South Africa – Numsa demands fair deal for GM workers

A planned retrenchment of 589 out of 1,500 workers will have dire effects.

An employee who has worked at GM's Struandale plant in Port Elizabeth for more than 25 years, said it will be difficult for him to look after his four school going children if he loses his job.

“This employer is brutal. We are devastated. Our morale is down. It’s difficult to go to work knowing that soon you will be out of employment.”

The metalworkers’ union is “disgusted” by the American automotive company’s “devious and underhanded” treatment of workers. It wants “full disclosure” of the deal with the Japanese carmaker, Isuzu, which is buying the manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth.

Numsa said thousands of jobs are at risk in this job-loss bloodbath. Losses will also be felt along the supply chain which included tyre manufacturing and motor vehicle components.

Other jobs under threat were in GM’s 132 dealerships, of which only 90 will be taken over by Isuzu.

The union points out that GM is not acting in “good faith” as it neither consulted Numsa nor the government on its decision to retrench as required by the law.

To ensure a better deal for workers, Numsa is discussing the retrenchments with GM. The Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration will mediate in the talks.
Numsa, which attributes GM’s action to global capital’s attack on workers, has written to the company about possible alternatives to the retrenchments. These include skills training and placement of workers in other jobs.

Said Numsa:

“This is a plan which is fully supported by the new federation – the South African Federation of Trade Unions – as well as our global union, IndustriALL."

Fabian Nkomo, IndustriALL Regional Secretary for Sub Saharan Africa said the proposed plan should ensure fair compensation to the affected workers.

Improving safety in the African oil and gas industry

IndustriALL Global Union was invited as an observer to the workshop, which was organized by the International Labour Organization and included tripartite delegations from Angola, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria.

Participants acknowledged that while oil and gas are essential resources, they are also a major contributor to environmental problems, inequality and conflict.

Workers in the industry face numerous hazards, and consequently fatalities, injuries and occupational diseases are high, according to the ILO.

Some of the dangers include:

Many workers do not have proper protective equipment and other equipment to perform their duties in a safe working environment. One of the biggest challenges in the industry is precarious work, which often puts workers in insecure jobs without any recourse to justice or social security.

Participants remarked that due to poor governance, corruption, lack of equipment and specialized training, and inadequate human and financial resources, they needed independent labour inspectors and more information on occupational accidents and diseases.

Participants added that it is critical to empower national labour administrations and inspection systems to ensure full compliance with laws and regulation as well as access to appropriate and effective remedy and complaints mechanisms.

In trying to solve these problems, the workshop participants with input from IndustriALL, produced key recommendations for promoting health and safety in the industry, and action points for the ILO and its members. They include calls for:

Speaking at the workshop, IndustriALL energy director Diana Junquera Curiel, said:

All workers worldwide deserve to be safe in their workplaces and to return home every day unharmed. Training is crucial to prevent accidents from happening. The key to improving occupational safety and health in the oil and gas industry is to share responsibilities between governments, employers and workers.

Meeting calls for an end to violence against women mineworkers

The meeting saw the violence and gender discrimination at gold mines as health and safety issues. It called upon the DRC and Ghana to ratify ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in mines.

Violence against women mineworkers took different forms in the AngloGold Ashanti global network countries, and affected women in physical, emotional and financial ways.

In South Africa, this violence is caused by a “masculinity culture” which sees mines as workplaces for men alone said Asanda Benya from the University of Cape Town.
 
Basing her views on a study in which she worked as a winch operator at a platinum mine in Rustenburg, she said “deep patriarchy” defined how women were treated.

For instance, when the mines hired women “heat tolerance screening” was a requirement. Sometimes women failed the screening because of pregnancy or menstruation.

When going underground women were groped daily. Their complaints to management or their unions about this abuse were dismissed as “nagging” or simply ignored.

Women were also excluded from learning the more important mining skills and reduced to domestic roles like getting water for team members. It was also common for male team members to say: “You are a woman; you can’t operate a drilling machine”.

As a result, women mineworkers lost on production bonuses because of these tactics.

Fabian Nkomo, IndustriALL Regional Secretary for Sub Saharan Africa said organizing more women in the mines is one of the strategies that can be used to fight gender stereotyping.

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director said: “It is important to develop policies against sexual harassment from the perspectives of women mine workers. We are fighting for these policies because the neo-liberal capitalist system sustains itself through gender stereotyping”.

Ivory Coast: union condemns lay-offs at Libya Oil

The union says the economic reasons given for the redundancies are not supported by evidence.

On the contrary, Libya Oil, which operates in 18 African countries, has increased investments; opening nine new filling stations in 2017, renovating an additional 15, and opening seven shops and two restaurants. In January 2017, the company sold more fuel than it did in the same month in 2016: 9,7 million litres compared to 7.9 million litres. Generally, the company’s sales are increasing.

In a letter to the tripartite National Council for Social Dialogue, the union questions Libya Oil’s arguments.

The economic reasons cited are odd given Ivory Coast’s 2015 GDP growth of 8.2 per cent, which was driven "by the dynamism in agriculture, services, major public works and the petroleum sector".

Surprisingly, Libya Oil

pretends not having benefitted from the growth

argues SYNTEPCI.

The other reasons given for the redundancy include “rationalising the company’s organisational structure for more efficiency.” Again, the union challenges this especially at a time when the company is recruiting new workers, with four hired this year.

Libya Oil also fails to explain how “the introduction of new technology” is linked to the redundancy.

SYNTEPCI general secretary, Jeremie Wondje says:

There must be a social plan for the lay-offs, following the legal requirements for the petroleum sector.

Swazi affiliate challenges union busting at textile factory

Management at Fashion International has rejected union membership forms signed by 1,600 of the 1,900 employees. In response, the union has taken the employer to court for refusing to recognize the union and for not complying with ‘collective bargaining duties and obligations’.

Earlier this month, the company insisted on a ballot conducted by the Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration Commission, to determine union support amongst the workers. All workers but one voted in favour of the union, sending a very clear message on the will to organize.

Although the company claims to guarantee fair labour practices it is amongst the worst employers in the textile and apparel sector. Desperate to keep the union away, they sometimes threaten to close down the factory if workers do not resign from the union,

says Wander Mkhonza, Atuswa secretary general.

The workers are very clear – they want a union and Fashion International must grant them their organizational and collective bargaining rights and recognize ATUSWA as a partner.

The company also engages in unfair labour practices that adversely affect workers’ health and safety. For instance, sick workers are forced to come to work, and doctors’ visits restricted to only four hours after which a worker must report for duty. Failure to do so often results in disciplinary action.

Workers are asked to bring sick children to work if they want time off to take the child to hospital. Sometimes this never happens or permission is given too late for hospital hours. The employer is also notorious for refusing to pay sick leave of more than two days. Reducing sick leave days is common and forces unwell workers to come to work.

In addition, workers are forced to work on Saturdays, which is not a working day. But if workers do not turn up they are disciplined, and dismissals are common.

Fabian Nkomo, IndustriALL regional secretary, says:

Fashion International must immediately engage in a constructive dialogue with the union. Working conditions in the factory must be improved and workers must be granted their organizational rights.

IndustriALL project in Sub-Saharan Africa boosts women’s representation

IndustriALL’s union building programme in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe is aimed at developing democratic and transparent trade unions and organizing new members. The project, which was funded by trade union solidarity organizations, Union to Union and FNV Mondiaal, promotes greater participation by women in decision-making and leadership positions.

Women made up an average of 38 per cent of all union building activities, which is above the 25 per cent target that had been set for the region.

In 2016, the Zimbabwe Chemical & Plastics Workers Union and the Nation Union of Clothing Industry (Zimbabwe), amended their constitutions to include women structures, and appointed women to their national executive committees for the first time.

In addition, the Zimbabwe Energy Workers Union appointed a female president and increased women on its national executive committee by 8 per cent. It also achieved 30 per cent women’s representation target in recruitment, 50 per cent women in the collective bargaining team, 67 per cent on the finance committee and 50 per cent women on the union’s steering committee.

In Uganda, the Chemicals Petroleum and Allied Workers Union established national women’s structures, while the Textile Garments Leather and Allied Workers Union increased women negotiators from three to six.

Elsewhere, IndustriALL Women's Committees were formed in Ghana and Cameroon in 2016, and IndustriALL affiliates developed organizing drives for increasing women members in Cameroon and Burkina Faso.

“The challenges for trade unions in Africa are significant but greater participation by women, particularly in leadership positions, will strengthen unions and lead to a better future for men and women,” said Tendai Makanza, Project Coordinator, IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa.

IndustriALL – the voice of labour at Alternative Mining Indaba

The meeting runs parallel to the African Mining Indaba – the world’s largest mining investment conference, which is dedicated to the capitalization and development of mining in Africa. The Alternative Mining Indaba, which is in its eighth year, represents a diverse civil society grouping, from issue-based NGOs in the mining sector to labour, mining impacted communities and grassroots organizations, and faith-based organizations.  

Speaking about the meeting, IndustriALL’s Director of Mining, Glen Mpufane, said: “The peculiarities of the mining sector demand the building of strategic alliances with mining affected communities and stakeholders. The Alternative Mining Indaba has become an important platform to create a common agenda on common issues, recognizing the differences that might exist between the different communities of interest.”

These differences were glaringly exposed in a panel discussion on extraction of natural resources and how to promote broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic development in Africa. The panel, which included a mining impacted community member from Zambia, Lawrence Mwanangombe; Environmental Justice Network representative, Rev Malcolm Damon; Amnesty International representative, Thabileng Mothabi, and the CEO and President of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Tom Butler.

The panel raised critical issues in the mining sector ranging from the need for redistribution of resources, taxing mining companies, stewardship in the sustainable exploitation of natural resources, unfulfilled promises by mining companies, corporate injustices practiced by mining companies, and land grabs among others.

Both the African Mining Indaba and the Alternative Mining Indaba centre on the African Mining Vision, a development model for natural resource governance in Africa. Adopted by African countries in 2009, it has the long-term goal of attaining transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to underpin broad based sustainable growth and socio-economic development. "It is therefore not about mining, but development," said Mpufane.

The voice of labour at the Alternative Mining Indaba was raised and carried by IndustriALL and the Southern Africa Coordination Council (SATUCC), which represents all the major trade union federations in the Southern African Development Community.  

The meeting ended with a march through the streets of Cape Town to the venue of the African Mining Indaba to deliver the declaration of the 8th Alternative Mining Indaba. The declaration was accepted by Tom Butler of the ICMM. 

South African union saves mineworkers’ jobs

Gold mining company AngloGold Ashanti issued a section 189 notice to the union on 20 January 2017 of its intention to lay off a massive 849 workers. A section 189 is a notification in the event of mass retrenchment, and is a formal legislative requirement.

The notice initiates formal consultations with unions. Failure to reach agreement with unions would lead to a mediated facilitation in terms of labour law.

The NUM successfully averted the planned retrenchment in negotiations with AngloGold Ashanti, saving all 849 jobs. The workers will be retrained and transferred to other areas of the company.

The NUM rejected the company’s retrenchment plans as insensitive to the high unemployment rate, and argued for alternatives. The job losses would have had disastrous consequences for mineworkers at AngloGold Ashanti, their families and the country. 

AngloGold Ashanti and the union entered into an agreement that would save the “over complement” jobs involved. The agreement entails a re-skilling of the affected workers and a transfer of others to the company’s other business units.

In what has been described as “robust negotiations” by the NUM’s mining coordinator for AngloGold Ashanti, Tafa Moya, an analysis of all the business units within the company was undertaken to determing labour needs and opportunities, with a view to finding a mutually beneficial solution.

This is in contrast to what AngloGold Ashanti did in Ghana: 3,100 mineworkers lost their jobs when the Obuasi mine was placed on limited operations, while a comprehensive feasibility study was undertaken that would see the mine become highly mechanised.

Moya said the NUM will meet with the company on Friday where AngloGold Ashanti will report back on where the workers will be transferred to.

Complimenting the NUM on this great achievement, IndustriALL Global Union assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said: 

“This is another example that shows that mining companies, left to their own devices, will pursue profit above all else. The NUM has shown that by rejecting AngloGold Ashanti’s initial plan to retrench 849 workers, trade unions can fight back and protect the collective interests of their members”.

AngloGold Ashanti is a gold mining company with its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is globally diverse, boasting seventeen gold mines in nine countries, and is the third largest gold mining company in the world measured by production.

Organizing in a fragile environment

PROFILE

National Centre: Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU). FESTU is affiliated to the ITUC

Country: Somalia

Text: Walton Pantland

Omar Faruk Osman is the general secretary of FESTU. Osman is also general secretary of the National Union of Somali Journalists, and an executive committee member of the International Federation of Journalists.

The rule of law broke down in Somalia with the outbreak of civil war in 1991. The country has stabilized in the past few years, with a federal government formed in 2012, but the country is still dominated by armed groups and politicians who believe that they are above the law. Al Qaeda affiliate Al Shabaab, and other jihadi groups, stage terror attacks in attempts to seize power back from the government.

It is extremely difficult to organize unions in an environment where the rule of law is weak, and there is a severe security crisis. Union activists operate in a dangerous environment and cannot rely on the law to protect them. Their only leverage is collective action and international solidarity.

“Although the Somali constitution guarantees the right to organize and to protest, the government uses the security situation to undermine trade unions and civil society. Union meetings are often restricted, citing security concerns, and several have been violently broken up by security forces. If workers in a company try to form a union, the employer can hire a militia to intimidate or kill union leaders,” says Osman.

As a long time union activist, Osman is accustomed to danger: Somalia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a journalist, with 38 journalists killed since 2012. He narrowly survived an assassination attempt a year ago during a terror attack on a hotel where a union meeting was taking place, and the FESTU office has been bombed.

Unions operate under a climate of fear, and there are rumours that there is a death squad hunting down trade union leaders. This is unsubstantiated, but the rampant violence in the country is a perfect cover, and creates an environment of fear and paranoia that makes organizing very difficult.

As general secretary of FESTU, Osman stresses the importance of international solidarity:

“In such a fragile environment, what matters is international pressure. Our politicians care more about their image with world leaders than the plight of their people.

“Putting political pressure on international institutions, and international diplomats, to act in the interests of defending internationally recognized labour rights, including union rights, is very important.”

Despite the security situation, the Somali economy is performing well, much of it based on trade with the Gulf. The civil war, and the subsequent collapse of the state, meant that entrepreneurs were able to profit from previously nationalized industries.

Somali investors from the diaspora bought up infrastructure, and since 2012, multinational companies have moved in. The energy and telecommunications sectors have grown rapidly as companies form consortiums. Somalia has valuable untapped natural resources, including large reserves of uranium and natural gas. As peace returns to the country, the economy is expected to grow fast.

But with large profits to be made, there are attempts to restrict workers’ power. The government has created a petroleum company, and recently tried to form its own trade union to bypass legitimate representatives. IndustriALL has been working with Norwegian affiliate Industri Energi to support the creation and development of a union in the petroleum sector. A new union called the Somali Union of Petroleum & Gas Workers has been established. The union was accepted as an affiliate of IndustriALL at the executive committee meeting in Rio de Janeiro in October 2016. The work of developing the union is ongoing.

The trade union movement sees itself as protecting the needs of the people against profiteers:

“Multinationals want to invest in Somalia, and we have serious concerns that they will exploit the very fragile situation in our country,” says Osman.

“Our unions want to be involved in any discussion with multinationals from the outset, so that we are clear that whatever is happening reflects the interests of our people.”

Guinea ratifies ILO Convention C176 on mine safety

The Guinean National Assembly approved the ratification of C176 and three other ILO Conventions on 26 December 2016. They include C189 on Domestic Workers, C167 on safety and health in construction, and C187 on the promotional framework for occupational safety and health. 

IndustriALL mining affiliate in Guinea, SYNAMIC/ONSLG, has long pushed for better working conditions in the sector and lobbied for ratification of C176. The country has some of the world’s largest high-grade bauxite and iron ore reserves. Gold mining is also becoming increasingly important to the economy.

IndustriALL facilitator and SYNAMIC/ONSLG general secretary, Mamadou Saliou Diallo, said:

“Ratification of C176 by Guinea is extremely important because many accidents happen without recognition of the employer. And if the employer is faced with a complaint, they can put their lawyers into action, which the workers can’t. So it puts even more emphasis on the elimination of risks in the workplace.”

Guinea becomes the 32nd country to ratify C176. IndustriALL has a global campaign to improve safety in mines through ratification and enforcement of the Convention.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan, said:

We sincerely welcome this move by Guinea to ratify Convention 176. We hope that the government will work with employers, labour inspectors and unions to see that it is enforced so that workers can carry out their jobs in safety.