DRC unions confront challenges of supply chain due diligence

Various OECD partner events were organized across issues in the minerals global supply chain, including side events by the Initiative for Responsible Mining (IRMA) on due diligence beyond conflict-affected and high-risk areas and the Responsible Mining Index (RMI).

IndustriALL affiliates from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) participated in the Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) side event on Artisanal Cobalt Production: Towards a safe and Just Transition. EGC, a recently established cobalt mining company, is a subsidiary of the state-owned La Générale des Carrieres et des Mines (Gecamines). EGC holds the monopoly for the purchase, processing and sale of all cobalt produced by artisanal miners or companies involved in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). This makes EGC important to IndustriALL’s battery platform project.

“IndustriALL is giving special focus to the DRC given the importance of the country’s cobalt as a critical mineral in the transition to a low carbon economy. Additionally, the huge role of ASM in mining cobalt is another factor for the urgent need to organize the DRC affiliates around the OECD Forum on responsible minerals supply chains,”

says Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director of mining.

Unions from DRC raised concerns on their exclusion from the developments and processes that led to the establishment of EGC and questioned the central role played by Trafigura, one of the world’s leading independent commodity trading and logistics companies.

Trafigura and its partners are solely responsible for developing responsible mining controls and traceability associated with ASM cobalt production, including the development of the first responsible sourcing standard for ASM cobalt in the DRC.

While the EGC process and governance put a premium on multi-stakeholder consultation and participation, trade unions were not consulted and are not represented in its committees, despite the huge presence and participation by non-governmental organizations. To address this, the affiliates will write letters to EGC and Trafigura expressing their concerns.

The unions committed to develop an engagement strategy on due diligence with the assistance of IndustriALL.

Sven Schwersensky, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung director for the DRC based in Kinshasa, coordinated the unions’ participation by bringing six affiliates to his office and linking them with Geneva, Johannesburg and to the forum in Paris.

“The virtual forum made it possible to participate in most sessions, creating an opportunity for capacity building and engagement for DRC affiliates,”

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

Zimbabwe: gender champions to curb sexual harassment at work

Participants, who included members of IndustriALL Zimbabwe Women’s Committee and youth council, discussed how union members can become gender champions with a primary role of receiving and investigating complaints on sexual and gender-based violence, raise awareness on women and workers’ rights, and provide support to victimized workers.

The gender champions will be campaigners for the ratification of the ILO Convention 190, and some will also engage in protecting whistle blowers and workers affected by sexual and gender-based violence.

Miriam Katumba, president of the National Union of the Clothing Industry (NUCI), gender chairperson of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and ITUC general council member said:

“Gender mainstreaming is important in the fight for women workers’ rights. Further, recruiting young women into the union is key to attaining gender equality at the workplace.”

According to the workers attending the workshop, sexual exploitation continues to take place in workplaces and is compounded by the low wage economy with average wages below US$100 and high unemployment.

Most of the sectors where the unions organize are male dominated. For example, there are less than 20 women among the 600 mineworkers at Jena Mine in Silobela, making campaigning for gender equality in the mines intimidating for women miners.

“The mining sector must employ more women to address this obvious gender imbalance. How are women expected to participate in union and workplace activities when they are such a ridiculously small minority,”

asked Memory Kadewera from the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Workers Union (ZDAMWU).

Rose Omamo, IndustriALL co-chairperson for Sub Saharan Africa said:

“We congratulate the Zimbabwean unions for launching the gender champions strategy. Gender champions are being used in many African countries, including Kenya, to deal with sexual and gender-based violence at the workplace. They will also promote some of the recommendations in the ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206.”

The seven unions attending the workshop are the National Union of Metal and Allied Industries Workers Union (NUMAIZ), National Union of the Clothing Industry (NUCI), Zimbabwe Chemicals, Plastics and Allied Workers Union (ZCPAWU), Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Workers Union (ZDAMWU), Zimbabwe Energy Workers Union (ZEWU), Zimbabwe Leather, Shoe and Allied Workers Union (ZLSAWU), and the Zimbabwe Textile Workers Union (ZTWU).

South-South union solidarity against challenges of energy transition

Both parts of the world face common predicaments on energy transition as governments pursue neoliberal economic policies marginalizing workers and poor communities. Chile was cited as a resource-rich country whose population is mainly poor. The same can be applied to most Sub-Saharan African countries, which are rich in fossil fuels and oil and gas, yet most people live in poverty.

The meeting discussed the energy transition’s potential to drive industrialization and economic development in the regions. Energy, it was argued, must be discussed in the context of the political economy of the continents. There were opportunities for the setting up of renewable power plants, but this should be done while protecting workers interests.

The meeting discussed both regions’ huge potential in renewable energy resources, including hydropower, wind, solar and bio power, geothermal and fossil fuels.

Unions in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico said they want a just energy transition with improved working conditions and a respect for workers' rights. They spoke about the importance of social dialogue to promote sustainable industrial policies and a Just Transition, with the participation of governments, companies, unions and affected communities.

Sintracarbón secretary of education, Fredys Fernández, mentioned the initiative developed since 2015 by Colombian unions USO, Sintracarbón and Sintraelecol called “Social, mining-energy and environmental table”. Together with the community, government authorities and businessmen they debate on energy transition and the construction of a sustainable energy policy for Colombia.

Across the Atlantic, unions in Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, part of the Sub-Saharan Africa Energy Network, are fighting against the privatization of public state power companies which often results in increases in the cost of electricity.

“We are against the privatization of the power utility, ESKOM as proposed by the government. We prefer an energy provider that is publicly owned and run in the public interest and not for profit as this will make energy unaffordable and inaccessible to poor communities. On renewable energy, we are calling for the social ownership of renewable energy sources,”

said Enos Mbodi from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa.

Kemal Ozkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:

“We need a global energy transition model that promotes industrialization, decent green jobs and the interests of workers and communities. This is only possible if countries in the Global South adopt sustainable energy and industrial plans.”

Workers fear returning to work in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region

The park was closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, before war broke out.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the IndustriALL Federation of Textile, Leather and Garment Workers Trade Union (IFTLGTWU), which organizes the textile, garment, shoe, and leather workers in Mekelle, says it has been difficult to reach its members and their families.

Phone lines, the internet and other means of telecommunications were unavailable for many days when the civil war between the federal army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) began.

Garment and textile factories were looted and destroyed. These include Almeda, Sheba Leather, and DBL garments. The Almeda factory, which employed over five thousand workers, was looted, and destroyed. The other two factories were ransacked. Thousands of jobs will be lost if the factories do not reopen.

Media reports have pointed to killings, rape and looting which is being attributed to different armed groups involved in the conflict including militias and the army from neighbouring Eritrea. According to the reports, homes, clinics, hospitals, health centres, schools, and grain stores were destroyed or looted, and fields burnt.

This has created a humanitarian crisis in which people are starving and in need of food, water, and shelter. Thousands have fled their homes and the government of Ethiopia and UN agencies have appealed for emergency support.

The Ethiopian prime minister said in parliament that gross human rights violations and abuses will be investigated by the Ethiopian Human Right Commission and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Council.

“We call upon the government of Ethiopia to provide peace and security to the people and the workers of Tigray. It is important that the armed conflict is ended so that workers can go back to work without fear and that communities can go back to living in peace,”

says Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary.

Union fights over unpaid wages and workers’ rights violations at Galba Nigeria

The workers are owed wage arrears of 350 million Naira (US$920, 000) for four years whilst some have retired without even receiving their benefits.

According to AUTOBATE, some workers have since died before being paid their wages whilst those who remain at work are suffering and failing to pay for their living expenses. Some workers with more than 25 years of experience retired without any pension benefits or gratuities when management at Galba Nigeria told them to “go and rest”.

AUTOBATE says the company has not been remitting dues already deducted from the workers to the union since 2013, in violation of trade union rights that are protected by national labour laws and international labour standards.

“The situation is pathetic because to date we have recorded over 14 deaths of staff from complications of blood pressure, hypertension, and stroke because they could not pay their bills including rents, school fees, medical fee and household expenditure for their families,”

says Olusola Joel Olorunfemi, AUTOBATE general secretary.

In its fightback against the violations, AUTOBATE has organized pickets and demonstrations outside the company premises in Port Harcourt. The union has also taken Galba Nigeria to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria over the non-payment of wages and the workers’ rights violations. The court action came after efforts by the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria to mediate in the dispute failed. The union also sought intervention from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to no avail.

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

“The level of wage theft and workers’ rights violations at Galba Nigeria is shocking and unacceptable. We support AUTOBATE in its demand for the payment of wage arrears at Galba Nigeria and for defending workers’ rights and standing firm on the adherence to fair labour standards and decent working conditions.”

Galba Nigeria is an engineering company that provides services to oil companies in Port Harcourt and Rivers State.

Photo credit: stock imge, Port Harcourt, Nigera

Vaccine roll-out framework agreement reached in South Africa’s garment sector

SACTWU says the agreement aims to reach an immunity target of at least 80 per cent of the workers and will be extended to other sectors in which the union organizes that include textile, leather, and shoe.

The framework agreement reached on 6 April with the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry of South Africa which represents five garment employer associations, aims to building a close working relationship with the national government and the Department of Health.

The agreement also encourages the development of workplace guidelines and plans that will facilitate vaccine rollouts which will be made available to the workers.

On workers’ rights, the agreement states that there will be no employment contract that will discriminate a worker based on whether the worker has been vaccinated or not. Additionally, to counter fake information, the agreement also aims to debunk myths on Covid-19 vaccines, provide credible information and training of shop stewards on the vaccine rollout campaign.

The agreement promotes initiatives to fast-track the buying of adequate and affordable vaccines for the country. These include supporting plans to produce vaccines locally. For example, there are plans for Aspen, a South Africa pharmaceutical company to start delivering the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in June from its factory in Gqberha formerly Port Elizabeth. The vaccine will be received in a frozen state then thawed and packaged for local distribution.

The South African government has ordered about 43 million vaccines and is expecting deliveries from Pfizer and the Covax facility. In the long term, the agreement supports the development of a domestic Covid-19 vaccine. So far 278,909 health care workers have been vaccinated.

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL director for the textile and garment industry says:

“Covid-19 is a call to innovate in the way we carry out campaigns as trade unions. In this sense, we commend SACTWU for being a pioneer and campaigning for the prevention of Covid-19 when the pandemic started; to now campaigning for vaccine access, equity and rollout amongst garment workers.”

André Kriel, SACTWU, general secretary says:

“The union regards this as an important next step to help combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are pleased that clothing employers have embraced this campaign and have consented to this framework agreement and contributed constructively to its finally agreed-to terms.”

International solidarity ends precarious work at Kenya auto plant

This is welcome news to the workers. For instance, Anisa, who has worked at KVM for 20 years on a piece rate basis says:

“We are delighted that our wages have increased and look forward to longer contracts that will give us job security. Currently we are on monthly contracts. Job security is important to us as it improves our livelihoods and those of the families that we provide for.”

Rose Omamo, AUKMW general secretary says:

“We applaud this move by the KVM management which we consider a victory for the workers. This is an important step in ending precarious working conditions in the automotive sector in Kenya, and we are grateful for the support that we received from our comrades in the Works Council of Volkswagen. This follows up from our engagements in the Sub-Saharan Africa VW network.”

Bernd Osterloh, president of the European and World Group Works Council of Volkswagen AG, says:

“We are pleased that the 42 piece-rate workers at KVM have received a proper contract through our support. This is also a strong achievement of the AUKMW. This success could not have been achieved without the passionate commitment of the colleagues of this trade union. As the World Group Works Council at Volkswagen, we are committed to improving working conditions worldwide, both in our own plants and at our suppliers. An important key for this is our culture of cooperative conflict management. KVM also shows that it takes responsibility for its workforce and cooperates with the union.”

Dariusz Dabrowski, secretary general of the European and World Group Works Council of Volkswagen AG, says:

“The cooperation through the Sub-Saharan network, which we have established together with various trade unions in the region, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and IndustriALL, shows through this example an exemplary opportunity for international solidarity. We look forward to continuing this cooperation with our sibling unions in Africa in the future.”

KVM is involved in contract assembly at its Thika plant – about 40km outside Nairobi. It assembles vehicles for VW and other clients, including models from Nissan, Land Rover, Foton and Hyundai. Other manufacturing operations by KVM include bus body building, fabrication, and surface branding. With 35 per cent of the company’s shares, the Government of Kenya is the majority shareholder.

Building sustainable unions in Malawi

The unions discussed how to develop communications strategies and the importance of using digital organizing tools and social media to improve the efficiency of the union.

The unions carried out self-evaluation of the activities that were implemented in the last three years. Emphasis was put on how improving competencies and coordination can assist in union growth.

The project activities, which were implemented with support from SASK, included strengthening recruitment and organizing, negotiating for better collective bargaining agreements, understanding labour laws, grievance handling, improving service to members, and prioritizing youth and women integration.

However, in 2020 the project was adversely affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as some workers were paid reduced wages whilst others were retrenchments. The unions also discussed how they are fighting workers’ rights violations by some Chinese owned companies that ignored national labour laws.

The unions which are affiliated to IndustriALL are Building Construction, Civil Engineering and Allied Workers Union (BCCEAWU) Chemical Energy Mining and Allied Workers Union (CEMAWU), Commercial Industrial and Allied Workers Union (CIAWU), Escom Staff Union (ESU), and Textile, Garment, Leather and Security Services Workers Union (TGLSSWU).

Simião Simbine, Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK) Regional Representative for Southern Africa said:

“The aim of doing self-assessments is to identify gaps that are stopping unions from achieving their goals. Once the gaps are addressed, the union is then able to progress and build on its strengths. The information from the assessments identifies what needs to be done and is a useful resource from which the unions can learn.”

Tendai Makanza, IndustriALL regional officer for Sub Saharan Africa said:

“It is important for unions to think strategically when planning project activities. For example, what changes does the union want to make in the future? If it wants to improve services to members, how will that be done? It is also important to include the youth and women in building union power as this strengthens union democracy and lays solid foundations for the future leadership of the labour movement in Malawi.”

Strengthening the digital capacity of IndustriALL affiliates

With the Covid outbreak, unions faced a new challenge and were in dire need to develop their digital capacity. Being increasingly reliant on technology has uncovered a divide where not all unions have access to the equipment; in many parts of the world, information technology infrastructure is poor and underfunded, resulting in reduced connectivity.

“The contact between members and union officials is crucial, especially as we see workers’ rights under attack around the world and there are health and safety emergencies every day. With limited resources, equipment is often not made a priority. As IndustriALL, we wanted to support coordinating information sharing between affiliates and their membership, as well as between affiliates and IndustriALL,”

says IndustriALL assistant general secretary Atle Høie.

Last year, IndustriALL conducted a survey which showed that 117 unions had serious difficulties in participating in our activities due to a lack of digital capacities. IndustriALL has since provided those affiliates with laptops, tablets, smart phones, multi-media projectors, cameras, printers/scanners, broadband/internet connections, Zoom licenses, as well as training on how to use the equipment and Zoom, depending on the needs and providing affiliation fees are paid in full.

"We have faced intensified attacks on worker’s rights, so activities around joint central trade union movement’ struggles and building international solidarity, internal union meetings and collective bargaining negotiations have been held online.
"As the pandemic continue to limit our physical movements, the support of IndustriALL by providing hardware and software tools have further strengthened our capacity to carry out day to day union activities over online and serve our members more effectively,”

says Sanjay Vadhavkar, general secretary of Indian union SMEFI and IndustriALL executive committee member.

“In addition to the challenges imposed by the economic crisis and the spread of Covid-19, our office was severely damaged by the Beirut blast last year, and this has significantly impeded our work. IndustriALL’s support has had a positive impact in enhancing our capabilities to improve digital communication skills and resume our work remotely during this critical period,”

says Sleiman Hemdan, president of Professional union of syndicates for workers & employees of chemical materials and alike, Lebanon.

Wander Mkhonza, general secretary, ATUSWA, E-Swatini, welcomes and appreciates the support which has eased communication during these difficult times.

“Virtual meetings are becoming the new normal and without the necessary gadgets it would be almost impossible to run trade unions.”

Reginald Lafontant, coordinator of IndustriALL Haitian affiliate GOSTTRA, says that since the outbreak of the pandemic, Haitian garment workers have faced greater challenges than ever before. The situation became even more dire in February when President Jovenel Moïse refused to leave power at the end of his term and protests erupted.

“The support we have received has allowed us to operate and address these problems as best we can. Our executive is now able to meet via zoom, and we have been able to work with our national centre in developing a trade union response to the constitutional crisis in coordination with many other unions.
“We are also in regular contact with our affiliates, receiving regular updates from them and providing information on health and safety and other issues. Namely, since the outbreak of the violence, we have been able to alert workers who are on their way to work about police raids or gang attacks.”

The digital support has enabled affiliates to optimize the use of various online platforms and social media for promoting programmes, campaigns and organizing workers. Technology has enabled unions to intervene in conflicts related to collective bargaining, using remote meeting technology to negotiate with the employers and reach solutions.

Khaing Zar, IWFM president, Myanmar, says:

“With the support, IWFM has set up a hotline for both members and non-members and held online meetings to give updated information of Covid-19. Many of our members have been laid-off, temporarily or permanently, due to factory closures and employers have been union busting. We have been able to connect, provide protection and overcome difficult issues for our members during pandemic.”

Youth leaders and young union members have played a crucial role in covering technological gaps. This has given youth more visibility in union work and provided them access to union work at a different level.

"The effectiveness of trade union activities is due to lively communication with its members, but due to the restrictions in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic, the way we work has completely changed. With IndustriALL’s support, we have been able to successfully overcome this challenge. Now staff can carry out their activities and we can maintain communication with trade union leaders,”

says Tamaz Dolaberidze, president of Trade Union of Metallurgy, Mining and Chemical Workers of Georgia.

Migrant Resource Centre protects migrant workers in Mauritius against exploitation

Over 50,000 skilled migrant workers are currently working in Mauritius and employed mainly in the garment and textile industries, and other sectors. About 35 per cent are from Bangladesh.

According to IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, Confédération des Travailleurs des Secteurs Publique et Privé (CTSP), some agents claim that for workers to make it in the paradise island all they must do is “lift rocks and they will find gold.” CTSP says this fake information is misleading as the workers end up working in hazardous conditions and are paid low wages during their three-year contracts.

This makes it difficult for the migrant workers to pay back huge loans they would have incurred to fund the journey to Mauritius. Saving enough money to send to their families becomes hard and the workers often return to their home countries with little to show for the three years in Mauritius.

There are also cases of debt bondage when a worker is forced to work to pay off a debt. In such cases the workers come to Mauritius to work for the debt they would have incurred in their home countries. According to Anti-Slavery International the value of the work becomes greater than the original amount borrowed.

According to ASOS, which sources garments from suppliers in Mauritius, and participated in planning meetings for the setting up of the MRC, workers should only pay the travel cost and not the expensive recruitment agencies’ fees which can be as high as US$800. There is ongoing work to engage other brands in supporting the centre.

The violations of migrant workers’ rights include confiscation of passports, being beaten up by employers, being forced to work long hours, non-payment of wages and overtime, being paid below the minimum wage, being forced to live in squalid conditions in dormitories, failure by employers to provide transport, being asked to do work without prior training, and language barriers.

To counter this exploitation of the migrant worker, CTSP, IndustriALL and Anti-Slavery International set up the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in 2018 to raise awareness on the violation of migrant workers’ human and workers’ rights which are protected by Mauritian laws.

The MRC, which provides support to migrant workers by encouraging them to join a union and to know their rights, has carried out 16 awareness campaigns that have reached over 700 workers. Information is also provided on the cultural diversity in Mauritius and how to keep safe in the country. The MRC also houses workers who are unfairly dismissed by employers and has produced pamphlets in different languages to address the violations.

Most migrant workers joined the CTSP members after getting information from the centre and have filed complaints with the Ministry of Labour.

IndustriALL, CTSP and ASOS have developed a smartphone app where workers can file complaints and grievances without risking repercussions from employers.

Reeaz Chuttoo, President and Jane Ragoo, general secretary of CTSP said:

“The MRC is an important tool for the migrant workers and has so far been of great help. Further, the CTSP is engaging with the Minister of Labour so that a migrant workers house be set up that can also be used as a refuge centre.”

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL director for the garment and textile industries, says:

“The MRC is a model of international solidarity that can help to stop the violation of migrant workers’ rights and international labour standards and ensure that remedy is found. We commend the CTSP for continuing to defend the rights of the migrant workers in Mauritius.”