Global Labour University calls for applications

The Global Labour University is a network of universities, trade unions, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that offers unique postgraduate programmes on labour meeting the challenges of globalization. The GLU is an international forum to study and debate new policy ideas, and to engage in global initiatives for workers’ rights and social justice.

The new course starts in October 2013. The deadline for applications is 1 March 2013.

A limited number of scholarships will be awarded to qualified students. For application and programme details, please visit http://www.global-labour-university.org/.

Dismissed Maruti Suzuki workers face state repression

After the 18 July 2012 violent incident, in which a manager at Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) was killed, workers are facing increased state repression. Currently 147 workers including all office bearers of Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU) (Registration No. 1923) are in jail without bail for more than 6 months. In addition 66 more workers have been issued non-bailable arrest warrants. In response to the 18 July incident, the MSIL management terminated 546 regular and nearly 2,300 contract workers.

The workers’ struggle is led by a Provisional Working Committee (PWC) as the MSWU has been deregistered and all the office bearers are in Gurgaon Central Jail. The struggle has taken various forms like rallies, demonstrations across all districts of Haryana and in Delhi, mass hunger strikes. The MSWU and PWC also sought to foster solidarity with contract workers in the entire NCR industrial belt with an Auto Workers Convention. They have recently taken out a Justice Rally across all districts of Haryana, which culminated in a mass demonstration of over 5,000 people in Rohtak on 27 January 2013. MSWU alleges that police and intelligence officials are arresting any activist who is coming forward to lead the agitation. Consequently workers under fear psychosis and scared to mobilize openly.

The Political Secretary of the Chief Minister of Haryana assured the demonstrators that the Chief Minister would meet them on 13 February, to discuss their issues.

In this critical situation MSWU announced the all-India day of solidarity action on 5 February 2013 at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Around 150 representatives of 23 All India organizations comprising of trade unions, student unions and human rights organizations participated in the solidarity demonstration. Memorandums were submitted to the local elected representatives and to Bhupinder Hooda, Chief Minister, Haryana.

Demands of MSWU include:

Institute a high-level independent impartial probe into the incident of 18 July 2012
Immediately release all arrested 147 workers
Immediately reinstate all terminated workers, including 546 permanent and around 2,300 contract workers;
Stop the flouting of labour laws, and implement the right to form a union in all auto companies in the region
Stop the illegal contract labour system in permanent nature of work in the industrial belt.

Foxconn plans union elections in China

According to a recent report in the Financial Times, for the first time Foxconn in China has been preparing to conduct elections for a representative union. It is expected that the elections will be conducted by July 2013 and it will have larger representation of junior employees with no intervention from the management. The firm aim to hold secret ballot elections for a chairman and 20 members of its Federation of Labour Union Committee every five years.

The report also suggest that, Foxconn, with the help of US based Fair Labor Association (FLA) (http://www.fairlabor.org) will train its Chinese workers in how to vote for their representatives. Earlier in February 2012, FLA launched an investigation into working conditions in Foxconn. The investigation report highlighted problematic labour practices and suggested remedial actions. The report found that, among many issues, the majority of the workers were not aware of factories’ safety and health committees and workers’ representation in decision making bodies. The management used to nominate supervisors or managers as candidates for election and the committees used to be dominated by management representatives.

The report stated that Foxconn has agreed to enhance workers’ participation in committees and other union structures in line with the trade union laws in China to conduct elections without management interference. In addition, all workers will receive a copy of the collective bargaining agreements and new employees would receive information on union activities during their orientation process.

However, even after this commitment expressed in March 2012 and the launch of remedial action, there were incidents of rioting and unfair labour practices. After such a long period it is unclear as to how this commitment will be implemented, how transparent the process will be and what percentage of union leaders will be workers democratically elected by their co-workers. More importantly effectiveness of the representative union also depends on legal protections to elected representatives at all levels.

According to Geoff Crothall, spokesman for Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin, any union must be a member of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), which may choose to conduct collective bargaining instead of allowing Foxconn workers’ representatives to deal with management. (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2013/02/05/2003554242)

While trade union activists welcome union elections in Foxconn, in the backdrop of past experiences (http://www.industriall-union.org/apples-new-products-increase-pressure-on-foxconn-workers), it is hoped that it will not be a mere public relations stunt by the company.

Good Electronics released a statement on Apple and its supply chain, expressing doubt about how the elections will function at Foxconn: http://goodelectronics.org/news-en/goodelectronics-is-keeping-an-eye-on-apple.-statement-re.-apple-2013-supplier-responsibility-report-1

Indonesian unions demonstrate their strength in unity

Gathered on 7 February 2013, the leaders discussed common challenges, the IndustriALL Action Plan and took the decision to create the IndustriALL Indonesia Council as a platform for coordinating struggles and implementing the IndustriALL plan of activities.

The meeting was result of the leadership forum held in November 2012 (http://www.industriall-union.org/events/industriall-indonesia-leadership-forum ) where the affiliates agreed on the points of solidarity and united action, as follows:

Campaigning for changes to social security
Improving labour legislation and stopping union busting and the criminalization of labour leaders
Reducing the prevalence of precarious work
Fighting for a national minimum wage
On organizing and collective bargaining

The meeting elected a co-ordinator, vice co-ordinator and 4 members of a steering committee, who will meet soon to strategise the action plan and discuss the timetable.

The meeting was chaired by Vonny Diananto, a Regional Officer of IndustriALL based in South East Asia and Fernando Lopes, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL, who closed the meeting saying that a important decision had been taken that would certainly contribute to the strength of the unions and IndustriALL in the country and the region.

One day before the meeting, the IndustriALL representatives participated in a 50,000 strong rally in downtown Jakarta organized by The Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers’ Union (FSPMI). The workers were demanding improved health care insurance and pension system and an increase of the minimum wage for all Indonesian citizens as part of FSPMI’s 14^th anniversary celebrations.

The elected IndustriALL Indonesia Council structure is as follows:

Chair: Sjaiful DP (President of KEP CITU)

Secretary: Eduard Marpaung (General Secretary of LOMENIK KSBSI)

Steering Committees Members:

CITU: Suparno, B. (General Secretary of FSPMI)

KSBSI: Elly Silaban (President of GARTEKS)

KSN: Pandi Wijaya (Head of Training Department of FSP2KI)

KSPSI: Chandra Mahlan (Head of Training Department CEMWU)

People before profit is the call at Africa’s Mining Indaba

In its 19^th year, the Indaba is no small affair; 7,500 participants and representation from 1,800 companies have gathered in Cape Town, South Africa for the event taking place from 4^th to 7^th February. Delegates come 100 countries and in addition to those representing mining and government, there is a good sprinkling of services representation, in particular those representing financial firms.

South Africa is keen to portray that it is ‘business as usual’ after the Marikana incident in which 34 mineworkers were shot dead by police in August last year, related violence and high levels of industrial unrest in the mining sector for almost all of the second half of 2012.

‘No more Marikanas please’ is what government is asking of business. Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu, gave business the assurance that South Africa will not nationalise the mines and called for an end to discussions and debates on nationalisation. That’s government holding up their end to rebuild investor confidence, but business needs to keep up theirs, which Shabangu spells out as labour conditions at the mines must improve and industrial unrest needs to be avoided.

It seems quite a gentle approach but Shabangu has been criticised for not being soft enough on mining companies, badly bruised by the events of 2012, in particular her firm objection to Anglo Platinum’s intention to retrench 14,000 workers. Anglo Platinum, which recorded a loss for 2012, is expecting workers to bear the brunt of this, laying blame on workers for the two month strike at its Rustenburg operations. However, Anglo Platinum was on a poor trajectory before the industrial unrest, as a result of high cost inputs, in particular of electricity and water and low platinum prices. Anglo Platinum controls most of the world’s platinum production and so can increase demand and the price of platinum by reducing its output. The company intends to do just that by closing two of its mines and selling another.

A billboard as you enter Cape Town from the airport, tells you how Anglo Platinum is keeping its promise to build 26,000 houses. There should be one next to it saying ‘Amplats giveth and Amplats taketh away’, telling you of the families that could potentially be made homeless when 14,000 breadwinners lose their jobs, assuming that they have houses to lose in the first place.

The need to balance the well resourced spin on corporate social responsibility with a good dose of reality, is one of the principle reasons why civil society working on issues of the extractives sector gather at an Alternative Mining Indaba. It is a side event to the big show; the entrance fee to the Mining Indaba is designed to be out of the reach of civil society, hence ensuring its exclusion.

Civil society draw attention to policy issues as well as actions and impact of mining companies that undermine workers, communities and the environment. This year has delved deep into the underlying issues that Marikana brought into the public eye and much attention is being paid to the poor conditions for communities living next to the mines; absolute poverty at the coalface of absolute wealth.

Mexican Corona beer bottlers’ mobilization attacked

The manifestation marked the five-year anniversary of the mass sacking of all 220 workers connected with the efforts of the Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de la Empresa Vidriera del Potosí (SUTEIVP) in organizing and collective bargaining. IndustriALL General Secretary Jyrki Raina was one of many international trade unionists to send support messages to the demo.

Thugs from the corporatist protection union installed at the plant by local management forced workers from inside the plant to aggressively provoke and then attack the SUTEIVP demonstration on the outer side of the perimeter fence. Management also directly gave the instruction to dozens of the current workers to suspend work and attack the SUTEIVP demonstration.

The aggressive group of around 100 workers were led by Alberto Martínez Sandoval and other members of the yellow union committee at the plant, assembling on the inner side of the perimeter fence with provocative banners. The aggressors then threw eggs, rocks and other projectiles at the demonstration outside.

The SUTEIVP representatives were joined and supported by other democratic trade unions, including the local section of Los Mineros.

The plant that produces five million bottles per day for the famous Corona beer brand is one of four Corona bottling plants. The multinational company that produces Corona, Grupo Modelo, is in the process of being sold to Belgian-based market leader AB-InBev. AB-InBev has placed a condition on the purchase that there must not be any on-going labour conflicts. The deal has been challenged by US authorities on competition grounds, which may cause a delay but is not expected to block the purchase entirely.

Textile companies abscond leaving 5,000 jobless in Pakistan

The factories were locked up and left without fulfilling mandatory requirements to inform the workers or authorities or pay out accrued benefits to the workers, most of who have worked at the factories for more than 20 years.

The owner, Mohsim Ayoub Mirza, closed Joe's Fashion Export, situated in Korangi Industrial Area (KIA), on 17 January 2013 and then shut down another business, J&M Clothing, situated in an export process zone, on 31 January 2013.

There is no union present at the factory to represent the workers who have been producing for exporters of garments to the European Union and international brands.

The National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) is now representing the workers and has moved an application to the Labour Department seeking justice for the affected employees. The NTUF believes the factories were closed not due to lack of orders, but because of the opening of a new export process zone. The owner has one other companies and NTUF is looking into its status.

The NTUF also demands that international brands take note of the situation and make the owner bound to follow international labour standards. This move of the owner has also disturbed the local suppliers, also left wondering where to get their pending dues.

IndustriALL Global Union is working with NTUF in attempting to identify and contact the brands that have contracts with these two companies.

Canadian unions in action on Mexico

Canadian unions, led by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), met with the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa, on February 14, 2013, to express grave concerns about Mexico’s ongoing and flagrant violations of international labour rights and standards. The delegation presented Embassy Officials with the ITUC 2012 report on Mexican trade union rights violations and a letter to the Mexican President, calling on the Mexican Government to deliver on the common demands of the international days of action.

In addition, the delegation raised the failure of the Mexican Government to properly investigate the CLC complaint against Canadian-based Excellon Resources under the OECD corporate responsibility guidelines.

On 22 February a USW delegation met authorities at the Mexican Consulate in Toronto as part of the Days of Action. They met Mauricio Toussaint, Consul General; Maria Fernanda Suarez, Director of Economic Affairs, and Santiago Mateos, Deputy Consul General. The USW described their view and that of the Canadian labour movement concerning the repression in Mexico of democratic trade union rights and the particular attacks on Los Mineros.

Trade unions in Vancouver, including Los Mineros, USW, COPE 378, CUPE and CEP, held an action on 21 February at the Mexican Consulate in the city. A high level trade union delegation met Mexico's Consul General in Vancouver, Angel Villalobos, and a rally was held infront of the Consulate which was addressed by exiled Los Mineros General Secretary Napoleon Gomez. See photos attached.

In Quebec, the Centre Internationational de Solidarité Ouvrière (CISO) organized a dinner conference with the participation of Napoleón Gomez over teleconference. Napoleón spoke in French which was greatly appreciated and seen as a sign of respect and solidarity with the Quebec union movement. CISO is a coalition effort of Quebecois trade unions in international solidarity efforts.

Quebecois trade unions also conducted a visit to the Consul General of Mexico in Montréal, Mr Porfirio Martínez Morales on 19 February. Representing 1,150,000 workers in Quebec, the delegation of CISO, CSN, CSQ, FIQ and FTQ delivered the grave concerns of the international days of action.

Actions in Canada are varying from protests to delivering letters to the Mexican government consulate offices. Actions are being organized by the Tri-National Solidarity Alliance (TNSA) with labor groups including the AFL-CIO, United Electrical Workers (UE), United Steelworkers, the United Auto Workers, CSN, CEP, CAW, UNT, SME, FAT, Mineros, ASPA, STRM, STUNAM and other unions, as well as NGOs, including Austin Tan Cerca, the Cross-Border Network, National Guestworker Alliance, and the National Lawyers Guild.

See the schedule of events and contact information (which downloads as a word document and will be periodically updated) and join in an action if there is one in your city.

Independent unions in Mexico demand rights

The Mexican days of action started solemnly in Mexico City on 18 February with a silent march from the Monumento da la Revolucion to the Angel de la Independencia mourning the 65 miners killed in the Pasta de Conchos criminal industrial homicide. The 65 symbolic coffins were placed at the monument and the mineworkers from all sections and locals held an overnight vigil gathering. SME, UNTTYP, Continental Tires Workers, FAT, CAW, USW, UE and IndustriALL Global Union participated in solidarity with Los Mineros.

IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Fernando Lopes addressed the gathering, conveying the message of solidarity from 50 million members of the International.

See more in the SME-produced videos attached to this article.

On 19 February the Tri-National Solidarity Alliance lead a large press conference with full participation of Mexico's democratic trade unions and international supporters, including IndustriALL. See the photo attached.

Doug Olthuis, head of the Canadian USW delegation in Mexico reported that during the International Week of Action in support of independent Mexican unions a delegation of eight trade union leaders and activists from the United Steelworkers (USW), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and the Communication Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) participated in a fact-finding and solidarity tour to learn first-hand the impacts of Canadian mining companies (Excellon Resources and Fortuna Silver) on the rights of communities and workers in the Mexican states of Durango and Oaxaca.

The delegation met with community representatives, union leaders, and workers who had been sacked by Excellon Resources for supporting Section 309 of Los Mineros. The delegation found the first-hand accounts of workers and community members of rights violations credible and were angered and appalled by the lack of respect shown to them by these companies. The delegation was also inspired by the courage and solidarity shown by workers and communities as they continue to fight for their rights.

On 21-22 February the SME union delivered letters in meetings at the Embassies of Canada, France, Japan, Spain and the US, calling on those governments to intervene with the Mexican government on trade union rights in Mexico. See the video here.

US unions take action on Mexico

Actions in the US varied from protests to delivering letters to the Mexican government consulate offices.

Activities were organized in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland, Raleigh, Seattle, Tuscon, and Washington, DC.

These actions are being organized by the Tri-National Solidarity Alliance (TNSA) with labor groups including the AFL-CIO, United Electrical Workers (UE), United Steelworkers, the United Auto Workers, CSN, CEP, CAW, UNT, SME, FAT, Mineros, ASPA, STRM STUNAM and other unions, as well as NGOs, including Austin Tan Cerca, the Cross-Border Network, National Guestworker Alliance, and the National Lawyers Guild.

In Tuscon Arizona the USW Local 937 led a demonstration on 19 February outside the Mexican Consulate, together with trade unionists from PALF, IATSE, CWA and IAM. See the leaflet distributed at the event here, and photos attached to this page. The demonstration observed a moment of silence for the Pasta de Conchos victims.

In Denver, Colorado, a coalition of local labour activists conducted a picket and then delivered a joint letter to the Mexican Vice-Consul in a meeting.

On 21 February a large group of activists in Washington D.C. rallied from a range of groups including UAW, AFL-CIO, AFT, CWA, NALC and AFGE. The action outside the Mexican Embassy was noisy with chants calling for an end to protection contracts. A senior trade union delegation conveyed the international demands of the campaign in a meeting with Embassy staff while the chanting continued outside. See photos attached.

The 22 February demo in Chicago was held the day after a snow storm. Around 75 demonstrators primarily from the USW mobilized outside the Mexican Consulate with banners and a symbolic miner's coffin. See photos attached.

The solidarity event held in New York City on 22 February brought activists from LCLAA, NLG, UAW, Laborers, 1199 SEIU, UFT, UFCW, Painters, TWU, CWA, Cornell Global Labor Institute, Middle Church, Asociación Tepayac, and others to rally together in front of the Mexican consulate. A delegation met with the Consulate staff there and delivered a joint letter and a copy of the 2012 Resolution of the International Tribunal on Union Freedom of Association in Mexico. See photo attached.

On 22 February a trade union delegation of USW, UE and AFL-CIO met the Mexican Consul General in Los Angeles, David Figueroa Ortega and lodged the campaign's demands there. The vivid example of violations of trade union rights at PKC in Ciudad Acuña was detailed by the trade unionists as one illustrative example of the widescale problems throughout Mexico. See photos attached.