Zimbabwean unions want an end to poverty, corruption and oppression

According to the country’s statistical agency Zimstats most workers earning less than US$62 per month and trade unions are concerned that most workers and their families are living in poverty. Unions say workers need at least $500 to afford basics like food, transport, and housing.

The theme of the celebration, with thousands of workers in attendance, was: “Workers demand an inclusive Zimbabwe free from poverty, corruption, and oppression.”

The May Day theme relates to the country’s adverse mentions in the Application of International Labour Standards 2023 Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations. Zimbabwe has been asked to explain, after reports were made by the ITUC and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions on violating Convention 87 and Convention 98. Additionally, the government of Zimbabwe must respond to serious allegations of violations of trade union rights and civil liberties. These include anti-union discrimination and proposed labour law amendment bills that curtail workers’ rights.

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Florence Taruvinga says,

“the government must include trade unions in their processes through social dialogue, so that workers are given the opportunity to defend their interests. Further, we would like investors especially Chinese employers to respect workers and stop humiliating them through beatings.”

She added that the Zimbabwean workplace has changed and is largely informal, and this calls for unity between the formal and informal workers.

Joseph Tanyanyiwa, chairperson of the IndustriALL Zimbabwe national coordinating council said:

“This year’s celebrations are taking place when workers are struggling to put food on the table. As unions we are campaigning for minimum wages of US$150 across all sectors and calling on employers to pay in US dollars as the value of the local currency continues to fall. We have been demanding the dollarisation of wages in our tripartite negotiating forums.”

IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub-Saharan Africa, Paule France Ndessomin said

“we support union campaigns for living wages and urge the government to respect workers’ rights according to the national labour laws and international standards. Instead of denying workers’ rights, the government must play its role as a key stakeholder that facilitates social dialogue.”

The celebrations were organized by the ZCTU to which IndustriALL Global Union affiliated unions also belong. The affiliates organise in chemicals, garment and textiles, metal industries, plastics, and other sectors, and are the National Union of Metal and Allied Workers of Zimbabwe, the National Union of the Clothing Industry, the Zimbabwe Chemicals, Plastics and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe, and the Zimbabwe Textile Workers Union.

Countries from across the world including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, France, Germany, Thailand, Switzerland, Turkey and Georgia celebrated May Day.

African unions commemorate International Workers' Memorial Day

Kofi Poku, the union branch chairperson at the terminal said,

“Blue Ocean is known to be conscious on health and safety issues and workers make significant contributions towards creating a safe working environment. The visit by IndustriALL is commendable and highlights the commitment of organised labour at global level to ensure health and safety at work.”

A meeting preceding the visit discussed country reports which focused on: accident reporting systems in Togo, campaigns for health and safety laws in mining that protected workers’ rights in South Africa, and campaigns against precarious work as workers, in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda, with short contracts faced more health and safety risks than those on permanent contracts.

The meeting also heard that Madagascar’s garment and textile factories’ contract workers faced risks that were worsened by sexual harassment which was targeted at young women workers. The meeting discussed the positive impact of the Bangladesh Accord on Sub-Saharan Africa especially the involvement of brands through global framework agreements after the Rana Plaza disaster which happened a decade ago.

In Mauritius, unions were campaigning for proposed amendments to Articles 7, 10, 11, and 22, to the Rotterdam Convention, a global treaty to facilitate informed decision making by countries to manage chemicals in international trade and exchange information on hazardous chemicals and their potential risks. The campaign by the CTSP received government endorsement, and Mauritius’ position will be presented at the 11th conference of parties to the Rotterdam Convention that is currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.

Glen Mpufane, Industrial director for mining and lead on health and safety, said:

“Workers have made immense sacrifices on health and safety and as trade union activists we are in solidarity on their demands for safer workplaces. It is a victory for workers that health and safety is now one of the fundamental rights at work and this is why we must have knowledge on international labour conventions and recommendations. However, as we remember the injured and dead, we must adapt our programmes to include human rights’ due diligence and demand responsible business conduct from employers.”

Glen added that workers must remain vigilant on identifying hazards and risks at the workplaces including wearing of appropriate personal protective equipment in hazardous areas and exercising the right to refuse unfair and unsafework.

The participants are part of the Sub-Saharan Africa occupational health and safety committee whose members are drawn from the chemical, garment and textile, mining, oil and gas, and other industrial sectors. This visit was organized by IndustriALL affiliate, the Ghana Transport Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union which organizes workers at the Tema Oil Refinery and Blue Ocean.

Strategizing on advancing union power of white-collar workers in Ghana

The issues discussed at the meeting, which was organized by the IndustriALL Global Union Sub Saharan Africa regional office, included on how to close the gender pay gay, inclusion of women as part of the collective bargaining negotiation teams, inclusive union representation of women as shop stewards and union organizers, increasing maternity leave from the current three to four months, rewarding long service through promotions, giving permanent contracts to workers on short-term contracts, and unionising more white-collar workers.

The meeting resolved to continue campaigning for the ratification of Convention 190 to stop violence and harassment in the world of work, and for the inclusion of clauses from the convention into human resources policies.

The meeting emphasized the importance of national labour laws and international labour standards on fundamental rights at work including health and safety as well as leveraging industry standards on human rights due diligence. Building solidarity, workers unity, and using managerial experience and skills to strengthen union recruitment and organizing capacity are some of the actions that the white-collar workers committed to do. The workers who attended the meeting included engineers, environmental coordinators, fire and rescue workers, managers, and energy workers.

Information and knowledge sharing using social media and digital platforms by the union on issues of interest to white collar workers were identified as key to organizing especially some non-unionized workers who were reluctant to join the union.

Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa said:

“Union leaders must make conscious decisions to include white collar women workers in collective bargaining negotiations. Women must be part of the team and not only be included as observers. This is one of the key strategies that can be used to end the gender pay gap as women can articulate their demands better.”

“Ghanaian trade unions are engaging at various workplaces to end gender discrimination, and in the union through gender committees. We are also campaigning for the ratification of Convention 190,”

said Joyce Maku Appiah, IndustriALL gender equality task force member and Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) gender coordinator.

Through a project supported by Industri-Energi, Norway, PUWU is campaigning for the inclusion of clauses on gender-based violence and sexual harassment in collective bargaining agreements at the enterprise level.

The Ghanaian unions affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union that participated in the meeting are the Ghana Mine Workers Union, Ghana Transport Petroleum and Chemicals Workers Union, and Public Utilities Workers Union.

South Africa: 300,000 auto workers impacted by delayed wage deal

Collective wage deals only become binding on non-parties after the Minister of Employment and Labour publishes it in the Government Gazette. This is referred to as gazetting, and it is from this point that all workers can benefit from it. Delaying this process delays workers’ access to benefits in the agreement.

The minister of labour took more than four months to gazette the agreement which was signed in November 2022 after extended negotiations. According to the agreement petrol attendants were awarded a wage increase of 5 per cent, car dealership workers got 6.5 per cent, and component supplier workers 7.5 per cent. At some point during the negotiations, NUMSA considered going on strike to push for the wage demands.

“Employers must immediately implement the increase and stop short-changing workers. There is no basis for employers in the fuel retail sector and the rest of the motor industry sector to delay the increase from the date the agreement was signed at the Motor Industries Bargaining Council (MIBCO) in November last year. They did this to maximize profits at the expense of workers. NUMSA condemns the actions of employers for delaying implementing the increase. Moving forward, the union will take necessary measures to ensure that in the future the department of labour gazettes the settlement agreement immediately,”

said Irvin Jim, NUMSA General Secretary.

South African labour laws allow for the extension of the agreements reached at bargaining councils to entire sectors provided that the extensions are supported by most unions and employers. Bargaining councils are formed by employer organizations and trade unions, and the extensions are done through gazettes by the minister of labour. The extension of the agreement to non-parties improves wages in the entire sector.

“Unnecessary delays in gazetting the agreement meant workers continued to struggle to meet the escalating cost of living while employers refused to pay what was due to them. We support NUMSA in its demands to end this prejudice,”

said Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa.

Stop repression in Eswatini

In support of the trade unions and civil society organizations, the ITUC is calling for Eswatini Global Day of Action on 12 April.

Unions say there appears to be no political will on the part of the Government of Eswatini to start dialogue. Instead, unions say that their leadership and that of civil society organizations live in fear following the assassination of prominent human rights activist and lawyer, Thulani Maseko, who was shot dead on 21 January allegedly by hired “mercenaries.”

Maseko was the chairperson of the MultiStakeholders Forum which together with the Political Parties Assembly and other organizations are calling for democratic reforms through dialogue facilitated by the Southern African Development Community.

Hundreds of protesters have died from injuries sustained in brutal attacks by state security agencies while others have been hospitalised or forced into exile. Some have been imprisoned included two Members of Parliament.

King Mswati III, Eswatini’s absolute ruler, who as the head of state has all executive powers to appoint the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, judges, and with powers to dissolve parliament, appears not to be interested in the proposed dialogue. The king, who has a net worth of over $200 million, is known for a lavish lifestyle. For instance, in 2018 he bought 12 Rolls Royces, for himself and the royal family. This purchase met with heavy criticism from unions and civil society who argued that the money would have been better spent towards reducing poverty which is over 60 per cent.

IndustriALL Global Union supports the ITUC Global Day of Action and its 3rd Congress in 2021 adopted a resolution in support of democratic reforms for Eswatini in which it stated commitment to “support the people of Eswatini as they continue to fight for democratic reforms” and demanded “the respect and protection of human rights including the right to life, rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, and the rule of law.” Further the resolution called for “national dialogue for democratic reforms that will allow for the democratic election of the Prime Minister and to review the country’s constitution to allow for the transfer of executive powers from the kind to a democratically elected leadership.

At an official side event of the Summit for Democracy in Zambia on 20 March, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the International Domestic Workers Federation, the Solidarity Centre, ITUC-Africa, ITUC CSI IGB and the Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council, and the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland, gave solidarity messages in support of the campaign for democracy in Eswatini under the theme: “Amplifying the voices of workers to safeguard democracy in Africa.” The organizations concurred during discussions that there will be no democracy without workers’ rights.

Wander Mkhonza, Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA) secretary general says:

“We appreciate global solidarity in support of the working class struggle for democracy in Swaziland. The government must recognize that we have a role to play in the democratization and future of our country. The king must enter negotiations and respect freedoms and human rights.”

ATUSWA is affiliated to IndustriALL.

Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary says:

“We are concerned by the lack of the commencement of dialogue on democratic reforms in Eswatini. It is sad that a culture of fear has replaced the optimism that trade union and civil society had a few years ago on a possible transition to democratic rule. We call upon the government of Eswatini to start the engagement process with all key stakeholders.”

IndustriALL 3rd Congress, adopted a resolution for the democratization of Eswatini that includes the respect for the right to life, freedoms of association, assembly, and expression.

Chinese power company bashes Ghanaian union

For two years GMWU has been fighting Sunon Asogli Power which it says violates workers’ rights with careless impunity. The power company, which runs a 560MW plant in Kpone is jointly owned by the China African Development Fund and plans to expand its operations to other countries in West and Southern Africa. Sunon Asogli Power is a subsidiary of Shenzen Energy Group, which is based in Guangdong, China.

The union organises workers at the plant and has obtained a collective bargaining certificate which allows the union to represent and negotiate on behalf workers, according to Ghanaian labour laws. But, Sunon Asogli Power has refused to recognise the union. They unfairly terminated three local union leaders’ contracts when they informed the company that they represented the union at enterprise level.

In a case at the National Labour Commission, in which the GMWU wanted to be afforded trade union rights, the Commission issued a directive on 27 April 2022, that Sunon Asogli Power should recognise the collective bargaining certificate that has been issued to the union. Further, the parties should constitute the standing negotiating committee to negotiate and resolve any disagreements they have, failing which, they must report to the Commission. The Commission emphasized that the company should comply with labour laws and stop making excuses for not doing so.

General secretary of the GMWU, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, says:

“The actions of Sunon Asogli Power is an attack on the right to freedom of association and the right to organize and collective bargaining. Regrettably, the rest of the workers are being subjected to daily acts of intimidation, victimization, and naked abuse for simply deciding to freely exercise their right to freedom of association guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and ILO Conventions 87 and 98.”

The Trade Unions Congress (TUC) Ghana, to which GMWU is affiliated, supports the GMWU campaign against the rights violations.

“This unfortunate development, if not curbed, would amount to a violation of workers’ rights as enshrined in the Constitution and Labour Act (2003) and will impact on our organizing and unionization efforts,”

says Joshua Ansah, deputy secretary general of the TUC.

“We support the GMWU in their relentless support for defending workers’ rights at Sunon Asogli Power station. The company’s union bashing must be condemned. Its disregarding of national and international labour standards is unacceptable,”

says Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Although China stopped supporting the building of coal-fired power stations abroad under its Belt and Road Initiative in 2021, in favour of green and low carbon energy projects in developing countries, it still funds other non-renewable energy sources including gas/liquefied natural gas, and oil. Ghana is one of the beneficiaries of some of the loans that have been given to African countries.

Unions intensify demands for release of Madagascar trade unionist

They say the arrest and sentencing violate human and trade union rights which are protected by the island’s constitution and labour code. It also violates international labour standards, especially trade union rights to freedom of association.

Sento, a garment worker, and workers’ representative at E-toile, Antananarivo was arrested for writing a social media post. The post was a report to workers on the outcome of meetings with management. According to Sento the posts, which management asked him to delete, were on discussions on improving poor food quality at the factory, workers’ training on the role of the labour inspectorate, according to the labour code, and workers’ rights to holidays, off-days, and sick leave.

Sento, a shop steward from IndustriALL affiliate Syndalisme et Vie des Societies (SVS), was imprisoned on 28 August 2022 for 12 months and fined 400 000 Ariary (US$92). He is expected to be released by the end of May 2023.

“At the end of 2022, the President of Madagascar pronounced a presidential pardon to prisoners. Comrade Sento is amongst these beneficiaries, with a three-month sentence reduction. This reduces the sentence from 12 months to nine, but the Malagasy government remains quiet. Even the request for provisional release and appeal of the judgment, filed by our lawyer remains unanswered,”

says SVS general secretary, Barson Rakotomanga.

IndustriALL affiliates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia have written letters to Malagasy government in solidarity with SVS.

Textile and garment workers said employers in the sector are notorious for blacklisting dismissed workers to ensure that they will not be employed in the sector. The employers are also known to give awful references preventing other employers from hiring dismissed workers. Workers said having a criminal record is worse because it will be used as a tool to victimise Sento when he is released.

The ILO Report of the Committee of Experts on Conventions and Recommendations 2023 requests the government to respond on the arrest and sentencing of Sento. The Committee requests the government to provide its comments on these serious allegations.

In a letter to ALSICO, who E-toile supplies, IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Høie writes:

“We denounce and protest the serious trade union rights violations in the country as evidenced by this imprisonment and would like to urge ALSICO, E-toile SA and the government of Madagascar to take action that will culminate in the immediate release of Brother Sento Chang. We would like to emphasize to the government and E-toile SA the importance of promoting a culture of social dialogue as a strategy to create harmonious labour relations instead of resorting to intimidation, harassment, and imprisonment.”

NUM applies for court ban against Anglo American over health and safety laws

The global multinational mining company, which expresses commitment to the ILO’s fundamental rights at work in its policies, wants the mineworkers to fall under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA, 1993) which does not cover the mining sector and gives workers less protection.

In May 2021, IndustriALL and Anglo American signed a memorandum of understanding on the framework for global dialogue. One priority issue is that it will be a forum for identifying collaboration opportunities on safety and health issues at the workplace, including occupational health and safety.

“Anglo American’s actions are contradictory to the spirit of the memorandum of understanding. The memorandum strives for the highest standard, the MHSA, and opting for a standard not meant to address the mining industry is baffling,”

says Glen Mpufane, director of mining and OHS organizational lead.

The union wants mineworkers to remain under the MHSA, which gives workers better protection, and argues that rights will be lost if the change occurs. These include the right to refuse dangerous work, inspectors’ powers to deal with dangerous conditions and to recommend fines, initiating investigations and reporting serious injuries and fatalities and the right to participate in inquiries and joint inquests. The NUM says these rights are absent from the OHSA.

The NUM also fears that the implementation will result in the exclusion of workers from Waterval Smelter, Anglo Converter Plant, Precious Refinery, Rustenburg Base Metal Refinery and Mortimer Smelter who fall outside the scope covered by the MHSA. The union is not convinced by the reasons given by Anglo American, who sold mining rights at the smelters while retaining surface rights and process operations.

According to the law, failure to comply with the laws can only be done after obtaining an exemption from the minister of mineral resources and energy. The NUM says the MHSA is the only legislation applicable to mines as the OHSA does not apply in respect of a “mine, mining area or any works as defined in the mineral and petroleum resources development act.”

Mpho Phakedi, NUM deputy general secretary says:

“The promulgation of the MHSA was a huge victory for the mineworkers and such gains cannot be reversed by this unlawful migration by Anglo American. The reason for the migration is simple: Anglo American seeks to move away from the strict regulatory regime of the department of mineral resources and energy to the toothless and incompetent department of labour inspectorate. The migration will result in mine workers losing their hard-fought rights as contained in the MHSA.”

In the long term, the NUM and other unions want the two Acts to be merged as there are no laws which allow mining companies to switch from one law to another.

Union demands reinstatement of Nigerian shipyard workers

Nigerdock, falls under the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority. It operates a seaport in Lagos, has a shipyard for repairs and maintenance, and does offshore fabrication for the oil and gas and other manufacturing activities for the energy and logistics sectors. It employs 149 permanent workers, with 161 non-permanent workers employed through a third-party consulting firm, Prime Services.

Automobile Boatyards Transport Equipment and Allied Senior Staff Association (AUTOBATE), which represents ship building and repair workers, says the redundancies are not only considered to be unjustified and illegitimate, but also violate national and international labour standards. AUTOBATE, who is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, says Nigerdock is short-changing workers of fair compensation and benefits through the unprocedural redundancies.

For example, in August 2022 AUTOBATE challenged the redundancies through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment after Nigerdock terminated the services of 21 workers, without negotiating or engaging in dialogue with the union. However, the ministry concurred with the union that the process was unlawful, and the management was forced into a better agreement with workers.

According to Section 20 of the Nigeria Labour Act (2004), “the employer shall inform the trade union or workers representative concerned of the reasons and the extent of the anticipated redundancy.”

General secretary of AUTOBATE, Lai Brown, says:

“We boldly assert that the culture of illegitimate redundancy, labour casualization, and violation of workers' rights are evidence of everything that is wrong with the privatization of the once renowned and largest Nigerian Maritime Company. We lack confidence in the current management of Nigerdock. Similarly, we demand the immediate reinstatement of the dismissed workers and commend the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress for its prompt intervention on the matter. We shall fight to the very end to defend the rights and interests of the workers at Nigerdock.”

IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub-Saharan Africa, Paule France Ndessomin, says:

“Nigerdock must stop violating workers’ rights and follow what the law says on redundancies. The maritime company must provide job security instead of promoting precarious working conditions and unfair labour practices.”

Campaign for ratification of C190 continues

Uruguay was the first country in the world to ratify the convention. IndustriALL affiliates in the country played a huge role by conducting workshops to explain the content of the Convention and why it is a useful tool for unions.

Unions in the Philippines urged the government to fight harassment and to ratify the Convention. The union campaign had workers hold up posters stating Ratify ILO C190. To create more awareness workers wore masks and t-shirts with the words Ratify C190 on them.

Indian law compels employers to form anti-harassment committees. However, these committees are not effective. As part of their ratification campaign unions call for effective functioning committees and create awareness of the Convention among working people. The government has yet to comment on the ratification.

Bangladeshi unions have taken street action to demand ratification of C190. The government has repeatedly promised to investigate ratification, but nothing has materialized.

In Sri Lanka, unions have conducted dialogue sessions between unions and other interest groups on the ratification of C190. Unions are part of the National Labour Advisory committee which discusses workers’ rights and have raised the importance of ratification. The previous labour minister pledged that the country would ratify soon, but with current political changes there has been no movement from the government.

In Uganda, unions had joint meetings with the government, held a press conference and a media campaign using posters with the slogan Ratify and domesticate Convention 190. These activities have made the public aware about the Convention and the importance of ratification.

In Madagascar, conversations are held at every women activity with the intervention of ILO experts. After an ILO comparative study on the existing provisions for women, social partners agreed to start the ratification process. Employers are doubtful, but the process continues. There has been a proposal for reworking of the labour code and C190 has been included in the text.

Unions in Nicaragua have been campaigning for C190, but there is slow movement from government.

In Trinidad and Tobago, unions have conducted a gap analysis of the current legislation and have identified the ratification as a priority. A forum on the Convention has been held and unions were invited to speak.

In Colombia, trade unions and politicians held a public hearing on the Convention and the President has committed to ratifying the Convention.

“IndustriALL applauds affiliates for the C190 campaigns. Gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace has a domino effect on all of us. We urge unions to continue their campaigns until governments have ratified this Convention,” says Christine Olivier IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

IndustriALL with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung has developed a training module, modules 1,2 and 3, on Gender Based Violence entitled Violence. Not in our workplace.