Tragedy in crisis ridden Central African Republic

Whilst the President of the Central African Republic (CAR) Michel Djotodia, who seized power through a coup in March 2013, declared three days of mourning for the dead miners, there are many more victims of this nation in crisis. Freedom of association has been banished and no gathering of any form is allowed under the current government.

Louis Marie Kogrengbo, General Secretary of the Democratic Organisation of Workers Union of Central Africa Republic (ODSTC), an IndustriALL affiliate, reports that rebels roam the streets of the city as well as the countryside attacking people and that not a day goes by without hearing of violent incidents. Security is the biggest issue worrying the majority of population.

CAR is dependent on cotton as its top export and then diamonds and gold mining sectors, which all face collapse. Miners earn as little as US$ 4 a day. Most of the 80,000 to 100,000 diamond miners in CAR work in artisanal and small scale mines without licenses. Their mined stones are then often sold to smugglers or exporting companies for a tiny percentage of the retail value.

The current government is reacting to international pressure, through the Kimberly Process, to eradicate blood diamonds funding conflict. The measures include establishing a new centralized clearing house and banning cash purchases. The measures however serve to put mineworkers under increased pressure of losing their job.

Many artisanal diamond miners out of desperation have switched to gold mining; prices for gold have remained more stable than that of diamonds. Illegal trade in gold is thought to be much worse than diamonds, estimated at 95 per cent of output. Thus the workers that died in the recent tragedy were no doubt driven by poverty to engage in illegal mining under perilous conditions for the black market.

IndustriALL General Secretary Raina stated:

Ending the exploitative and dangerous working conditions as well as the cycle of violence in the Central African Republic requires international action. International solidarity is needed from the labour movement to push for peace and stability for workers and to ensure that worker and trade union rights are restored.

Michelin massively cuts jobs in France, Colombia and Algeria

France-based Michelin is one of the market leaders in the tyre industry. The multinational has operations in 179 countries and employs over 115,000 workers. The company has for many years professed a loyalty to quality of life for its workers, however current corporate behaviour in France, Colombia and Algeria shows precisely the opposite values.

In Colombia 460 Michelin employees, members of Sintraincapla and Sintraicollantas, had seen their employment conditions dismantled over recent months in what must be preparation for their mass dismissal. Management disrupted production to then present the loss of productivity to the Ministry of Labour as grounds for mass sackings. The administrative tricks are a common tactic in Colombia when a company prepares to close a production site.

The effective closure of Michelin’s Colombian subsidiary Icollantas will close the Chusaca plant on the outskirts of Bogota that produced heavy vehicle tyres, and the Cali plant that produced tyres for tourism. The 460 dismissed workers have conducted vigils at the factory gates calling for dialogue with the company.

Once again the Colombian authorities have sided with the company in this conflict with workers.

In the company’s home country France the encouraging announcement at the beginning of June of an €800 million investment in job creation was coupled with the cutting of 726 jobs at the Joué-lès-Tours plant in 2015. The job cuts are a result of the company’s efforts to group all heavy vehicle tyre production at one site in France, la Roche-sur-Yon. FCE-CFDT is pushing for genuine social dialogue at the company headquarters to seek alternative solutions to this potentially catastrophic cut for the Joué-lès-Tours area.

Michelin will offer 480 displaced Joué-lès-Tours workers jobs at other plants in France and will offer the remaining 250 early retirement.

Michelin workers in Algeria are also being affected by the company’s restructuring plan. The current month of June has seen the sale of the Hussein Dey factory announced with Michelin production to cease before the end of the current year. Hussein Dey workers have been promised continued employment with the purchasing company Cevital, but this must be ensured.

IndustriALL supports its affiliate FCE-CFDT in calling on the company to act in a socially responsible manner through this restructuring. Dialogue has begun and FCE-CFDT are analysing the company’s proposal at this stage. The Secretary of the company’s European Works Council is FCE-CFDT’s Cyrille Poughon.

The production streamlining effort does include creation of low numbers of jobs at Michelin plants in Montceau-les-Mines and Le Puy-en-Velay. The company will invest €220 million at its research facility in Clermont-Ferrand.

In his letter to the President of the Group Michelin, Jyrki Raina said:

IndustriALL Global Union clearly expects that the management of Michelin reviews its decision to close down the factories causing job losses, and keeps the constructive dialogue with the relevant unions to restore the current situation.

Colombia: “The extermination of the union will not stop”

On 12 June, the trade union leaders Juan Aguas, Edgar Muñoz, Estivenson Ávila and Rubén Morrón Guerrero received a text message with death threats. The text said: “The extermination of the union will not stop […] death to the trade unionists”. The four men are members of the National Mining, Petrochemicals, Agrofuels and Energy Workers Union (Sindicato Nacional de la Industria Minera, Petroquímica, Agrocombustible y Energética – SINTRAMIENERGETICA) and of the trade union branch that is in the middle of negotiations for a collective agreement with the mining company Drummond Ltd.

On 28 May, the day before negotiations were due to start, gunmen on a motorbike opened fire on a taxi in which the trade union leader Rubén Morrón Guerrero was travelling in Barranquilla. Two bullets hit the rear of the car where he was sitting. Fortunately, the leader, who is general secretary of the Chiriguaná municipality branch of the SINTRAMIENERGETICA, escaped unharmed from the attack.

This attack comes in the wake of several recent death threats against members and leaders of SINTRAMIENERGETICA. On 1 April this year, Rubén Morrón Guerrero was named in a death threat made against several trade union leaders by the paramilitary group “Los Rastrojos – Comandos Urbanos”. Because of the attack, Rubén Morrón Guerrero did not attend a negotiating meeting scheduled for 29 May. He and his family left Barranquilla fearing for their lives. Earlier this year, Rubén Morrón was elected as a negotiator for the list of demands presented to Drummond. He should be alongside his colleagues in the negotiations for these demands, but the attack forced him to withdraw from the negotiations, which are currently taking place in Santa Marta. In addition to being an attempt on the life of our colleague Morrón, this was an attack on the union’s right to collective bargaining. In the past, members of SINTRAMIENERGETICA have been killed and threatened while such negotiations with companies were taking place. 

Several Colombian trade union and civil society organisations have asked the Colombian government to increase protection measures but without results so far. IndustriALL Global Unión and other sister organisations support the union’s demands and call on the authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack and previous threats, make the results public and bring the perpetrators to justice. Please support the urgent actions launched by Amnesty International.  

IndustriALL also expresses its concern for the safety of Rubén Morrón Guerrero and his family, calls on the authorities to provide him with protection, in accordance with his wishes and take immediate action to dissolve the paramilitary groups and break their links with the security forces, in accordance with the repeated recommendations of the UN.

Nupeng issues ultimatum over unfair labour practises

The union issued a strike notice to government early in June and has been engaging government in dialogue “We have given an ultimatum to the government on unfair industrial relations practices at these multinational companies that are using more and more outsourced workers”, says Acting General Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (Nupeng),  Isaac Aberare. “We are mobilising our members and preparing to go on an indefinite strike, should the issues not be resolved.”

Amongst the unions concerns, is one on the increasing casualization of work in the oil and gas sectors. Almost 85% of Nigerians working in the oil and gas sector are either contract, casual or outsourced workers with conditions of work not commensurate with oil and gas industry standards and best practices globally. These workers remain without job security or benefits, some for many years, without conversion to permanent workers.

Contract workers are being handed over to labour outsourcing companies without receiving terminal benefits. The outsourcing of labour to contractors exposes workers to possible exploitation and often times these contractors prevent workers from join the union.  

The union is demanding that a forum be set up with which the union can interface with contractors for bargaining. At a previous tripartite meeting for the industry in July 2011, it was resolved that a contractors forum should be put in place to interface with the trade unions on contract workers’ unionization and negotiation of their conditions of service.

Nupeng raises issue with anti-union and unfair labour practices at Chevron Nigeria Limited, Nigeria Agip Oil Company and Shell Petroleum Development Company. Poor corporate behaviour of these multinationals includes arbitrary retrenchment and redundancies, resistance to unionisation, non-compliance with labour laws and disregard for government intervention on labour matters. Nupeng is also concerned that government has not confirmed and gazetted awards of the Industrial Arbitration Panel that were given in favour of the workers.

Nupeng has demanded that government urgently convene an Oil and Gas Conference for tripartite dialogue to address workers concerns.

In writing to the Nigerian government, IndustriALL General Secretary Jyrki Raina stated:

We are prepared to mobilise international action to support the Nupeng strike should the issues they have raised with you not be addressed. We ask that you engage with the union in constructive dialogue and to this end we support Nupeng’s call for an Oil and Gas Conference to seek lasting solutions to workers concerns.

Italian unions join forces in ‘Labour and Democracy’ rally

Over 100,000 members of the three Italian union organizations delivered the strong and clear demand to the Government: to stop empty promises and to set as urgent priorities tax reforms, create stimulus for job creation and protection, industrial policy for youth employment and a solution for unemployment.

The meeting in the square of San Giovanni was preceded by two long processions with activists holding banners demanding “Labour and democracy” for Italy.

The unions call for a tax reform which will have lower taxes for workers, pensioners and the companies that create jobs for them. On the other hand CGIL, CISL and UIL also demand Government to implement an industrial policy encouraging job creation while protecting those who suffer the most.

Addressing the rally, Luigi Angeletti, UIL accused the Government of a lack of political will to make changes saying, “For so many years there is no industrial policy in Italy resulting in enterprises closing down. It does not stem from the global economic crisis but is the result of a political incapacity to make good choices,” and demanded in the first place fiscal reform "because the fiscal situation is a real drama in this country. The taxes paid by entrepreneurs are lower than the average paid by employees”. On precarious work the UIL leader also said that the only change that can really make a difference in industrial policy would be the decision “to make permanent contracts cheaper than flexible ones.”

Susanna Camusso, General Secretary of CGIL urged the government to build its policy around a labour centered model “providing dignity, freedom and independence, otherwise, democracy will be at risk, on top of the country’s economy.”

Raffaele Bonanni, CISL asked the government to “be brave” and side with workers instead of following the “byzantine routine of the former policy.”

IndustriALL reacts against union-busting of Birleşik Metal-İş in Turkey

The two Arobus plants in Tuzla and Bursa, and the Tekersan plant in Bilecik have been target locations of the Birleşik union for organizing drives. Once it became clear to the two sets of company management that Birleşik would represent the legally required 50% plus 1 majority of workers the intimidation and dismissals began.

IndustriALL Global Union will exercise its leverage in both companies as both Arobus and Tekersan produce for major auto companies, many of which are cosignatories of Global Framework Agreements with IndustriALL, and companies where IndustriALL affiliates organize trade union networks. In the GFAs with IndustriALL those multinational companies such as Mercedes and Renault commit to ensure minimum labour standards in their supply chains.

Arobus have dismissed a total of 19 workers including 6 from the first stage of organizing, 11 more dismissed on 24 June in Tuzla, and a further 2 on 24 June in Bursa. Birleşik reports that workers at the Bursa plant were summoned one by one into the management’s office and offered the choice between dismissal and relinquishing their Birleşik membership in favour of another union. Arobus management even brought a public notary to the plants to move workers to the other union.

In writing to both companies, IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina made reference to Turkish legislation that management has breached in refusing their workers the right to join the trade union of their choosing:

Article 25 of the Collective Labor Relations Act coded 6356 entitled “Guarantee of freedom of trade union” enshrines that “No worker shall be dismissed or discriminated against on account of his/her membership or non-membership in a trade union, his/her participation in the activities of trade unions or workers’ organizations outside his hours of work or during hours of work with the employer’s permission”.

Along with this, the article 118 of the Turkish Penal Code, coded 5237, entitled “Prevention of use of trade union rights” reads: “Any person who uses violence or threat against a person in order to force him to become or not to become a member of a trade union, or to participate or not to participate in the activities of the union, or to cancel his membership from the union or to declare his resignation from the management of the union, is sentenced to imprisonment from six months to two years”.

IndustriALL will continue to monitor and support Birleşik until the problems are resolved in a fair solution.

USA: United Electrical fight to keep 950 jobs in Erie

In April 2013, General Electric (GE), based in the USA, announced that they would move production from Erie to Fort Worth in Texas causing 950 United Electrical (UE) local 506 members to be laid-off. GE plant in Erie builds locomotives and off-highway vehicle (OHV) wheel motors.

UE remains committed to saving the 950 jobs that GE is proposing to move to Texas.  The union is now evaluating all possible options and UE officials will be speaking with company officials. Under the current agreement in place between the company and UE, GE is not permitted to transfer the work until October 2013; the union is therefore not closing the door on future negotiations.

We are going to quickly bring our leadership together and evaluate our next moves including pursuing existing NLRB charges, additional legal challenges, and all possible labour actions. 

Said Scott Duke UE Local 506 president.

Two years ago UE negotiated a four-year agreement with GE getting modest wage increases and in exchange made deep cuts to health care and pensions. In this current round of bargaining the company has attempted to renege on that deal, a move firmly rejected by the Local 506.

The union’s proposal required the company to guarantee that none of the 950 jobs can be moved prior to 21 June, 2015, when the UE-GE National Agreement expires. In exchange, UE negotiators indicated a willingness to change some work rules and attendance procedures that would save the company US$ 26 million, but the company rejected the proposals.

UE National President Bruce Kipple reminded the company that UE made creative proposals to maintain all of the jobs and continue to keep the plant competitive. He repeatedly urged the company to give serious consideration to their creative proposals.

OECD National Contact Points support Bangladesh Accord

This is the first time that these 45 representatives of national governments have issued any joint statement.  The Guidelines were modified in 2011 to include the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights which require that businesses take responsibility and use “due diligence” to  identify and address supply chain problems.

The NCP’s joint statement builds upon Secretary General Gurria’s previous public statement in support of the Accord. Secretary Gurria said, “This event is a dramatic wake up call for the international textile industry, governments and other stakeholders to address the risks before they result in tragedies such as this.”

At yesterday’s OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dipu Moni, underlined how urgent the situation is and called for higher and transparent pricing, and for buyers to contribute to the long term capacity for producers.  She also asserted that brands must conform to global standards because they have so far failed to deliver on their promises. 

Striking Georgian workers win the struggle

Workers at the Zestafoni Ferroalloy plant organized by the Trade Union of Metallurgy, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers of Georgia won significant concessions after going on strike for eleven days.

The new collective agreement at Zestafoni plant provides guarantees for trade union activities. The wages increase by 10 per cent, and the agreement ensures wage adjustment according to inflation each year.

The collective agreement also stipulates compensation for the families of workers who die in a workplace accident or lose their ability to work. The specific amount of compensation would be determined in each case.

The employer also agreed to spend over US$20,000 per year on worker training programs and workshops for trade union members.

“The strike was successful due to the firmness and determination of workers, strong solidarity and heroism of trade union members,” said Tamaz Dolaberidze, president of the Trade Union of Metallurgy, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers of Georgia.

Zestafoni Ferroalloy Plant employs 2,000 people. It belongs to Georgian Manganese LLC, a company owned by the British mining giant Stemcor.

IndustriALL stands with mass Brazilian social uprising

Poor quality of public transportation was the final issue that sparked the unprecedented wave of protests through Latin America’s largest economy. The angry public reaction to the increase in fare prices for the bus, metro and train brought people to the streets. The aggressive reaction of the police to these manifestations then exploded the situation last week, with over one million demonstrators in 100 cities on 20 June alone.

Workers, especially young workers, throughout Brazil are tired of being made victims of poor urban mobility policy, and now demand that government jointly discuss with transport providers to find solutions to the problems. Demonstrators are calling for quality education, quality health care, quality transportation, but also quality conditions of employment, fair wages, and reduced working hours.

Brazil is a different case to the social uprisings seen elsewhere around the world in recent times. Brazil has a democratic government, a healthy and growing economy that is generating jobs, and increasing minimum and average wages. However the quality of life for residents of Brazil’s large cities is not seen to be improving, and those people resent the large sums of public money spent on the upcoming Olympic Games and Football World Cup.

President Dilma Rousseff stated that her government is listening to the messages and proposed an emergency plan to resolve the main problems: combat corruption, political reform, education, health and public transportation.

IndustriALL Executive Committee member Monica Veloso, Vice President of CNTM stated:

It is wonderful to live in a democracy and exercise the right to assemble and shout in the streets, those rights were hard-won by Brazilians. But our revolution must begin at home and in the community, it is our own responsibility.

Valter Sanchez, of the Metalworkers Union of ABC / CNM-CUT, told the USi:

The protestors are young people, and we as unions welcome all the young people who are finally learning to fight for their rights, fight for their agenda. We as unions decided to join the protests and are taking part in the protests.  It is a horizontal movement without leaders and social organizations behind them.

All Brazilian trade unions have condemned the police violence, as hundreds of participants were injured especially in São Paulo while the police are trying to avoid destruction of public facilities by provocateurs infiltrating the demonstrations. The Brazilian trade unions were central protagonists in the fight to bring down the military regime in 1964.