Luxury brand fails on union rights in Turkey

Ismaco Amsterdam B.V. is a Dutch-based company producing luxury shirts for worldwide-known brand Ermenegildo Zegna. The company has production facilities in Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, China and Turkey, which is located at a Free Zone in Tuzla, Istanbul with around 370 employees. The Turkish plant of Ismaco produces 600,000 pieces annually which corresponds to 65 per cent of the shirts of Ermenegildo Zegna.

Towards the end of 2012, workers at Ismaco decided to joint IndustriALL Global Union’s Turkish affiliate Deri-Is because the company did not increase wages over last three years, worsened working conditions, and used policies of discrimination and violence against the workforce.

When the company management heard of the unionization efforts at the plant, managers started to call workers to individual meetings to force them to resign or not to join Deri-Is. Ismaco management then targeted pioneering members with threats and intimidations, and finally dismissed union members Cengiz Taşkesen, Fikriye Akgül and Öznur Fazlıoğlu on 18 December 2013 and Munevver Uyar on 8 January 2013.

Send your letter of protest the company here and support the dismissed union members who have been picketing outside of the Free Zone in a tent in freezing winter conditions, as they are not allowed to enter. Three out of four dismissed workers are female while one is a disabled man.

Factory manager Francesco Lasorte gathered all the workers on 19 December announcing that the workers do not need a union, and declared some wage increases, granting a one off lump-sum bonus, organizing social events, as well as the establishment of a fake employee representation system to try and prevent the organizing drive inside the company.

On 25 December, Ismaco managers forced all workers to sign a paper saying “we do not want a trade union at our factory”. Company managers attempted to discredit the union by spreading rumors that Deri-Is is linked with illegal groups, and anyone joining the union would be considered as terrorist.

Deri-Is is actively campaigning on behalf of the workers and is getting support from community, trade unions and NGOs. Their demands are:

Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, said, “Ermenegildo shirts are sold with very high prices in big shopping malls, but the company is a long way from respecting fundamental rights for its employees. This is not acceptable and our global union family will continue to campaign until the situation at Ismaco plant in Turkey is improved.”

IndustriALL supports Valentin Urusov for international rights award

In 2008, Urusov led an organizing campaign in which Alrosa Workers’ Union grew up from a few dozens to more than a thousand members in less than a year. He has shown a great mobilization capacity by bringing hundreds of workers into the streets with demands of better pay and working conditions. This example inspired workers and spurred a wave of union organizing actions in other cities.

During one of the mobilization campaigns in September 2008, Urusov was kidnapped by local police officers. He was beaten and threatened to death and later placed under arrest under a clearly fabricated case. The trumped-up charges–drug trafficking—were proven wrong even by the decision of the Sakha Republic’s Supreme Court in May 2009. Valentin Urusov was released, but later arrested again and is now serving his six-year term in a prison under extremely harsh conditions.

All major Russian trade union centers as well as human rights organizations have expressed their common demand for the release of Valentin Urusov.

IndustriALL joins the IUF in asking the jury to nominate Valentin Urusov for the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights 2013, for his courageous and praiseworthy union work. This award would also contribute to bring public attention to Valentin Urusov’s plight and help stop violations of human rights and trade unions rights in Russia and elsewhere. 

Carbones de Cerrejón workers vote to go on strike

After the interim deadline for completing negotiations for a new collective agreement passed on 19 January, the union put the matter to the vote.

Voting ended on 29 January and 96.7 per cent voted to go on strike in order to resolve the dispute that began on 29 November. The union has formed a strike committee composed of members of the negotiating committee  and members of Sintracarbón's national executive committee. The strike will begin sometime between 1 and 9 February.

The union said it is waiting for the company to make a new proposal and present it to all union members at the mine. It hopes Carbones de Cerrejón will acknowledge the contribution made by its 12,000 direct and indirect employees to company profits. The mine is the most profitable coal mine in Colombia.

Two weeks ago, IndustriALL Global Union wrote to the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, to express solidarity with workers at Cerrejón and demand an end to intimidation of union leaders and a fair solution to the dispute.

Chilean miners at Minera Escondida win million peso bonus

59.9 per cent of union members at BHP-Billiton-controlled Minera Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, voted in favour of accepting the company’s offer, which came ahead of the legally mandated deadline.

The bonus includes a 3.7 million pesos interest-free loan, a 4 million pesos 4×4 to 7×7 "shift change" bonus, a 2.3 million pesos dispute resolution bonus, a 6.3 million pesos "market conditions” bonus and a 6.7 million pesos early settlement bonus.

The agreement also includes a 5 per cent real pay rise and increases in quarterly and monthly productivity bonuses.

The new collective agreement will run for 4 years from July 2013. The previous one was in force for 44 months.

The size of the 23 million bonus has had a big impact on public opinion. Marcelo Tapia, president of union N°1, said he understood the resentment it has awakened amongst public opinion, but said the real problem was that Chilean employers were generally reluctant to share their profits with their workers.

Output at Minera Escondida, in which Rio Tinto has a 30 per cent stake, increased by 70 per cent in the second half of 2012 (221,900 tonnes) compared with the second half of 2011 (130,300 tonnes). The mine is on track to increase output by a further 20 per cent in 2013.

New global agreement in the Volvo Group

The Volvo Group has had an agreement on a European Workers Council since 1994. Global meetings have been held every second year since 2002 with representatives from Volvo plants outside Europe. The global meetings have been negotiated to take place from time to time based on an informal understanding between the unions and the company. The latest global meeting was held in November 2012 in Wroclaw, Poland.

The new agreement is valid from the beginning of 2013, and is a big leap forward. It´s not a Global Framework Agreement, but it gives the unions the right to meet every year on a global basis. The global meeting will be held in the European spring every year, and be a forum for both internal union matters and company matters. One of the days is for consultation and information with the top management, called Volvo Global Dialogue (VGD). 

“The unions outside of Europe have been waiting for an agreement like this, and are very satisfied that we can meet once a year,” says Lars Ask International Secretary in the Volvo EWC, adding, “In the Volvo Group nearly half of the employees are outside of Europe, so this is definitely a step in the right direction for the future.”

The European Workers Council will continue to have regular meetings every year in the autumn in Europe.

During his visit to Uruguay, unions call on the Mexican president to respect freedom of association

The letter from PIT-CNT affiliates, IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Americas was delivered before President Enrique Peña Nieto's visit, which began on 28 January, and called on the president to secure labour peace and justice on issues affecting the trade union movement in Mexico.

The letter was delivered by Jorge Almeida, Regional Secretary for IndustriALL, Marcelo Abdala, PIT-CNT coordinator and  Briceida González and Marvin Largaespada, regional directors of UNI Americas.

The three organisations are calling for “the resolution of important strikes at the Grupo Mexico mines in Sombrerete, Cananea and Taxco, where the company has obliged members of the National Miners’ Union (SNTMMSRM) to remain on strike for more than five years and the rapid return to Mexico of the SNTMMSRM general secretary , Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, who is also a member of the IndustriALL Global Union Executive Committee and currently in exile because of false and demonstrably groundless accusations”.

The letter also highlights the struggle of the Union of Electricity Workers (SME), “which is fighting for the reinstatement of more than 16,500 workers in Mexico City, in line with the Supreme Court judgement in their favour”.

The letter also explains that Mexican workers in sectors such as energy, oil, glass and the auto industry also need the government to end “unfair attacks by employers, who prefer to make protection contracts with yellow unions and avoid their responsibilities under the labour relations system in order to continue exploiting their workers”.

“The Finnish autoparts multinational PKC dismissed 122 trade union members, including the entire executive committee of Section 307 of the SNTMMSRM in Ciudad Acuña. This aggressive anti-trade union action was a reprisal against workers for joining the union” says the letter.

The Uruguayan trade unions believe there are high expectations that the new Mexican government will introduce positive changes for workers and the trade union movement and will promote fair settlements of the disputes in question. The letter concludes by calling on the government to “engage in a constructive dialogue with the trade unions and other social actors to achieve long-awaited peaceful labour relations  and social justice, put an end to arbitrary acts and start a process of genuine change that promotes trade union rights in Mexico”.

This initiative is part of the Days of Action in defence of trade union rights in Mexico, between 18 and 24 February. The event is organized by IndustriALL affiliates in that country and sister organizations throughout the world.

Paper union leader is criminalized in Indonesia

According to the report received from the Federation of Indonesian Pulp and Paper (FSP2KI), IndustriALL affiliate, the management of the paper company PT Kertas Leces in Probolinggo, East Java terminated the contract of Djody Soegiharto, chairman of the Paper Workers Union SPKL, member of FSP2KI. Soegiharto is also part of the leadership of FSP2KI where he coordinates the department of organizing and recruitment.

On 28 November 2012 management of PT Kertas Leces announced termination of Soegiharto’s contract.  The only reason was his active involvement in protection of workers’ legitimate rights.  In November 2011 the company paid only 50 per cent of wages to its workers and paid only 25 per cent of the agreed education allowances for employees’ children.

At the end of February 2012 Djody Soegiharto displayed banners and billboards inside and outside the factory premises in Kertas Leces company with statements against the company and claims to immediately pay off all arrears in wages and benefits.

In reply, instead of meeting their obligations the company accused the union leader of defamation towards the company and contempt towards its directors. Workers believe it is an attempt at union busting and demand immediate reinstatement of Djody Soegiharto as well as several other SPKL activists earlier laid off by the managing director of Paper Leces company.

The union wrote to the Minister of Manpower and Transmigration of Indonesia, Muhaimin Iskandar and Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, DahlanIskan demanding their attention to the illegitimate suppression of trade union action performed by the company and published an on-line petition. To support Indonesian paper workers in their legitimate claims follow the link: Petition to the Director of Leces Paper company.

In his letter to the director of Leces Paper, IndustriALL General Secretary Jyrki Raina expressed his concerns about the company's attempts to criminalize the legitimate union work and leaders in Indonesia and urged the leadership of the company to take all immediate steps to resolve the conflict and restore justice at Kerta Leces Ltd. Raina called on the company to pay out all the arrears in workers’ wages and benefits, to reinstate Djody Soegiharto as well as other SPKL activists fired earlier and to start negotiations with the union based on principles of good faith and transparency.

PT Kertas Leces company, producing printed writing paper, is the second oldest paper mill in Indonesia with production capacity of 640 tons per day.

IndustriALL demands real action after fire in Bangladesh

The fire emerged during lunch time on 26 January at a small garment factory Smart Fashions in Bangladesh capital Dhaka. The 7 reported victims have all been identified and are all female workers between 15 to 28 years old. The factory is said to employ 300 workers.

Reportedly, garments for some famous brands including Bershka and Lefties (Inditex), KIK, New Look, were found on site. Inditex says that it was not aware of an unauthorized subcontractor to an Inditex supplier with poor fire safety conditions. Inditex and IndustriALL Global Union have agreed on joint action based on their global framework agreement. It covers also suppliers and their subcontractors, which shall provide a safe and healthy workplace to their employees. The incident demonstrates the difficulties major companies have in controlling their global supply chains.
 
Soon after the tragedy at Smart Garments, Inditex and IndustriALL exchanged information they received from their partners and affiliates in Bangladesh, and started working on a remediation action plan. A joint mission will arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday 5 February to examine the situation and discuss necessary measures to minimize the effects of the incident to the victims.
 
Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union commented, “It is with great sadness that we have learned of another fire incident that claimed the lives of seven young female colleagues in the garment sector and caused injuries to many other workers. As in the Tazreen Fashion case, poor safety conditions resulted in a tragedy at Smart Fashion. Our deepest condolences go to the families of the perished and injured workers.”
 
“IndustriALL Global Union is calling for urgent and serious action to prevent further tragedies. We invite all major international brands, national employers and the government of Bangladesh to start an urgent discussion with us on a concrete plan of action. It must include strict health and safety regulations, efficient inspection and union participation in workplace cooperation, ensuring freedom of association in line with internationally recognized ILO labour standards, and a program to raise minimum wages to at least living wage levels in the country,” added Raina.
 
Over 4,500 factories operate in the garment sector of Bangladesh. Working conditions remain poor and the wage for most workers amounts to 3000 BDT ($38 US) per month making it only one third of a living wage in Bangladesh. After years of service, based on seniority, a worker can eventually reach 5,500 BDT (approximately $70 US).
 
Very few factories are unionized, despite the effort of trade unions to get registration enabling them to conduct collective bargaining. In the Dhaka region out of 26 unions fulfilling the condition of majority representation at the enterprises only one has so far received official registration enabling them to bargain collectively. Hence the difficulty for the workers to raise their concerns on safety to a trusted entity: a union which could bargain with the employers on safety issues among others.
 
Prior to the incident, on 23 January, Monika Kemperle, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL met with the buyers’ representatives in Bangladesh where both recognized the importance of engaging all stakeholders for a common approach and that the government takes primary responsibility in ensuring the safety of the workers.
 
Together with affiliates IndustriALL will join an ILO Conference promoting fundamental principles and rights at work which will take place on 3 to 4 February in Dhaka. This conference will serve to make strategic planning and to analyze needs and build capacity of garment sector trade unions in Bangladesh.

Financial Transaction Tax approved by EU

The significant milestone is being celebrated as a major victory by a wide alliance of trade unions and civil society groups who have long campaigned for national governments to adopt the tax on trading. The FTT, also known as the Robin Hood Tax or Tobin Tax, is designed to discourage the high-risk casino capitalism that led to the global economic crisis, make the financial sector take responsibility for the crisis it caused, and also generate funds for development and combating climate change.

The 22 January decision allows 11 Eurozone states to pursue the tax. The countries are Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Slovakia and Slovenia. Those 11 countries account for around 90 per cent of Eurozone GDP and include 4 of the EU’s 5 biggest economies, with the notable exception of the UK.

The scheduled vote was not necessary as it was clear that there was sufficient support to move forward. The right-wing UK government would have abstained in the vote along with Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Denmark and Malta.

The tax is likely to be harmonized at a minimum 0.1 per cent rate for trades of stocks and bonds and a 0.01 per cent rate for derivatives trades. The levy on financial speculation in the EU is estimated by a German institute to stand to generate €37 billion a year, and will serve as serious leverage for the FTT campaign elsewhere throughout the world.

There is no agreement yet as to the use of the funds created by the FTT. The international campaign will now focus efforts on ensuring they are used for social and environmental purposes. France has been hailed as a model for others to follow after allocating 10 per cent of the revenue “to the benefit of the poorest in the world”.

Five years of struggle – Mexican glass workers mobilize

The five year anniversary of the IndustriALL Global Union-affiliated SUTEIVP’s struggle for reinstatement and trade union recognition will be supported by other local trade unions in the San Luís Potosí area, and will receive a message of support from IndustriALL General Secretary Jyrki Raina.

The story of your brave struggle is well known internationally. We are proud to share our global IndustriALL family with you, and to know that you are still fighting on the fifth anniversary of your illegal sacking by the company.

Since their dismissal and refusal of a management payoff 33 workers continue struggling for their jobs back. They have been blacklisted by the company and complicit labour authorities, so that neither they nor their families can find work in the region. The anti-union complicity of the authorities has also helped to drag out the legal process with countless appeals, however the process is now in the resolution phase so there is reason to hope for a fair conclusion soon.

The company Industria Vidriera del Potosí is a subsidiary of the global beer company Grupo Modelo. It is one of the four bottle manufacturers who produce for the famous Mexican beer Corona, and is owned by Mexico’s richest woman, María Asunción Aramburuzavala. Grupo Modelo is in the process of being bought by global market leader AB InBev, producer of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Becks beers. 

The glass workers’ demands will be an important part of the upcoming Global Days of Action on 18-24 February, which this week received unanimous support from the Council of Global Unions (CGU). The CGU members meeting on 21-22 January all committed to campaign jointly during the Days of Action.

The Global Trade Union Federations and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) will mobilize affiliates around the world to call on the president for intervention against protection contracts, for justice at Pasta de Conchos and for reversal of the recent regressive labour reforms.

Each democratic union in Mexico will use the week to push their specific demands for justice in their own conflicts, as well as march united for core labour rights throughout the country. The Mexican miners’ union Los Mineros will push the common demands but prioritize the call for reinstatement of ten hunger strikers at the Finnish-based autoparts multinational PKC in Ciudad Acuña. The hunger strikers were members of the local Los Mineros executive committee who were all dismissed as the company sacked 122 workers connected to the union who are battling to organize the plant and replace the corporate yellow union there.