Zimbabwe energy workers in stayaway over poverty wages

ZEWU says some workers earn less than US $100 per month.

“We are writing to notify you that our members no longer have the capacity to report for duty as expected. It is no secret that their incapacitation has been caused by the unbearable economic conditions they are faced with,”

wrote Martin Chikuni, the general secretary of the Zimbabwe Energy Worker Union (ZEWU), which is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union.

The union says the “no collective industry mandate” excuse by the employer is a ruse to avoid increasing wages and is creating “disharmony” and doubt over whether the employer is committed to negotiations. Workers are becoming increasingly sceptical about the usefulness of attending bargaining meetings where no decisions are made to pay living wages.

In the letter dated 14 February, ZEWU states that workers are faced with price hikes of basic commodities, rentals, fuel, and school fees. Further, with the loss of confidence in the local currency, most providers of goods and services are asking for payment in US dollars which are mainly bought at higher rates on the parallel market. The exchange rate to the US dollar is 1:120 Zimbabwe dollars (ZWL) on the official market, and 1: 235 on the parallel market. But US dollars are more widely available in the streets than the banks.

The union says the wages are not keeping up with hyperinflation, which is over 60 per cent according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency. Further, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe has reported that a family of six required at least ZWL $73,000 (US $310) to meet the cost of living.

However, the reply to the union from ZESA, the country’s power utility, was an offer of a 30 per cent wage increase and increments in Covid-19 and transport allowances which the union has described as paltry. The union says the collective action will continue until their demands for living wages are met.

“We support ZEWU in its campaign for living wages and hope that the employer will engage in serious and meaningful wage negotiations and stop the delaying tactics when workers and their families are starving. Workers are suffering under the precarious working conditions of low wages that are currently prevailing in Zimbabwe,”

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

World Bank reports state that over 7.9 million Zimbabweans are extremely poor – meaning that at least one person is living on less than US $30 per month. The country’s population is estimated to be over 15 million. Poverty has been worsened by the price hikes of food and other basics while the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the economic crisis.

Photo: A file image of a Zimbabwean energy worker.

Unions call for policy intervention to save jobs at South African oil and gas refineries

Last week shareholders of Sapref, a refinery jointly owned by BP and Shell, announced that they will suspend operations by the end of March. Sapref refines 35 per cent of imported crude oil in Durban. The statement comes on the back of the closure of Chevron’s Astron and Engen’s Wentworth refineries, which will potentially lead to the retrenchment of thousands of workers.

South Africa imports most of its crude oil from the Middle East and African countries. In addition, Sasol produces refined petroleum products for domestic use through crude oil refining, coal-to-liquid fuels, and gas to liquid fuels. Additionally, natural gas to liquid fuels production is done by state-owned enterprise, Petrosa, which has also shut down its refinery.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliates that organize in the petroleum sector, the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), say the government must intervene through sustainable industrial policies to save jobs. The unions say the closure of refineries will affect the downstream value chain activities that include the refining, transportation, and marketing of petroleum products.

Irvin Jim, NUMSA general secretary says:

“Government must put a stop to the clearly orchestrated agenda by multinational oil companies such as Shell and BP, Engen, Sapref and Chevron where these companies have taken a conscious, greedy decision to close refineries in South Africa and simply import the finished product, diesel and petrol into the country, using propaganda that crude oil is unaffordable, and citing government’s strict regulation on sulphur pollution.

“Our message to the government is that in the interest of the country, in particular the importance of stimulating economic growth and to preserve and create jobs, government must not allow these greedy multinational oil companies who have chosen a get quick rich scheme, to shut down our local refineries and to simply import finished products, abusing licences to import.”

“Multinational oil and gas companies must negotiate with unions to save jobs and protect workers’ interests and livelihoods instead of closing down refineries and retrenching thousands of workers. Whilst the move to cleaner energy sources is necessary to reach net zero, the transition to cleaner fuels and renewable energy must be done in consultation with, and include unions, workers and affected communities,”

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

Photo: File image of NUMSA members marching for Just Transition

Union wins after four-day strike at Dangote cement plant in Zambia

About 1,300 workers are employed at the plant mainly through subcontractors, with Dangote only employing 178 workers directly. Most of the direct employees are part of the management.

Workers downed tools after failed negotiations between Silondwa Engineering and the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ). Workers rejected the 15 per cent wage increase offered by the employer during the negotiations, and instead demanded minimum monthly wage increase from K1000 (US$55) to K2500 (US$136).

According to the final settlement reached between the union and the employer, workers’ wages were increased by K1000 across the board. MUZ, affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, has 445 members at the plant and signed a recognition agreement with the employer.

For some years, MUZ has campaigned for the workers to be directly employed by Dangote instead of employment through a third party. Although the workers at the plant work for Dangote, their legal direct employer is the subcontractor, Silondwa Engineering, which has a contract to “supply labour services.” The contract is limited to three years, meaning that workers contracts are short-term and provide no job security.

One of the earlier contracts between Dangote and Silondwa Engineering contained blatantly anti-union clauses stating that “the contractor shall ensure that its employees are not involved in union activities and strikes that leads to stopping of work.” MUZ says that Silondwa Engineering’s tried to entice workers to join a sweetheart union liked by management, but workers responded with stiff resistance.

Additionally, during a site visit by the union and the ministry of labour to resolve the strike, the ablution facilities at the cement plant were found to be filthy with the plumbing in a state of disrepair while the toilets were not flushing. This serious health hazard faced by the workers prompted the ministry to order that the facilities be closed immediately and for the management to fix the facilities to conform with the national occupational health and safety standards.

Joseph Chewe, MUZ president says the union is fighting against the outsourcing of labour:

"There is need for the government to quickly address the issue of outsourcing especially in the cement producing companies and to ensure that workers are employed directly by the principal companies.”

MUZ says outsourcing is detrimental to workers welfare as it creates precarious working conditions such as temporary contracts and low wages.

“We congratulate MUZ on their victory. We expect pan African companies like Dangote to provide living wages and decent working conditions. However, we are appalled, and our expectations are dampened, by the precarious working conditions and poor working conditions at the Masaiti cement plant.

"We call upon Dangote to provide decent working conditions by creating permanent jobs in Zambia,”

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

IndustriALL and ITUC call for urgent inclusive dialogue on democratic reforms in Eswatini

 
With trade unions and civil society organizations worried over the absence of political will and the slow pace towards dialogue by the government of Eswatini, IndustriALL and ITUC have written to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the South African government to urge King Mswati III’s government to act towards respect and protection of workers and human rights.
 
According to the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA) and the Swaziland Electricity Supply, Maintenance, and the Allied Workers Union (SESMAWU) and the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), affiliated to IndustriALL and ITUC respectively, security forces are continuously violating human and workers’ rights to freedoms of expression, assembly, association, and the right to life.

 

 
This is making life unbearable to the workers who live in harsh conditions characterised by poor wages, increasing poverty, elevated levels of unemployment and the pandemics of Covid-19, and HIV and AIDS.
 
Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary, Sharon Burrow, ITUC general secretary, and Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, ITUC Africa general secretary, write in the letters:

“We recall that the African Charter of Human Rights and the African Charter on Democracy, Election and Governance all protect the right to freedom of association, assembly and the strengthening of political pluralism including ensuring that opposition political parties are given a legal status under national law. Therefore, human rights defenders, including trade unions and other citizens, who exercise their human rights in pursuit of democracy in Eswatini must be protected from attacks, reprisals and retaliation from the government and security forces.”

In an online meeting hosted by the IndustriALL regional office for Sub Saharan Africa and ITUC-Africa in December 2021, attended by organizations including the Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council (SATUCC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), it was agreed that unions would launch a coordinated pan African and global campaign for the democratization of Eswatini.

A 2021 survey by Afrobarometer, a pan-African research network, concluded that most people in Eswatini favoured a multiparty democracy instead of the rule by the current absolute monarchy under Mswati III. Under the current regime people are afraid of speaking out as freedom of speech and association are limited through arbitrary arrests and detentions.

Unions and civil society organizations reject Togo’s repressive draft constitutional law

The Fédération des Industries du Togo (FIT), affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, two other unions that organize in the mines and hospitals, and civil society organisations (CSOs) who make up a group of eight organizations that identify as G8, say the process to amend Togo’s 1901 constitution is flawed. It is neither transparent nor inclusive. The G8, a coalition of organizations promoting workers’ rights, human rights, the rule of law and inclusive social dialogue, says they were never consulted on the draft law, and only learnt about the bill through official announcements.

Further, the G8 says the draft law violates international human rights and labour standards to which the country has signed up. The group calls upon the government to consider international labour standards and human rights instruments when drafting laws. These rights are protected in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and International Labour Organization standards that include Convention 87 on freedom of association and protection of the right to organize, and Convention 98 on the right to organize and collective bargaining.

The G8 fears that the main aim is to “silence their voices” and is shocked that the amendments did not go through parliament under the pretext of the Covid-19 pandemic regulations. In a statement, the group views this as union busting and interference with CSOs and says the cumbersome registration and reporting requirements proposed in the future law will make it impossible for the organizations to operate.

“To show how bad this draft law is, we have deleted 44 offensive articles in the bill. We will present our objections to the government and are raising awareness among workers through information and education campaigns on why the unions are rejecting the draft law. We are also asking workers to comment on the draft,”

says Mensah Tchegnon, FIT general secretary.

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

“We call upon the government of Togo to respect workers and human rights as protected in the national laws and international labour standards. The government should build a non-adversarial relationship with trade unions through social dialogue instead of drafting obnoxious laws.”

Photo: File image of the Fédération des Industries du Togo

Nigerian government abandons petrol price hike as unions mobilize

IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Nigeria are vowing to fight petrol price increases which they say will erode the incomes of their members and worsen poverty.

National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) are calling on the government to industrialize the economy by resuscitating local refineries. The unions say local refineries will assist in mitigating the effects of fluctuating oil prices, create decent jobs, and increase the country’s revenue.
 
The government had earlier announced the petrol price increase from 320-340 Naira per litre (5 cents in US dollars). However, it made another announcement on 24 January that it was reversing the decision on the back of planned national protests organized by unions and civil society organizations.

“The suspension of the petrol price increase is not a total victory because it does not change the social and economic conditions of the Nigerian workers. There is high unemployment and inflation is increasing. Workers need a social cushion that includes affordable public transport and infrastructural development,”

says Olawale Afolabi, NUPENG general secretary.

“Going forward, we will continue to engage with the government on the very critical issues of ensuring local refining of petroleum, creation of sustainable jobs and provision of petrol at an affordable price,”

says Ayuba Wabba, general secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
 
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) concurs on the “revitalization of existing refineries, establishment of new ones including modular refineries, and effective policing of the borders to stem the rate of petroleum products smuggling.”
 
For several years unions have campaigned against the “resources curse” in Nigeria, where oil and gas reserves have not assisted the economy and ended poverty.
 
Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa says:

“Workers and communities in Nigeria expect the government to provide affordable petrol and not to be burdened with increases that often are a result of corruption. Nigerian workers should enjoy the benefits that come from the country’s vast quantities of oil and gas reserves, and this includes being able to buy affordable petrol that is refined locally.”

Photo: Floating petrol and diesel filling station in the Niger Delta, Stakeholder Democracy

Union calls for ratification of ILO Convention 176 after explosion kills 13 and destroys Ghana village

Some houses were flattened whilst others were severely damaged by the blast. The Minerals Commission of Ghana is carrying out an investigation into the explosion and the mining licence of explosives manufacturer, Maxim Ghana, has been suspended together with its sub-contractor who was transporting the explosives.

Chirano Gold Mines is run by Canadian-based Kinross Gold Corporation.
 
According to reports, the explosives should have been transported with police escort, which was not the case. The government of Ghana and other organizations have since launched relief efforts to support the community.
 
The Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU), affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, says this explosives’ disaster could have been averted if health and safety protocols were followed.

The union further emphasizes that this is an opportune time for the government of Ghana to ratify the International Labour Organization Convention 176 on safety and health in the mines, and to domesticate it into national laws as one of the strategies to stop similar accidents from happening in the future.
 
Abdul-Moomin Gbana, GMWU general secretary, says:

“The union commiserates with the entire Appiatse community some of whom are our members and their families for the loss and wish to assure them of our fullest support in these very troubling times.

“Mining communities need to be assured that mining and related activities will not endanger lives and livelihoods. The surest way to do that is to focus more on the preventive side by educating the citizenry, ensuring strict enforcement and compliance with safety standards, and punishing transgressors frontally.”

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

“It is horrific that so many lives were lost due to negligence and failure to adhere to health and safety measures. We will support the GMWU in their campaign for the ratification of C176, and in carrying out health and safety awareness among workers and communities.”

Three Holcim workers killed and 8 injured in fire in Uganda

According to Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), the Hima plant has long been known for its hostile attitude towards workers. A BWI report on the January incident says that five years ago, more than 300 workers organized a trade union at the plant. In November 2020, Hima Cement retrenched 28 workers and half of them were union members. A year ago, half of the remaining members of the local trade union in the plant were dismissed.
 
Today, the plant operates with only 135 directly employed workers, the rest are subcontracted or third-party workers.

“IndustriALL expresses condolences to the families of the perished workers and joins BWI in calling on Hima Cement to engage in constructive dialogue with unions, stop union-busting  and end the abuse of subcontracted and third-party workers,”

says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie.  
 
The tragedy in Uganda is yet another one at Holcim operations. IndustriALL is working closely with BWI in the cement industry, and combined reports on accidents in Holcim over the last years paint a very disturbing picture. All efforts to engage in a meaningful social dialogue with Holcim, which would contribute to safer operations, have so far been in vain.
 
In India in November 2021, one worker was killed and five other injured at the Marwar cement plant and another worker was seriously injured at the Maratha Cement Works. Both plants are owned by a Holcim subsidiary, Ambuja cement.
 
And in the month before, two fatalities occurred in the space of one week at two separate ACC cement plants in India. ACC is owned by Holcim.
 
Atle Høie concludes:

“Holcim’s abusive subcontracting policies depriving workers of their right to regular and secure jobs must stop. The company must resume bipartite safety committee meetings in all operations and strengthen the inspection and monitoring system.”

 
 

South African union condemns brutal murder of woman worker

The NUM, affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, condemns the brutal murder which it describes as femicide. According to the union, her car’s tyres were slashed with a knife by the spouse at a shopping mall slowing down her escape. As she sought help at a nearby garage, the spouse followed and killed her. The alleged killer is charged with murder and is out on bail following a court appearance.

“Her two young sons are traumatised and going through a difficult time after the tragic loss of their beloved mother. The NUM conveys its deepest condolences to the family of comrade Jessica, colleagues, and friends. We remember her as a bubbly, loving and caring person,”

says Kay Pholoba, NUM regional secretary for Highveld.

“This is a tremendous loss to the NUM. Painfully so as it happened in the hands of a person who claims to have loved and cared for her. We are inundated with stories of women and children falling victim to the high levels of femicide in the country. The NUM calls upon gender formations to unite and take action to end these gruesome and senseless killings,"

she adds.

Christine Olivier, IndustriALL assistant general secretary says:

“As an organization, we reiterate the message that we will never tolerate gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) and will continue to support campaigns that seeks to outroot GBVH. ”

Research by IndustriALL that included the mining and textile, garment, shoe, and leather sectors, concluded that domestic violence is a prevalent issue for women workers in these sectors. It has a negative impact on women’s participation at work, especially on safety issues.
 
IndustriALL, with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, organized a series of online workshops in 2021 to build union capacity on curbing GBHV in the world of work, using International Labour Organization Convention 190 as one of the tools. During the training, domestic violence was singled out as a daily threat to women workers’ lives and that unions must work with civil society organizations and other stakeholders to curb it.

IndustriALL has put together guidelines for trade unions on how to respond to domestic violence impacts in the world of work.
 
The training was attended by over 40 shop stewards in the mining and textile and garment sectors from South Africa and other Sub Saharan African countries and will be extended to other sectors this year. The shop stewards are also expected to carry out further training as “multipliers” of the skills and strategies to stop GBVH in their unions and countries.
 
South Africa ratified Convention 190 to end violence and harassment in the world of work in 2021. However, unions say the implementation of the convention and other national laws is urgently needed to eliminate the scourge of domestic violence and GBVH.

Organizing in Ghana’s growing automotive sector moves into fast gear

This year Toyota and Volkswagen plants were commissioned with the latter expected to produce up to 20,000 vehicles per year.

The union has organized 1982 workers in the auto companies including those that sell components and parts. Only 154 of the workers are women, and the union is calling on the auto industry to have gender equity in their recruitment policies.

The ICU says it will ensure that the workers in the sector are paid living wages and wants the companies to be involved in collective bargaining and social dialogue, and to adhere to better health and safety standards including Covid-19 protocols. Additionally, the union wants the companies to invest in automation that will upskill Ghanaian workers. The union is also part of the VW Network which includes unions from Kenya, Namibia and South Africa and the VW European Works Council. The aims of the network include promoting decent work for VW workers.

Morgan Ayawine, ICU general secretary says:

“Importantly, at VW Ghana we have a collective agreement, and the earnings are above the minimum wages. Members have access to all the statutory benefits as specified in the labour laws including social security. Further, ICU has been able to negotiate additional benefits for the workers such as free or subsidized medical care among other benefits.“

According to the National Tripartite Committee minimum wages in Ghana for 2021 are 12.53 Cedis per day or 301 Cedis monthly (US$49). However, the Anker Research Institute estimate living wages for a family of two adults and two children to be about US$250.

The growth of the automotive sector is supported by government policies that include the Industrial Development Programme which aims to attract major automobile manufacturing companies to the country. The policy also seeks to create highly skilled jobs in auto assembly and the manufacturing of components and parts.

The signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is also seen as bringing benefits to the automotive industry in Ghana that include exporting locally assembled vehicles to neighbouring countries at reduced tariffs. The automotive industry in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and some African governments, including Ghana, are exploring possibilities of setting up automotive manufacturing hubs under the AfCFTA.
 
Further, the Ghana Automotive Development Policy (GADP) gives 5 and 10-years tax holidays for the importing semi-knocked down (SKD) and complete knock down (CKD) kits, respectively. Imports of material and equipment to build the plants are also exempted from duties and other charges.

“Growth of the automotive sector in Ghana is creating much-needed jobs in the country and the ICU should increase its organizing efforts in the growing sector. Recruiting more members and attaining majority thresholds at the workplaces will enable the union to be better positioned in demanding decent working conditions and advancing workers’ rights in the sector,”

says Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for SSA.
 
ICU, which has a membership of 140 000 workers, organizes in sectors that include the automotive, metal, paper, printing, and textiles, garments, shoe, and leather and the informal sector.