Nigerian abducted schoolgirls must not be forgotten

Militant Islamic group, Boko Haram, seized 270 girls from their school in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Borno almost three months ago. While some girls have managed to escape, more than 200 remain captured.

The resolution, passed in June at IndustriALL’s Executive Committee meeting in Geneva, calls on the Nigerian government and girls’ captors to speedily ensure that all the girls are safely returned to their homes, unharmed.

Boko Haram has threatened to sell the girls as slaves or marry them off as child brides unless the government releases all imprisoned militants. 

The resolution, put forward by IndustriALL’s Women’s Committee, underlines that the girl-child suffers most in conflicts around the world and urges the Nigerian government to take measures to prevent further abductions from occurring.  

The Executive Committee pledged its solidarity with the girls, their parents and their communities.

IndustriALL has also written to Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva to convey the demands to the government.

Resolution on Nigeria and the schoolgirls captured by Boko Haram

Noting that women and children all over the world are the worst victims of economic, social, political, cultural and religion inspired violence;

Recognizing that the girl-child suffers the most in conflict situations around the world;

Fully committed to and supportive of the global call for the release of the more than 270 girls captured in north-east Nigeria on 14th April 2014, we the delegates to this IndustriALL Conference call upon the Nigerian government and the captors of the girls to speedily ensure that the girls are all safely returned to their homes, unharmed.

We pledge our solidarity with the girls, their parents and their communities.

We furthermore demand that measures be taken to prevent further abductions from happening.

25th June 2014

(Resolution sponsored by Women committee.)

IndustriALL flags labour violation in iPhone 6 production

Trade unions in a number of countries marked an international day of action on 2 July calling for reinstatement of the NXP 24. First Union in New Zealand kicked off the day and was followed by actions particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The NXP workers being vindictively attacked by their local management are members of the Philippine metalworkers union, affiliated to IndustriALL, MWAP.

Included in the sacked 24 trade unionists is national MWAP union president Reden Alcantara.

IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Jyrki Raina explained in his 8 July letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook:

The malicious union-busting by NXP management in Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines casts a dark shadow over the upcoming iPhone 6. Consumers will be disappointed to learn that at this key stage in the production of the iPhone 6 workers are denied their fundamental rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. If Apple does not urgently act to fix this problem, the sacking of 24 trade union activists under fraudulent pretenses to punish workers for organizing will not only constitute a bad breach of international instruments ILO Conventions 87 and 98, it will send the clearest signal of Apple’s attitude towards the workers in the developing world who make their products.  

We expect an urgent and effective intervention from Apple to fix this problem at NXP Philippines so that you continue to source from this facility while ensuring it complies with your supplier responsibility guidelines. We know that NXPSCI supplies a number of well-known brands, and expect Apple to lead the response in reaching a solution.

The local NXP subsidiary in question is NXP Semiconductors Cabuyao Incorporated (NXPSCI). Located in one of the Philippines’ special economic zones, notorious for hostility towards unions and high levels of outsourcing, NXPSCI employs around 5,000 workers.

The NXPSCI workers’ union attempted to conduct good faith collective bargaining with management to renew the existing CBA from December 2013. The two priorities of the union bargaining unit was to increase the low wages by 8 percent, and to regularize the precariously employed contract workers at the plant, some of whom have been working on rolling contracts for over two years.

To bust the union and block the demand for increased salaries, local management sacked 24 leading trade unionists on 5 May on the sham charges of not reporting to work on 9, 17 and 19 April and 1 May. The 9, 17 and 19 April are all national holidays in the Philippines, and 1 May is Labour Day which the existing CBA stipulates union members can take off work to mark the day. The NXPSCI work rules say that management can request employees to work on holiday days at double salary, however no request was made to work on these days in April and May. The 24 trade union leaders’ absence from work was labeled by management as an illegal strike.

A list of further aggressive tactics has been employed by the management to force through a new CBA on their terms and to completely bust the union.

Over 8,000 supporters have signed up to the online campaign run by IndustriALL, MWAP and LabourStart since the dismissals.

NXP has a history of gross labour rights violations, including during a lockout by NXP of workers in Thailand last year. NXP is now also in dispute with IndustriALL affiliate ROCMU over non-payment of a bonus at its facility in Taiwan.    

While IndustriALL is currently challenging Samsung for its labour violations in Korea, Apple is Samsung’s main competitor. IndustriALL expects both market leading electronics brands to ensure minimum international labour standards throughout their supply chains, and treat the workers that make their products with respect.

IndustriALL renews agreement with world’s largest fashion retailer

In a ceremony with Gilbert Houngbo, Deputy Director-General for Field Operations & Partnerships at the International Labour Organization (ILO), IndustriALL’s general secretary Jyrki Raina met with Pablo Isla, Chairman and CEO of Inditex, to sign the renewed Agreement at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

A GFA serves to protect the interests of workers across the global operations of multinational companies, even those not directly working for the company, setting the best standards for trade union rights, health and safety, and environmental practices.

The GFA with Spanish-based Inditex covers its entire supply chain, involving a million garment workers in around 6,000 supplier factories making clothes for the company’s eight different brands, including Zara, Pull&Bear and Massimo Dutti.

Jyrki Raina stated:

“The GFA with Inditex is a model of mature industrial relations with a multinational corporation. In promoting trade union values, the GFA empowers workers and improves lives, allowing even the most vulnerable people at the bottom of Inditex’s supply chain to be heard and protected. Essentially, with the GFA, Inditex underlines that unions are good for business and necessary partners in creating a fair and sustainable supply chain. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with Inditex well into the future.”

Pablo Isla stated:

“The collaboration between Inditex and IndustriALL has proven one of the most effective working tools in terms of identifying and prioritizing lines of initiative that deliver continual improvements in the supply chain. Moreover, signature of this agreement under the auspices of the ILO foreshadows a future of tireless dedication to enhancing living and working conditions in our sector.”

Gilbert Houngbo said:

"The ILO welcomes the renewal of the Global Framework Agreement between IndustriALL Global Union and Inditex. This is a positive step towards improving workers' rights and working conditions in the garment industry. It is also a good example of how the strong commitment of workers and employers working together can be turned into action.”

Over the past seven years, the GFA with Inditex has operated as a direct line of communication between the workers and the company, helping to resolve disputes rapidly as well as promote freedom of association, unionization, and raise salaries.

As a direct result of the GFA, the concept of a living wage was introduced into Inditex’s Code of Conduct*.

The initial GFA with Inditex was the first to be signed by a global retailer and was made with IndustriALL’s predecessor the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation in 2007 before it merged with other federations to become IndustriALL Global Union.

Also present at the ILO ceremony were Isidor Boix Lluch, IndustriALL’s Coordinator of the GFA; and trade unionists Agustín Martín Martínez, General Secretary, CC.OO. de Industria, Spain; Antonio Deusa Pedrazo, General Secretary, FITAG-UGT, Spain; and Victor Garrido Sotomayor, from CC.OO de Industria, Spain.

Ends

*The GFA reads: “Wages should always be enough to meet at least the basic needs of workers and their families and any other which might be considered as reasonable additional needs.”

Facts:

For more information, please contact:

Leonie Guguen, Communications Officer, IndustriALL Global Union

[email protected] 

Tel: 00 41 (0) 22 308 50 23

IndustriALL condemns ‘debt vultures’ preying on Argentine economy

At the Executive Committee meeting in Geneva in June, Francisco Gutierrez, International Secretary of the Unión Obrera Metalúrgica (UOM) drew attention to the impact of a landmark US court ruling in Argentina’s 12-year legal battle against global debt speculators.

Speaking on behalf of the Argentine National Council of IndustriALL affiliates, Gutierrez warned that the ruling could have profound consequences not only for jobs and the economy in Argentina, but also for the global financial system and for other struggling nations who could in future find it more difficult to restructure their national debt.

The current crisis has its roots in 2001 when, after an economic collapse that caused years of mass unemployment and widespread poverty, Argentina defaulted on its national debt. The debt had to a large extent been run up in previous years by the former military dictatorship and by financial speculators.

During the next ten years, Argentina reached an agreement with 92% of its lenders to restructure its debt. The default provided Argentina much needed relief and led to rapid growth and development. By the end of 2011, the country had achieved record employment, invested in education and infrastructure, and reduced poverty by nearly 70 percent.

However, a small minority of hedge fund investors who had bought debt bonds at fire-sale prices after the default refused to reach an agreement and instead pursued legal action for full repayment plus interest. In 2005 the Argentine Congress passed a law banning repayments to the holdout creditors.

Now a US federal judge has ordered Argentina to repay the hedge funds. What’s more, the ruling also makes it illegal for Argentina to pay its other creditors unless it also pays the ‘vultures’, and requires US financial institutions to provide information about the Argentina’s assets worldwide.

The IndustriALL Executive Committee expressed its full support for Argentina in its struggle to promote sustainable economic development in the face of attacks from avaricious investors.

IndustriALL mourns Lito

Lito was ex-general secretary of IndustriALL affiliate, the Metal, Construction and Allied Workers' Federation (MCA-UGT), and a former member of the global Executive Committee of the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF).

IndustriALL’s general secretary, Jyrki Raina, says:

“Lito forged an exceptionally long career as a trade union leader. In his actions and his thoughtful and appreciated interventions at IMF’s Executive Committee, he demonstrated a deep sense of international solidarity and a special love for Latin America where countries were developing from dictatorships to democracies, with a need for strong trade unions as important democratic pillars of the new societies.”

Lito worked in ArcelorMittal (former Ensidesa) and began his union career as Secretary for Organizational issues in UGT of the Veriña factory (Asturias).

He continued this responsibility at local level in UGT Gijón and UGT Asturias, where he was general secretary for ten years.

In 1988, he was elected general secretary for the Federal Metalworkers of UGT, and reelected in 1990, 1994 and 1996.

After UGT merged with the Construction, Wood and Allied Federation, he was elected general secretary of MCA-UGT, and again reelected until the 26th Federal Congress in Burgos in 2013, when he was voted in as MCA-UGT president.

Lito was also vice president of the Metalworkers’ European Federation (EMF), which later became IndustriALL Europe and vice president of the IMF which merged to become IndustriALL Global Union.

A Board member at Aceralia, Arcelor and Arcelor Mittal, he was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Asturian Socialist Federation and PSOE regional deputy for Asturias for two terms in office and member of the PSOE Federal Committee.

Lito passed away on 27 June 2014 in Oviedo, in his home region of Asturias, Spain. He was 67 years old. 

Namibian tannery workers strike

Workers are ready to accept the wage increase negotiated between their employer and IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, Manwu, but have stood fast on their demand for transport, voting to go on an indefinite strike after coming to a deadlock on the matter.

The impact of rising transport costs are often overlooked and increasingly low waged workers opt to walk to work in order to not incur these costs. This increases their daily calorie intake requirements which are often not met, thus workers are going hungry.

“Some workers have to walk very long distances to work, up to five kilometres each way every day and what is worse is that they are often victims of crime, being an easy target for robbers,” said Justina Jonas, General Secretary of Manwu. “This time workers felt that they could not compromise on their need for transport.”

Jonas also raised concerns on health and safety at the tannery, saying that the health consequences of long term exposure to chemicals and the lack of protective gear needed to be addressed.

In a letter to Nakara’s Managing Director, Kevin Davidow, IndustriALL's general secretary, Jyrki Raina, said:

We urge you to take seriously the demands of workers for company provided transport to and from work in the interest of their security and well-being. We also call upon you to work with MANWU to address the concerns of your employees including making improvements to health and safety standards at your tannery.

The company has brought in scab labour despite workers being on a legal strike since 28 June 2014. Manwu has applied for a court interdict to prevent this. Nakara was the Africa regional winner in 2011 of the ‘Tannery of the Year’, an awards programme for the global tanning industry, for amongst other things, its commitment to its workers.

US withdraws Swaziland’s preferential trade status

US President Obama announced on June 26 2014 the termination of Swaziland as a beneficiary country of the AGOA, effective from 1 January 2015. The loss of AGOA eligibility will affect duty-free access of Swaziland’s garment exports to the US, worth USD50 million in 2013. 

“The US required that Swaziland address five recommendations, which were reasonable and in fact lenient, but the government failed to act” explains Wonder Mkhonza, General Secretary of Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (Atuswa). Amongst these recommendations was respect for freedom of association and freedom of assembly.

Amongst key concerns is the 2012 deregistration of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (Tucoswa) and international pressure, including attempts by the ILO to ensure that the Swaziland government recognizes the federation, have thus far failed.  Atuswa, formed through the merger in September 2013 of a number of unions, including three IndustriALL Global Union affiliates, in sectors including manufacturing, metal and mining, also remains unregistered.

Trade union activities are often disrupted by the police. Trade union leaders are subjected to harassment and live with the threat of arrest and detention when going about their work. The recent conviction of a trade union leader and the imprisonment of a union lawyer for criticizing the lack of an independent judiciary the in Swaziland, are further indicators that the situation is worsening in Swaziland. An ILO fact finding mission in January 2014 found that no progress was made in the past decade.

In May 2014, prior to the deadline to meet the eligibility requirements, Atuswa led a march of about 400 garment workers to hand over a petition to the Swazi Prime Minister. “We petitioned the government to address the five recommendations so that Swaziland would keep its trading status with the US and save jobs, but up to today government has not responded to our petition.” said Mkhonza. 

The US will review Swaziland’s AGOA eligibility again in December 2014, thus the Swaziland government does have a window, albeit a small one, to assume its responsibility now to respect workers’ rights and regain preferential trade status.  

Massive Numsa strike begins in South Africa

“This was not an easy decision, but a painful one,” reads a Numsa statement from the National Executive Committee meeting  last week. “It has never been in our agenda to call a strike; this strike has been imposed on us. Ours is to use the strike as part of a tactic to exert organizational pressure on the bosses, to return to the table and present an offer acceptable to our members.”

Numsa declared a dispute at the end of May after two months of negotiations with the employer bodies, under the auspices of the Metal and Engineering Bargaining Council (MEIBC), failed to achieve an agreement. Workers initially demanded a 15 per cent wage increase but had reduced it to 12 per cent when the dispute was declared. The 220,000 Numsa members on strike represent around half of all workers in the sectors.

Numsa is also demanding that the bargaining agreement with MEIBC covers one year and not a three year period as has been the practice in the past. The union wants employers to agree to scrap the use of labour brokers, and remove the short time and layoff clauses from the main agreement. 

EU and US choose corporations over human rights

The resolution, presented by Ecuador and South Africa and adopted on 26 June, establishes an intergovernmental working group with the mandate of developing binding norms on the human rights responsibilities of MNCs. The vote was 20 for, 14 against and 13 abstentions in the 47-member UNHRC. The United States and EU members, including France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic, together with South Korea and Japan, voted against the resolution which was supported by China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, Philippines and Algeria, amongst others, setting the  stage for a major battle between developing countries and industrialised countries with powerful MNC interests.

Developing an international system to regulate corporations for their human rights violations has been attempted twice before. The first effort , begun in 1972,  ended in 1992 when  some counties opposed a ratification requirement of the code for it to be applied in domestic law.

The second effort began in 1998 when a working group was established to examine the effects of transnational corporations on human rights and to draft norms for a monitoring mechanism that would apply sanctions to MNCs. In 2003 these norms, designed as a 'non-voluntary' international system of regulation for corporate violations of human rights, were sent to the Commission for Human Rights for their approval.  The norms were broadly supported by civil society, but rigidly opposed by some from the business sector and in 2004 the Commission on Human Rights declared them to have 'no legal standing'.

However, the gaping hole in human rights redress for those affected by the operations of multinationals could not be ignored and in 2008 the UNHRC adopted the Respect, Protect and Remedy Framework developed by  Professor John Ruggie which was operationalized in 2011 as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Ruggie Framework has become increasingly influential, giving greater legitimacy to a host of different multilateral, bilateral and unilateral mechanisms but it does not offer binding standards against which a corporation can be judged for human rights violations.

No doubt, this third attempt will face stiff opposition at the UN by governments representing large capital interests, especially from the EU and US. The US has already stated that countries that voted against the UNHRC resolution will not be required to respect it (which is not the case).

Binding, enforceable standards on MNCs will give unions a powerful tool to address rights violations and to halt the global race to the bottom. Unions will need to cooperate with broader civil society to achieve meaningful and not lowest common denominator standards as well as to counter resistance from those serving the interests of MNCs that have successfully held back a binding instrument for over 40 years.

We will not work in these conditions!

On Monday 6 June, more than 200 ASENAV employees demonstrated in the town of Valdivia, southern Chile, to express their dissatisfaction at the company's response to union demands during this round of collective bargaining. On 20 May, the union of ASENAV workers, which forms part of the Nacional  Industrial Chile, affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, presented its demands for a 10% pay rise, improved bonus payments, higher clothing and food allowances and an end to subcontracting and precarious work.

On 2 June, the company made an offer much lower than workers’ demands. It offered a 3.8 percent pay rise in stages and a productivity bonus worth 0.315 percent of basic pay to be paid on a quarterly basis until June 2016.

In response, the union organised demonstrations outside company plants and began a strike on Monday 30 June after a mass meeting rejected the company's final offer and voted in favour of a strike. The union says the company offer is practically the same as in 2012.

The union president, Héctor Silva, said that, in view of the company’s intransigence, the union has decided to bring the collective bargaining round out onto the streets rather than continue negotiating with the company behind closed doors: “In addition to our pay demands, we have raised the problem of working conditions in plants 1 and 2, where there is overcrowding and conditions are not safe”, he said.

Horacio Fuentes, president of Nacional  Industrial Chile, expressed complete support and solidarity with the union: “We think the company's proposal is shamefully low, because company profits from the MAERSK boats alone are over US$ 200 million”.

Héctor Silva added: “We will respond with strength and unity and with a single objective, because for years we have produced a quality product for the national and international shipbuilding market. This company has earned billions of dollars thanks to the efforts of the skilled labour force in Valdivia, but does not recognise its most precious resource, which is the metalworkers”.