Trade unions want a developmental approach to business and human rights in Africa

The forum which had over 500 participants from communities, civil society organizations, governments, employer organizations, human rights organizations, trade union organizations and others was held under the theme: “Promoting responsible business conduct in a rapidly changing context.”

Discussions that took place included on Africa’s potential for economic growth based on beneficiation of critical mineral resources and the benefits from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Other benefits could also be derived from the transition from informal to formal economies. There was emphasis that this development should be sustainable and attained under conditions of responsible business conduct and the protection of the environment. For example, companies that included automotive manufacturer Isuzu East Africa said it supported contracts with suppliers from the informal economy and small to medium scale enterprises thus contributing to growth of the enterprises.

Vacus Kun, United Workers Union of Liberia’s director of education and training, who participated in the national action plan (NAP) processes on business and human rights in Liberia and was on a panel with other trade unionists and global union federation, BWI Africa, said union involvement ensured the inclusion of labour clauses.

“After initially being excluded in the NAP development process, we fought hard for the inclusion of labour issues in the plan when we were invited. We also reached common positions with civil society organizations on climate justice issues.”

UWUL is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, and the panel discussions were supported by the FES-AU office.

The NAP has provisions to protect workers against discrimination, casualization, child labour, and included union demands for implementable business and human rights reporting mechanisms and access to remedy using existing laws. Other countries that have developed NAPs are Kenya, Uganda, and Liberia. According to the UNDP, there is progress towards NAPS in Senegal, Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and other countries. The African Union has also developed a draft business and human rights policy which will be adopted by heads of state and government.

Alex Nkosi, ITUC-Africa coordinator of human and trade union rights, who participated online, said due diligence is important:

“Trade unions are defenders of workers’ rights and are collaborating using on diligence frameworks to defend freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to strike.”

Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa said:

“Insisting on responsible business practice allow unions to engage with multinational corporations along the supply chains. This is important as unions seek to engage mining and manufacturing MNCs, ask states to protect workers, as well as enforce remedies against offending employers.”

The forum was organized by the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights, the UN Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Business and Human Rights Africa, UNICEF, the Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and the UNDP with support from various local, continental, and international organizations.
 

Pakistani affiliates take action on 7 October

Workers and their unions in several cities and towns of Pakistan took to streets on 7 October to raise their collective voice against anti-worker policies and practices in the country. The joint trade union action was taken following a discussion in the meeting of all IndustriALL’s affiliates in Pakistan organised on 24-25 September in Karachi in which union leaders vowed to collectively fight to safeguard workers’ rights in the country.

On World Day of Decent Work, the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), the Pakistan Chemical, Energy, and Mines Federation (PCEM) and NTUF organised a joint protest meet at the Karachi Press Club. Union leaders condemned the anti-worker policies of the federal and provincial governments, including the Sindh government's unwarranted delay in issuing revised wage notification. Unions also criticised the new labour laws, calling them anti-worker and in stark contradiction to the international labour conventions.

Nasir Mansoor, general secretary of NTUF, says:

“The new labour code attempts to legitimise the third party contract system and it is a death knell for workers’ rights. We refuse to accept it and we demand that both Sindh and Punjab governments engage with trade unions on the matter.”

The All Pakistan WAPDA Hydro Electric Workers Union and Ittehad Labour Union Carpet Industries Pakistan also organised a similar protest meet in Lahore. In Quetta and Choa Saidanshah, members of Pakistan Central Mines Federation (PCMLF), raised the issue of hazardous working conditions in mining areas which are further exacerbated by the contract system and operation of illegal mines.

Sultan Muhammad Khan President, secretary general of PCMLF, says:

“Mine workers in Pakistan are working and living in deplorable conditions. They work for long hours without getting adequate compensation and they also do not have access to any social security. We urge the government of Pakistan to ratify ILO C176 immediately. We believe it will be a positive step in the direction to provide safe working conditions to mine workers in the country.”

On 13 October, IndustriALL’s affiliates and other progressive groups organised a protest march in Karachi against growing religious intolerance in the country. Affiliates reported that the Pakistan state authorities did not allow the programme to be conducted and Zehra Khan, general secretary of HBWWF, and other activists were detained by the police. Nasir Mansoor and others leaders were also subjected to physical violence by police officials.

Kemal Ozkan, assistant general secretary of IndustriALL, says:

“IndustriALL stands in complete solidarity with the struggling workers and trade union leaders of Pakistan who are fighting not only against anti-workers labour reforms but also fighting to restore democracy in the country. We urge the federal and provincial governments of the country to engage in social dialogue with trade unions and take concrete steps to safeguard human rights as well as workers’ rights.”

Developing a toolkit for young workers by young workers

Young white-collar workers are often difficult to organize due to high mobility, self-negotiation tendencies, and a negative view of unions.
 

“The young white-collar workers are the present and the future of our unions. We need to listen to them and give them more space in our unions,” 

says Corinne Schewin, IndustriALL co-chair for white- collar workers.

Panels covered workplace issues, organizing strategies, and communications, while small groups discussed ideal union models and strategic outreach.
 
Workers from France, the Philippines, Brazil, and Eswatini shared aspirations and concerns: Philippines: fear of union-busting. France: concerns over job security, disconnecting challenges, lack of flexibility and meaningful work. Brazil: challenges meeting employers’ high experience demands, along with inequality and discrimination concern and Eswatini: lack of jobs and job security.
 
Common aspirations included job creation and security, work-life balance, upskilling, and flexible workspaces for women.
 

“It is important to create an environment within our unions that enables young workers to participate actively and to develop union strategies that speak to them,”

says Romain Dargent, CFE-CGC Energy and IndustriALL young executive committee member.
 
Discussions on the ideal union for this group revealed a gap between aspirations and reality, highlighting a lack of representation, transparency, communication and young worker empowerment. Participants emphasized the need for face to face communication, early union education and a call for greater diversity within unions.

Participants noted that young white-collar workers perceive unions negatively, feeling they don’t represent society’s diversity and are often misrepresented in the media. They suggested positive communication showing trade unions as proactive actors, using social media to improve this image, emphasizing the need for concise messaging to reach young audiences effectively.
 
Panelists from Japan, Finland and Ghana shared strategies on organizing young white-collar workers. Training benefits for young workers and the challenge of membership fees were emerging issues. Some unions organized gaming events and offered free coffee to encourage interaction, creating spaces for awareness and education on trade unions. 
 
A communicating with young workers session emphasized the importance of understanding audiences. Participants from Singapore and Sweden shared experiences, noting that young workers prefer face-to-face interactions and the need for collaboration with government to make unions appealing for white-collar workers. Swedish union highlighted challenges in helping workers transition from student to employee, emphasizing the importance for trade unions to make students and young white-collar workers feel safer being part of a union.
 
Expert organizer, Aaron Chappel, presented on strategic organizing campaigns. Participants role-played scenarios, such as initiating conversations after work and hosting lunchtime meetings.
 
Delegates from Ghana presented examples of their online organizing, using platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. They shared the use of targeted organizing and knowing the needs of workers. They shared examples of non-targeted approaches by using flyers and catch phrases appealing to young workers. Some challenges included precarious work and difficulty organizing young workers because of the myths about unions. The use of databases in online organizing is key. 
 
Participants from Germany, Norway and Brazil spoke of how trade unions are representing workers, common themes include benefits and the services that unions provide.
 

“The discussions once again demonstrated the desire of young members to become actively involved in their union and the barriers they face. Our leaders urgently need to question their persistent refusal to ensure young people can participate fully in the life of their union, when they are subject to the same conditions and obligations as their elders,”

says Sarah Flores IndustriALL youth and project officer.
 
IndustriALL director for white collar workers says:

“Moving forward IndustriALL will take inputs from both young white collar workers and organisers, and develop a toolbox on how to organize young white collar workers. The toolbox will include things that have been tested and what has worked. We need to listen to young white collar workers. We cannot define them, they need to do that and we must listen to them.”
 

Thai employer continues to violate workers’ rights under Swiss programme

Under the Paris Climate Agreement, Switzerland supports investments into carbon neutrality in Thailand, and in return, Switzerland receives carbon credits. The commitments in the Paris Climate Agreement must be in line with achieving a Just Transition, which means decent jobs with fair working conditions.

However, this is not the case at Absolute Assembly in Bangkok where workers continue to be subjected to union busting. The company is refusing to engage in collective bargaining negotiations with the union EMUT, interfering in union affairs, inter alia, by falsely claiming that two union office bearers cannot hold a union position because they hold a supervisory position, and has dismissed two union leaders.

Already last year, IndustriALL raised the serious busting and violation of workers’ rights with the Swiss government, urging the government to take action in accord with its stated commitment to implementing the Paris Agreement, and in agreement with the great importance Switzerland attaches to the “promotion, respect, and realization of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and expects the private sector to respect human rights in Switzerland and abroad.”

But to no avail. Absolute Assembly is no closer to implementing respect for workers’ rights. Even after the Labor Relations Committee, a tripartite committee under the Ministry of Labor, ruled that the company has violated the Labor Relations Act regarding unfair practice and anti-union discrimination and ordered that the union leaders be reinstated, the company did not allow them back at work. But after over a year-long legal battle and threats from the company, the workers succumbed to financial constraint and agreed to a settlement.

“Absolute Assembly is doing everything possible to destroy the union. It is in fact refusing to recognize the union, and it is disregarding the legitimate demands of the workers concerning wages, allowances, benefits, bonus,”

says Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary. 

“It is now more urgent than before, and the Swiss government and the Klik Foundation who manages the project, must intervene without any delay and assume their responsibility for these serious trade union rights violations.”

Switzerland’s pledge under the Paris Agreement
“As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, Switzerland has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% compared to 1990 levels by 2030. The country intends to reduce up to 12.5% of its emissions by financing climate mitigation activities abroad.

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement provides for countries to cooperate for the purpose of raising their ambition for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Bilateral cooperation under Article 6 requires a bilateral climate protection agreement to make binding provisions for the concrete implementation of the Paris Agreement.”

Paris Agreement
Article 6.4 Mechanism | UNFCCC
“Article 6 of the Paris Agreement establishes three approaches for Parties to voluntarily cooperate in achieving their emission reduction targets and adaptation aims set out in their national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement (Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs). One of these approaches is through the Article 6.4 Mechanism, a mechanism “to contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and support sustainable development” (Paris Agreement, Article 6, paragraph 4).

The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA), at their third session in Glasgow, adopted  Decision 3/CMA.3 containing the rules, modalities and procedures for the mechanism established by Article 6, paragraph 4, of the Paris Agreement (“the mechanism”). Through this mechanism a company in one country can reduce emissions in that country and have those reductions credited so that it can sell them to another company in another country. That second company may use them for complying with its own emission reduction obligations or to help it meet net-zero.”

KliK Foundation
The Foundation for Climate Protection and Carbon Offset KliK fulfils the legal obligation on Swiss motor fuel importers, mandated under the Swiss CO2 Act to offset parts of the carbon emissions caused by the Swiss transportation sector. To this end, the KliK Foundation supports mitigation activities under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement in Thailand and other countries that have signed a bilateral climate protection agreement with Switzerland. The financial support is provided through the purchase of the resulting Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) of these activities. This should amount to 20 million tonnes of CO2e for the period of 2022–2030.

Photo: Bangkok traffic, Flickr

Striking for rights at As Plastik in Türkiye

According to Petrol-İş, since the union gained the right to represent workers at As Plastik in 2022, the employer has been engaged in union busting. This case is yet another example of the ongoing challenges faced by workers in Türkiye, where union-busting and employer resistance to collective bargaining remain widespread. Turkish labour laws and ILO Conventions 87 and 98, both ratified by Türkiye, guarantee workers the right to organize and bargain collectively. But with a lack of enforcement, many wokers continue to face exploitation and unfair dismissals.

Faced with the employer's refusal to consider the union's demands, Petrol-İş' members at As Plastik went on strike at the end of September. The union's demands are clear; reinstate the illegally dismissed members, re-start collective bargaining negotiations and restore industrial peace in the factory.

In a letter to As Plastik, IndustriALL reinforces Petrol-İş' demands, and warns As Plastik that if it fails to address the violations, IndustriALL may urge the company's main clients to conduct due diligence on human and workers' rights.

Says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie

"Dismissing the workers for exercising their legitimate right to join a union is unlawful and unacceptable. As Plastik must immediately reverse these dismissals and engage in good faith with the union to restore industrial peace."

IndustriALL trade union network at Klabin and Suzano sheds light on violations

Anti-union persecution and harassment, worker mobilisations met with military police, workers seriously injured at work, high use of temporary outsourced work contracts, a blame the victim culture, and grave problems regarding health and safety that includes mental health, non-compliance with the principle of equal pay for equal work, no trade union access to the workplace, and the list continues.

The meeting took note of the workers’ strike at a company in Bahía that provides services to Suzano, and passed a solidarity resolution in support of the strike demands around salaries and working conditions.

The paper worker trade union group invited union leaders from the plantation operations of the companies, and will also coordinate with workers in the other parts of the company operations, including logistics.

CUT São Paulo paper sector director Bob De Paula Cruz said:

“This event is a major step in our long term effort to push for workers’ dignity at these two important companies. We are determined to achieve that and will stand united until we achieve our goals.”

The network will be coordinated by two paper sector union leaders in Brazil, Marcio Cruz Da Paula(Bob) representing CUT and Jose Roberto vieira da Silva (Betinho) representing Forca Sindical.

The network analysed priority issues including empowering women and seeking ways to increase women participation in union leadership roles at the companies, as well as issues such as a lack of production equipment suited for women, health and safety, and the common challenges of developing industrial relations throughout the operations.

IndustriALL paper sector director Tom Grinter said:

“This is international solidarity in action. The support of our Belgian paper workers affiliate ACV/CSC-BIE, together with the commitment and strategy of Brazilian paper workers’ unions combine to strengthen our union network. We seek to engage both companies and create the space for recognition of the union network by the employers, in order to find solutions for the priority complaints of our members.”

African organizing and collective bargaining forum launched in Rwanda

The forum brought together over 80 trade unionists from 28 African countries – over 50 per cent of the African Union’s 55 member states – with some participants coming from Belgium, Turkey, and Ireland. Participants included affiliates of the conference organizers, ITUC-Africa, ITUC, regional trade union organizations, and global trade union federations BWI Africa and Middle East, UNI Africa, and IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa. The forum was hosted by the Central des Syndicats des Travailleurs du Rwanda (CESTRAR) – Rwanda’s workers trade union confederation.

The forum’s theme, organizing and collective bargaining: collaborating to improve defence and protection of workers' rights and trade union regeneration found resonance with the discussions. The issues discussed included on the critical need to strengthen union power and the unity of African workers through organizing and collective bargaining. Further, unions could also build power through cooperating with civil society organizations.

The forum comes as a result of the global union federations engagement on working closely to address workers’ issues on the continent.

The forum highlighted several barriers facing African trade unions which weakened their bargaining power and how these could be overcome. The barriers included low union density and fragmentation in most sectors. There was also competition among unions as different unions organized the same workers. It was recommended that unions should instead focus on unorganized workers. There were also weak strategies to engage the informal economy where most workers on the continent earned a living.

On precarious work, it was discussed that the rise of informal and platform work, characterized by short-term contracts, casualization, low wages, and lack of social protection eroded job security.

The forum expressed concern over the underrepresentation of youth and women in union activities, despite them making up a significant portion of the workforce. Although there is a bulging youth population in Africa, with over 60-70 per cent under the age of 35, it was mentioned that unions seemed not to have appropriate strategies to organize the young workers.

The use of the judicial systems to oppress workers through union bashing and busting, which is common in countries like Madagascar, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, was identified as a threat to union organizing as it limited collective action especially the right to strike and picketing. It was mentioned that some African governments were reluctant to ratify and implement international labour conventions.

Akhator Joel Odigie ITUC-Africa general secretary said:

“Decolonization remains an unfinished project, with political, economic, and environmental systems failing to meet the aspirations of African workers. This means that a strategy to build a strong trade union movement through technology is needed.”

“Amidst unprecedented challenges such as senseless wars, attacks on living standards, and job insecurity unions must unite and also use social media as an organizing tool,”

emphasized Keith Jacobs, UNI Africa regional secretary.
 
Rose Omamo, ITUC-Africa deputy president and IndustriALL vice president added:

“Innovative organizing strategies that emphasize the need for unions to adopt new methods, such as organizing along supply chains and negotiating for workers in the platform economy are key. Further, unions must develop internal democratic governance while prioritizing on inclusivity, particularly for women, youth, and migrant workers.”

The forum pledged to focus on workers education, skills training on collective bargaining and negotiations, promote workers unity, and develop strategies to organize informal and platform workers. Strategies will also be developed for young workers and women as part of the forum’s action plan.

Building material workers win key gains for decent work and just transition

IndustriALL Global Union together with Building and Wood Workers International(BWI) and affiliates with support of International Trade Union Confederation, industriAll European Trade Union and European Federation of Building and Woodworkers led the workers’ group delegation in the tripartite meeting convened in Geneva at the International Labour Organization (ILO), from 23 to 27 September, to adopt conclusions and recommendations for future action aimed at reshaping this important industry. 
 
According to the ILO calculations the sector provides employment to over 50,350 million workers and contributes to up to 5.4 percent of global GDP.  This was the first meeting of its kind, for this sector, and highlighted the urgency of action in order to provide Just Transition and decent employment for workers while addressing the necessity to decarbonize on the way towards environmentally sustainable future.  

The workers' group successfully secured commitments on several important issues. Among others they include an agreement that social dialogue, based on respect for freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, is essential for creating policies that promote decent work and support a just transition in the industry. This includes collaboration between employers and trade unions to develop just transition plans at both the sectoral and enterprise levels. 
 
Governments are also urged to ensure that businesses, including multinational companies, respect human and labour rights and that public procurement rules strictly enforce labour protection, such as occupational safety and health.
 
Additionally, the importance of skills development and lifelong learning strategies involving apprenticeships to help both workers and businesses adapt to changes in the industry. The conclusions and recommendations highlight the need for universal access to comprehensive social protection systems, especially for migrant workers and those affected by climate change and the shift to greener economies. Addressing occupational hazards, including exposure to harmful substances and injuries related to manual labour, another recognized commitment.
 
The meeting tasked the ILO with several actions, including developing guidelines for promoting decent work, conducting industry specific labour market assessments, and strengthening social dialogue. The ILO will also assist in identifying and managing occupational diseases related to new building materials and collaborate on risk elimination measures. The ILO will further organize development projects and regional meetings to address labour issues in the building materials industry, alongside recognizing relevant international labour standards and guidelines.
 
Pierre Cuppens, general secretary of the Belgian trade union CSC bâtiment-industrie & énergie (CSCBIE) chaired the workers’ group delegation, composed of union leaders and experts from IndustriALL and BWI affiliates from Austria, Belgium, Brazil,  Canada,  Germany,  Georgia, Honduras,  India,  Indonesia, Lebanon, Mauritius, South Africa,  Zimbabwe,  UK and US. 
 

“This was a week full of tough negotiations and frank dialogue. We are proud of what we have achieved. Through collaboration with workers' representatives, this agreement includes social dialogue at all levels, addresses health and safety risks, supports just transition plans, develops skills strategies, and ensures sustainable social protection systems for all,” 

says Pierre Cuppens. 
 
IndustriALL assistant general secretary, Christine Olivier says: 

“This landmark agreement is a shared commitment to responsible growth, the sector is now positioned to build not only infrastructure but also a more just and sustainable world for our members and their families. Our duty as workers’ representatives is to always ensure that workers are not left behind as transitions occurs.”

Photo: © Alioune Ndiaye / ILO.

One year of strike action for a fair agreement for Caterpillar Mexico workers

Workers from SNITIS, also known as the 20/32 Movement, went on strike on 22 September last year after exhausting all of the collective conciliation processes provided under Mexican law without reaching an agreement that met the workers' demands.

A year later, SNITIS is still on strike as there have been no meaningful negotiations with Caterpillar to find a solution to the workers' broader demands. Workers initiated the strike to demand that Caterpillar respects their union rights after union leader Victor Manuel Vergara was unfairly dismissed – he has since been reinstated in response to public pressure.

The union says that Caterpillar is trying to break the strike and has discriminated against union members. SNITIS says that the company has used tactics like intimidation, retaliation and exclusion against union workers, in violation of international labour standards and Mexican labour law. According to the union, these tactics are intended to weaken workers' collective power and undermine their right to organize and to collective bargaining.

The workers are calling for:

Caterpillar reported global earnings of more than US$9 billion for 2023, so the workers feel that a pay rise is a reasonable and justified demand – and one that is affordable for the company.

IndustriALL mechanical engineering director Patrick Correa says:

“IndustriALL and the Caterpillar global union network are fully committed to supporting these workers in their struggle for justice. We urge Caterpillar to take the necessary steps to resolve the matter promptly. We are open to a constructive dialogue, in keeping with the principles of fairness and respect for workers' rights, so that a solution can be found to this dispute.

"We also call on all international trade union organizations to remain active and support the workers’ struggle for social justice, which goes beyond Mexico. They are an example for workers around the world who are fighting for their rights."

Young workers organize in Georgia

A youth committee in the union was created a year ago. On 3-4 October, the youth committee held an organizing seminar to support the young workers to build youth power, increase union density, improve their structures and prepare for negotiations. It is the second in a series of seminars supported by IndustriALL Global Union and Norwegian affiliate Styrke. The first seminar focused on Just Transition, as the union represents many workers in carbon intensive industries.

The seminar was interactive, with participants divided into working groups to prepare their strategy. Participants were taken through an organizing process that covered strategic planning and task allocation, corporate research, accessing workers, identifying organic leaders, communications,  mapping the workplace and doing structure tests to check if their organizing was strong enough to withstand resistance from the employer.

After expressing confidence in their structures, the young workers identified the key issues in the workplace, spoke about getting a mandate, and crafted a negotiating strategy.

This was followed by a role play, with participants divided into opposing management and union sides to conduct a round of negotiations towards a first collective agreement. Each side was given a brief containing the vital interests they would need to defend in a negotiation.

The negotiation was an impassioned drama, with boths sides expressing outrage and disgust before slowly making concessions and finding common ground. By the end of the seminar, both sides were approaching agreement on the sickness and attendance policy. It will, however, take many more rounds to achieve a collective agreement.

The seminar finished with the young workers outlining a strategic plan for the coming year.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

“This seminar continues the outstanding work begun by our brother Tamaz. I am pleased to say that the union is in good hands with the new president Temur Suramelashvili and a committed and motivated youth committee.”

Temur Suramelashvili said :

“Strong unions are essential to overcome the existing challenges in Georgia’s labour market. The union needs new blood. Some jobs are at risk in the new, green economy so this project is very important. Youth should make their own statement for the benefit of the employees and I see many of them as future leaders of the union. We are grateful for the support and solidarity from IndustriALL and Styrke.” 

The young workers work for the mineral fertilizer company Rustavi Azot, which is the largest industrial enterprise in the country, Georgian Manganese, the Mina glass company and others.

After the seminar, a meeting was held between IndustriALL and unions affiliated to the Georgian Trade Union Confederation, to coordinate responses to current challenges.

Photos byNika Dolaberidze, youth committee chair