Kazakhstan: free unionism is now either a criminal or administrative offence

Coming into effect as of 1 January 2015, these acts opened the possibility for the government bodies to intervene in trade union activities, while restricting the possibility of strikes, meetings and street protests.As a matter of fact, at the beginning of September 2014, the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Kazakhstan (KSPK) has submitted to the Committee of Experts of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a critical analysis of the newly adopted national law "On Trade Unions", seriously limiting the opportunities for trade union movement of the country.

Already at the stage of consideration as a bill the law "On Trade Unions" was gravely criticized by the international trade union movement and the International Labour Organization. Despite that the law was adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan in June this year.

The review makes a detailed analysis of the articles of the law related to the freedom of internal trade union activities, such as the ability of trade unions to define own structure, put forward demands and realise their right to strike as well as the problems regarding the union registration by the state bodies, reorganization and liquidation. In particular, the law makes it difficult to exercise the union right to push forward demands to the employer and to strike.

In accordance with the law the sector trade union should be established by not less than half of the total number of employees or organizations in the industry, or should have structural subdivisions in more than half of the regions, cities of national significance, as well as in the capital, which can lead to even greater trade union monopoly at the enterprise and sector level.

“This recent legislation is very worrying and appalling, particularly when it is coupled with earlier happenings” said Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union. “Kazakhstan is a critical country for the jurisdiction of our global union, and we will continue to give support democratic unionism in the country”.

Crown continues union busting in Turkey and Canada

USW has responded by filing a complaint with the Labour Relations Board in Ontario, Canada.

One of the world's largest manufacturers of food and beverage cans, Crown provoked the strike at its Toronto factory on Sept. 6, 2013, by demanding massive concessions despite doubling its profits and giving the plant its top award in North America for productivity, safety and efficiency.

"We believe Crown is out to bust the union and is not interested in negotiating an end to this dispute," said USW International Vice-President Fred Redmond who has been handling the negotiations.

In March, workers rejected the company's demands by a vote of 117 to 1 after Crown offered few assurances that workers could return to their jobs. In its most recent proposal, Crown said it wants to cut the wages of most workers by as much as one-third.

In Turkey, Crown lost its challenges of the certification of IndustriALL affiliate Birlesik Is and was forced to recognize the union. However the company is refusing to bargain in good faith and a work stoppage appears likely. Crown has already dismissed numerous workers because of their union involvement.

IndustriALL continues to support USW and Birlesik Metal Is in disputes with Crown. IndustriALL held a meeting in Geneva in February of unions at Crown in Europe and North America to develop a program of fighting back against Crown attacks.

IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan participated in actions at the Crown annual general meeting in Philadelphia, USA in April. IndustriALL also organized in April a delegation of two striking workers from Canada to Turkey, Switzerland, Italy and France.

IndustriALL has also sent, jointly with fellow GUF the IUF, a letter to Crown’s customers demanding they ensure Crown respects workers’ rights.

IUF is pressing this demand in meetings with a number of Crown customers in the food and beverage sectors where IUF affiliates have members.

"We will continue to support our affiliates in Canada, Turkey and wherever else they come under attack by this vicious, anti-union company, Crown Holdings,” said Özkan.

Brands say they will pay more for clothes made in Cambodia

The brands, which include one of Cambodia’s biggest buyers, H&M, as well as Inditex (Zara) and Primark, have written to the Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Garments Manufacturers Association (GMAC) saying they are ready to factor higher wages into their pricing.

Furthermore, the brands, which also include Next, New Look, C&A, Tchibo and N Brown Group, say they want to see cooperation with trade unions in the workplace.

The letter, sent the day after the global day of action on 17 September, states:

“Our purchasing practices will enable the payment of a fair living wage and increased wages will be reflected in our FOB prices, taking also into account productivity and efficiency gains and the development of the skills of workers, carried out in cooperation with unions at workplace level.”

Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, said:

“We welcome this unparalleled letter in which the brands state their willingness to incorporate higher wages by paying more for garments. Factory owners have no excuse not to pay their workers more. What's more, the Cambodian government should raise the minimum wage significantly. The letter also shows the brands recognize that unions are key to securing better worker rights, a fair living wage and a stable market.

The letter also met with approval from Ath Thorn, president Cambodian garment, C.CAWDU, who stated: "The message from the brands is an important development. It is progress for Cambodian workers but it doesn't absolve the brands of their responsibility to take real action and negotiate directly with workers. We know from past experience that just a letter isn't strong enough – the brands must take additional action immediately to ensure a higher wage for Cambodian workers. To achieve long-term stability and decent wages, we need the ones who make the biggest profits to be accountable." 

Ken Loo, GMAC’s secretary-general, said: “GMAC is pleased to receive this letter as this is the first official commitment that we are aware from any buyer committing to pay higher FOB prices to ensure that workers can be paid a fair living wage.”

However, Loo added that other brands needed to offer similar assurance.

The brands go on to warn that while they are committed to sourcing from Cambodia, they expect the government and employer’s association GMAC to resolve the current deadlock in labour relations.

“To support the forecast volumes, there is a requirement to see a positive attitude and support for the establishment of freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, fair living wages, stability and peaceful conflict resolution. This will then deliver the assurance and necessary trust in Cambodia to continue promoting the market as a strategic sourcing country.”

Thousands of garment workers donned orange T-shirts in their lunch hour to demonstrate outside factories on 17 September for an increase in the minimum wage from US$100 to US$177 per month. The action was supported by IndustriALL Global Union, UNI Global Union and the ITUC. Scores of NGOs also supported and there were pickets at stores across the world.

On the same day, tri-partite discussions took place between the government, GMAC and unions. The Labour Advisory Committee, charged with determining the new minimum wage, is set to meet again on 26 September with a decision expected in early October.

IndustriALL has eight garment union affiliates in Cambodia.  

Ends.

For more information please contact:

Leonie Guguen

[email protected] 

Tel: 00 41 (0)22 308 50 24

[email protected]

Switchboard: 00 41 (0)22 308 50 50

www.industriall-union.org

Egyptian unions fight for living wages

Living wages are a critical issue in Egypt, particularly in the garment sector where in one factory workers have not received wages for 7 months An IndustriALL workshop held on September 7-8 in Cairo was attended by representatives from affiliates and potential affiliates of the newly formed Egyptian independent unions in IndustriALL jurisdictions.

Demands to raise the minimum wage have given rise to dozens of strikes and industrial actions across Egypt over recent years. During a 2006 strike, workers at the Mahalla textile factory demanded an increase to the minimum wage to1,200 LE ($166). In 2010 a court ruling in Egypt raised the minimum wage to 1,200 LE which was not implemented by the government.  

Following workers struggles and several industrial actions, this year the Egyptian cabinet finally adopted the 1,200 LE as the new minimum wage for the governmental sector. However, for trade unions and workers activists the government decision comes too late. They are demanding a higher minimum wage which takes account of price increases and increased living costs. Further, the government decision excludes millions of Egyptian workers from the new minimum wages, including those employed in the private sector. 

Collective bargaining strength to achieve higher wages

A representative from the neighboring Tunisian unions attended the workshop and described how their emphasis on improving rights for women workers has helped mobilise women workers in support of wage demands. The Tunisian focus is on collective bargaining to deliver wage outcomes rather than waiting for the government or the judiciary to raise wages.

At the workshop, the Egyptian unions decided to create a national trade union living wage coordinating committee to elaborate their position and adopt a national campaign on the issue. The meeting concluded that, as in Tunisia, developing collective bargaining strength and capacity at industry level is the best strategy for achieving higher wages.

This will require creating the necessary structures for bargaining, including identifying employer counterparts to bargain with – a key issue to be raised in the context of current proposed amendments to the labour law. Particularly in occupations dominated by women, efforts will be made to integrate women into collective bargaining and to promote equal pay and the value of women’s work. The unions will also continue to fight for higher minimum wages through the government process.
 

Ebola impact expected on West African workers

An outbreak of Ebola in the developed world would be easily overcome but West Africa has been unable to contain the disease which has been ongoing for several months now due to poor health services as well as other public service failings. It is having a devastating effect on health services in several ways. It has claimed the lives of health workers that do not have adequate protective gear to work with infected patients, putting more strain on limited human resources to respond to health needs in these countries. It has resulted in the closure of health facilities unable to deal with Ebola patients which has left thousands without care for this and other illnesses.

The longer the outbreak remains uncontained, the greater the risk of the potential negative impact on the economy. Airlines are suspending travel and borders with neighbouring countries have been closed. Multinational companies are scaling back and pulling foreign staff out of affected countries. Other countries in the region have also been affected by fear of the outbreak spreading which has affected trade and other economic activities even where there are no reported cases of Ebola.

In a letter to affiliates in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, IndustriALL Global Union’s general secretary, Jyrki Raina expressed grave concern of the impact that the outbreak is having on workers and writes; “Our affiliates have an important role to play monitoring the economic impact, in terms of slow down or stoppage in production by companies, especially in the mining sector and its implications for labour in the form of layoffs. Particular attention also is needed to the impact on migrant workers.”

Some IndustriALL affiliates in affected countries feel they should be assisting in efforts to contain Ebola, in particular educating workers about the disease and how it is spread. IndustriALL has encouraged affiliates to work with and support Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, who have provided the most comprehensive response to the disease thus far.

The Steelworkers Humanity Fund has contributed US$25,000 for Ebola support in West Africa, providing funds to both MSF and a local NGO with ties to the labour movement that will undertake a public health education campaign. The Steelworkers Humanity Fund focuses primarily on development projects and emergency aid in developing countries, but also supports Canadian communities in crisis. United Steelworkers (USW) members contribute to the fund through clauses negotiated into collective agreements and in some cases employers make matching contributions.

IndustriALL also encourages affiliates that would like to help to follow the example of the Steelworkers Humanity Fund and support the work of MSF and other credible NGOs on the frontline of the outbreak. 

Dominican unions map out living wage action plan

Despite the country being ranked as an upper middle income economy, the purchasing power of workers has plummeted by 27 per cent over the past ten years. Minimum wages are now among the lowest in Latin America – second only to Mexico – having been overtaken by poorer countries such as Haiti and Bolivia.

Some thirty leaders from IndustriALL’s seven affiliated unions, along with Batay Ouvriye from neighbouring Haiti, came together as part of a global living wage project supported by the FES.

At the heart of the action plan agreed by the unions is a push to overhaul the ineffective existing wage setting mechanism. The objective is to secure an increase aimed at recuperating lost purchasing power, followed by indexation in line with inflation.

The FTZ sector unions also agreed to examine the issue of targets and production pay in the garment export sector and to campaign to stamp out the under-reporting of social security. 

In addition, the participants learned about progress made in Haiti to force garment suppliers to pay the minimum wage and improved piece rates, and agreed to share information about wages and conditions in Dominican-owned factories operating on both sides of the border.

Cambodia: Thousands of garment workers take action

Huge crowds of Cambodian garment workers wearing distinctive orange t-shirts braved intimidation from military personnel to protest during their lunch hour outside around 135 factories.

In Switzerland, IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union made a solidarity protest at the Cambodian embassy in Geneva where Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary and UNI’s Alke Boessiger, presented a letter addressed to the Cambodian Prime Minister.

The joint letter from global unions IndustriALL, UNI and the ITUC, which together represent millions of workers around the world, urges the Cambodian government to:

“enact an immediate and substantial rise to the minimum wage so that garment workers, whose labour supports a US$5 billion industry, can finally live with dignity. We fully support garment workers and their trade unions in their 17 September call on the government to deliver on a living wage.

The ITUC, headquartered in Brussels, also led a delegation of members to the Cambodian embassy in Belgium.

Further actions have also been held today in Korea by IndustriALL affiliate KMWU, who got round demonstration restrictions by making one-person pickets outside several big name fashion stores in Seoul’s most popular shopping spots.

KMWU also joined other Korean unionists in posting selfies on social media holding banners supporting the Cambodian workers.

In Australia, leaders and members from IndustriALL affiliates the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) demonstrated outside H&M in Melbourne. Both unions were also represented by Unions ACT, which hand-delivered a letter to the Cambodian embassy in Canberra.

Social media participation has also been considerable with support from many unions, NGOs and consumers on Facebook and under the hashtag #WeNeed177 on twitter.

IndustriALL’s general secretary Jyrki Raina said:

“We will not stop our support for Cambodian garment workers until they earn a decent living wage, as is the right of any human being. The government must listen to its citizens – garment workers – whose hard work contributes US$5 billion to the Cambodian economy.

Letters have also been sent by many IndustriALL affiliates around the world including unions from Japan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Sweden.

Further pickets have taken place at stores across the globe.

The campaign for a US$177 monthly wage, which still does not constitute a living wage, has been launched as Cambodia’s Labour Advisory Committee is set to announce the new minimum wage from January 2015 next month.

A coalition of garment unions, including IndustriALL affiliates, set their demand as US$177 based on a study commissioned by the Cambodian government itself last year that recommended the minimum wage for garment workers should be between US$157 and US$177.

Global unions have also written to the Prime Minister Hun Sen to ask why no progress has been made in setting up a functioning wage setting mechanism, despite assistance from the International Labour Organization.

Listen to Jyrki Raina talking about the reasons for the global day of action,

For more information please contact:

Leonie Guguen

[email protected] 

Tel: 00 41 (0)22 308 50 24

[email protected]

Switchboard: 00 41 (0)22 308 50 50

www.industriall-union.org

Threat of plant closure with major job losses

Multinational corporation Doosan with 30,000 employees worldwide is active in a wide range of industries. Near Mons in Belgium, it manufactures construction equipment. The company has now announced plans to close its Belgian factory even though orders are coming in.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliates organize workers at the plant and see another case of social dumping where production in low cost countries mean job losses in Europe.

The trade unions have entered into discussions with management at Doosan, supported by local politicians.

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL Director for mechanical engineering and materials industries slams the decision:

We can not accept this kind of cherry-picking: Also MNC’s have a social responsibility that goes beyond the mere shareholder value.

UNIFOR takes action to STOP Precarious Work

Unifor has partnered with Ryerson University, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Canadian Federation of Students to host a multi-stakeholder dialogue on how together they can create good jobs. The Summit will take place on 3-5 October in Toronto.

On last year’s World Day for Decent Work, Unifor President Jerry Dias called on the Canadian government to convene a multi-stakeholder Good Jobs Summit in order to start a conversation about creating and sustaining decent work.  The government did not respond and so Unifor began to plan its own good jobs summit.

Today in Canada’s job market temporary jobs are growing at a rate that’s twice as fast as permanent jobs. “For too many people in Canada today, the dream of landing a good job is out of reach. For an increasing number, jobs that were once considered ‘stable’ – with decent wages, benefits and working conditions – are under threat. Good jobs appear to be falling off the economic map,” reads Unifor’s Good Job Summit discussion paper.

Given the impact of increasing precarious work on communities and society in general, the summit will involve a wide range of actors including workers, students, governments, employers and community organizations. The issues to be discussed include the economic consequences of a rising pool of temporary, low-wage jobs; the psychological impacts on individuals faced with an unstable career trajectory; and the impact of the growth in poor-quality jobs on our collective ability to pursue other social goals, like eliminating poverty or protecting our natural environment.

More information is available on the event website.

IndustriALL is calling all its affiliates to take action on 7 October, like UNIFOR, to demonstrate our united commitment to stopping precarious work. 

Actions taken in 2013

  1. Belarus http://www.industriall-union.org/belarus-actions-0
  2. Brasil http://www.industriall-union.org/brazil-actions
  3. Burkina Faso http://www.industriall-union.org/burkina-faso-actions
  4. Cambodia http://www.industriall-union.org/cambodia-actions
  5. Cameroon http://www.industriall-union.org/cameroon-actions
  6. Canada http://www.industriall-union.org/canada-actions
  7. Chile http://www.industriall-union.org/chile-actions-0
  8. Colombia (2) http://www.industriall-union.org/colombia-actions-1
  9. Colombia http://www.industriall-union.org/colombia-actions-0
  10. Croatia http://www.industriall-union.org/croatia-actions-0
  11. Czech Republic http://www.industriall-union.org/czech-republic
  12. Denmark http://www.industriall-union.org/denmark-actions
  13. FInland http://www.industriall-union.org/finland-actions
  14. Georgia http://www.industriall-union.org/georgia-actions
  15. India http://www.industriall-union.org/india-actions-0
  16. Indonesia http://www.industriall-union.org/indonesia-actions-0
  17. Japan http://www.industriall-union.org/japan-actions-0
  18. Kosovo http://www.industriall-union.org/kosovo-actions
  19. Madagascar http://www.industriall-union.org/madagascar-actions
  20. Mauritius http://www.industriall-union.org/mauritius-actions-0
  21. Mexico http://www.industriall-union.org/mexico-actions
  22. Netherlands http://www.industriall-union.org/netherlands-actions-0
  23. Nigeria http://www.industriall-union.org/nigeria-actions
  24. Philippines http://www.industriall-union.org/philippines-actions-0
  25. Russia http://www.industriall-union.org/russia-actions-0
  26. Somalia http://www.industriall-union.org/somalia-actions
  27. Sri Lanka http://www.industriall-union.org/sri-lanka-actions
  28. Sweden http://www.industriall-union.org/sweden-actions
  29. Thailand http://www.industriall-union.org/thailand-actions-0
  30. Zimbabwe http://www.industriall-union.org/zimbabwe-actions

Poster and leaflets Artwork 2013 (all languages) http://www.industriall-union.org/stop-precarious-work-materials-2013

ACTIONS BY COUNTRY 2012 http://www.industriall-union.org/actions-by-country