Unions and brands mount pressure on Cambodian government

IndustriALL Global Union, Uni Global Union and the ITUC together with 30 major brands, including H&M, Inditex, Gap, Adidas and Nike, have signed a joint letter to the Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia reiterating the need for an urgent resolution to the minimum wage and to respect the human rights of 21 wage protestors detained since demonstrations in January.

The letter follows a decision by Cambodian unions to postpone a planned strike on 12 March to allow time for dialogue with the government on the minimum wage process. Garment workers are demanding an increase in the minimum wage from US$ 100 to US$ 160 a month.

Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL, said:

The unions in Cambodia have shown goodwill by postponing the strike, now it is time for the government to come to the table for constructive talks. Global unions and brands are united in their efforts to support this process to seek an end to the stalemate over the minimum wage. All the brands must commit to paying more to suppliers cover the costs of increased wages.

Philip Jennings, general secretary of UNI Global Union said:

“The time has come for a new approach in Cambodia and that should come through recognition of global labour standards and dialogue. We call, once again, for the government of Cambodia to immediately release the 21 workers still behind bars for simply being brave enough to speak out about injustice.”

Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the ITUC, said:

“Freedom of association is under serious attack in Cambodia right now. The government has frozen all new union registrations and has banned public demonstrations supporting workers’ rights. Workers face retaliation in their workplaces for exercising this fundamental right. We all want to see a sustainable garment industry, and the government and employers need to respect freedom of association. Unions in Cambodia and around the world will campaign to ensure that Cambodian workers can exercise this basic right.”

Unions and brands are urging the Cambodian government to act on its promise for an inclusive and prompt mechanism for minimum wage determination mechanism as soon as possible.

The letter also says the passage of the new Trade Union Law should be consistent with ILO Conventions 87 and 98 and must be an inclusive process to foster effective industrial relations.

Unions and brands also expressed serious concern in light of reports that no new union registrations have been issued in 2014 and none will be forthcoming until the advent of the new law.

Furthermore, while recognizing the right of factory owners to seek redress from anyone proven to have committed criminal damage to their property, the signatories fear that proposed legal action against trade unions from factories that suffered damage during demonstrations “may escalate the current situation and make it more difficult to find constructive solutions”.

Ends

For further information, please contact IndustriALL Global Union Press Department, +41 22 308 50 57 or [email protected]

www.industriall-union.org

@industriall_GU

Rana Plaza: Primark called on to pay up as launch date of payments announced

IndustriALL, UNI Global Union and the Clean Clothes Campaign are today welcoming the launch of the Rana Plaza Arrangement claims process, which will officially commence on the 24th March. They are now calling on brands to contribute to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund and ensure families of those killed and injured at Rana Plaza finally get the money they are owed.

The claims processing will be carried out from an office based in Savar, the town where the Rana Plaza building was located. Potential beneficiaries will be contacted directly and invited to come to the office to make their claim. A pre-claim legal team will work with each claimant to ensure they fully understand what claims can be made for and how they will be decided. A hotline in Savar will be launched at the same time to respond to any questions or enquiries about the claims process. It is expected that first payments will be provided by the first anniversary of the disaster.

Payments made under the Arrangement will be funded through the Rana Plaza Donor's Trust Fund, which has been collecting contributions from brands sourcing from Bangladesh in general and Rana Plaza in particular. The Fund was opened at the beginning of February, with an initial target of $10 million, believed to be the amount needed to pay first instalments to all the potential claimants. $40 million is needed in total to cover full payments to over 3000 workers and families of those killed.

Since its launch in February the Fund has garnered widespread support. The Ethical Trading Initiative, the Bangladesh Accord Foundation and the Business Social Compliance Initiative have all issued appeals to their members calling on them to contribute to the Fund. Seven brands; Bon Marche, El Corte Ingles, Inditex, Mango, Mascot, Loblaw and Premier Clothing have all publicly pledged initial donations.

However there is a long way to go before the $40 million needed to make payments to all workers is found. Primark remains notably absent from the list of donors, despite their involvement in the development of the Arrangement and their previous commitment to provide full and fair compensation to Rana Plaza workers through a single, unified scheme. They are the only signatory company of the Arrangement yet to make a contribution.

IndustriALL, UNI Global Union and the Clean Clothes Campaign are today calling on Primark and the other brands sourcing from Rana Plaza to fulfil their commitments and to immediately pledge funds the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund so that the victims and families of the horrific disaster receive compensation by the 24th April.

IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Jyrki Raina stated:

As we are happy to see the Arrangement roll out on 24 March, it is now time for Primark to go back from zero to hero in its response to the industrial homicide at Rana Plaza. Stop delaying the process and join the other companies in a single approach based on international standards. Pay into the Trust Fund to secure a historic, comprehensive compensation solution for all victims.

UNI Global Union general secretary Philip Jennings said:

This arrangement is good news for the families of Rana Plaza victims who have waited too long for compensation. A transparent and coordinated approach is far stronger than a handful of separate voluntary corporate schemes. Companies need to commit and pay up.

Clean Clothes Campaign’s Ineke Zeldenrust added:

The Rana Plaza victims have waited long enough – with the launch of the claims process we hope that families suffering as a result of the disaster will finally get what they deserve before the first anniversary. We are now calling on Primark and all the other brands linked to Rana Plaza to stop delaying and pay up.

NOTES

1. The Rana Plaza Arrangement is an agreement signed by a wide range of stakeholders including the Bangladesh government, the Bangladesh Garment Manfuacturers and Exporters Association, the Bangladesh Employers Federation, global brands (Loblaw, El Corte Ingles, Bon Marche and Primark), IndustriALL Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies, IndustriALL Global Union and the Clean Clothes Campaign. www.ranaplaza-arrangement.org

2. The Arrangement signatories commit to work together to deliver a single, credible and transparent process, based in international standards and Bangladesh law, to deliver payments to the victims, their families and dependents in order to cover financial losses and medical costs suffered as a result of the Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013.

3. The implementation of the Arrangement is overseen by a multi-stakeholder committee consisting of the majority of the signatories. They have designed the newly launched scheme with support and advice of international recognized experts. The Committee is chaired by the UN Agency, the International Labour Organisation. See www.ranaplaza-arrangement.org/mou/governance

4. The Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund was established, with the ILO as Trustee, in February 2014 as a way of funding the claims submitted by the Rana Plaza victims. See www.ranaplaza-arrangement.org/fund for more info and a list of current donors.

5. In February 2014 the Clean Clothes Campaign, IndustriALL and UNI launched the “Pay Up” campaign calling on all Rana Plaza brands to donate to the Fund. See http://www.cleanclothes.org/ranaplaza

6. The ILO is a UN Agency, whose mission is to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues. It operates a tripartite structure which brings together government, employers and labour to ensure all voices are represented in the setting on international standards and developing policies and programmes. http://www.ilo.org/

For more information contact:

Tom Grinter, IndustriALL Global Union: +41 796934499, [email protected]

Mike Sunderland, UNI Global Union: +41 79 701 90 49, [email protected]

Sam Maher, Clean Clothes Campaign: +44 751 751 6943, [email protected]

Unions mark International Women’s Day

Bangladesh

Women from the Bangladesh Apparels Workers Federation formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club in the capital Dhaka to demand the implementation of the new minimum wage at all garment factories in Bangladesh.

Their actions were followed by a colourful rally by women from the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) calling for implementation of equal wages, equal rights, equal promotion and equal dignity for women workers in the Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector. In particular, the marchers called on the private sector to increase maternity leave from four to six months to match the public sector.

Cambodia

In Cambodia, a planned public forum in support of a living wage for garment workers, 80 per cent of whom are women, was thwarted by the government which barred the gathering in a heavy show of force. Despite this, over 500 union activists braved the ban to mark the occasion.

Germany

IndustriALL affiliate IG Metall, which represents 2.4 million workers in Germany, chose Women’s Day to launch a campaign entitled: “If you want the best, you can’t do without women”. After listening to the experiences of 500,000 workers in an extensive survey last year, IG Metall’s new drive will fight for equal opportunities, pay equity, work-life balance and good career development prospects for women.

Indonesia

Women workers from 11 IndustriALL affiliates rallied in front of the Selamat Datang Monument in the heart of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Women’s Day.

Organized by the Women’s Committee of the IndustriALL Indonesia Council, trade union members gathered in solidarity for women workers in Cambodia. In addition, they called on the Indonesian government to protect the reproductive rights of women workers, especially those in precarious work. They also urged the Indonesian government to end discrimination in the workplace and ratify the ILO Convention No. 183 on maternity protection.

Japan

Members of IndustriALL affiliates distributed roses, a symbol of women’s dignity in Japan, to people on the streets of Tokyo on Women’s Day as part of a demonstration organized by JTUC-Rengo, the largest trade union confederation in Japan.

More than 800 women and men from Japanese unions, including IndustriALL affiliate, UA ZENSEN, the country’s biggest industrial union, rallied to demand an end to harassment in the workplace due to reasons of gender, pregnancy or childbearing.

JTUC and its affiliates also called for an urgent amendment of the Equal Opportunity Employment Law to enforce gender equality in work and to stop sexual discrimination.

Morocco

COS-ONE, the electricity workers’ union, celebrated Women’s Day in Casablanca, where some 600 women from the 16 regions in Morocco gathered for speeches and an entertainment program that featured performances by famous Moroccan artists. IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary, Monika Kemperle, addressed the opening ceremony where women voiced demands higher pay, pension rights and job security.

North America

In his tribute to International Women’s Day, Ken Neumann, United Steelworkers (USW) National Director for Canada, said:

“Left to the market alone, workers from all equality-seeking groups would continue to be marginalized. Steelworkers bargain wage rates, seniority systems and other contract provisions that refuse to discriminate against women or any group of workers.”

He also praised the work done by USW women's committees and activists “The work you do advances women's equality and rights, within the union and throughout our global society,” he added.

Sri Lanka

Over a thousand women members of the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union in Sri Lanka took to the streets in a 3km walk to the Katunayake Free Trade Zone to celebrate the 103rd International Women’s Day. In a fanfare of music, folk dancing and singing, Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher women united to demand social dignity, particularly for those women working in the RMG sector.

Turkey

The Women’s Platform of Progressive Unions from the Turkish confederation, Turk-Is, gathered on 8 March to celebrate International Women’s Day. The rally, which included members from IndustriAll affiliate Petrol-Is, was also joined by a delegation from Afghanistan. Participants called on more women to join unions and demanded equal pay and a life without violence. Sexual harassment, violence and discrimination are rampant due to the male dominated society in Turkey. As the government imposes more and more precarious and flexible work, it is women who are the worst affected being the first to be laid off in times of crisis. The women called for regular, secure, unionized jobs with a decent wage, and pension rights.

Protesting workers have had enough of bad management

But despite the hardships, workers have resolved to continue the struggle by intensifying protest actions until their dismissed colleagues are reinstated, and management agrees to discuss a wage revision.

On behalf of the workers, Kamal Tewari, President, Paharpur Cooling Towers Mazdoor Sabha, stated:

“The action of the management constitutes unfair labour practices. Paharpur workers have taken the oath that they will fight till their last. The Union appeal to fraternal organizations to extend solidarity support for the struggling workers.”

Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL Global Union director for mechanical engineering and materials industries, says:

“Unfair dismissals, refusal of wage increase, no wage negotiations: this is an absolutely unacceptable conduct for any employer. This is not only a clear violation of OECD guidelines, but also a breach of civilized behaviour. It is a shame that things like these happen in the 21st century in a civilized country.

Paharpur workers have the right to become unionized and demand wage negotiations and increase.

Strikers in Kyrgyzstan could face 15 years in prison

At the end of February 2014, draft amendments to the criminal code were submitted to the parliament of Republic of Kyrgyzstan, according to which, "acts or omissions of the head or other staff members of enterprises of strategic importance that caused the stoppage of production at the plant or its individual structural subdivisions, shall be punished by imprisonment for 8 to 12 years. The same act that caused a large-scale damage or became the cause of irreparable damage to the ecological environment of the country shall be punished by imprisonment for 10 to 15 years".

If applied, this bill will affect not only leadership, but also rank-and-file employees of enterprises if they were to participate in a strike. As a result, workers from a wide range of enterprises determined by the government to be of strategic importance will be deprived of the right to hold a strike as a last resort to protect their legitimate labour rights. Currently the changes would affect workers of some fifty key industrial enterprises of Kyrgyzstan, and the list could be potentially a lot bigger.

IndustriALL Global Union, together with its affiliate Mining and Metallurgy Trade Union of Kyrgyzstan (MMTUK), believes, if adopted, these amendments will be in blatant violation of the international and constitutional norms according to which workers enjoy their right to strike.

In response, IndustriAll sent letters to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and a number of high-ranking officials, expressing concern that such a bill is even being considered by the parliament of a civilized country such as Kyrgyzstan.

IndustriALL's letter says: "The submitted bill shows the incompetence and social irresponsibility of its authors as it closes down the legal channel for the resolution of social and labour related problems of workers. International experience proves that this always brings an accumulation of social tension, which later explodes and goes beyond the enterprise adopting an aggressive political stance. The growing and unsolved sense of dissatisfaction is always used by political forces interested in strengthening their influence and power through destabilization of the situation. It is especially dangerous considering the two revolutions in the Kyrgyz Republic over recent years".

According to Eldar Tadzhibayev, chairman of MMTUK, "Kyrgyzstan has been through upheavals with a change of president in 2005 and 2010. Investors remain in fear precisely due to this political instability. At enterprise level, everything is resolved normally, but now the bill represents a danger to social dialogue and would block legitimate channels of expression of complaints and grievances by employees, due to the inability to use a strike as a final method of economic pressure. This bill risks politicizing labour disputes which threatens social order much more than a strike or production stoppage at even the largest individual enterprises.”

IndustriALL continues to monitor the situation to prevent the collapse of the legal framework for the protection of workers' rights and interests in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Challenges of unity building in the Philippines

On 26-27 February, 38 participants met in the Philippines to discuss unity among the IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in the country. In addition to IndustriALL’s Philippine affiliates, representatives from Japanese affiliates JCM and UA-Zensen, as well as Australian affiliate AMWU, participated.

Fernando Lopes, assistant general secretary of IndustriALL, said that the three golden rules of unity building should be the way forward:

“There should be no competition among our affiliates; instead cooperation and sustainability. The priority is to organize the workers.”

And the two-day meeting succeeded in finding a way to move towards increased unity. Led by an external facilitator, affiliates will convene again on 1 April to find an acceptable structure of working together and to form an action plan on common issues. Annie Adviento, IndustriALL Regional Secretary will be there as an observer.

Later on in the same month, affiliates will meet to plan a three-year organizing project.

Fernando Lopes stressed the importance of increasing unity among the Philippine affiliates:

The strength of IndustriALL can be measured by increased membership, cooperation between affiliates and building sustainable unions. The future holds great challenges, which we will be able to confront by our affiliates working together.

Interim tribunal rules that Mark Lyon is ‘likely’ to get job back at Ineos

Mark Lyon, a trade union convenor for IndustriALL Global Union affiliate Unite the Union, was sacked on sham charges in February this year. After 25 years of service at Ineos petrochemical plant at Grangemouth, Mark was tried in his absence by Ineos managers for not stopping the union commenting on media reports about fears of job losses at the plant. He was subsequently dismissed.

Believing that Ineos was determined to rush through a disciplinary process against Mr Lyon, denying his legal representatives the appropriate time to prepare his defence, Unite appealed the company’s decision and issued an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal and victimisation for trade union reasons.

On 7 March, in a blow to the petro-chemical company, the tribunal ruled that it was ‘likely’ that Mr Lyon will win his case for unfair dismissal when it goes to a full tribunal and ordered Ineos to pay his wages until the full hearing in a number of months.

Commenting, Unite legal director Howard Beckett says:

“We welcome this interim finding which gives Mr Lyon some financial security until the full tribunal where all the evidence will be heard.

“Ineos needs to drop its hostility to the workforce and ensure there is no victimisation of workplace representatives before the brain drain of skills at the site becomes a flood that threatens the site’s survival.

Jyrki Raina, IndustriALL general secretary, says:

“It is totally unacceptable to victimize trade union officials. The interim hearing says as much and we hope that Ineos pays heed.”

First round of independent and transparent factory inspection reports completed in Bangladesh

The Accord for Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was signed on 13 May 2013, in response to the Rana Plaza factory building collapse on 24 April 2013, which resulted in the deaths of 1,133 workers.

The Bangladesh Accord is a major project to make the garment industry safe and sustainable, in which the brand and retail signatories have disclosed all factories they source from in Bangladesh. Signatories have agreed to independent structural, fire and electrical inspections and to implement the safety improvement measures identified by the inspections.

The reports identify a number of issues to be addressed and also explain the steps to be taken to resolve them, some of which are already underway. The reports do not highlight any issues of a similar magnitude to those that caused the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in April 2013. Issues identified include: the need to reduce weight loads in certain areas of the factory through moving material, stock, or supplies; the requirement for better support for and enclosure of electrical cables; and the need to improve maintenance procedures around items such as electrical circuits, for example keeping them free of dust.

Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union says that transparency is a key for success:

The inspection reports contain an unprecedented level of detail and sets a new standard in transparency and credibility. The reports provide the necessary measures for the continuous work to make the Bangladesh garment industry safe and sustainable.

Head of UNI Commerce Alke Boessiger – a member of the Bangladesh Accord Steering Committee said, “The publishing of our first inspection reports underlines the Bangladesh Accord’s unwavering commitment to transparency and shows just how far we’ve come in under one year.

“Since UNI and IndustriALL challenged brands eleven months ago to sign an agreement that would improve safety and sustainability in Bangladesh’s garment industry, we’ve recruited more than 150 brands, set up an entire management structure, employed the necessary staff and begun inspecting factories.

“The detailed reports published today are designed to help owners and workers alike. They are the first of their kind and will improve a worker’s ability to be informed about safety at their workplace.”

More than 150 global brands and retailers from 20 countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia have signed the legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh with IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union. International NGOs, including Clean Clothes Campaign and Workers’ Rights Consortium are witness signatories to the Accord. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) acts as the independent chair.

Cambodia: Union activists defy government ban on public forum

Over 500 hundred union activists attempted to attend the rally at Freedom Park in the capital Phnom Penh but were met with heavy resistance by armed police who had barricaded entrances to the park.

At one stage, security guards wielding batons stormed a small group of marchers forcing them towards Naga bridge at the edge of the park. Eventually, in a tense stand off, the activists increased in number and were able to push back the security guards, while trucks carrying police with tear gas launchers patrolled alongside Freedom Park.

The leaders of 18 unions had called for a public forum to discuss an increase in the minimum wage for garment workers, 80% of whom are women, and the release of 21 workers detained since a brutal police crackdown on strikes in January, which left 4 workers dead and 39 people injured.

Both the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Labour had been invited to attend the forum to discuss union demands but instead the rally was forbidden.

“We asked 30,000 union members to attend the public forum, but after the government banned it we warned them not to come in fear of their safety,” said Ath Thorn, president of IndustriALL affiliate, the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union.

“So we just asked union activists to participate as we wanted to avoid confrontation with police,” he added.

“We live in a democratic country and we are upset that government will not allow us to hold a peaceful public forum. We will keep on campaigning to release the 21 workers and fight for a living wage,” said Thorn.

FUP and Petrobras launch Workers’ Network

IndustriALL Director Carol Bruce from the meeting in Rio de Janeiro stated:

FUP and IndustriALL have dreamt of establishing an international Petrobras workers’ network for ten years. Today our dream has come true. Policies need to be established and enacted to make CSR felt at the shop floor level, and not only at company headquarters.

Some 50 workers and trade union representatives attended the meeting from Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Curacao, China, Nigeria and Colombia.

Presentations were made by Petrobras management on CSR and human resources policies. Some attention was paid to gender issues. Women make up 15.8 percent of the workforce at Petrobras. It was felt that since the president of Petrobras is a woman, this helps to break stereotypes and change mentalities. There is a women’s collective within Petrobras which fights for women’s space.

One focus of the meeting was outsourcing and precarious work. Some delegates reported on their experiences. Experiences with other networks were presented such as BASF and Repsol. A presentation was made by DIESSE, which is a department that provides studies and support to trade unions in Brazil. The two participants from Nigeria presented their case which was based on the fact that Petrobras made highly skilled staff redundant with the false argument that it was divesting in Nigeria. “Precarious work is a priority for the new network. Labour relations inside Petrobras are casual, and far too informal,” added IndustriALL’s Carol Bruce.

Ultimately the demand is for Petrobras and IndustriALL to renegotiate and renew the global agreement in order to include some good practices that have been emerging with other agreements. The unions want to make the most of the agreement and work specifically on themes such as discrimination. They would like to ensure that one activity be held every year, whether it be a meeting or a piece of research. All unions in the network are asked to send in their collective agreements with Petrobras in the attempt to create a database. The International Secretary of FUP will be responsible for coordinating this work. The participants felt that if it is possible to coordinate activities in all the countries where Petrobras operates, the network will make a real difference. The trade unions can exchange experiences, explain their doubts and propose solutions with the idea of globalizing rights. The network will be more effective once it is officially recognized by the company. In this way Petrobras can be made really responsible.

Petrobras, 56% owned by the Brazilian government, has 80,500 employees and operates in some 30 countries. The company is a leader in exploration and production of oil, and operates 16 refineries as well as numerous petrochemicals, biofuels, pipelines and other installations.