Uganda mattress factory fire claims six

“We have been assured that there will be an intensive investigation into the deaths of these workers,” said Catherine Aneno, General Secretary of Uganda Textile Garments Leather and Allied Workers Union (UTGLAWU).

Despite having signed a recognition agreement with Crest Foam in 2009, the company has refused to negotiate with UTGLAWU, which is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union. In Uganda members only pay dues once a bargaining agreement has been reached with the company.

“We have met with the Minister of Labour and told him how uncooperative the company has been with the union in the past,” reports Aneno, who also expressed concern for the 250 workers at the factory. “Workers have been sent home with no information on what is to happen to their jobs, so we are organizing them; having them sign updated membership forms and calculating what is due to them should the company close.” 

The six workers that have died are burnt beyond recognition. The union will assist their families to seek compensation once DNA tests confirm their identity. Compensation will also be sought for two more workers that have been hospitalized.

 “Investigations are ongoing but it is clear that health and safety legislation is only worthwhile if it is implemented, monitored and enforced, which requires all stakeholders to actively play their part to ensure the safety of workers,” said Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL. “Our deepest sympathy and solidarity goes out to the families of the workers that lost their lives and all those affected by this tragedy.”  

Woman worker raped at South African mine

The man allegedly entered the female changing rooms at the mine holding a screwdriver, then forcefully ordered the woman to undress and threatened to kill her if she resisted.

The attacker, who is not thought to be an employee of the company, also threatened a second female worker.

IndustriALL Global Union’s South African affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), is demanding an explanation from the mine’s owners, Anglo-American Platinum, on how the suspect gained access to the mine’s premises.

The company has acknowledged that a ‘violent criminal act’ had taken place at the mine.

Frans Baleni, NUM general secretary and IndustriALL vice-president, said:

“As the NUM, we abhor violence and call on the law enforcement agencies to act without fear or favour. It is regrettable that the escalating violence against women, in particular, seeks to reverse the gains the country made in relation to the employment of women in the mines.”

In 2012, female mineworker, Pinky Mosiane, was brutally raped and murdered while working at Anglo-American’s Khomanani Mine, also in Rustenburg.

Most acts of sexual assault and violence against women in South African mines go unreported, as the women workers are afraid of losing their jobs.

The NUM is fighting hard for the women working in a male-dominated and sexist industry. The NUM reports that although large numbers of women are now working underground, nothing has been done to make mines a safer place for women. Sexual abuse and gender-based violence in mines are still pervasive, says the NUM.

“It is very disappointing that women workers while being subjected to the evils of capitalism, face yet another challenge, that of being invaded, raped, sexually abused and killed by co-workers who are supposed to be their protectors and comrades in arms,” said Baleni. 

Australian company does the dirty on Botswana miners

Workers were ordered to stop working during the night shift at about 2.30 am on 27 February and told to move all equipment to the surface halfway. They were then assembled together with all other workers at the mine and told by DML's Chief Executive Officer, Bob Fulker, in the presence of members of the Botswana police force, that management had no authority at the mine any longer and that they must leave the mine premises, including company accommodation, immediately. Workers were not allowed to ask questions, forced onto buses by the police and abandoned in Maun, a town 90 km away. 

Workers had been under threat of dismissal because the company said it was unable to sustain its operation on surface mining alone and needed to develop an underground mine to make exploitation of the copper reserve viable. However, on 9 February the company announced that it had secured an investor for the proposed developments and the necessary finance to end its current troubles.  

Then unexpectedly at the end of February, on the explanation of being unable to negotiate credit extensions, the company opted for voluntary administration and claimed it had no more responsibility for workers at its flagship mine in Botswana.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Bostwana Mine Workers Union (BMWU) was not informed of this decision by management prior to the lockout. When BMWU officials arrived at the mine they were initially refused entry onto the premises by police and then denied access to workers by management. Three hours later management reluctantly allowed the officials to speak to the remaining workers about to board the last two buses.

This brief meeting was interrupted by Fulker and the police. BMWU President Jack Tlhagale reports,  “When Mr Fulker ended and left, the Police Commander stepped in accompanied by another officer not in uniform to tell us that he had ‘finished talking’ and would like everybody out of the company premises without further delay.”

“DML Boseto mine operates in Botswana and should be subject to Botswana laws which it has side lined completely,” says Tlhagale. “Currently, the company has violated Botswana laws and based everything on Australian law and the Botswana Police were there to enforce this flagrant disregard and violation of our laws in broad daylight.”

“The behaviour of Australian company DML is unacceptable, leaving workers stranded and BMWU to grapple with how to pursue recourse. Even more shocking is the manipulation of state forces by DML to violate worker and trade union rights,” says Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL. “We have appealed to our Australian affiliates for solidarity support and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has agreed to represent the interests of workers with the administrators. “

NUM marches against Glencore

"We are being severely provoked and undermined by Glencore’s behaviour in South Africa," says NUM National Education Secretary Ecliff Tantsi.

“Glencore claims to respect human rights, community culture, collective bargaining and the right of employees to freely choose their union, but its practice is far from its rhetoric.” 

On 21 February, 2,000 NUM members at the Optimum colliery in the Mpumalanga Province organized a peaceful march to manifest their frustration and anger at Glencore’s CEO, EXCO and Board of Directors in South Africa and abroad.

The NUM has noted with grave concern Glencore’s tendency to buy companies with the aim of closing them and keeping the mining license. 

"Glencore is maximizing profit using vulnerable contractor’s employees. This behaviour is in direct contradiction to the company’s commitment in October 2012; when the merger was approved they promised there would be no retrenchments of any of the 100 lower level employees," says Tantsi.

A new amendment bill in employment equity clearly stipulates that employees should be paid equal salary for the same job. According to the NUM, closing the Optimum Colliery is clear move by Glencore to avoid this bill.

Tantsi says:

"Glencore is not willing to be subjected to the rule of law in our country."

The NUM has given Glencore seven days to respond to its demands:

Glen Mpufane IndustriALL Director of Mining says that global solidarity is key to showing Glencore how to treat its workers:

Glencore is behaving true to its status as a commodity trader rather than a mining company. They are not in mining for the long haul, but for the short term and that short term is profit. Glencore’s experiment in South Africa must be rejected, as must its experiment at Sherwin Alimuna.

Ghana: IndustriALL members locked out at Crown Holdings

On 27 January, workers at Crown Cans Ghana Limited, specializing in the manufacturing of metal packaging for the food industry, staged a protest in front of the company gate. Management had without any preliminary notice closed the gate. The only information given was a piece of paper left at the gate saying “factory shut until further notice” and undersigned in smaller letters “management”.

For three years the ICU has encountered a number of difficulties in organizing the factory and tough resistance from management. When the union finally succeeded to organize workers, the company management in retaliation dismissed all the initial union executives.

Later, Crown Cans refused to negotiate with the ICU and announced the closure of the factory. The union submitted the case to the National Labour Commission (NLC) and as a result Crown Cans was instructed to negotiate with ICU representatives.

Eventually Management informed the union that they were ready to start negotiating but only after removing their machinery and equipment from the factory. Obviously based on previous negative experiences the ICU rejected the proposal from the company.

The NLC requested that the two parties select mediators/arbitrators to enable negotiations. The ICU complied with this proposal, but Crown Cans management refused and instead decided to bring cranes into the factory to remove the machinery and equipment.

In response to the workers resistance, Crown management requested protection from the local police from the workers. The company’s demand was rejected and instead the police advised that the company follow the due process.

In view of current situation the NLC has requested an emergency meeting between Crown Cans management and the ICU aiming to resolve the dispute.

In his letter to Crown Holdings’ CEO, Jyrki Raina, IndustriALL General Secretary exposed the facts about the workers’ rights violations at the factory in Ghana and urged the company to reopen the factory, and to start negotiations with ICU representatives in good faith.

First Quantum Minerals dismiss workers demanding healthcare access

In early January 2015, workers downed tools at Kalumbila mine at the refusal of FQM to transport a deceased worker to a mortuary. The mine is located in a remote area and workers were angered at the lack of compassion. They have demanded that the mine provide transport to a health facility for those that are ill or injured. They also want a reduction in housing rental costs as the lowest rental charged by the company amounts to over 40 per cent of the minimum wage earned by workers at the mine.

As the government has yet to appoint a Minister of Labour, the Minster of Home Affairs was tasked with an intervention to resolve the matter and a delegation visited the mine including the Labour Commissioner and trade unionists. The company assured the Minister that no workers would be disciplined after the strike and that a report would be prepared on the issues raised by workers.

However on 29 January, 14 workers were dismissed for allegedly inciting the strike. MUZ challenged the dismissals in light of the assurance given by the company and was notified on 10 February that the company had reinstated eight of the dismissed workers.

Amongst the six workers that remain dismissed is the branch chairman of MUZ, Precious Masaba. "Masaba’s dismissal is in violation of the recognition agreement we have with FQM," says MUZ General Secretary, Joseph Chewe. "We cannot accept these dismissals as they are unfair, unprocedural and harsh."

Workers have raised legitimate demands, amongst which they seek to address concerns on access to health care and housing. Given the remote location of your operation, it is vital that these concerns are immediately addressed,

said Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL in a letter to FQM.

We will be monitoring your company for violations of trade union rights and are prepared to take action at an international level should issues raised by workers at First Quantum in Zambia remain unresolved.

Union busting attempt suspected at Lesotho Johnson Controls

The unfair dismissals are on the grounds that the workers have failed to make the grade during their probation period. Yet the law in Lesotho requires that a contract must be in place with the worker stipulating the probation period which may not exceed four months. None of the dismissed workers had contracts with Johnson Controls and some had worked for the company for longer than four months.

The dismissals come after Nutex submitted demands to the company and expected to begin negotiation that would secure union recognition as well as wage increases and other benefits. Machine operators at the company earn only about USD100 a month whilst quality control workers earn more than double this.

“Workers feel that they should not be such a huge gap between the two categories of workers”, says Solong Senohe, Nutex General Secretary. “Machine operators are earning less than even a subsistence wage in Lesotho and yet without them there is no product, they at least deserve a living wage.” 

Johnson Controls employs about 600 workers in Lesotho and about 350 are union members. Senohe is concerned that the dismissals may have been an attempt to push the union below the 50 per cent plus one threshold needed for recognition. At the very least, the dismissals may intimidate the remaining workers to back off from their demands.

IndustriALL has written to management in Lesotho and urged the company to reinstate the dismissed workers immediately, recognise Nutex and negotiate with the union to address the worker demands. IndustriALL General Secretary Jyrki Raina has warned,

Our global union family includes several other unions organising in your operations across the globe. These unions can be called upon for support should the issues at Johnson Controls remain unresolved in Lesotho.

Meanwhile the General Secretary of IndustriALL affiliate the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), Irvin Jim has also sent a letter to the company drawing attention to global agreements that IndustriALL has with several auto companies that source from Johnson Controls that have committed themselves to working with suppliers and observing fair labour practices. 

"The conduct of Johnson Controls in Lesotho clearly violates the principles that we have agreed upon and we do not want you to become an agenda item at our international meetings this year to discuss the implementation of the agreements." says Jim. "In the event that this matter is not amicably resolved, we will be left with no option but to call for an international campaign against Johnson Controls. We are informing our members in Johnson Controls South Africa and the companies you are supplying here about the situation in Lesotho."

Global fight for workers’ rights continues at Crown Holdings

Some 120 workers of Crown Holdings at the company plant in Toronto, Canada, who were all once awarded a top company honour for “dedication, commitment and personal accountability”, are now in the 17th month of a strike, which began in September 2013. Workers were forced to take strike action when Crown management demanded huge concessions, including a 42 per cent pay cut for new employees and permanent lower wage scale, trying to build even bigger profits on workers’ backs.

Last summer Crown made a miserable offer to the workers. While removing the demand for a two-tier wage system, the company demanded a 30 per cent cut of all wages instead. Workers overwhelmingly rejected this proposal by 117 to 1 vote.

IndustriALL has given solid support to its affiliate United Steelworkers, USW, which has launched a special campaign “Take-Backs No More!”.

In April 2014, IndustriALL and USW organized a special protest action in Philadelphia at the Crown annual general assembly of company shareholders. Further protest actions were staged in Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, and France.

However, instead of changing its behaviour Crown announced that it wants to replace three quarters of the workforce at its Toronto plant, even if the dispute is settled. It means that striking workers will lose their jobs.

In Turkey, Crown used gaps in local legislation to avoid negotiating with the officially-recognized bargaining counterpart, IndustriALL affiliate, Birlesik Metal-Is. The company rejected good faith negotiations, and in violation of principles of freedom of association, has dismissed union activists for no good reason.

In October last year, IndustriALL  with fellow global union, IUF, wrote to Crown’s customers denouncing the company’s dishonest behaviour towards its workers.

At the end of January 2015, Crown once again showed its ugly union busting face in Ghana. Without any preliminary discussion or warning, local management locked out 42 workers who are affiliated to IndustriALL through the Industrial & Commercial Workers' Union, ICU. The workers staged protests in front of the closed factory demanding their severance packages that have been in discussion since last year and are determined to continue with protests until their claims are met.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:

Our entire 50 million strong IndustriALL family stands in firm solidarity with Crown workers in Canada, Turkey and Ghana. We are determined to escalate our global campaign against Crown Holdings and we will challenge their union busting practices by all possible means at national and international level. We will continue to raise the issue with all their board members and major customers and suppliers, and will inform the general public about every single step they take.”

Safety first? Another fatality at Rio Tinto

A worker operating an excavator next to a tailings pond on the night shift at Rio Tinto’s QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) died on January 28 when his excavator fell into the pond.

Although his colleagues immediately called an emergency line for help, the worker was not located until 17 hours after being submerged in the pond. His body was found outside the cabin of the excavator after the water from the pond was drained.

IndustriALL affiliate FISEMA represents workers at Rio Tinto in Madagascar. FISEMA is raising questions about the cause of the incident, why it took 17 hours to find the deceased worker’s body, why the worker’s body was found outside the cabin, and whether such dangerous work should be carried out at night.

This incident casts doubt on whether Rio Tinto has adequately considered safety of night shift workers as well as having in place appropriate emergency equipment and procedures. We urge Rio Tinto to work closely with FISEMA to identify the causes of this fatality and take all measures necessary to ensure this never happens again.

said IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan.

The January 2015 fatalities in Madgascar and at Rio Tinto’s minority-owned Grasberg mine in Indonesia – where 39 workers have been killed over the last two years – calls into question Rio Tinto’s often-stated claim that it puts a high value on worker safety.

“Numerous unions at Rio Tinto around the world have told IndustriALL that Rio Tinto applies health and safety procedures in an arbitrary way; pressures workers to put production before safety; disciplines workers for refusing unsafe work; and does not genuinely address workplace hazards. We demand that Rio Tinto change these practices immediately in order to live up to its safety claims,” stated Özkan.

Glencore to close Optimum Coal Mine in South Africa

The closure proposed by the mining giant would affect approximately 1,000 permanent employees and 500 contractors.
 
“The decision to close down the operations has left our members shocked as they were not given any prior notice of closure before being invited by the management yesterday afternoon to a meeting at 5 pm”, says Stanley Lebelo, NUM Highveld Regional Secretary.
 
Glencore cites difficult market conditions and a continued deterioration in the export coal price as reasons to close the mine.
 
NUM argues that the mining industry needs to move from putting profits first to emphasizing human development.
 
Stanley Lebelo continues:
“This is a catastrophe for our members and we request Glencore management to reverse this unfortunate decision and engage with its employees.
 
“The NUM will fight tooth and nail to make sure that its members are not retrenched cheaply.”
 
IndustriALL Global Union Director if Mining, Glen Mpufane, calls upon Glencore to reconsider and negotiate with the NUM to find alternative options to retrenchment:
“We are as shocked as the NUM that Glencore has decided to lay off about 1,000 jobs at its Optimum coal operations in Mpumalanga. It is sad that mineworkers are once again sacrificial lambs in the face of global market conditions, but are not invited to celebrate in booms times.”