Glencore short-changing mine workers in the DRC

The pay gaps were exposed when Mutanda Mining was mothballed in November 2019 when Glencore cited low cobalt prices and increased cost of production.

More than 500 workers were transferred to KCC and signed new contracts which moved them up to higher job categories in which they received higher wages, US$50 for child school fees per month, payment of holiday allowances and other benefits.

However, when Mumi was reopened in 2022, most of the workers transferred back to the mine lost the benefits they enjoyed at KCC.

The workers who remained at Mumi during the closure mainly from the cobalt section, maintenance department, and security section, did not get any bonuses as per the labour laws. TUMEC wants workers who remained at work during the limited operations that took place at Mumi that involve recirculation to decrease uranium radiation must be paid bonuses and refuses to pay risk insurance for workers in the radiation sections.

The union says MUMI continues to ignore the collective bargaining agreement, and is non-compliant with labour laws on overtime, holiday pay, and wage calculations.

An in-depth 2021 report by RAID and CAJJ found that Glencore and other multinational mining companies operating in the DRC often use subcontractors to reduce labour costs, to limit their legal liabilities and to prevent workers from joining unions. Further, management intimidates outspoken workers.

There are concerns over inadequate personal protective equipment, and health and safety standards that are continuously ignored by Glencore. The workers say the maize flour that they are given by the mine as per long standing agreement with management is of poor quality.

“Since a new manager came, the maize flour that we are now getting from the mine is junk when compared to what we are accustomed to,” said some of the workers.

“The hands-off management style, with local managers encouraged to make operational decisions without reference to a global standard, is an attempt by Glencore to shield itself from criticism. But this means the company has no control over negative externalities. Rather than addressing these issues, Glencore hides behind the obscurity of long and complex supply chains and attempts to change the narrative by doing damage control after violations are exposed. And it is the people in and around the company’s operations that pay the price,”

says Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director.

Workers strike for better wages at ArcelorMittal Liberia

After the deadlock, the union went to the National Labour Court where it was awarded a five per cent wage increase. Management refused to comply with the court ruling and the workers went on strike to push for their demands. The court has urged both parties to negotiate the collective bargaining agreement.

UWUL said it was shocked to find out that two workers employed on the same day and with the same experience and skills were paid different wages. The union says this is against the principle of equal-pay-for-work-of-equal value that it wants the company to implement. UWUL says the management is practising nepotism through the employment of friends and relatives in violation of the collective bargaining agreement.

“We approached the Ministry of Labour for mediation on the stalemate before approaching the courts. Although the Labour Court ruled in our favour, the management is not budging. This is why we are still on strike and will continue the collective job action until the management comes to the negotiating table,”

says Dave Seneh, UWUL general secretary who is coordinating the strike.

“We call on ArcelorMittal to intervene and call upon its management at ArcelorMittal Liberia to resume contact with UWUL which has not been the case in the last week and re-establish a dialogue with the union in good faith, receptive to the fair demands of workers, and willing to implement in full the collective bargaining agreement,”

says Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary.

UWUL hopes the strike will be settled by an offer which is acceptable to workers, as what happened when ArcelorMittal South Africa signed a three-year collective agreement with the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA). In the deal the workers got a 6.5 per cent annual wage increase for three years, increases in allowances, and other benefits. But the South African wage deal, signed on 8 May, came after talks were deadlocked and NUMSA had announced preparations for the “mother of all strikes” at ArcelorMittal.

AML employs 3,000 workers at its iron ore mines at Yekepa and Bong mines and is expanding its mining operations through building processing plants. It also runs a railway, operates a port terminal, and is the largest foreign investor in Liberia with over US$1.7 billion invested in its businesses in the last 15 years.

Photo: Workers parked the trucks as part of the protest

Zimbabwean unions demand pro-worker trade policies

The conference, organized by IndustriALL Global Union Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), UNISON, and the International Labour Organization (ILO), heard that Zimbabwe is endowed with minerals that are in high demand because of the energy transition. The country has the sixth largest lithium reserves globally and second largest platinum group metals as well as other minerals. But there were mineral governance deficits and illicit financial flows. This led to loss of benefits to the economy through resource-led industrialization said delegates who include those from PSI and ITUC-Africa.

The policy conference’s theme: making trade work for workers – Trade, Investment, Industrialization, and decent work with special reference to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The event is one of the activities being carried out by the IndustriALL SSA as part of the trade and African industrialization campaign.

The conference discussed inclusion of labour provisions and the decent work agenda with emphasis on ILO fundamental rights at work. Economic development and industrialization strategies that contribute towards regional value chains in mining and metals, automotive, energy, chemical, textile, garment shoe and leather, and public services must be promoted. Youth and women representation in the sectors was identified as key.

With most Zimbabwean workers now eking a living in the informal sector emphasis was put on the transition from informal to formal sectors. Illicit financial flows which included smuggling and under invoicing of minerals could be curbed under the African Minerals Governance Framework.

“Too many trade deals prioritise the already extensive rights of international corporations over the right to decent work and quality public services. It’s why this conference and ZCTU’s work on trade are vital, and why we need to fight globally for public services to be excluded from trade deals and protected from private investor courts,”

said Mark Beacon, UNISON, international officer.

Florence Taruvinga, ZCTU president says,

“with most trade agreements including the AfCFTA not talking about labour provisions, we have a lot of work to do as trade unions. We must demand for these provisions from the African Union, our national governments, and even from the Chinese with whom our countries have signed bilateral agreements with.”

Kemal Ozkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:

“We need a new narrative on Zimbabwean trade and industrialization. This narrative should talk about what works for workers, a new society, regional integration, a rich African continent with sufficient resources, and robust industrial sectors that add value to regional value chains that contribute to economic growth and development.”

Union win stops unfair retrenchments at Botswana diamond mine

The dispute with the union can be traced to June 2022 when Canadian- based Lucara Diamond Corporation, asked its subsidiary, Lucara Botswana, to investigate allegations of maladministration and unethical business conduct in the security department at Karowe Mine.

However, the 50 workers who volunteered and provided information as whistle-blowers were given termination letters after they had provided testimonies. BMWU strongly objected to this action resulting in the letters being given only to three workers. The other 47 workers remained at work, and the union argued in court that the termination was unlawful as there were no disciplinary hearings as required by the labour laws.

Lucara Botswana management hired a South African company, Assurance Protection Group Incorporation, to carry out a security optimization assessment. However, the assessment report was not shared with the union as per labour laws, and the union suspects that the assessment is meant to victimize the 47 workers and to provide grounds for the retrenchments.

The union petitioned the diamond company and wrote to the Commissioner of Labour on the same grievances and the need for mediation, but the matter was not resolved.

But on 28 April the industrial court in Gaborone ruled that the diamond mining company cannot continue with the retrenchments without negotiating with the union as per existing collective agreement.

Joseph Tsimako, BMWU president says:

“BMWU enjoyed cordial relations with Lucara Botswana until the union intervened following reports of maladministration. It would have been remiss of the union not to protect whistle blowers against reprisals from Lucara Botswana’s top executives.”

Maenge Maenge, BMWU general secretary, adds:

“The union, through its collective bargaining structures requested disclosure of both the optimization assessment and investigative reports, neither of which the company availed. Collective bargaining and human and workers’ rights are critical indicators in ESG frameworks against which the performance of a mining operation and the management of potential risks by its executive are gauged. It is apparent that there is a serious deficit in ESG stewardship at Lucara.”

“Lucara Botswana must always consult with the unions and respect existing agreements before deciding to retrench workers. Ignoring existing agreements violate workers and trade union rights to collective bargaining. We applaud BMWU for challenging Lucara’s unilateral decisions in court and welcome the ruling that the diamond mining company must consult and negotiate with the union,”

says Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director.

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.