Trinidad and Tobago unions mobilize for mass demo

The demonstration is organized by a coalition of unions and social justice groups.

Their discontent stems from government attempts to privatize key state-owned enterprises and to increase the 40-hour working week, as well as from unprecedented levels of corruption and violence which are threatening the country’s stability and development.

Earlier this month, the planned action was featured in the discussion on “building union power for social and economic justice” at IndustriALL Global Union’s regional conference for Latin America and the Caribbean.

After hearing from representatives from the oilfields workers union (OWTU) and steel workers union (SWUTT) how the current government has failed to implement the ‘Workers’ Agenda’ to which it committed itself in the lead-up to the 2010 elections, conference delegates from thirteen countries wholeheartedly endorsed the mass rally.

Said General Secretary Jyrki Raina in a subsequent letter addressed to its affiliates in Trinidad and Tobago: “IndustriALL Global Union and its affiliates stand with you in your struggle for transparent and accountable governance and for the defence of the rights and interests of workers, and wish you every success in your demonstration”.

Addressing gender based violence in Tanzania

A Women’s Workshop in Arusha brought together 25 women shop stewards from the energy, mining and textile sectors organised by the Tanzania Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers (Tuico) and the Tanzania Mines, Energy, Construction and Allied Workers Union (Tamico). The workshop addressed HIV and AIDS related issues confronted by women at the workplace, most specifically gender based violence.

Sexual harassment and rape were discussed at length and the extent of these issues, in particular for young women from textile factories was uncovered.

“Women were encouraged during the workshop not to accept sexual harassment and rape and report any offence to their trade union representative at the plant should they fear management,” said the HIV and AIDS coordinator, Paule Ndessomin.

Ndessomin and Regional Officer, Thabo Tshabalala visited to A to Z Textile Ltd that employs mostly women workers. The average age of these workers is 23 and they come from villages, brought to work in the factories. They live in hostels within the factory compound. “Beside work, there are no other activities offered to the young workers”, says Ndessomin. “This could contribute to the high pregnancy rate among these women.”

A workshop was also conducted with 33 Masai women, all Tuico members, at the Maserani village to raise awareness on HIV, AIDS and gender-based violence including female genital mutilation.

This was a follow up visit after a workshop last year where Masai women requested training on HIV and AIDS issues. “There were open discussions on the practices of female genital mutilation,” says Ndessomin. “The Masai women complained about some aspects of their culture but agreed that it would take time for these practices and beliefs to disappear.”

Global unions sign Health and Safety Agreement with GDF Suez

Gérard Mestrallet, CEO of GDF SUEZ, signed the Global Agreement on Health and Safety with IndustriALL Global Union, Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) and Public Services International (PSI) on May 13 in Chile.

The pact, which is an extension of IndustriALL’s Global Framework Agreement with GDF Suez, sets out to eradicate fatal accidents that have a causal link to the company’s operations.

The agreement also sets out to continuously reduce the number of accidents at work; and to improve health by phasing out products containing substitutable toxic substances, particularly chemicals classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction.

Brian Kohler, IndustriALL’s Director of Health, Safety and Sustainability said:

“GDF Suez joins a small group of companies willing to work with their unions to globalize best practices in health and safety. We aim to protect workers throughout all of its multinational operations, as well as workers sub-contracted to it.”

Particular attention is paid to sub-contractors in the construction phase of industrial and infrastructural projects, with GDF Suez undertaking to carry out a risk assessment of each phase of a project to ensure that best practices are followed. Final approval of projects will include criteria for project acceptance and inspection for health and safety issues.

The agreement will be subject to annual review in a five-year action plan from 2015-2020.

Union leaders announce commitments to fight against climate change

Unions are taking part in the unions4climate action by mobilising to ensure ambitious commitments from governments, engaging in dialogue to plan for industrial transformation and secure Just Transition measures and organise workers in "sustainable" jobs to ensure decent work and union growth.

ITUC research shows that 48 million new jobs could be created in just 12 countries. In Germany up to 400,000 new renewable energy jobs have been created in just two years.

IndustriALL Director of Sustainability Brian Kohler, says that climate change risks everything the labour movement has ever stood for.

The same people that try to avoid action on climate change have repressed workers for decades. A Just Transition into greener jobs is the key to unlock the door to a sustainable future.

The 3rd ITUC World Congress in Berlin dedicated a new award for Union Action for Climate Justice in memory of Dorje Khatri, leader of his Sherpas’ Union and Vice-President of IndustriALL affiliate GEFONT. The annual award will be announced by the ITUC General Council.

Dorje Khartri, a great climate warrior who planted the IndustriALL flag on the top of Mount Everest, died in a tragic accident at work on the giant mountain.

People can show support and join the movement for climate action: http://act.equaltimes.org/unions4climate

IF Metall congress shows support for workers around the world

On 18 May, IF Metall and more than 40 international guests, including IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina, called on the government of Turkey to act immediately to avoid preventable accidents in mines. As a first step, the government should ratify ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines.

The congress slammed the uncaring attitude of the government and mining companies:

This attitude is unacceptable and must come to an end. It is intolerable that mine workers in Turkey are denied their basic human right to work in an environment that guarantees their safety, and that instead they are expected to go to work to die.”

Delegates also expressed support for workers in the Bangladesh garment industry, and the daunting task of organizing the largely union-free sector. The union presented IndustriALL with a gift to the global union’s fund for organizing and campaigning in Bangladesh.

IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Jyrki Raina said in his speech:

Our 600 affiliates are committed to buid global solidarity, and here IF Metall plays an important role. Your hands-on support in promoting trade union rights and organizing in countries like Colombia, South Africa, Bangladesh and Indonesia makes a difference and shows that change is possible.”

The congress re-elected Anders Ferbe for president and Veli-Pekka Säikkälä as collective bargaining officer. Marie Nilsson was elected vice president, and Monika Theodorsson was re-elected as union secretary.

PROFILE: Fighting for women in the DRC

Profile

Text: Aisha Bahadur

In 1994, Josée was dismissed from her job as a nurse when requesting extended maternity leave during a difficult pregnancy. After four years at home she approached the union to challenge her unfair dismissal and was reinstated.

I realised that without the union you have no one to fight for you

– Josée

She has continued to spread this simple message to other workers after being elected as a union representative in 1999. In 2003 she was put in charge of women’s issues at CSC on a full-time basis.

I would go around from company to company in all the sectors we cover, share my story and encourage women to join the union.

At every company with trade union membership the CSC organize elections for a women’s committee. The women’s committee’s main purpose is to highlight and combat the problems faced by women in the work place.

There are few formal sector jobs in the DRC, where surprisingly women outnumber men in terms of those with jobs. But these jobs commonly come at a price and it is an established practice that male bosses give jobs to women in exchange for sex. Once in employment sex is again used for job security and to advance, "we call this ‘sofa promotions’ here”, shares Josée. Sexual harassment in the workplace is rife and can occur before and during employment.

Josée says the situation for women in the informal sector is worse;

Without the benefits of health insurance, retirement funds and family allowances, women in the informal economy face many hardships with no social protection.”

They are also frequently harassed to pay ‘taxes’ by various corrupt state agents or have their goods confiscated.

Added to that is a level of violence towards women that is so extreme in conflict areas that the union promotes that women wear female condoms when going about their work. Rape is an everyday reality and so insurmountable to prevent at a systemic level that the best that can be offered is to ensure that there is protection in place.

Josée explains,

when a woman is taken forcefully at least she may be spared sexually transmitted diseases.

These conflict areas are situated around mineral extraction, where small scale mining can be found. They are characterized by overcrowding as people seek out meagre opportunities to earn what they can from the demand for minerals which eventually find their way to multinational companies and the global market. Women come to sell things to the miners like food. What can be taken from them forcefully is sometimes sold willingly.

Women engage in prostitution in these areas as a way to survive or supplement what they earn from the goods that they are able to sell,

– Josée

Josée speaks of a project that the CSC has had for the last two years reaching out to women in conflict areas. But she acknowledges that little can be achieved without the political will on the part of government to address the underlying issues.

"It can be challenging, stressful and frustrating but it is a passionate job for me knowing I am helping other women,… Slowly we are getting there, women are getting to know their rights, participating more in the union and I am proud to be part of positive change.”

– Josée

But the severity of the situation created by conflict is a huge obstacle to meaningful progress.

These minerals are not going anywhere. Multinationals could invest properly, create jobs and stability,

rationalises Josée,

What we need is peace, when there is no peace, nothing can be achieved. This is my dream for the DRC, that we may know peace.

IndustriALL members in the Balkans suffering from huge flood

Damage is being assessed and urgent relief efforts are continuing, as the water level starts to recede there is still great risk from unexploded landmines left over from the Balkans conflict of the 1990s, as well as from water surges and landslides. The total death count is expected to rise but currently stands at 35.

IndustriALL Global Union has expressed sincere sympathy and solidarity with members and their communities in the three affected countries, and offers any assistance possible now and going forward.

We stand with you in your time of need, dear sisters and brothers. Please count on full solidarity and support from your global union and sister unions from around the world.

Kata Iveljic, president of the Chemistry and Non-Metals union of BIH, reports that the flood has affected 1,000,000 people in Bosnia & Herzegovina living in the flooded area.

Teuta Krilic from IndustriALL's South East Europe's sub-regional office in Zagreb reports:
“In Croatia the disaster is affecting the areas near the Sava River, where about 15,000 people got evacuated from their homes, and people are still in danger. Cities of Slavonski Brod and Zupanja are the worst affected, and numerous villages are being evacuated. The Sava River is a natural border between Bosnia and Croatia, and it flooded on both banks.

“The landslides are extremely dangerous because of the remaining landmines. There have been more than 2,000 landslides and an estimated 120,000 landmines remain in BIH. The problem exists also in Croatia but on a much lower scale."

In Serbia, the main power plant Obrenovac is at great risk, surrounded by water. Members of the EPS union operate the power plant.

Many people are still stuck in their homes waiting for rescue teams to get to them.

IndustriALL member unions are coordinating relief efforts and supporting their affected members.

SURERS of Bosnia & Herzegovina has donated 20,000 KM (about 10,000 euros) to the affected people.

The Chemistry and Non-Metal union of FBIH have distributed relief supplies to their affected members also to the value of 20,000 KM (about 10,000 euros).

GS IER Nezavisnost, Serbia – Galenika company has donated medicines and other essential supplies.

Company Djuro Djakovic (strong SMH-IS membership, Croatia) sent machinery to help raise flood barriers.

Once the floodwaters are eventually cleared there will be huge challenges facing the affected communities to reconstruct infrastructure, homes, farms and businesses.

SPECIAL REPORT: Inditex and IndustriALL Global Union: Getting results from a global framework agreement

Special Report

Text: Léonie Guguen

A GFA serves to protect the interests of workers across the operations of multinational companies, setting the best standards for trade union rights, health, safety and environmental practices. GFAs are constantly reviewed and improved by IndustriALL.

The Agreement allows us to do our work with the factory owners

says Isidor Boix from Spanish union Industria-CC.OO, who acts as IndustriALL’s coordinator for implementation of the GFA with Inditex.

We have been able to translate the good intentions written in the contract into concrete activities.

Spanish-based fashion group Inditex has 6,340 stores in 87 different countries employing more than 128,000 people worldwide. The retail and administration staff is covered by a GFA concluded with UNI Global Union. Largely consisting of the Zara chain of stores, Inditex also has seven other brands: Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Pull & Bear, Uterqüe and Zara Home.

Much of the company’s success has been achieved by adopting the latest catwalk looks and delivering them to the high street in a matter of weeks. To achieve such a rapid turnaround from design studio to shop floor, approximately 50 percent of production is manufactured in proximity countries to Spain such as Turkey, Portugal and Morocco. Other key areas of production include Brazil, Argentina, Pakistan, China, India, Bangladesh and South East Asia. It has approximately 6,000 different suppliers.

The GFA between IndustriALL and Inditex covers more than a million garment workers toiling for the group.

As a global organization, IndustriALL has the capacity to reach and defend workers spread out across the group’s enormous supply chain. The GFA has succeeded in integrating workers’ rights into the group’s corporate behaviour and ethical guidelines. As a result of this positive partnership, factory owners are learning to consider trade unions as key to creating a sustainable workforce

– Jyrki Raina, IndustriALL’s general secretary

The GFA is like a direct line of communication between the workers and the company here… It is a way to receive the problems and be involved in the solutions. We have been able to resolve some critical situations in some countries.

– Félix Poza,
Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Inditex

The relationship has progressed well beyond the original agreement, with Inditex and IndustriALL taking on joint training initiatives and country visits.

The GFA is something we have integrated into our normal activities.

However, success was not achieved overnight and there were five years of dealings with Inditex before the 2007 GFA was signed with IndustriALL’s predecessor the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF).

It was the 2005 Spectrum factory collapse in Bangladesh that spurred greater action from Inditex. Sixty-four workers died and 80 people were injured when a building with an illegal number of floors collapsed. The ITGLWF fought to secure compensation for victims from brands sourcing from the factories. In the end it was only Inditex, whose supplier had subcontracted to the factory, which agreed to pay compensation in line with international standards.

The cooperation over the Spectrum disaster boosted the relationship between ITGLWF and Inditex and led to the GFA being signed in October 2007.

The collaborative agreement sets out to ensure the effective application of International Labour Standards throughout Inditex’s supply chain including those workplaces not represented by IndustriALL trade unions. It also means IndustriALL is recognized by Inditex as its global trade union counterpart for workers in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments.

Corporate Social Responsibility can be a problem for unions because it is very unilateral. It is the companies that make the decisions and carry out the audits and so on… Other big brands, for example H&M and Gap, have got CSR declarations but they lack a clear definition of the role of unions. The GFA provides a much-needed mechanism to establish a relationship between Inditex’s CSR agreement and local unions. The local union can say to Inditex ‘I want to visit this factory to see what happens there’ and Inditex will phone the factory and organize it.

– Isidor Boix

In the past 12 months, IndustriALL has carried out numerous factory visits in seven different countries. Since 2007, the GFA has enabled IndustriALL to resolve problems of the liberty of unions, monitor working conditions in suppliers’ factories and successfully fight for the reintegration of workers expelled for being unionists, for example in Peru, Turkey and Cambodia.

We are free to talk openly to workers without factory owners or Inditex being present

The GFA also further enforced workers’ right to organize in Inditex’s Code of Conduct for External Manufacturers and Suppliers, which has ‘respect for freedom of association and collective bargaining’ as one its pillars.

However, in practice, implementing unionization is not necessarily straightforward.

It is a mechanism that doesn’t always work well. In countries like Morocco it is very difficult to establish a union presence, whereas in countries like Brazil it is much easier.

– Isidor Boix

It is a challenge for everybody, also for IndustriALL, which has to work in many countries to improve the capacity of the local trade unions.

– Félix Poza

Many factories have no union representation at all, so we talk to workers about the role of unions, trade union law and help establish organization in the factories… For a lot of people we meet, it is the first time they have ever been given the chance to talk about their working conditions collectively.

– Isidor Boix

Living Wage

As a direct result of the GFA, the concept of a living wage was introduced into Inditex’s Code of Conduct. “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” it reads. This definition was agreed with former head of ITGLWF Neil Kearney and introduced to the Code in 2007.

It is a key point and milestone for us. Including a definition of an acceptable wage was a radical concept at the time,

says Indalecio Pérez from Inditex’s CSR department.

What is the impact of wages on the price of a piece? In many cases it is just cents when you compare it to the price of the raw materials, the cost of the cutting, manufacturing and transport… We have been living with increasing salaries in the past year and the business is still running.

– Félix Poza

However, Pérez admits it is often difficult to make an impact acting individually:

We are just one company, even if we are a big company. But if you compare our entire production to production worldwide, we are a small percentage. We have limited effect if we go it alone. We (brands) need to tackle it together, and deal with local organizations and credible institutions and governments. We cannot substitute the role of governments.

2012 Protocol

As Inditex has grown into a fashion colossus so the GFA with the company has strengthened. The 2012 Protocol further advanced the agreement by specifying the role of trade unions in the enforcement of the GFA within Inditex’s Supply Chain.

the 2012 Protocol developed the practical side of the accord… The evolution of Inditex has also been the evolution of our relationship with them.

– Isidor Boix

The Protocol recognizes the important role that local unions play in implementing the GFA given their proximity to factories. Where local unions identify a breach regarding the GFA it will notify Inditex and IndustriALL, who will introduce a Corrective Action Plan should a breach be confirmed.

Central to the Protocol is that IndustriALL and Inditex put in place training schemes aimed at providing a better understanding of the GFA. These should involve managers, officials, workers and supervisors from suppliers and external manufacturers, as well as representatives of local trade unions from each of the countries involved.

In addition to the original GFA, the Protocol requires Inditex to give a full list of all its 6000 suppliers and subcontractors including the volume of their production for Inditex, enabling IndustriALL and local union affiliates to make better contacts with workers.

The Protocol also marks a complete shift in attitude by Inditex with regard to workers and unions.

In 2012 we dramatically changed the relationship with IndustriALL in a positive way because we tackled the relationship with the unions from a preventative point of view… We realized that asking for a living wage, asking for freedom of association and promoting collective bargaining is a preventative and a proactive way of guaranteeing a sustainable supply chain.

– Indalecio Pérez

Training

As a result of the 2012 Protocol, joint IndustriALL and Inditex training projects have taken place in countries including Turkey, Morocco, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina and China.

The training has been positive and an opportunity to talk to workers and trade unions in a different way… We get to hear about the needs of the workers and what can be improved. Ultimately, we are talking about the sustainability of the factory and in the end you are talking about the sustainability of the entire business model.

– Félix Poza

The meetings have given IndustriALL and local trade unions an opportunity for open dialogue with top management at the factories, which has been unprecedented in many countries.

Training projects, which always include IndustriALL representatives, have been started in nearly all supplier countries, also providing a new opportunity to build relationships between the Inditex’s country CSR teams and local trade unions.

When we started we didn’t have any involvement with local trade unions and now in a very short time we have created channels of communication in each of the countries.

GFA Coordinators

In a further significant step, Inditex has committed to funding a network of coordinators whose sole role is to help implement the Agreement. Trade union experts will be assigned in countries with significant production output for Inditex and will be able to work with the company’s local CSR teams. The first GFA Coordinators will be assigned to Bangladesh, Cambodia, Turkey, India, China and Latin America.

A structure of GFA coordinators will enable Inditex and IndustriALL to share a constant dialogue with local affiliates, as has been achieved to a large extent in Turkey, Portugal, Brazil and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh health and safety commission

Alarmed by the high number of deaths caused by fires in Bangladeshi garment factories, Inditex launched a joint project with IndustriALL in January 2013 to carry out fire assessments and set up health and safety commissions in 200 factories in the country.

The project will help factories to be better organized and improve evacuation procedures in the case of an emergency. A Health and Safety Committee, which must be composed of union members, will be set up inside each factory and elected by the workers.

After the April 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed 1,138 garment workers, Inditex inspectors began evaluating Bangladeshi suppliers in terms of structural risk as well.

Inditex is a signatory to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, the ground-breaking agreement led by IndustriALL and UNI following the Rana Plaza disaster which commits brands to improving safety conditions in the country’s garment factories.

Inditex has given the audit reports from its own fire and structural inspections to the Accord’s administration.

As the GFA continues to grow and develop, Poza credits it with promoting mature industrial relations for the company.

The results of our collaboration have always been very positive and the Agreement has given us the capacity to solve problems. Sometimes it has provided solutions for other brands as well.

Monika Kemperle, IndustriALL's assistant general secretary says:

With Inditex there is a willingness to cooperate even if we do not always see eye-to-eye… The Global Framework Agreement is an invaluable bond and the recognition of a long-term commitment from both sides to improve conditions for workers at all extents of Inditex’s vast supply chain.

JYRKI RAINA: Welcome to Global Worker

JYRKI RAINA

Building power through networks and GFAs

Union networks in the auto industries and the global framework agreement with garment giant Inditex are helping to defend union rights of millions of workers.

The Action Plan of IndustriALL Global Union commits us to building genuine union power by uniting workers in networks for solidarity and joint action, including global level corporate campaigns. The Plan calls for more global framework agreements (GFA) with multinational companies, and for World Works Councils recognized by the employers.

Unions in the automotive industry have been at the forefront of this strategy. In this issue of Global Worker we highlight the developments in the auto sector where the first union networks were set up in the late 1960’s.

Today, global union networks are up and running at a number of German, French, US and Japanese car giants. At Volkswagen, GM, Ford, Peugeot Citroën, Renault, Daimler, BMW, Volvo and Bosch, the management has recognized the network or World Works Council, and covers the costs of regular meetings.

As Bob King, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and co-chair of IndustriALL’s automotive section points out, unions are building solidarity in new and innovative ways. IndustriALL affiliates from Japan, Brazil, South Africa and many other countries have supported UAW’s organizing drive at Nissan in Mississippi.

IndustriALL president Berthold Huber emphasizes the role of global framework agreements in securing workers’ rights throughout the supply chain. Violations of union rights occur often, especially in supplier and subcontracting companies.

This is why our GFA with Inditex is so ground- breaking. The Spanish clothing giant hardly has any production of its own, but its suppliers employ a million workers in China, Bangladesh, Brazil and many other countries. They are all covered by the agreement.

In our feature, we tell how the GFA hasbeen turned from paper into a living reality. We have managed to get hundreds of dismissed workers reinstated in Turkey and Cambodia. Together Inditex and IndustriALL have trained union representatives and managers in a pilot project in Turkey. Now we will expand training to Bangladesh, Cambodia, India and China, with the support of specifically hired coordinators.

With networks and GFAs, IndustriALLwants to create conditions for organizing and growth, to build union power that will help to improve the wages and working conditions of workers. Ensuring freedom of association is therefore fundamental.

As we see in this Global Worker, wherever unions can operate, they are making a difference for the benefit of peopl e,both in terms of decent income andsocial protection. IndustriALL affiliates are mobilizing for continued minimum wage increases, universal health care and pensions in Indonesia; living wages in Cambodia; and for fundamental rights in the countries of the ex-Soviet Union.

Too many corporations and governments actively oppose workers’ demands for fairness and social justice. That is why it will always be a struggle.

Jyrki Raina

General Secretary

PROFILE: Colombian mining and energy trade unions make progress towards unity

Profile

Text: Valeska Solis

Electricity industry workers’ union SINTRAELECOL, oil workers’ union USO and coal industry workers’ union SINTRACARBÓN have decided to merge in order to increase their capacity to counter the influence wielded by multinational companies and to stand up against abuses of power by the authorities.

At a time when Colombia is going through an economic, political and social crisis, we have decided to take a new initiative to promote unity

said the executive committees of SINTRAELECOL, USO and SINTRACARBÓN a joint statement last year. A coordinating body, CUSME, has since been formed to support the merger. Colombia’s anti-trade union climate has led the unions to focus on building strength. Over the years, the three unions have been put to the test with a number of conflicts; SINTRACARBÓN’s struggle against Carbones del Cerrejón Limited and Prodeco at the Calenturitas mine has seen the trade union defending the rights of workers as well as the residents of local communities affected by mining operations; SINTRAELECOL has battled persecution and threats against workers in the electricity sector; while USO has fought against political persecution and violation of labour rights by Pacific Rubiales.

USO leaders have also suffered arbitrary detention, with four employees of Pacific Rubiales detained for 75 days before they were finally released in January 2014. Trade union leaders believe that acting together could act as a catalyst in the fight for better living and working conditions.

Unity in the mining and energy sector is the only way to respond to the predatory model that holds sway in Colombia. Long live unity!

says Pablo Santo, president of SINTRAELECOL.

Progress towards unity

In March this year, CUSME met to prepare a strategic plan to amalgamate the three unions. This process involves the creation of committees to draft documents for discussion and approval; regional seminars; and a national plenary to approve and reaffirm the process of unity.

Jorge Almeida, IndustriALL’s Regional Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasizes the importance of the decision taken by the three affiliates in Colombia to merge:

Uniting several unions is not an easy task but it can be achieved if those involved have the political will and motivation to pursue it. The merger of the three global federations that joined forces to become IndustriALL is a good example.

With the support of IndustriALL and their Swedish affiliates, CUSME will continue to inform its members that the mining and energy sector needs a strong trade union that gives solidarity to workers involved in disputes and responds forcefully to the aggression and ignorance displayed by the national and transnational companies that exploit Colombia’s energy and mineral resources.

Edwin Castaño, USO president, says:

Now, more than ever, workers in the mining and energy sectors want unity.

While, Jairo Quiroz, leader of SINTRACARBÓN concludes:

The move towards unity and the creation of a single mining and energy union, CUSME, is a necessity for workers in the sector. We are gradually making progress and this will be good for the Colombian trade union movement.