Nationwide demonstrations against labour law changes

Protestors around India demonstrated against the propesed changes in the labour laws. New Delhi alone saw 15,000 protestors.

The propsed amendments concern the Factories Act, the Contract Labour Act and the Apprentices Act. If enforced, an estimated 67 per cent of companies are likely to be exempt from the laws, which will lead to lessened job security and underpayment. Trade unions object to the government not having fulfilled its promise to consult them before the amendments.

Leaders from the national trade union centres addressed the demonstrators in New Delhi, stressing that that the protests will intensify further if the government does not listen to them.

Sister Manali from IndustriALL Global Union affiliate SEWA underlined women’s position on the labour market:

“Women from the unorganized sector contribute 39 per cent to the total production but the women workers get nothing in their hands. 50 million invisible home based workers are victimized because a rampant contractualization. We demand inclusive law that provide security to the labourers.”

Gurudas Das Gupta General Secretary of the AITUC declared: 

“This is the war against capital. Our unity will only lead us towards success. Therefore, we all must get prepared to fight battle. We collectively decide our further action but we won’t allow government to bring anti labour law reforms at any cost.”

Iraqi workers take to streets over unpaid wages

The protesting workers are employed by state-owned companies that are self-financed. It means their salaries are not guaranteed by the government if the company runs into financial difficulty.

The demonstrators, many of whom are members of IndustriALL Global Union’s trade union affiliates in Iraq, want their salaries to be paid for out of the General Budget and not by the self-funding system.

IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

"We call upon the government of Iraq to respond to the legitimate demands of its workers and immediately pay the delayed salaries. The conversion of state companies into self-financing enterprises is risking workers’ livelihoods and making them vulnerable to company mismanagement.

Workers’ demands include:

Hashmeya Muhsin al-Saadawi, president of the General Union of Electricity Workers and Technicians in Iraq, and member of IndustriALL’s Executive Committee, said:

"Iraq is experiencing exceptional circumstances as it faces a fierce war against terrorism, as well as the battle against corruption which is spreading throughout the economy. To overcome such a difficult situation, jobs need to be secured in all sectors and workers protected by fair labour and trade union laws."

Global campaign victory: Turkey ratifies ILO C176

The Convention itself was written by an IndustriALL predecessor organization and first adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in June 1995. IndustriALL’s mining union affiliates from around the world, especially the CFMEU, NUM, USW, ROSUGLEPROF and IG BCE, have long campaigned alongside Turkish unions and lobbied the Turkish government to ratify C176.

Those unions conducted a solidarity mission to Soma one month after the 13 May industrial homicide of 301 mineworkers. That delegation committed to escalate the campaign for C176 ratification in Turkey, determined to honour the miners’ deaths.

The avoidable accident at Soma was followed by 18 more deaths at the Has Sekerler coalmine near Ermenek in October. IndustriALL reacted to that accident by writing individually to all 535 members of the Turkish Parliament on 29-30 October, demanding C176 ratification.

As well as a number of vital practical stipulations including guidelines on inspections, accident reporting and investigation, training, hazard control and workers’ rights to remove themselves from danger, C176 demands worker involvement in safety and health decision-making.

Convention 176 makes the fundamental recognition that “workers have a right to genuine consultation on and participation in the preparation and implementation of safety and health measures concerning the hazards and risks they face in the mining industry.”

IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan marked the important victory but insists the campaign for mine safety in Turkey is far from over:

Turkey’s ratification of ILO Convention 176 is the first step towards fixing a broken business model that kills mineworkers for private profit. Now that we have ratification, our efforts will turn towards ensuring implementation of this important convention so that Turkey’s mining industry is brought in line with the international standard. We fundamentally believe that the stronger the union, the safer the mine, and we will always demand mine owners’ respect for their union partners.

In September the Turkish Parliament passed a bill that brings some new rights for miners on working hours, severance payments, retirement age, and wages. However, many employers have been transferring the cost of these changes onto workers.

Over 3,000 people have been killed and over 100,000 have been injured since 1941 to the present day in mining accidents in Turkey. There are 740 coalmines and 48,706 miners in in the country.

Turkey is the 30th country to ratify C176.

Glencore day of action

A Glencore global network was launched at an IndustriALL Global Union mining sector meeting in Sao Paolo in November. With a clear plan of action, the network supports the activities planned by affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) for the Glencore investor day on 10 December. The day ironically coincides with international human rights day.

USW workers at Glencore's Sherwin Alumina site in Texas have been locked out for refusing to accept a substandard contract that would take away health care benefits from retired workers.

IndustriALL director of mining Glen Mpufane says that the solidarity support for USW’s action is the start of IndustriALL’s global campaign against Glencore:

“We are especially alarmed about safety issues. In the United States, the Sherwin Alumina plant already had an injury rate twice the national average, and now inexperienced replacement workers operate the facility. It is a reckless approach which could have catastrophic consequences for the workers.

“We are calling on Glencore to resolve labour and community conflicts extending around the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America and North America.”

Show your support – a USW delegation representing 450 locked out Texan miners will be protesting outside mining multinational Glencore’s HQ (50 Berkeley St, London) in London on 10 December at 12 pm.

Philippine cement unions prepare for Holcim-Lafarge merger

In a meeting held on 4 December at Bulacan, trade unionists from cement plants exchanged views on the impact the Holcim and Lafarge merger will have on workers, as well as the impending Lafarge divestment of its assets in the Philippines.
As the merger will be a fact by 2015, trade union leaders decided to organize a national cement conference in February. It follows the strategic action plan to ensure that cement workers will be at the top agenda in the global corporate reorganization.

“The Philippines will be mostly affected by this merger and Lafarge divestments and we want to make sure that there will be no displacement of workers in this process. We demand that our voice will be heard and our rights be respected,” said Macario B. Noble, Jr., Chair of PCWC.

At the Holcim-Lafarge global trade union conference in Houffalize, Belgium on 25-26 November, Noble emphasized appropriate measures that includes building network, capacity-building and respect and implementation of global agreement to ensure job security and existing collective bargaining agreement at the local level.  

To ensure workers’ participation in the merger process and beyond, a global trade union council has been founded together with fellow global trade union federations Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) and European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW).  

IndustriALL Director for Mechanical Engineering and Materials Industries Matthias Hartwich says:

It is imperative that management at Holcim and Lafarge involve the unions in discussions on the possible consequences for labour rights and working conditions now. It is unacceptable that management promises to talk to workers and their unions only after the decisions are made.

IndustriALL Executive Committee in Tunis

The Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT) and its member unions, including IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliates in the country, played a crucial role in the development of the new constitution.

Houcine Abassi, General Secretary of UGTT, welcomed the Executive Committee to Tunis and promised to protect gains made by workers:

“Workers are instrumental in the strive for a democratic Tunisia. IndustriALL’s presence in our country sends a strong message of support for our trade unions and their work.”

Ahmed Anmar, Tunisia’s minister of social affairs committed to social dialogue with trade unions and said:

“The Tunisian people have showed maturity and it is to them that the last steps towards democracy are due.”

The two days contained reports and discussions on IndsutriALL’s continuing work of building union power and organizing, fighting for trade union rights and and campaigning for a living wage. The organization is widening its frontiers; new affiliates in among other Mauretania and Myanmar brings the total number of countries where IndustriALL is represented up to 143.

Adoption of four solidarity resolutions

The IndustriALL Executive resolved to support the demands of the FNTE, National Federation of Energy Workers on the government of Morocco, to maintain electricity in the country as a public service; and to preserve the jobs, achievements and rights of all electricity workers.

150 IG Metall members have been on strike since 4 December and occupying the ThyssenKrupp auto supplier site in Esslingen, Germany. The workers are demanding that the company cancels its plan to close the site before Christmas. The IndustriALL Executive resolved to support the strikers and their demand on the company to keep the site open.

IndustriALL Global Union and its affiliates at ThyssenKrupp are currently at an advanced stage of negotiations with the company towards a Global Framework Agreement. IG Metall and IndustriALL are not seeking to stop that process.

Belgian unions are currently uniting in a month-long series of strike action. The rolling strikes are combatting the right-wing government’s austerity measures. Important unity between the country’s two main trade unions, the FGTB (General Confederations of Belgian Workers) and CSC (Confederations of Christian Trade Unions), makes the strikes stronger and more significant.

Since September 2014 with the coming to power of the coalition of the New Flemish Alliance (NVA) and Reformist Movement (MR), a savage austerity programme has been rolled out by Prime Minister Michel, who is vehemently anti-worker.

The IndustriALL Executive resolved to convey full and strong support in solidarity with the Belgian Sisters and Brothers at this time of confrontation; and demand that the coalition government of Prime Minister Michel consults the unions on serious changes in social spending.

The IndustriALL Executive also took a stand against asbestos and resolved to work with the BWI, the ITUC, Asbestos Support groups and civil society groups to assist the campaign for the listing of chrysotile asbestos at the Rotterdam Convention in May 2015, and the overall campaign against the asbestos industry.

Present in the office – yes or no?

Microsoft recently abolished the requirement that staff be present at the office. At a bar, in the park, in the bathtub – employees can now decide themselves where they want to do their work. The company already got rid of compulsory working time in 1998.

According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Elke Frank, personnel manager at Microsoft Germany, explains the company’s decision by stating that just being present says nothing about the quality of employees’ performance. What is decisive is the result. Working at home is more relaxing for employees.

Last year the Internet company Yahoo embarked on the exact opposite path – Yahoo boss Marissa Page announced early in 2013 that all employees had to come back to the company. Yahoo employees should not do their jobs by themselves day in and day out. What is important are exchanges and experiences which are only possible in the company’s offices, according to a memo that was sent to all employees. Many German media saw this attitude as being regretfully backward.

Two Opposing Positions

Flexible working and especially the issue of home office have been up for debate for quite some time in many companies. It is picked up by the media time and time again. There are basically two opposing ways to look at it:

For: it is only home office that gives workers the necessary freedoms that make modern working possible. At home people work with much more concentration than with colleagues; frequent interruptions and high noise levels are ruled out. At the same time working at home is family friendly, and it makes sense for ecological reasons. Workers leave their cars in the garage and produce less exhaust and traffic jams.

Against: Opponents criticize that it is only good in theory, but in practical terms it is hardly sensible. At home above all workers are often distracted since there private business, for example housework and private calls, are mixed up inappropriately. In addition employees lack exchanges with colleagues. And conference calls arranged at home make an unprofessional impression.

And who is right?

Obviously both sides are justified. Reading through articles and readers’ comments about the issue, it is soon clear that not only nagging bosses react allergically to the issue of “working at home.” Not all workers are keen on the model either.

Even the main target group, parents with children, sometimes make skeptical comments. “Home office is only something for people without children,” is for example one on-line comment. Parents would be kept from working by their children. One other commentator describes concretely how a toilet was flushed audibly in the background of a conference call (embarrassed silence).

Homeworkers have to actively look after contacts to the colleagues in the office and feedback from the boss. They are excluded from conversations that take place every day just by chance in the corridors. And in the end even conference calls create less togetherness than non-virtual sitting together in the conference room, together with light perfume aromas and the smell of coffee.

The Benefits predominate

All of that is more or less marginal in relation to the benefits that are offered to many workers at least by working at home some of the time. Many people benefit extraordinarily from choosing their own place to work. It goes without saying, and that is clear in many comments, that those who work in home offices must bring along a huge measure of self-discipline. Then the flexibility gained in this way means much more quality of life for many people.

A Question of personality

The question “home office – yes or no” is very personal. Answering it always depends on the personality, the taste, the way of working and also the type of work. It can be very inspiring for people. It can even make workers start to be able to perform their jobs in the desired way – because children are sometimes ill and in addition have so many days off that the parents’ vacations, especially single parents’, are not enough to cover them. Nevertheless every worker in the home office must have a sure feeling for when his or her presence is necessary at the office.

Those who treasure flexibility but do not want to work in their own four walls or at a bar can rent more and more their own space in cities in specially arranged areas. The self-employed, graduate students and in general anyone who cannot or does not want to work at home can find their own solutions here for rent.

Confidence is motivating

Ultimately those in charge of personnel who offer the home office option must have confidence in their staff. Anyway they will no longer be able to check up on the progress made at all times by looking over a shoulder. But those who expect their staff to act independently and to get themselves organized give them a great boost in motivation in this way.

Source: Verlag Dashöfer GmbH

Israeli union wins rise in minimum wage

It means the minimum wage for the private sector in Israel will stand at NIS 5,000 (US$1,252) per month. In the future, the increase will also apply to public sector workers.

The agreemeent between Histadrut Chairman, Avi Nissenkorn, and the Chairman of the Federation of Israeli Economic Organizations, Zvi Oren, was signed at a ceremony on 3 December.

Avi Nissenkorn, Chairman of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, Histadrut, stated:

"Today we bring a real message to employees in Israel. We declared that we will not be satisfied with an increase of only NIS 200 (US$50) and we fulfilled this promise. We promised to pave the way for a dignified life for 700,000 families and we did it.

Under the agreement, it has also been determined that the minimum wage in the future will be 52% of the average wage, and not 47.5% as is customary today.

These achievements join the initiative led by Histadrut to employ workers with disabilities in the public sector and was approved at the beginning of December by the government. According to the decision, by 2017 the number of workers with disabilities in civil services will be no less than 3%. At the end of the period, the government will consider increasing the percentage of workers with disabilities by an additional 2%.

Nissenkorn added:

"This is also a day of celebration for workers with disabilities. I am proud to lead the first organization that made sure to promote an agreement that everyone benefits from – employees and their families, and public services as well, which will receive a new, quality workforce. Histadrut, which sees itself as the largest social organization in Israel, has set a goal for itself to continue to work towards the reduction of social gaps and the eradication of harmful employment phenomena.”

Read more: http://www.histadrut.org.il/index.php?page_id=3395 

1100 workers protest outside Iranian parliament

Construction workers are angry at government plans to stop social insurance for 400,000 workers in the industry and end it completely for new workers. The plans will enable developers to make bigger profits.

Around a hundred dismissed workers from Ilam Petrochemicals joined the construction workers on 16 November. The company is refusing to reinstate the sacked workers despite a ruling by the Labour Office that they be allowed back into the plant. The workers are also demanding back-pay.

Independent trade unions in the country continue to fight for workers’ rights, even though they are not recognized in the country.

“The catastrophic economic situation in Iran and the policies of the regime have taken away the protection of labour law from workers, especially in the construction industries,” says Jamshid Ahmadi an Iranian activist working with the Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of Iran (UMMI). “Millions of Iranian workers have grievances against their employers for unpaid work, for being laid off and for other violations of their basic rights.”

Despite the serious personal risk they take in protesting, angry workers have been gathering and demonstrating outside the parliament and government ministries to demand justice.  

“The UMMI and associated independent trade unions are doing their best to find ways to ensure that these protest actions are organized and focused in their demands,” says Ahmadi.

However, building union power and improving working conditions is a mammoth struggle and the reason why UMMI is looking to IndustriALL Global Union for support says Ahmadi:  “We have a long way to go before trade unions are able to effectively give voice to all workers."

Honda Mexico – reinstated worker fired again

After being unjustly dismissed in April 2010 and in resistance for the last four years, Pallares Cardoza returned to his job at the Honda plant in the El Salto industrial corridor, on 26 November. Four days later he claims to have been unfairly dismissed again.

The Second Collegiate Labour Court had ordered and implemented his legal reinstatement (case 1160/2010) but on 1 December, Alejandro Salaiza Rubio, Governmental Relations Manager, barred Pallares Cardoza from entering the company, saying he had “broken company rules” and added that he would be informed of the reasons for his dismissal through legal channels.

Although the court ruled that the company must reinstate the union official to the job from which he was unfairly dismissed, Pallares Cardoza says:

“I was practically isolated for four days in the administration offices.”

Honda Mexico also imposed an 8.20am to 5.40pm shift (hours usually worked by “protected/ managerial” white collar workers) and he had travel to work on the buses allocated for administrative staff and was kept isolated from his colleagues in the company’s offices. His lunch hour was also changed to 2.10pm to 2.40pm, a period reserved for only for suppliers. In other words, the company took every step to ensure that he had no contact at all with his co-workers.

It is useful to know that, despite its overt complicity with the “yellow” CTM union at the plant (SETEAMI), Honda Mexico has a “Code of Ethics”, in which the company says it will respect the law and a global framework for workers’ rights . However, Honda Mexico proves once more that the company has no desire or intention to observe this code or put it into practice.

IndustriALL Global Union and STUHM also denounce the anti-union and discriminatory stance of the Federal Conciliation and Arbitration Board, which, in complicity with the company, is taking an unreasonable amount of time to process the union’s application to represent the workers for collective bargaining purposes. Over a year has gone by since the union submitted an application but the board has not managed to reach an agreement with the company about the register of workers eligible to vote in the ballot. It has also failed to set a date for the ballot.

IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary, Fernando Lopes, says: “IndustriALL supports STUHM’s application for a union election at Honda Mexico and strongly denounces the continuing and unfair dismissals of workers who dare to stand up for freedom of association. We call on Honda Mexico to observe Mexican law and stop using obstructive tactics to delay the judicial process.”