Paper and packaging workers on picket line for 137 days

The box manufacturing workforce’s contracts expired in December 2022. They have been bargaining since November last year and after six months of extensive bargaining UAW called a strike.
 
Negotiations are at a halt and despite the company having soaring profits since the pandemic, the company is demanding major cuts to loyal long-term workers’ healthcare benefits, which they have been part of for 25 years. The company insists that workers are in a bloated union plan that provides too rich of a benefit package. However, the union has said that the consumer-based plan that the company is forcing is a high deductible and works on an- if you get ill you pay- plan. 
 
The company is also offering a 12.5 per cent wage increase over a five-year agreement, but this is below the inflation rate and the industry standard within the region. Not reducing health care is a main priority for workers in the conflict. 
 

“Today marks day 137 on the picket line. Our brothers and sisters are resolute in their fight for fairness, dignity, and equality in the workplace. Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated and certainly reciprocated,” 

says Raymond Jensen, assistant director of UAW Region 9.
 
Tom Grinter, IndustriALL director of paper and pulp says:

“We stand in solidarity with the workers at WestRock. Their demands are fair and a company that has soaring profits should provide a fair share to the workers.”

 
WestRock has 94 union employees at this site, and they have been represented by UAW for over 30 years. The workers make boxes for a variety of companies, including Amazon and Frito Lay.

South Korean unions challenge government at UN

The government of Korea is being challenged under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a multilateral treaty that commits countries to respect civil and political rights. The unions made a submission to the 139th Session of the Human Rights Committee on the Fifth Periodic Report of the Republic of Korea, alleging that restrictive labour laws, limitations on the right to strike, and numerous violations of freedom of association were contrary to Korea’s commitments under the treaty.

The fourth review of Korea, carried out in 2015, found “unreasonable restrictions” placed on freedom of association, and recommended that the government of Korea ensure the right to peaceful assembly. However, the government has done little to ensure that its legal framework complies the international labour standards enshrined in articles 21 and 22 of the ICCPR, as well as ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

In theory, workers in Korea have the right to organize, collective bargaining and collective action enshrined in the Constitution. But in reality, the provisions of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Adjustment Act (TULRAA) severely restrict workers’ rights. The act makes it almost impossible for workers to take legal strike action, and if they break the law, they can be sued by the company for damages, and by the state for the cost of policing the strike.

In sectors such as steel and shipbuilding, 70-80 per cent of workers are subcontracted, and the Act’s definition of “employer” makes it impossible for subcontracted workers to bargain with the principal employer. For instance, Daewoo Shipbuilding (DSME) has more than 100 subcontractors within one shipyard. When workers struck in 2022 to reverse a 30 per cent wage cut introduced by DSME during the pandemic, the company refused to negotiate, saying it was not party to the dispute. However, subcontractors could not address workers’ demands, because the wages had been set by DSME.

The striking workers were violently attacked, and after the 51-day strike ended, the union leaders were sued for EUR 32.3 million of damages due to lost production targets.

There are currently around 30 Korean trade unionists in prison for union activity.

The union delegation was supported by legal experts from the ITUC, who made a written submission (link) to the Committee. The unions cited a number of cases of violent repression and malicious lawsuits as evidence, and asked the Human Rights Committee to call on the government of Korea to cease its anti-union activities and to bring its legal framework into alignment with international labour standards.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Christina Olivier said:

“The government of Korea violates workers’ rights to organize, to peaceful assembly, and to take strike action. Trade unionists are beaten up, sued and imprisoned for carrying out union activity. IndustriALL stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in their demand that the UN Human Rights Committee hold the Republic of Korea to account. Korea is a party to the ICCPR and must uphold its obligations.”

We want a business and human rights treaty with stronger protections for workers

Progress in national corporate human rights laws and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles are holding companies accountable for human rights abuses, but the patchwork of different rules at national and regional levels allows many companies to circumvent their human rights responsibilities.

After reviewing the draft text, the global unions call for:

Says IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan:

“We can’t allow the current exploitative business model along the  global supply chains to continue. There is a need for regulation with responsibility, accountability and transparency.

“The 9th round of negotations for a UN Binding Treaty for Human Rights needs to bring strong rules on remedy and liability against corporate greed and impunity. This has to be done immediately, and the global union movement, together with our civil society allies, istand united in this crucial demand.”

Working towards a four-day week for steel industry

The reduction in working hours would be a first step towards the four-day week, according to IG Metall. In addition, the collective agreements on part-time work for older workers, the use of employment contracts and job security for the more than 80,000 workers are to be extended.

The demands are the result of discussions among IG Metall, and a survey of more than 11,000 workers. 

According to the survey, 72 per cent of workers said that a pay rise was especially important in the light of continuing high inflation. 75 per cent of workers said that the issue of reduced working time with full compensation was rather important. 65 per cent of the workers view it as an important vehicle for securing jobs and employment. 

The main reasons for a working time reduction to 32 hours per week with wage compensation include: job security in uncertain times will be needed, maintaining employment levels in the steel sector, people will be healthier at retirement age, a better work-life-balance and it’s a way to make the steel industry more attractive as it suffers a shortage of a skilled labour force. 
 
A four-day week could easily be realised in the white-collar jobs of the steel industry, but not among the blue-collar workers in shift work. It’s for this reason that the steel workers prefer to demand a working time reduction with compensation. A weekly working time reduction can also be implemented in the shift work schedules of the steel industry. The already implemented voluntary models prove this.
 
Employers have claimed that a working time reduction with full wage increase will cause a decrease in competitiveness, working time reduction is too expensive and that shift models will be disrupted.
 
Christine Olivier, IndustriALL assistant general secretary says: 

“Reducing working hours with full wage compensation is not merely a target in itself. It represents a fairer distribution of the wealth created by productivity gains in the industry created by the workers.

For far too long, the lion's share of the benefits from our increased efficiency has gone to the top, sidelining those who are at the very heart of this production.

It's time to level the playing field, ensuring that our workers directly benefit from these advancements by offering them improved working conditions and an enhanced quality of life.

The future of steel isn't just measured in figures, but in how we value and support those who shape it every day.”

The Collective Bargaining Commission of the North-West German steel industry took the decision of the demand on 6 September, the East German steel industry followed the day after. The first negotiation will be held in mid-November. 

Photo source: IG Metall

US brands must sign binding agreements to protect workers

Successful and effective examples of the newer model of global company-trade union agreements include the International Accord, which has been expanded to Pakistan, and the ACT MoU on Living Wages.

“We’ve been raising awareness of global company-trade union agreements and why companies should move toward this model. We recently commissioned an investor brief that outlines this work,”

says IndustriALL textile and garment director Christina Hajagos-Clausen.

This week, a delegation of trade union leaders from IndustriALL textile and garment affiliates in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Turkey met with the US International Bureau for Labor and Department for Labor, American Apparel & Footwear Association, Fair Labor Association and the Special Advisor on International Labor at the National Security Council to discuss the importance of legally binding agreements for the industry.

The meetings in Washington DC were part of an advocacy tour promoting IndustriALL’s work around supply chain industrial relations and global company-trade union agreements, and followed on meetings with US brands, investors and academia in New York.

In New York, the delegation attended a public memorial for the 146 young women and girls who perished in the Triangle Shirtwaste Factory in 1911.  Workers United secretary-treasurer Edgar Romney welcomed the crowd, which included families and relatives of the victims of the fire.

 

"The fire raged on the 7th, 8th and 9th floor. The women and girls – the youngest victim was 14 – could not get out as the doors were locked. The employer had locked the doors to stop union organizers coming in. We will continue to organize so that tragedies like this won't happen again,"

Romney said.

Acting US Secretary of Labor, Julie Su, reminded the audience that Frances Perkins, who witnessed workers jumping to their deaths to escape the fire, turned the horror of what she saw into action, becoming the first female labor secretary and a driving force behind health and safety systems.

"Corporate accountability is key, brands must take responsibility for where the clothes are made. Let's not wait for the next tragedy until change is done."

Unfortunately, unsafe and dangerous working conditions, violence and harassment in the workplace, employers blocking union organizing still exist, 112 years after the fire. For garment brands, signing the legally binding International Accord shows a clear commitment to workers' rights and taking responsibility for its supply chain. Out of the 200 brands that have signed the Accord, only a handful are from the US.

Bangladeshi trade union leader Nazma Akter agreed:

“The industry has changed a lot, but it is still dangerous. Unfair labour practices are still rampant in Bangladesh; we need more US brands to sign the Accord.”

 

Athit Kong from Cambodia stressed the need for brands who are at the top of the supply chain to support the work on a sectorial  living wage in the country.

“With ACT, there is an MOU with 20 global brands to support a CBA which would not only mean promoting a living wage but would also mean more protection for workers and unions.”

Many of the ACT brands source from Turkey, where the respect for freedom of association is often lacking. Union leader Rafi Ay said:

"The main challanges are the high membership thresholds and the slow authorization process for union recognition which are necessary before either collective bargaining or strike action can take place in Turkey. This leaves an important role for global brands to play."

Workshop strategizes a gender responsive Just transition for Sub-Saharan Africa

The main issues were on what sustainable Just Transition models that are beneficial to working women can be implemented by Sub-Saharan African countries, and what role should be played by trade unions.

Key discussions were on how trade unions can build awareness on the gender dimensions of the Just Transition, and the adverse impact of climate change and development on women. The workshop deliberated on skills that were needed in future industries including the renewable energy sector. Further, strategies were discussed on trade union engagement with policymakers on the Just Transition through social dialogue. However, the issues that remained crucial for women included gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and harassment, discrimination and exploitation, weak legal protection, limited access to justice, and precarious working conditions on which the workshop concurred that countries should develop strategies on.
 
The workshop focused on climate change and the future of work, the opportunities that exist for women, and how women were experiencing the changing workplaces. The participants discussed that a Just Transition should include issues that have been raised by working women including closing the gender pay gap, gender inequality, stopping gender discrimination, providing job security to women through permanent work, providing childcare facilities, and maternity protection. Unpaid care work continued to keep women from seeking wage employment.
 

“Working women should rise, come together, and let their voices be heard. It is important to prioritize addressing women’s challenges, ensuring gender equality in the Just Transition through policy interventions at national level,”

said Christian Ranji, chairperson of the SSA interim women’s committee. 
 

“Women in Sub-Saharan Africa are fighting patriarchy, discrimination, and exclusion, and are vulnerable to climate change. It is for these reasons that a Just Transition framework that we will support in Africa will be that which includes the International Labour Organization fundamental rights at work, the decent work agenda, and International Labour Organization Convention 190 on the eliminating of violence and harassment in the world of work,”

said Rose Omamo, IndustriALL Vice President.
 
 

South Asian women unionists promote gender justice

A workshop with women leaders from IndustriALL’s affiliates in India was conducted on 10 and 11 October; similarly on 21 and 22 September. A workshop with Sri Lankan women unionists, on 16-17 September, and a workshop with women leaders from Pakistan was organized.

During the sessions, women trade unionists shared their practical experiences of gender discrimination in their workplaces. In the discussions that followed, these experiences were connected to unequal power relations in society and gender stereotypes that lead to women workers being assigned low-value work.

Participants expressed that the technological transformations, in the manufacturing sector, will have a bigger impact on women than men if gender inequality is not addressed. 

Women leaders in Sri Lanka emphasized how the country’s deteriorating economic conditions disproportionately affect women workers. They shared that many of the export-oriented garment factories, in the country, have shut down leaving hundreds of women workers jobless. As a result they are forced to deal with lack of income sources and rising cost of fuel and other essential commodities.

The gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) that women workers face was extensively discussed during these workshops.

Leaders shared the need to have a gender policy within unions and that more women need to be part of the decision-making bodies and leadership roles. Participants emphasized that a charter of demands submitted to employers, during collective bargaining processes, must include women workers’ priorities. 

Vidya Tambe, a woman leader from IndustriALL’s affiliate in India, Shramik Ekta Mahasangh, says:

“We resolve to fight gender inequalities, not just in our workplaces but also within our unions. We won’t be able to advance workers’ rights without fighting gender inequalities.”

The necessity for the governments to ratify ILO C190 to mitigate the risks associated with GBVH was also stressed during the meetings. 

Swedish union warns of strike at Tesla

For years, IF Metall has tried to engage the car multinational on negotiations for a collective agreement, to which Tesla’s response simply is that collective agreements have no place in their business model.

“We have had no success in our efforts and are now left with no other option than strike action,”

says Marie Nilsson, IF Metall president.
 
The collective agreement is central to the Swedish labour relations model. According to IF Metall, mechanics with a collective agreement in place enjoy better conditions than those employed by Tesla, who among other things lack transition assistance and additional pension provisions.
 
Notoriously anti-union, all of Tesla’s 120,000 employees around the world currently lack a collective agreement and any attempt to organize are met with strong resistance from the employer. In the past, Tesla’s owner, Elon Musk, has publicly threatened workers with retaliation if they were to form a union.
 
Swedish union IF Metall is the first union in the world to launch potential action against Tesla for not respecting its workers. If no agreement is reached, the strike will start on 27 October at seven locations around the country.
 
Says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie:

"Elon Musk’s business model is to avoid respecting human rights. Now he is taken on by one of our strongest unions. We must defeat the Tesla business model, and Sweden is the best place to start."

Thai workers demand Ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 98

The network driving ILO Conventions 87(on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize) and 98 (on Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining) demands that the Thai government ratify these Conventions.  
 
This network which comprises of 26 trade unions and worker organizations was formed during a workshop in August. The impetus of the broad network is origin from IndustriALL affiliates Confederation of Industrial Labour of Thailand (CILT) and State Enterprise Employees Union of PTT Public Company Limited (PTTLU). 
 
The CILT president Prasit Prasopsuk said: 

“Thailand is the founding members of the ILO in 1919, it should respect ILO standards and ratify the two fundamental conventions. We submitted a letter to the prime minister Mr. Srettha Thavisin to demand immediate ratification. We consider that waiting more than 100 years is too much.”

“The implementation of the two conventions will strengthen workers’ bargaining power, ensuring economic justice, reducing inequality, and providing a better quality of life for Thai workers. The coalition will continue to take every possible step, pushing the current government to ratify the two conventions and reform the labour laws.”

 
Apsorn Krissanasmit the PTTLU chairperson and State Enterprises Workers’ Federation of Thailand (SEWFOT) said: PTTLU joined the coalition and participated in the World Day for Decent Work march because it shared the same views that the two conventions should be ratified, and precarious work in public and private sectors should be abolished.  
 

“SEWFOT delegation met the new minister of labour Pipat Ratchakitprakarn on 3 October. We request the government to amend the Labour Relations Act and State Enterprise Labour Relations Act consistent with the Convention 87 and 98.”

Said Krissanasmit. 
 
In a letter dated 18 September, IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie informed the Thai prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, of decades of anti-union discrimination against Thai workers, which has severely weakened workers’ bargaining power and has resulted in a low-wage economy. 

“We commend the new coalition government for its commitment to raise the daily minimum wage from 354 baht (US$10) to 600 baht (US$16.9), but respect for the core ILO conventions is essential for a country to enjoy trade privileges in a new environment of Corporate Due Dilligence.

An export-oriented economy like Thailand should comply with international labour standards and it will certainly be welcomed by the business community as it will bring benefits to the Thailand economy.” 

Atle Høie added. 

Strengthening the Coats network

Over the two-day meeting, participants shared collective bargaining experiences, contract language improvements and challenges.

IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie addressed the attendees and highlighted the need for constructive relations with multinational companies and the importance of creating common policies and solidarity among unions.

Members further discussed the importance of trade union networks in building power in the supply chain, emphasizing that Coats, a large multinational company, has facilities in over 50 countries and has recently purchased Rhenoflex and Texon. The role of shop floor members was highlighted, along with the importance of making them aware they are part of a larger network of workers' power in the supply chain.

The networks’ website is a valuable tool for increasing cross-broader connections between Coats union members.

Coats’ global HR department presented on the company's initiatives to increase diversity, particularly in gender, and create a culture of belonging. The meeting also focused on the need to organize all Coats factories worldwide, improve freedom of association, and strengthen collective bargaining.

In addition, there were plans to formalize the network by proposing the nominations for two co-chairs. The network discussed the need to progress towards a global framework agreement with a company and a working group began work on a draft agreement to be finalized by the end of 2023.

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL’s textile and garment director, said:

“IndustriALL sets up trade union networks to connect all trade unions within a multinational company to increase the exchange of information, improve communication between trade unions in different locations and countries and increase trade union presence within the company.

"This meeting, the 4th annual meeting of the Coats network, demonstrates that cross-border trade union activism and social dialogue are continuously strengthened throughout the Coats’ supply chain.”

The meeting was hosted by Moroccan union, Syndicat National des Travailleurs du Textile et du Cuir – SNTTC-UMT, who recently organized the Casablanca Coats factorywho recently organized the Casablanca Coats factory.

Al-Arabi Hamouk, SNTTC-UMT general secretary, said: 

"During our ongoing organizing campaign, supported by IndustriALL, we have organized Coats in Morocco. The company's workers still have outstanding legitimate demands that are being discussed with local management. Our membership in the Coats global network is crucial for our efforts to improve working conditions in the Morocco site, as well as to establish an effective global social dialogue with the company."