IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the Mineworkers' Union of Zambia planned a meeting with all branch officials to discuss the issue of Precarious Work in the mining industry in Zambia, in order to raise awareness on the spreading issue.
In Zambia workers are intimidated to the extent that they work in fear of being fired at any time if seen talking about the formation a union or if they speak on the issue of precarious work, workers are in need of awareness on workers issues.
In Mali, IndustriALL Global Union affiliate La Fédération Syndical des Industries Alimentaires du Textile de l’habillement Cuirs et peaux (FSITTHCP) in partnership avec their national center la Confédérions Syndical des Travailleurs du Mali (CSTM) and it’s 14 national unions organized a mass mobilization on 9 October 2012 for the World Day for decent Work.
Over 5000 workers from sectors such as mining, food, textile, chemical and metal came together to say no to the spread of precarious work. The workers also came together in solidarity with 610 dismissed mineworkers from LTA-Mali, SA-SEMOS-SA, BCM loulou and Morila-SA.
The most urgent of the demands relate to the action of Platreef, a subsidiary of Ivanhoe Mines (Pty) Ltd, of which Rio Tinto is the majority shareholder. Communities on the land where Platreef intends to build a tailing dam, accuse the company of sidestepping community members, by engaging only with the traditional leaders, some of whom they allege have accepted bribes and another that holds a senior position at Platreef.
Platinum companies have been criticised for manipulating the system of communal land ownership, a legacy of South Arica’s past. These companies consult only with traditional leaders and avoid gaining the consent of the majority of community members, mostly rural subsistence farmers, who will be displaced or have their livelihoods threatened by the mining activities.
However protestors allege that the land where Platreef intends to construct its tailing dam, has been given directly to named community members through a post apartheid land claim and is not held in the trust of traditional leaders.
Platreef representatives were chased away by community members the week before the march when they attempted to hold a public hearing as part of the required environmental impact assessment process. Communities demand that before any mining takes place, their free prior informed consent is obtained so that they may participate in their development path.
Demands were also made to Anglo Platinum for their immediate engagement on the impact of their mining activity on those living adjacent to the mine and to address the needs and concerns of communities that have been resettled in poor quality housing, with service delivery problems and inadequate means to sustain their livelihoods.
The dismissal of President Chitambo, who is also a member of the IndustriALL Executive Committee, took place without a fair hearing and follows from the sacking of 135 workers by Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Company (ZESA) in July 2012, the subject of an on going LabourStart campaign (http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=1540).
IndustriALL reacted to this treatment of its Executive Committee member with coordinated visits to Zimbabwean embassies in Johannesburg and Geneva on 10 October. IndustriALL leadership visited the Zimbabwean Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, 10 October, to demand a meeting with Ambassador Manzou there. Numerous requests for a meeting had been ignored by the Ambassador, and he again refused to meet. See the video of General Secretary Raina insisting that the Ambassador listen to his demands for justice for ZEWU and Angeline Chitambo.
Simultaneous to the Geneva visit, a meeting took place at the Zimbabwe Embassy in Johannesburg between Mrs Florance Makombe in charge of Trade and Investment at the Embassy and IndustriALL’s regional office leadership together with affiliates NUM and NUMSA. The trade union delegation demanded that the Zimbabwe government intervene and ensure that ZESA implement the arbitration award and reinstate the dismissed workers or at least award them a fair hearing.
ZESA management alleges that Chitambo disclosed confidential information at a press conference damaging the image of the company. Assistant General Secretary of ZEWU, Mbonisi Sibanda maintains that whilst Chitambo was present at the press conference, it was other full time union leaders that spoke to journalists.
The press conference was held because ZESA refused to implement an arbitration award increasing wages saying that the company was in a precarious financial position. ZEWU had every right to publicly speak on ZESA’s financial position, given that workers have to bear the burden of this.
Whilst the charges brought against Chitambo are baseless, given her silence at the press conference, their absurdity is a clear indication of victimisation. One such charge is the allegation that Chitambo threatened to switch off the nation’s power, which ZESA says would have resulted in negative economic repercussions. Clearly the alleged threat had no negative consequence, making its inclusion as a charge against Chitambo highly questionable.
ZEWU is following the correct protocol by taking up Chitambo’s dismissal with ZESA first but is prepared to go to the labour court on this matter. “This kind of arrogance and disregard for the rule of law cannot be tolerated,” said Sibanda. “Our contention is that the President ought to be given an opportunity to be heard in a fair manner before a tribunal can come up with a verdict.”
IndustriALL affiliated energy industry unions in Southern Africa are conducting solidarity efforts through pressuring their utilities and Southern Africa Power Pool, to urge them to address this issue and other labour rights violations with ZESA.
Support the LabourStart ZEWU campaign here.
In Mauritius, IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the CMCTEU together with its affiliated Confederation the CTSP held a Mass Demonstration on Sunday 7 October. Workers and their families were invited to participate. Their slogan: “Together We Can !”.
In Mauritius Since the promulgation of two new labour legislations in February 2009 workers of the private sector have seen their acquired rights put at stake.
With the new anti-worker laws, employers can hire and fire at will. And hire again on temporary contract, workers are fired without any compensation. On contract there is no local, sick, maternity or paternity leaves. The Minister of Labour has unilaterally decided to amend the law and render it possible for employers to negotiate directly with a group of workers with view of signing Collective Agreement. The very existence of Trade Unions in the Private Sector in Mauritius is at risk.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo three IndustriALL Global Union affiliates mobilized on 6 October for the World Day for Decent Work to STOP Precarious Work.
The Fédération des Travailleurs du Textile, Habillement, Cuir et Plastic(FTTHC-PL), the Fédération des Travailleurs de l’Energie et Mines(FTEM) and the Fédération des Travailleurs de l’Energie, Pétrochimie(FTEP) came together to discuss how trade unions can come together to STOP precarious work in the DRC.
Recommendations on measures to avoid the spread of precarious work were prepared by the working group and will be sent to the government by the national center CDT
So far hearings have been held for 58 of the 135 workers suspended on 17 July by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA). 55 workers have been re-instated with pay and 3 dismissed.
Through ZEWU’s efforts, all but 2 of the remaining workers have returned to work pending the outcome of their hearings due to take place over the next 2 weeks. This has been a psychological victory for workers, boosting morale after more than two months of no work or pay.
The two remaining suspended works are ZEWU’s President, Angeline Chitambo, who is also an executive committee member of IndustriALL Global Union and National Executive Committee member Dennis Makote. They face different charges than those of other workers that were suspended.
ZEWU is concerned that their leaders will not have a fair hearing and are opposed to proposed terms of a one year gag order that will affect their ability to represent workers.
ZEWU continues to do battle with ZESA over their suspension as well as defending the 3 workers that have been dismissed.
ZEWU also has been preparing the arbitration award granting a 30 per cent wage increase that is been challenged by ZESA by the high court.
At a meeting of IndustriALL Southern Africa Energy Network held recently in Johannesburg, the union leaders resolved to continue with solidarity support to ZEWU through regional and international efforts.
Industriall affiliates in Guinea, intend to organize a major conference followed by an open debate on the growing issue of precarious work in Guinea, the Causes and the socioeconomic consequences.
“Employment via agencies, labour brokers, dispatchers and contractors is being used to wholesale replace permanent, direct employment. Its use goes way beyond any legitimate need to fill genuinely temporary vacancies,” said Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.
Massive expansion
‘The Triangular Trap’ reports that the “according to the global agency industry body, the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (Ciett) the industry’s global annual sales revenue increased from €83 billion in 1996 to €203 billion in 2009 and the number of agency workers has more than doubled over the same period.”
The defining characteristic of agency labour is a triangular relationship between the user enterprise, the agency and the worker, isolating the worker from the enterprise that effectively controls their work, their pay and their conditions so that the worker has no say in any of them and has no mechanism to negotiate improvements.
The result is agency workers typically receive lower wages than directly hired workers performing the same work and they are excluded from numerous benefits and face higher health and safety risks. Agency workers are also typically unable to join a union or bargain collectively.
“Employers all over the world are taking advantage of laws which allow them to replace their permanent workforces with agency workers in order to avoid their employment obligations,” said Raina.
Industry lobbying to increase use of agency labour
The report exposes how agencies and Ciett gloss over the negative consequences of agency work in their lobbying efforts to remove legal restrictions on agency work. In a chapter on busting the myths put forward by Ciett, The Triangular Trap cites numerous examples from workers and unions around the world who are fighting against the negative impact of agency work.
IndustriALL is launching ‘The Triangular Trap’ as part of its global campaign to stop precarious work. On October 7, the World Day for Decent Work, IndustriALL affiliates mobilized their members to take action against the spread of agency work and other forms of precarious employment.
“With ‘The Triangular Trap’ IndustriALL is sending a message to business and governments worldwide that we will not sit quietly while workers’ rights and the labour standards and protections that have been achieved through union struggle are undermined by agency work,” said Raina.
Here are some recent actions planed by IndustriALL affiliates to STOP Precarious Work:
Share your actions with IndustriALL by emailing us at [email protected] or through our STOP Precarious Work Cause page. Follow IndustriALL on twitter and tweet using the #STOPprecariouswork hashtag and IndustriALL will re-tweet your actions and photos. Posters and leaflets are available in different languages here.
IndustriALL will also be sharing affiliate actions on the ITUC’s World Day for Decent Work 2012 website. With the global economic crisis still hitting working people hard in every part of the world, trade unions around the world continue to organize mobilizations, events and activities on October 7 to demand decent jobs and full respect for workers’ rights.
IndustriALL European Trade Union is also organizing activities between 8 and 12 October, mobilizing for European industrial workers to stand up for industry as the bedrock of the European economy. Their slogan is “Bring Decency back to work! Industry – that is us”.
