Gerdau Workers’ World Council undertakes to improve situation in each country

The 8th meeting of the Gerdau Workers’ World Council in Chimbote, Peru, was attended by representatives from United Steelworkers (USW) of Canada and United States, CNM-CUT Brazil and SIDERPERU (Mining, Metal and Steel Workers’ Federation of Peru), all affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union. Each union representative reported on the situation at Gerdau (specializing in long steel in Latin America and North America) in their countries and how it is affecting the workers.

The spokesperson for CNM-CUT Brazil explained that Gerdau is under investigation for tax evasion and may have to pay fines of US$1.5 billion. He said that this will most probably lead to a restructuring of the company, which will mean subsequent difficulties for the workers. It was agreed that IndustriALL would coordinate with the Gerdau trade unions in Brazil to help them strengthen their operations.

In the case of Peru, Gerdau has shut down the blast furnace. In addition, it is investing more in port logistics than in the steel plant, reflecting its intention to continue importing from China and Turkey, given the difference in costs. Another country faced with very strong competition from China and Turkey is Canada, where the Gerdau plant in Ontario has been affected to the point that it is only producing at 50 per cent of its capacity.

The Gerdau plant in California, US, is at risk of closure following its failure to comply with environmental standards. 300 workers would lose their jobs. The information shared and the points in common demonstrated the need to maintain continual contact with a view to finding joint solutions. Delegates decided to set up a communication network to ensure more regular contact between the countries integrating the Council, as well as to create a database to enable them to compare the collective agreements in the various countries.

Despite brush-off from the company, council shows its support for the workers

Part of the meeting included a visit to the Gerdau plant. The Council was disappointed at the company’s decision to suspend the visit due to internal problems, after having made the delegates wait for two hours. The Council nevertheless decided to go to the plant to meet the workers when they finished their shift. The delegates also took part in a march supporting the national day of protest called by the Mining, Metal and Steel Workers’ Federation of Peru.
 

The next meeting will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay, in the next 12 months. Until then, they will continue working on the plan approved at the previous meeting, which includes conducting a survey based on which a comparison can be made of the purchasing power of Gerdau workers, and that the coordinators would follow up on the plan adopted.

“It was a positive meeting on the whole, despite the absence of Chile and Colombia, as those who did attend undertook the commitment to continue with the network. A course was set towards strengthening it,” concluded Héctor Castellano, projects coordinator for IndustriALL in Uruguay.

Moldova: training of trainers workshop

Unionists from IndustriALL Global Union’s four Moldavian affiliates learned different union training tools for three days. Jean-Yves Sabot, secretary of FO-Metaux, facilitated the workshop. 

The project has five workshop modules in which participants will learn trade union training tools and apply them when facilitating workshops on their own.

Until the next workshop in September, participants will develop their own training programs and facilitate workshops on their own.

Vadim Borisov, regional representative of IndustriALL, sees a potential in project participants forming a team of union trainers in Moldova:

Unions of Moldova actually recreated the union training system at the Labour Institute. The international trade union movement is willing to share its experience to help our Moldavian colleagues to manage without foreign trainers over the time.

Ukraine – international solidarity puts the break on interrogations

Within the last couple of weeks several union leaders and activists from NPGU and the Coal Mining Workers’ Union of Ukraine have been interrogated by security services after thousands of miners flocked to the capital, Kiev, from all over the Ukraine at the end of April to protest against unpaid wages and mine closures.

The authorities suspected funding for the miners’ protests came not through the unions but by third parties with the intent of taking over state power. They launched a criminal case into the matter and union leaders and activists have been interrogated as witnesses.

Mikhailo Volynets, head of the NPGU, was interrogated for several hours on 18 June about his union activity. He strongly denies the accusations.

The April protests followed the Third Congress of Miners that was held by both unions in Kiev on 21 April 2015. Nearly 800 delegates gathered to discuss the difficult situation in the Ukrainian coal mining industry.

Mining unions are demanding that the government eliminates wage arrears, restores social guarantees for workers, sets a fair price for Ukrainian coal, stops coal imports, ends mine closures, and provides financial support to the mining industry in general.

Volynets has warned that the miners would launch an open-ended nation-wide strike if the authorities ignore their demands.

The interrogations are linked to the April protests and coincided with another turn of mass union protest actions in Kiev in May and June. The unions once again demanded that the government stop their anti-social policy and take action to resolve social and economic problems.

Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, said:

Instead of listening to the unions and taking adequate measures to prevent the coal mining sector from decline, the government has been on a witch-hunt, making union leaders and miners hostages of bad state policy. The international union movement is closely watching the developments in the Ukraine, and condemns all violations of human and trade union rights.”

Japan: expedited ratification of Hong Kong Convention

On 9 June, a joint delegation of IndustriALL affiliate Japan Council of Metalworkers’ Union and Japan Federation of Basic Industry Workers' Unions met with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The aim of the meeting was to demand that the Japanese government ratify the Hong Kong Convention and contribute to the development of an effective solution to the issue of shipbreaking.

The ministry responded that they will make an effort to expedite the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention by setting up national legislation to meet the requirements.

It was also mentioned that the ministry is in consultation with India, the world’s biggest shipbreaking country, to accelerate bilateral cooperation to improve conditions in the shipbreaking industry. 

JCM also met with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MOFA, on 30 June and demanded that Japan actively tackles the shipbreaking issues through diplomacy. MOFA responded that they will promote and support countries' ratification of the convention, such as India.

Workers raise their anger against complacency of LafargeHolcim

The delegates raised their anger and concerns about the outcomes of the merger on the ground, and evaluated effects of the global campaign and local union actions taken so far in response to complacency by the company and lack of genuine social dialogue with proper information and consultation.

Three global action days took place since the beginning of the year with large participation in different corners of the world.

A representative of the French-based merger partner Lafarge was present at the meeting and received tough questions and criticism from the participants. They expressed their uneasiness over the dismissals related to restructuring of the company as well as to divestment without recognition of fundamental rights. Particular cases in India, Indonesia, Italy and Belgium were especially reported as worrying because of large number of unjustified dismissals and uncertainty about workers’ and their families’ future without seeking any other alternative way.

The future of labour relations and social dialogue at global and local levels were questioned, and extension of the current global framework agreement (GFA) with the new entity was heavily demanded. Proper regulations for employees’ participation and occupational health and safety remain a major concern for all Lafarge and Holcim employees.

The participants were extremely outraged that Holcim management failed to come to the conference and have a discussion with the workers.

The workers’ representatives then debated on further steps of escalation of pressure on the management of the future company.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL Assistant general secretary says,

We came together at this global union committee meeting to discuss workers' key demands arising from the merger of the two world’s largest cement companies Holcim and Lafarge. We are always open to a genuine dialogue, but it is an inacceptable arrogance of the Holcim management not to even talk to their workers’ representatives although this meeting was known months ago."

IndustriALL at the International Labour Conference

During the two-week conference, 24 countries were shortlisted for review by the Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) for failing to implement the Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Committee is a tripartite body with representatives from workers, employers and governments.

Of particular interest for IndustriALL were cases regarding the non observance of Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and the Right to Organize, including Bangladesh, Belarus, Mexico and Swaziland.

In Mexico IndustriALL continues to fight against protection unions, which do not represent workers and serve only the interests of employers and corrupt government officials. The Committee recognized the existence of protection unions and made strong recommendations to the Mexican government to put in place legislative reforms and measures to prevent the registration of the protection unions. Read more here.

Worker statements illustrated the serious challenges that lie ahead in putting Bangladesh in line with the Convention 87, ranging from legal problems, issues with EPZs (export processing zones), anti-union discrimination and violence, and trade union registration, among other factors.

IndustriALL denounced anti-union violence in Bangladesh with particular reference to the case caught on camera of two female union leaders getting beaten up at a factory owned by the Azim Group.

The Committee recommended a high level tripartite mission to Bangladesh in order to make a closer assessment of the country.

The Minister of Labour in Belarus referred to the recent decision by the country’s President Lukashenko to amend his own decree, which dictated a 10 per cent minimum union membership as condition for creation of a new union, to a lesser threshold of 10 people.

Although this is a positive development, workers’ and trade union rights are strangled in Belarus through the dominance of short-term contracts as well as bureaucratic hurdles that prevent independent unions from official registration.

During the Conference, Belarus was listed as one of the world’s ten worst countries for workers by the ITUC as it launched its 2015 Global Rights Index. The report says Belarus is characterized by anti-union discrimination, forced labour and repression of protests.

No wonder that the Committee expressed “deep concern that, ten years after the Commission of Inquiry’s report, the government of Belarus has failed to take measures to address most of the Commission’s recommendations. Workers continue to face numerous obstacles in law and in practice to the full exercise of their right to form or join trade unions of their own choosing.”

Despite having registered labour federation Tucoswa last month, Swaziland was again shortlisted for examination by the Committee which concluded that the government has a way to go before Swaziland is in full compliance with Convention 87.

The conclusions of the discussion on Swaziland list nine actions that the government is urged to take immediately. At the top of the list is a call for the unconditional release of a jailed lawyer for the Trade Union Confederation of Swaziland (Tucoswa), Thulani Maseko, who is serving a two year sentence for contempt of court; as well all other imprisoned workers whose right to free speech has been violated.

The committee also called for the registration of IndustriALL’s affiliate, the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (Atuswa) without further delay. Atuswa was formed through a merger in 2013 of several unions that organize industrial workers in Swaziland, including textile, garment and metal workers. An affiliate of Tucoswa, Atuswa has not been registered despite meeting the requirements set out by government for the registration of a trade union.

The Committee also listed legislative reforms required to bring the country into compliance with the freedom of association Convention and has urged the Swazi government to accept technical assistance to achieve this.

Read the full report from this year’s Committee on the Application of Standards here. 

Workers approve agreement reached at Tenaris, Italy

The deal with Tenaris Dalmine was approved in a ballot that took place on 11 and 12 June.

According to the agreement, the earlier announced 406 redundancies will be reduced to 301. The lower number has been obtained through the use of solidarity contracts, which allow workers to keep their jobs but with decreased working hours. One of the main cornerstones of the negotiations was about the destiny of 120 apprentices. Through the negotiated agreement they will now receive confirmation of their employment. Previously the company had announced their temporary contracts would not be renewed.

Out of 301 layoffs, 261 will take place at the Dalmine facility, while 40 other job losses will be carried out in the outlying worksites. Solidarity contracts will be used for 12 to 24 months and a voluntary mobility option with accompanying support up to the age of retirement will be offered to all workers who agree to access the scheme before 2020.

The union delegation, headed by Emanuele Fantini (Fim-Cisl), Eugenio Borella, (Fiom-Cgil) and Angelo Nozza (Uilm), considered the resulting agreement as positive although not all of the workers’ demands have been accepted.

Among its achievements, the union leaders cited the decrease in the total number of redundancies and confirmation of employment of apprentices, proving the company’s preparedness to invest in human resources. The option of voluntary retirement and agreement on solidarity contracts was also positively assessed.

ILO calls for greater protection of all workers

The Committee for the Recurrent Discussion on Social Protection (Labour Protection) said that although some advances have been made in minimum wage systems, working hours, health and safety, and maternity protection, too many workers lack adequate social protection.

The discussion was informed by a report prepared by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Labour Protection in a Transforming World of Work, which paints the new challenges that workers are facing. New technologies and globalization have led to different business models that have created fresh barriers to the exercise of the freedom of association. Collective bargaining coverage has declined. Labour protection regulations have been questioned under the pretext that they have a negative effect on employment. 

The Committee said more should be done to give better protection to workers in non-standard forms of employment (NSFE). NSFE or precarious work questions the traditional employment relationship that has been the basis of labour protection. The Committee recommended, as the Meeting of Experts on NSFE did in February, to evaluate the need for new international labour standards on temporary employment and on discrimination on the basis of employment status. 

A special focus was also given to health and safety. The Committee put forward the need to identify emerging risks linked to new way of work in particular, increased violence against workers, exposure to hazardous substances and psychosocial problems.  Emphasis was again put on the need for employers to develop their policies and risk management mechanisms in consultation with workers and their trade union representatives.  The Committee reminded of the need to protect pregnant women, and highlighted, as stipulated in ILO convention 183, that all women, including those in NSFE should enjoy protection without discrimination.

The Committee also called for a tripartite meeting of experts on the developments and challenges of flexible working time arrangements and their impact on workers. The pressure on workers to be available to work for extended periods, as well as zero hours contracts were other issues raised during the discussions.

The Committee recommended that due regard would be made in next year’s discussion on global supply chains. IndustriALL Global Union will participate in this debate and promote effective measures to ensure good labour protection for workers in supply chains and non-standard forms of employment.

Catelene Passchier, Workers' Spokesperson for the Labour Protection Committee said:

We need fundamental changes to ensure that economic growth, social justice and decent working conditions go hand in hand. It is absolutely unacceptable and indecent that, despite decades of economic growth, still many workers have hardly any social protection; are exposed to extremely hazardous working conditions; need to work excessive hours; lack maternity protection; or do not even earn a proper minimum living wage. Without collective representation many workers cannot access their rights in practice and the potential of collective bargaining and social dialogue cannot be used.

Mexico should act to end undemocratic unions says ILO

Mexico was one of 24 countries shortlisted for examination by the ILO Committee on Application of Standards in Geneva early this month, for its failure to implement ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize.

The Conclusions, adopted by the ILO Governing Body and the Committee on Application of Standards asked the Mexican government to:

The Committee requested the Mexican government to fulfil without delay its obligation to publish the registration and bylaws of trade unions on the local boards of the country’s 31 states, and to accept ILO Technical Assistance to address the issues referred to in these recommendations.

Government and employer members from Mexico at the ILO meeting tried to put emphasis on progress achieved in relation to the country’s new Labour Law and alleged transparency of the collective bargaining agreements. However, IndustriALL Global Union and worker members strongly denounced the daily and institutional violations to workers’ rights by the local & federal labour courts, also indicating that unfortunately “the criminal and corrupt system of labour relations known as Protection Contracts continues to grow in all sectors.”

Examples of severe violations to the right of freedom of association were mentioned in relation to IndustriALL’s Mexican mining affiliate, Los Mineros, and their fight for democratic union elections at the Finnish autoparts multinational PKC in Ciudad Acuña, at the Gunderson railcar plant in Monclova, and at CB&I, a steel piping manufacturer in Matamoros, as well as the systematic criminalization of workers who are sacked and then brought to court by the companies, as in the case of Sandak/Bata,  STRACC workers and STUHM at Honda-Jalisco.  

Worker representative, Katja Lehto-Komulainen, from Finnish trade union confederation, SAK, spoke up on the situation in Ciudad Acuña in Arneses and Accesorios de Mexico (PKC case), stating that in Mexico, national legislation is used as an excuse to undermine ILO core standards. She called on the government to fulfil its obligations in relation to Convention 87.

The case of farmworkers in San Quintin fighting against protection contracts to overcome slave-like conditions of work and child labour was highlighted. The export of fruit and vegetables from Mexico to the US has tripled to US$ 7.6 billion in the last decade under the North American Free Trade Agreement, which continues to increase benefits to employers to the detriment of workers' most basic rights. 

Notably, the US government member supported IndustriALL’s position, explicitly demanding that the government of Mexico take serious measures to redress the structure of the local Labour Boards to provide for adequate workers' representation and to address the continued presence of protection unions. 

“The ILO Recommendations represent a positive step forward but we will continue to pressure the government of Mexico to respect workers' rights to Freedom of Association and to decent jobs for our affiliates and all Mexican workers,” said Fernando Lopes, assistant general secretary at IndustriALL.

Global unions denounce comments made by Bangladesh Finance Minister

The unions say Mr Abul Maal Abdul Muhith’s comments criticizing the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and describing it as a ‘noose’ around the neck of the garment industry are wholly irresponsible.

“Your remarks wrongly accuse the Accord of seeking to hold back Bangladesh’s progress, when the reverse is true. As your government is well aware, the Accord came into being in response to the collapse of Rana Plaza, when it became evident to the world, and specifically to garment brands, that the safety of garment workers in Bangladesh could not be guaranteed.”

More than 1,100 people were killed and 2000 more injured when the Rana Plaza garment factory complex collapsed in April 2013.

“The easiest response for the brands to this situation would be to walk away and look for safer countries to produce in. Instead, IndustriALL and UNI negotiated the Accord with more than 200 brands sourcing from Bangladesh, in order to demonstrate their commitment to the industry in Bangladesh by working with the factories to make them safe,” continues the letter.

The Accord has inspected 1,600 garment factories and made safety recommendations for each and every one. 

“Let’s not forget that prior to the Accord, self-regulation by brands and government inspections failed to prevent Bangladesh’s worst-ever industrial accident,” said IndustriALL’s general secretary Jyrki Raina.

“The minister’s remarks are inaccurate and irresponsible. The Accord is a positive game changer for the Bangladeshi garment industry and his comments put at risk its future sustainability,” said Philip Jennings, UNI secretary general.

The Minister reportedly made the comments at a meeting of garment industry employer associations. He claimed that the confidence of the brands in the Bangladesh garment industry has already been won and therefore the Accord should cease its operations.

This could not be farther from the truth. The danger for the Bangladeshi garment industry is not over and the factories are not yet safe.

In their letter to the Minister, Jyrki Raina and Philip Jennings call on the Minister to stop sending negative messages to factories that could have the effect of delaying or undermining essential factory safety improvements. 

IndustriALL and UNI have also written to BGMEA President Atiqul Islam to take issue with comments he made at the same meeting, and were subsequently reported in the media, describing the Accord as a ‘big problem’ for Bangladesh’s readymade apparel industry.

Islam’s remarks were made in relation to efforts by the Accord to ensure reinstatement of workers who were dismissed for reporting a fire and safety concern. 

“It is crucial that workers can effectively raise violations of safety regulations and workers’ rights without fear of retaliation so that there is not a repeat of Rana Plaza when the workers did raise concerns but were forced into the building anyway,” said Raina.

IndustriALL and UNI will continue to support the work of the Accord in Bangladesh until the factories are safe.