Turkey: Remarkable achievement for precarious textile workers

DISK-Tekstil have made their struggle against sub-contracting a priority and through their strategic work managed to put an end to the sub-contracting system in place at Greif Enterprises in Turkey.

The sub-contracting system has become prevalent in the industrial and service sectors in Turkey. The informal economy thrives off it; it triggers unfairness in wages; increases social vulnerability; endangers occupational health and safety; and lowers the quality of the product and service,

said Ridvan Budak, General Manager of DISK-Textile Workers’ Union

The struggle against sub-contracting has become one of the primary objectives of our union. With the regulations on our collective labour agreement, we have made progress.

A consulting firm by the name of StratejiCo was called in to carry out research on the internal operations at the four Greif plants. The firm’s findings clearly showed the benefits of making contract workers permanent and further reinforced the union’s demands.

In line with the collective labour agreements signed between DISK-Tekstil and Greif FPS management, they succeeded to resolve the sub-contracting issue at four plants in total, including the two Greif subsidiaries Sunjut and Unsa.

Following the decision between the union and management, an action plan was put into place to facilitate the transition of the contract workers to permanent worker status. As permanent staff of Greif, they will benefit from the collective labour agreement in place.

Holcim, Lafarge unions protest merger of companies without workers’ rights

The world’s two largest cement companies, the Swiss Holcim and French Lafarge, announced in 2014 that they will merge to form a company with 130,000 workers and a turnover of 35 billion Euro.

The companies have already announced the composition of the merged company’s executive committee and claim the merger will be complete in the first half of 2015 but they have failed to engage in real substantive consultations with unions about the impact of the merger on workers.

Workers and their trade unions today are taking action at Lafarge and Holcim plants around the world to demand the companies allow workers and their unions to have a voice in the merger process.

Actions include pickets and rallies in front of Holcim and Lafarge plants in Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Philippines and Romania; press conferences in India, and Serbia; and distribution of flyers and discussion with workers at Holcim and Lafarge plants in Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Egypt, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Thailand and many other countries. In France, the French unions will conduct a picket and work stoppage from 10:00 to 11:00 at their worksites and at Lafarge Headquarters in Paris.

Today’s actions are being coordinated by IndustriALL Global Union, Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW).

“Tens of thousands of workers will likely be spun off or laid off as a result of this merger, but management still refuses to consult with unions,” said Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL. “This is unacceptable for companies that claim to be socially responsible. Today workers around the world are standing up and saying no merger without workers’ rights.”

“This is the first of many activities we are planning.  In a strong and unified voice we will continue the campaign until the management of Holcim and Lafarge recognize that they cannot ignore the voices of its most vital asset, the workers who have built the companies to its current financial success,” stated Ambet Yuson, General Secretary of BWI.

“Even at European level, with all the legal requirements and obligations concerning information and consultation, we have to conclude that workers’ representatives so far have not been adequately informed and consulted during the merger process, and many times have had to rely on mass-media to get information. This is an unacceptable state of affairs which has to be remedied by a clear-cut commitment from the management to properly consult with workers’ representatives”, says Sam Hägglund, General Secretary of EFBWW.  

Union leaders from 22 countries representing workers at Lafarge and Holcim decided upon this day of action and subsequent actions in the campaign when they met last November in Belgium.

Press contacts:

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL, +41 79 945 57 26
Genevieve Kalina, BWI, +41 22 827 3786
Sam Hägglund, EFBWW, +32 475 84 06 51

IndustriALL Global Union – represents 50 million workers in 143 countries in the mining, energy and manufacturing sectors and is a force in global solidarity taking up the fight for better working conditions and trade union rights around the world. For more information http://www.industriall-union.org/

BWI – The Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) is the global union federation for unions covering workers in the building, building materials, wood, forestry and related areas of work. The BWI has 335 national affiliates in 131 countries with a global membership of 12 million. For more information http://www.bwint.org/

EFBWW – The European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) is the European Industry Federation for the construction industry, the building materials industry, the wood and furniture industry and the forestry industry. The EFBWW has 76 affiliated unions in 34 countries and represents a total of 2,000,000 members. For more information http://www.efbww.org/

Union rights victory at Ashton Apparels in Kenya

The wildcat strike broke out in the Kenyan city of Mombasa on 5 January when workers from several factories owned by Ashton Apparel EPZ Ltd demanded the reinstatement of 120 unionised workers. These workers found that they had been made redundant upon returning from their Christmas leave. They also want the company to recognise TTWU.

“The company has been violating labour laws by denying workers their constitutional rights to join the union of their choice and victimizing employees who have voluntarily joined the union,” said TTWU General Secretary,  Joel Chebii.

The company has also refused to sign a recognition agreement with TTWU and deduct union dues from the union members’ wages.

In a letter sent to Ashton Apparels EPZ Ltd, Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, brought to management’s attention that the company is in breach of national labour legislation as well as international core labour standards, including the International Labour Organizations’ Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize and Convention 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining.

Raina states “it is imperative that take urgent corrective steps to address the demands of the Tailors and Textiles Workers Union. He calls on Ashton Apparels EPZ Ltd to “reinstate the 120 workers, sign the Recognition Agreement, deduct union dues from the union members’ wages, and stop harassing unionized workers.” Should demands not be met, Raina has said that further actions will be taken, including bringing these violations to the attention of buyers sourcing from the company.  

On 14 January a Kenyan court ruled in favour of the dismissed workers and ordered Ashton Apparel to reinstate workers immediately. “Striking workers have returned to work today together with their reinstated colleagues,” said Ezra Ojuka, Deputy General Secretary of TTWU. “Workers have shown Ashton Apparel that the union cannot be ignored and that they are prepared to stand united for their rights.”

"Seeing tremendous gains in life safety"

By September last year the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh had carried out more than 1,500 factory inspections, identifying more than 80,000 safety issues. Out of a total of around 4 million workers in the garment industry in Bangladesh, the Accord covers around 2,1 million.

 http://youtu.be/SKy6S951DnY  

2,000 Polish miners protest against plans to close mines

The government decision on 7 February to close the mines and cut jobs will have painful consequences for workers and residents in mining communities.

Polish miners, who insist the collieries could be profitable and have large coal deposits, are demanding a major restructuring of the entire coal sector which provides Poland with a key source of power, heat and energy security.

Miners, trade unions and local authorities had to learn of the plan to cut thousands of jobs through the media and had no prior consultation, discussion or social dialogue. Furthermore, over the last two years the government has appeared willing to restructure the coal industry, and has made no mention of closing the mines.

The announcement sparked spontaneous protests among the affected mining crews, supported by administrative staff and colleagues from all mines.

Poland’s Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz travelled to the Silesia region to talk to the demonstrating miners. However, negotiations have broken down, and with no agreement in sight, it is unknown when talks will continue.  

IndustriALL Global Union’s director of mining Glen Mpufane said:

Together with IndustriALL Europe we support the actions of our comrades in Poland whose future is in the balance. We urge the government to come to an agreement with the trade unions to safeguard thousands of jobs.

Union campaign mounts pressure against Lafarge-Holcim

These actions are the launch of a global campaign against Lafarge’s and Holcim’s behavior during the merger. The campaign is organized by Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) and IndustriALL Global Union.

Since the announcement last year of their plans about the merger, Holcim and Lafarge, headquartered accordingly in Switzerland and France have consistently refused to discuss seriously with trade unions on the impact of the merger on workers. According to the different estimations at least 15,000 workers will be jobless as a result of a major restructuring; however, the companies have not been transparent and public about the merger process, leaving workers uncertain about their future.

The main demands of the trade unions to Lafarge and Holcim are:

Many of the unions in Brazil, Greece, Netherlands, Thailand, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe are distributing flyers and talking to workers about how the merger would affect workers. Since many workers have not received proper information about the merger process these discussions are critical to alleviate the workers’ anxieties about their future. In a number of countries such as Lebanon, Brazil and France, the trade unions are conducting work stoppages at the plants. In the Philippines, Jordan, Romania, and Germany the unions are holding pickets in front of Lafarge and Holcim plants.  Noting the media interest in the merger, unions in Colombia, India, and Serbia are holding press conferences.

The unions will continue to organize actions until the unions’ demands are met.

With the aim to support the on-site actions and pressure the leadership of the companies, BWI, IndustriALL and EFBWW jointly with the website LabourStart have launched an online campaign. Follow the link to send your message of protest to Holcim and Lafarge through http://www.labourstart.org/go/nomerger

Turkey – thousands of metalworkers to strike on 29 January

Birlesik Metal-Is has taken the decision after sectorial level negotiations with the Turkish Metal Employers’ Federation (MESS) failed. Offers made were found unacceptable at union mass meetings. The strike decision covers multinational companies such as Schneider, Alstöm, Mahle, Aperam, ABB, Bosal, Bekaert, Delphi Automotive, Federal Mogul, Prysmian, Isuzu.

In its charter at the beginning of the negotiations, Birlesik Metal-Is demanded additional improvement for those with lower wages and newcomers. MESS refused this critical demand and insisted on a three-year agreement which is traditionally for two-year periods. Birlesik Metal-Is found this impossible since the Turkish economy shows instability and a long-term deal would lessen the purchasing power of the members.

In the meantime MESS has signed a collective agreement with the other two metal unions in the sector. Following a mass meeting with all workers at a rally in the town of Gebze, and the general assembly of all the shop-stewards from the companies covered by the negotiations, Birlesik Metal-Is decided to go on strike by standing firm with its initial demands.

During a press conference at the headquarters of DISK, Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey to which Birlesik Metal-Is is affiliated nationally, General President Adnan Serdaroglu announced the strike decision.

“We have evaluated all the conditions on the 10 January, and our shop stewards as central bargaining commission members expressed their views not to accept all impositions whatever cost they make and to go on strike.

“We know that what remains from today is those who go for tomorrow, and those who struggle for tomorrow.”

In his message of support and solidarity, IndustriALL’s General Secretary Jyrki Raina says the organization fully supports the strike:

“We salute your decision to strike in your struggle for decent wages and working conditions. We encourage all affiliates to show Birlesik Metal-Is support and solidarity. IndustriALL will continue to do everything in our power to support your struggle.”

Why no mention of workers at Davos?

“Global prosperity depends on workers and yet they feel powerless,” says Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, who will be participating at Forum meetings in Davos.

In the new global context, working people are increasingly alienated from structures and corporations. Wages drop while corporate profits and CEO salaries go through the roof, fuelling the lack of trust in multinational companies and in governments’ power to control them.

“Hundreds of millions of people are toiling on poverty wages, leading to suffering and unrest, which is bad for business,” adds Raina.

IndustriALL, representing 50 million workers worldwide, is fighting for living wages for all workers to reduce income inequality, increase economic growth and create new jobs.

A handful of multinational corporations recognize that wage levels in many developing countries are unsustainable. That’s why IndustriALL is working with global fashion brands such as H&M and Inditex to pay living wages to garment workers in their supply chains.

Throughout the world, stable employment is being replaced by temporary jobs with low pay and no career prospects, job security or social benefits. Young people, in particular, are finding it harder than ever to find a decent and secure job.

“You can’t build an economy on poverty wages and insecure jobs,” says Raina.  “Inclusive and sustainable global development depends on a constructive relationship between business and workers. Unions are essential to ensuring a fair distribution of the fruits of industry and must be regarded as partners to business, not rivals.”

IndustriALL works with multinational companies to achieve this balance. We have global framework agreements with 43 multinational companies including World Economic Forum industry partners GDF Suez, Siemens, Volkswagen and Statoil, to protect the interests of workers throughout the operations and supply chains of multinational companies.

“In a world challenged by climate change, workers and the poorest in society are the most vulnerable,” says Raina. “IndustriALL Global Union calls on state and business leaders in Davos to wake up and take action to stop global warming before we face a catastrophic grab for resources in a world of diminishing means.”

Ends

For information, contact:Contact: Leonie Guguen, communications and media officer, IndustriALL Global Union. Tel: +41 (0)22 308 50 24 Mobile: +41 (0) 79 137 54 36. Email: [email protected]

Indian government concedes to coal strikers

Following a marathon six-hour-long meeting between the leaders of the five trade union centres that called the strike and the Coal India Chairman and senior officials, India's Coal and Power Minister, Piyush Goyal, told reporters: 

"There is no intention for denationalization of CIL. The present and future interest of CIL employees will not be affected in any manner. CIL will be protected and there need be no apprehension about its ownership or management going into private hands.

The government has now established a committee to consider the other union demands.

The agreement that ended the strike is available in Hindi. The main points of the text are:

The government also made it very clear that no vindictive actions will be initiated against workers for their participation in the strike. The unions have committed to improve production and improve efficiency.

Rajendra Prasad Singha, IndustriALL Global Union Executive Committee member and Vice-President of the HMS union stated: "The strike has demonstrated the extraordinary unity of the working class and brought down the arrogance of the Government.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was forced to act fast during the strike as coal produces 60 per cent of India’s electricity.  Coal India produces over 80 per cent of the country’s coal. Once the coal-fired power plants’ stockpiles ran out, energy blackouts would have begun tomorrow if the strike had continued.

Coal India is the world’s largest mining employer, producing 472 million tons annually.

High time for Holcim and Lafarge to respect workers’ rights

On 23 December 2014 both companies issued press releases about the leading bodies in the formation and announced a new CEO and a chair of the board of directors for the merged company. But so far the agenda of this merger is driven only by higher profits for the shareholders. There is no discussion in either company on the consequences for the workers on whose shoulders the wealth of both companies has been built.

Both companies talk of sustainability as a corner stone of their policy. This is only relevant when employees are not treated as disposable material. In the absence of an open dialogue the announced merger has created uncertainty and despair among the employees. Dismissals and divestments are going on today; and workers and their representatives are not properly involved.

IndustriALL Global Union, Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) have addressed a letter to both companies. The union federations are asking to be acknowledged and involved in discussions concerning consequences for labour rights and working conditions at the earliest stage possible. They are also requesting a meeting to discuss workers’ concerns, as well as a new Global Framework Agreement (GFA) for the new company. The Lafarge group is currently signatory to a GFA with IndustriALL and BWI.

Although neither company in principle declined the invitation, answers given fell far short from the union expectations. The unions will continue to insist on proper discussions.

Workers at Holcim and Lafarge demand the leadership of both companies to:

No merger without workers’ rights!