries and copy project coordinator for IndustriALL East African Union Building Project, while their respected unions will:

IndustriALL trains women leaders in Myanmar

Pregnancy rights are a concern in Myanmar where maternity pay is only 70 percent of the salary. Participants told how they do not receive all benefits provided by law, which is the minimum standard.

IndustriALL assistant Monika Kemperle underlined the importance of strengthening women’s self-confidence:

Even though maternity leave may be regulated in law, legislation is not always enforced in practice and sometimes there is a difference in how men and women are treated.

Women from IndustriALL affiliates in Myanmar, the Mining Workers’ Federation of Myanmar and the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar, participated. Deputy Minister of Labor He Daw Win Maw Tun and Maung Maung, president of CTUM, opened the meeting.

The women worked in groups on body mapping, workplace mapping and leadership skills. All three groups found similar phenomena. Women’s eyes were sore because they had to focus in bad lighting. They were faced with loud noise and had often earache; some even went so far as to suffer from loss of hearing. Some women carry heavy loads, which results in arm and shoulder pain and sore neck and back. Sometimes they fall in the factory. Gynecological problems are not uncommon.

The extensive overtime and insufficient breaks result in a number of conditions. Sometimes the women have migraines, their eyes are worn out. They can have nosebleed, coughing. Not enough time to go to the toilet can cause renal problems. Sometimes women faint, probably from exhaustion. Necks hurt because of the intense concentration and bad posture.

Women in the mining sector perform welding, which is tough on the eyes. It is a noisy environment and accidents occur. Breathing in the particles sometimes result in respiratory diseases. Women want regular medical check-ups.

Women at the meeting committed to taking actions over the next six months:

IndustriALL in Myanmar

IndustriALL aims to strengthen affiliate actions to achieve a living wage in Myanmar, improve understanding of how unions can use the different wage-fixing mechanisms, explore how IndustriALL’s global living wage campaign can be used to improve wage outcomes in Myanmar, and further develop the affiliates’ campaign for implementation of the new minimum wage of US$3.2 per day.

On 22 – 24 July, IndustriALL held a workshop on living wage in Yangon, Myanmar. A worker’s take-home pay is made up of various bonuses and allowances, making the minimum wage issue complicated. At the workshop, the ILO discussed wage setting in Myanmar. People have to work 60 hours a week to meet their needs and often take out loans to survive until the next paycheck. The low salaries mean living conditions are poor, and workers jump from factory to factory looking for better pay.

The low wages forcing workers to seek a better deal elsewhere make the employers unwilling to invest in training, meaning that workers remain low skilled. It is a vicious circle as skilled workers are key to moving up the value-chain.

Wage-setting institutions in Myanmar need to be strengthened. Participants at the workshop discussed how to use wage-fixing mechanisms, how to combine a minimum wage strategy with collective bargaining, and how to extend collective bargaining agreements to sub-contractors and to cover contract and other precarious workers. The minimum wage issue was recognized a useful organizing tool.

There was agreement that the collective bargaining process should have some tripartite mechanism to monitor it, which may lead to reducing the number of strikes. Furthermore national unions can get help from the global trade union federations to apply pressure. National unions should get the government to agree to a contract for precarious workers. Contract workers should be covered by the factory’s collective bargaining agreement, as well as the minimum wage.

IndustriALL project coordinator Kenny Perkins explained the collective bargaining process that Myanmar unions should strive for:

1 – Unionize – collect data

2 – Form a collective bargaining committee – draft the proposal

3 – Final study of the proposal – prepare supporting documents

4 – Submit the proposal to EXCO – EXCO submits it to management

5 – Elect the negotiating team – make sure women are present

6 – Negotiations – sign the agreement

7 – Educate and organize – register the agreement to make it legal

He underlined the importance of trade unions acting in unity to gain more for the workers:

If unions do not agree among each other, it weakens the bargaining power and makes it easier for employers to take advantage of the situation.

From a minimum wage to a living wage

Wages should be enough to meet basic needs and to provide some discretionary income. Although the minimum wage in Myanmar is in many ways a landmark, it is still not a living wage. The living wage campaign is a priority for IndustriALL.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Monika Kemperle presented the key elements:

Owners in the garment industry are local while orders come from international brands. IndustriALL works with brands to target a living wage by jointly pushing for increases to the minimum wage, exploring possibilities to negotiate industry wage agreements, and promoting unionization and collective bargaining.

Participants were asked what they understood to be a living wage:

We want to have a decent salary where your family doesn’t have to support you.

With this minimum wage we don’t have to work overtime to achieve 100 dollars.

It means to have dignity as a woman and a worker.

We want to have an active and dynamic life in safety and security.

We want to have time for our hobbies.

IndustriALL in solidarity with SITRAMINA members in Peru

SITRAMINA, affiliated to FNTMMSRP and IndustriALL Global Union, represents workers employed by Glencore subsidiary Antapaccay. Both sides met on 24 July in Lima to discuss the company’s anti-trade union practices at a hearing convened by the Ministry of Labour’s Dispute Mediation and Collective Bargaining Department.

The meeting made no significant progress, but both sides agreed to continue talks with a view to signing a collective agreement by 17 August.

And although the company did not accept that it has violated trade union rights, it was an important and strategic meeting for the workers. The IndustriALL Glencore global network continues to express solidarity with colleagues at Antapaccay.

IndustriALL Global Union’s Assistant Regional Secretary Marino Vani attended the meeting and said that IndustriALL continues to firmly support the unions affiliated to the mining federation:

IndustriALL will closely follow the negotiations and, along with the global network of Glencore trade unions, we will be ready to take solidarity action in support of SITRAMINA members.

AFL-CIO awards TUCOSWA Human Rights Award

Swaziland has in the past had in place a basic legal platform for worker rights advocacy, a  labour relations system including a labour court, a mediation and conciliation body, and a system of tripartite dialogue between unions, employers, and government, existing alongside autocratic rule of the monarch. However in recent years Swaziland’s monarchical government has become increasingly repressive.

The Trade Union Confederation of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), formed in 2012 when the Swaziland Federation of Labour, the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, and the Swaziland National Association for Teachers merged, was refused registration and legal standing for three years, during which time the political space for unions constricted. Tripartite dialogue was discontinued and freedom of association was curtailed by regular police actions against union meetings and protests.

Despite pressure from other countries and the International Labour Organization, Swaziland’s government refused to make promised policy reforms that would recognize freedom of assembly, speech, and organization and curtail the broad discretionary authority that police use to disrupt union activities and arrest civil society activists including union leaders, journalists, student leaders, and political dissidents. 

“The Swaziland government’s aggressive stance consistently violates its international commitment to core labour standards and endangers the country’s economic development. Because of its open violation of the worker rights eligibility criteria in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Swaziland lost preferential access to the U.S. market in 2015,” explains the AFL-CIO. “This resulted in the loss of thousands of garment sector jobs and risks thousands more over the course of the year.  The government’s inconsistent decision-making remains the biggest hurdle to job creation and poverty reduction in the country.”

As legal and physical attacks on Swaziland workers and their allies became more frequent, TUCOSWA remained resolute in its support for worker rights, standing up for its right to exist, and to support human rights activists illegally harassed and imprisoned. TUCOSWA has stood for democracy, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Through persistent efforts and support from unions worldwide, TUCOSWA won its recognition battle in May 2015, but continues to face hurdles in the way of making legal standing a reality. 

“Swaziland will not be able to address its major economic needs without a strong TUCOSWA supporting worker efforts to organize, bargain, and advocate for their basic human rights;” says the  AFL-CIO. “For its dedication to fighting for a more democratic country that recognizes and protects freedom of association and worker rights, the AFL-CIO is pleased to award TUCOSWA the George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award.”

Sri Lankan affiliates intensify coordinated organizing in Free Trade Zones

The three major affiliates of IndustriALL in Sri Lanka: Free Trade Zones & General Services Employees Union (FTZ&GSEU), National Union of Metal & Migrant Workers of Sri Lanka (NUMMS) and United Federation of Labour (UFL) have decided to coordinate to organize workers in the Free Trade Zones (FTZs) and Board of Investment (BOI) approved companies.

At the UNIFOR project planning meeting held in Colombo on 22-23 July, the senior leaders of these unions along with their activists and leaders got together to draw a roadmap to further organizing efforts. This is the first time these affiliates decide to take up the task of organizing jointly in the FTZs.

This initiative will follow the three golden principles of IndustriALL 1) build cooperation among affiliates and non-competition in organizing efforts 2) enforce solidarity and unity structures for the democratic functioning of unions, 3) build sustainability and accountability through membership dues collection.

The project activities will involve internally mapping the three unions and also mapping and identifying the companies in the three FTZs located at Katunayake, Biyagama & Panadura and the Board of Investment approved units located outside these FTZs.

Simultaneously, joint training workshops will be conducted for organizers from the three unions to plan out strategies and set targets for organizing. The individual unions will conduct capacity building workshops, awareness programmes and meetings with the workers near their boarding houses.

The workforce in the FTZs consists of more than 50 per cent female workers, which was reflected during the planning workshop, where more than half the participants were women.

The women workers employed in the FTZs are first generation industrial workers from rural areas and have to deal with many problems in their workplace such as sexual harassment, unfair wages, lack of implementation of ILO Conventions related to women workers, as well as many issues with their accommodation in boarding houses. It was therefore decided that one workshop would specifically address developing strategies to advance women workers' issues.

This was the first occasion for Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL’s new Regional Secretary for South Asia, to attend a meeting in Sri Lanka since taking over in July 2015. Suzanna Miller, Project & Rights Officer, along with Mr. Kuldeep Dhanai, Finance Officer and Mr. Praveen Rao, Coordinator, confirmed the project objectives and participated actively in working with the affiliates to draw up their work plans for the period August – December 2015.