Working groups pave way for new global union

Joint IMF-ICEM-ITGLWF working groups make progress on the Statutes and Action Plan for the new global union federation at the meetings on August 30-31 in Geneva.

Working groups established by the Executive Committees of the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF) took steps to finalize the Statutes and launched the discussion on an Action Plan for the new global union federation. Members representing affiliates from all five continents met on August 30-31 in Geneva.

The Statutes Working Group examined the key points agreed at a joint Executive Committee meeting in May and made some final adjustments in the draft Statutes. The new International will be governed by an Executive Committee of 60 members until 2016, after which it will be reduced to 40 members. At least 30 per cent of the members shall be women.

The Statutes foresee regional structures and offices that will implement the organization’s general policies and address matters specific to the region. There will also be 14 industrial sectors as well as sections for women and non-manual workers.

The Action Plan Group agreed on producing a short and punchy program, which will summarize the main priorities for the new global union. Some of the suggested headlines are building union power by organizing workers throughout supply chains and creating a powerful counterweight to transnational companies by uniting the workers in networks for solidarity and joint action.

Later the same week the IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF held a first joint global staff seminar in Geneva. The participants shared their experiences about the way of working of the three organizations and identified opportunities to combine strengths for more powerful action.

The Statutes and Action Plan will be discussed at the decision-making bodies of the three partner federations, including ITGLWF’s Executive Committee in September, ICEM’s Congress in November and IMF’s Central Committee in December. The final proposals are expected to be adopted at a second joint Executive Committee meeting in February 2012, to be presented to the Founding Congress in June 2012 in Copenhagen.

What name for the new international?

On 18-20 June 2012, a new global union federation will see daylight at a Founding Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

But what shall the new International be called? Now you have the chance to make a proposal.

The organization will unite 50 million workers in more than 140 countries in mining, energy, metal, chemicals, paper, rubber, building materials, textile, garment and leather industries.

It aims to connect workers, fight for labour rights and build global solidarity across entire supply chains. It will be a strong counterweight to multinational companies and promote social justice, democracy and a sustainable future in the whole world.

Such a powerful organization needs a fresh and identifiable name. Your contribution is welcome. Please send your proposal by e-mail to imf.icem.itglwf@gmail.com at the latest on 31 October 2011.

A joint Executive Committee meeting of the IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF will decide upon the name at the end of February 2012.

Fighting precarious work globally

Globalisation is not just about how things are made, bought and sold. It's also about people and their rights. Precarious work is rapidly becoming the biggest obstacle to the respect of workers’ rights worldwide. Every day, more and more workers find themselves in precarious jobs where they have no right even to join a union, let alone to bargain collectively with their employer.

On October 7, 2011 unions across the globe will participate in the World Day for Decent Work (WDDW) and will raise their voices to stop the devastating spread of precarious work, which has been identified as one of the primary focuses for action in 2011 by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). Materials and details of the campaign are on the campaign site http://www.wddw.org/. In previous years, affiliates of IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF have mobilised strongly around this date and are urged to contribute to global pressure against precarious work by participating in this year’s WDDW.

It is the effective denial of precarious workers’ rights to join a union and bargain collectively that leaves them most vulnerable to exploitation. Some precarious workers are formally excluded from the coverage of national labour legislation, while others have rights on paper, but no rights in fact because laws are not enforced. And others are too afraid to exercise their rights because they could lose their jobs at any minute.

The result is that millions of workers throughout the world and whole categories of employment are effectively being excluded from the reach of ILO Conventions 87 and 98. IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF have been pushing for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to do more both to identify exactly how precarious workers are being denied their rights to join a union and bargain collectively and to work with governments to remove those barriers.

Now the Workers’ Bureau of the ILO (ACTRAV) is inviting unions from around the world to participate in an International Workers’ Symposium which will take place at the ILO headquarters in Geneva from 4-7 October 2011. The aims of the Symposium are to:

• Examine economic and legal trends and developments in precarious work
• Discuss trade union strategies and responses
• Identify economic and social policies to combat precarious employment
• Identify innovative approaches to close regulatory gaps (through International Labour Standards).

Unions wishing to attend the Symposium should contact bodemer@ilo.org.

[PHOTO CAPTION]

Participants of the campaign against agency labour organized by IMF affiliate Russian Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers. Text on the banner reads "Temporary contract is a leash over workers' necks".

Colombian Oil Workers Fight Back Against Mass Persecution

Oil industry multinationals employ over 12,500 workers in the Meta Region of Colombia, mostly by outsourcing work to contractors. These precariously employed workers are subject to poverty wages, exhausting working hours including working 49 days consecutively, and other sub-standard working conditions, all in clear violation of Colombian law and international minimum standards.

Colombian Senator Robledo has described the workstations of the Puerto Gaitán oil fields as more like concentration camps, with overcrowded tents, water shortages, malnutrition, unhygienic sanitation, and degrading treatment. Oil contractor Pacific Rubiales conducts a public disinformation campaign in which it describes trade union USO as “armed criminals, forcing work stoppages”.

The fight back against this untenable situation began on 19 July with mass demonstrations and work stoppages in the Puerto Gaitán and Campo Rubiales installations. Protestors were met with violent police brutality. Key support and action has been supplied by ICEM affiliate Unión Sindical Obrera (USO), which traditionally has organised employees of Ecopetrol, Colombia’s listed state-owned oil company. Along with Ecopetrol, the contractors employing the Meta region oil workers are providing services for Canadian-based Pacific Rubiales, and CEPCOLSA, a subsidiary of Spanish-based CEPSA.

The explosion of mass protests moved the Colombian government, notoriously compliant in the repression of trade unions, to hold a tri-partite forum on 3 August, chaired by Vice-President Angelino Garzón. The forum created nine working groups to assess the various issues over 15 days and reach conclusions leading to a settlement of the conflict. Unfortunately and predictably not one recommendation of the 15-day working groups has been enacted. Instead unions have been hit with fierce persecution. Contractors MR, Intricon, and Medellín Electricians ended the employment of 70 workers who had been involved in the 19 July mobilisation. Another contractor Duflo SA instructed employees to cancel their union membership, under threat of dismissal.

The failure to implement any of the roundtable recommendations was met with protest from the local Puerto Gaitán community, who blocked all major roads leading into the municipality on 19 August. The local community’s discontent was then compounded when the oil companies began hiring new staff, without employing anybody locally.

The Ministry of Social Protection claims to have made 162 visits to the region, but has never met with USO or with the outsourced workers, and has only met with high level company officials on a handful of occasions. In a clear indication of the government’s allegiance, from September the administration of President Santos will deploy a military battalion to be stationed in the community, which will in fact have its military vehicles fuelled by the local multinationals.

Pacific Rubiales posted annual profits of US$218 million in 2010.

Sharp Increase in the use of Contract and Agency Labour in Textile, Garment and Leather Sectors

The initial findings from a global survey of ITGLWF affiliates show that there has been a sharp increase in the use of Contract and Agency Labour in the textile, garment and leather sectors.

In Cambodia ITGLWF affiliates the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (C.CAWDU) and the National Independent Federation Textile Union of Cambodia (NIFTUC) believe that contract and agency workers now account for 41-45% of the garment workforce. They also report that workers on short term contracts are more likely to be forced to work overtime whilst also receiving remuneration and benefits of a standard lower than their permanent colleagues.  The length of contracts has also changed dramatically in the last 12 months. Previously 6 month contracts where the most common contract length for CAL workers however this has now decreased to 3 months whilst some are as short as 1 month.

In Kenya there has been an even sharper increase in the use of contract and agency workers. In the last 12 months the Kenyan Shoe and Leather Workers Union (KSLWU) has recorded a 50% increase in the use of CAL.  Joseph Bolo, General Secretary of the KSLWU outlines the union’s reaction to these increases “The footwear sector is now using outsourced firms to provide the bulk of their employees. We are already organising with such employers and have signed recognition agreements with two firms employing about 600 employees”.

In Faisalabad, Pakistan two ITGLWF affiliates have reported a 37% increase in the use of contract labour in the last 12 months whilst in Malawi the Textile Garment Leather and Security Services Workers Union has recorded a 20% increase in the last year, nearly all of whom have been women.

In fact all respondents to date have indicated that it is women workers who make up the majority of contract workers. They also agree that contract workers are facing even greater levels of exploitation than permanent employees such as forced overtime, non-payment of the minimum wage, and no social security provision amongst other issues.

Unions have also indicated that their ability to organise workers is fundamentally undermined by employers dismissing organised contract workers or failing to renew only the contracts of union members. Added to this the industry standard of intimidation and other forms of repressing freedom of association unions report they are finding it extremely difficult to organise contract workers.

The ITGLWF is continuing to collect data from affiliates in the Americas, Asia, and Africa on the use of Contract and Agency Labour and will publish the full findings in early 2012.

Greater Unity of Democratic Unions in Mexico against Renewed Repression

In its decision of May 2011, the Mexican Tribunal for Freedom of Association reported grave violations by the Mexican government of workers’ freedom to organize unions, and denounced the intensifying climate of violence against union members. 

In August, under false premises the Mexican government ordered the detention of General Secretary Martin Esparza Flores and other leaders of the Mexican Electricians’ Union.  The employees of the Workers’ Support Center (CAT), an organization which supported the unionization of Johnson Controls in Puebla, Mexico, have been publicly charged with destabilizing the situation in that state.  In addition, no just solution has yet been achieved to the conflict of the SNTMMSRM, which is led by Napoleon Gomez and affiliated with the IMF and the ICEM.  August marked the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the strikes in Sonora, Taxco and Sombrerete, with no response from the authorities: collective contracts are not recognized and the independence of the union is not respected.

The IMF, ICEM, ITF and UNI, together with the Tri-National Union Alliance and the ITUC, stand together with the Mexican unions in their struggle, as was shown by action of unions around the world during the action week of February 2011, as well as by international union participation in the May 1^st event in Mexico. 

Also in May, the IMF organized a planning workshop attended by representatives of the international union federations and democratic unions of Mexico in order together to design union-building programs.  With regard to international solidarity, it was agreed to concentrate work on opposing the PRI-PAN bill on the regressive Labor Reform and the bill on National Security, both of which are on the agenda for the September session of the Mexican Congress.  If these reforms are passed, precarious employment will be legalized, employer protection contracts will be strengthened and it will be even more difficult to organize genuine workers’ unions. 

Given that prospect, and added to it the fact that the Government Secretariat intends to remove by September 15^th the sit-in protest which the Mexican Electricians’ Union has been holding on the Zocalo for the last 7 months, the unions have been intensifying their action and alliances to confront the new wave of repression. 

On September 1^st, the fourth anniversary of the Felipe Calderon administration, a “National Day of Outrage” was held to denounce the disastrous results of his administration for the working class.  More than 100 unions and 40,000 people participated in the Day: a rally was held in front of the Chamber of Deputies, and later moved to the Zocalo.  It demanded an end to the persecution of independent unions and reiterated the importance of building a sustainable and inclusive social model with fairness, justice and democracy. 

In Germany, Precarious Labour Spikes Even with Low Joblessness

An oddity has struck Germany: as unemployment has reached the lowest levels in decades, the number of precarious workers in low-wage temporary jobs has risen dramatically. The increase in temporary work in 2010 jumped 32.5% over the previous year, reports Germany’s Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden.

A full 75% of all recruitments in 2010 came in the temporary sector and temporary work accounted for 50% of all salaried recruitments, data that places a different light on Germany’s economic success story.

This trend has not caught Germany’s unions by surprise, with national labour centre DGB making it a priority at its May 2010 Congress to campaign for equal pay, equal rights, and fixed probation periods on temporary workers at its May 2010 Congress. Replacing permanent employees with temp workers (“Stammbelegschaft”) is regressive and Germany’s unions look upon it as wage slashing. In the metal industry alone, wages of temporary workers average €776 per month less than permanent staff.

In 2010, according the Wiesbaden Office, 7.4 million people took low-wage temporary work, or “mini-jobs”, as created by 2003 legislation with the intent that such work would lead to a full-time, permanent job. It has not as evidenced by Germany’s temporary employers’ federation predicting that double-digit jumps in temp work will occur in 2011 and beyond.

Consider: in hotel and catering work, there is one temp for each German worker in which full social contributions are paid. In trade and retail, that ratio is two to one.

One answer advocated by German unions is a cross-sector minimum wage through legislation, and tougher legislative measures to discourage all forms of precarious work. Equal pay for equal work has become a battle cry for Germany’s trade union movement and moving toward that will restore a fairer order of the labour market.

Multistakeholder negotiations led to signing of FoA agreement

Multistakeholder negotiations in Indonesia, bringing together major sportswear brands, key manufacturers and five unions – including ITGLWF affiliates SPN and Garteks – have cumulated in the signing of a protocol to protect trade union rights.

The negotiations began in November 2009 following a major Play Fair campaign and a commitment by major sportswear brands to engage country-by-country with trade unions in order to agree concrete steps to bring about improvements to working conditions in the industry.

The protocol, signed on 7^th June, addresses the fact that unions in Indonesia’s garment and footwear sectors are frequently denied the time and space they need to carry out their duties. The protocol outlaws all forms of anti-union discrimination and requires that a CBA, where none exist, be negotiated within six months. The agreement provides for the release of union officials from work duties in order to carry out their union activities; requires provision of adequate office, meeting and notice board space; gives unions the freedom to distribute information without interference; and commits signatory factories to facilitate a check-off system for collecting union dues.

Initial signatories comprised multinational brands Adidas, Nike and Puma, their key suppliers, and five Indonesian unions including SPN and Garteks. Playfair 2012 launched an action, exactly one year before the London Olympics, to encourage additional brands to commit to the protocol. The action was well supported and since then Pentland – owners of the Speedo brand, Asics and New Balance have agreed to sign the protocol.

Although implementation is in the embryonic stages, some steps have been taken to socialise the protocol. Adidas have held workshops for their 58 Indonesian suppliers to inform them about the protocol and encourage them to agree to its provisions, and Nike have promised that all of their suppliers will know about the protocol by the end of October. ITGLWF affiliate Garteks reports that the protocol has opened the door for them to negotiate a CBA and they have also seen their membership increase in that factory.

The ITGLWF is urging all garment and footwear brands sourcing from Indonesia to sign the protocol.

Chile: Mineworkers’ Unity in Times of High Mineral Prices

In Chile, a recent strike by union members of Sindicato No. 1 Escondida of Chile’s Federation of Miners (FMC) at the world’s largest copper mine galvanized mining unions across the South American country like never before. In unprecedented solidarity, mineworkers’ unions of the private-sector FMC and those at state-run Codelco, the Federation of Workers of Cobre (FTC), are uniting to lay claim to a bigger portion of the world’s copper profits for all Chileans.

Recent joint meetings of the federations have discussed how companies circumvent labour laws and collective agreement conventions at the expense of mineworkers, and how natural resources are exploited to the detriment of Chile’s national character. Unions are also united – at the private-sector multinationals to the Cobres at Codelco – resist privatisation of Codelco.

Another testament to FMC and FTC unity is at a time when Chile’s ministries are eager to meet with them, the federations insist that such meetings will not happen until leaders of the federations meet first.

The labour-management match in Chile happens at a time of soaring demand and high prices for Chile’s main export, copper. The same demand and volatile pricing of the red metal worldwide has created a “Together We Can” cry that says Chile’s mineworkers believe unified action can affect the country for the better.

Much was made of the fact that on a single day – 30 July – 10% of the world’s copper production stopped when FMC miners at Doña Inés Collahuasi (AngloAmerican and Xstrata) joined a strike by Sindicato No. 1 at Minera Escondida Ltd. (BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto) in a display of simple unity. Although grievances reflected separate sets of negligent circumstances at the two mining complexes, the unity of purpose was clear.

FMC President Cristián Arancibia said that workers are hearing a national calling, that unions of his federation feel a responsibility to the people and communities of mining regions. He said agreement has been reached with the FTC that mineworkers will not be “accomplices to Chile’s resources sold away for foreign investment.”

This very specifically is FMC recognition that Codelco is chipping away at FTC’s membership in order to partially privatise the world’s largest copper company.

On 30 July, union branches of the FTC supported the symbolic strike of the two FMC branches. Now with common understanding that tripartite dialogue will occur over Chile’s export revenues, the unity, decisiveness, and single voice of FMC and FTC will ensure that all Chileans have a stake in copper. 

European Trade Federations Demand Economic Liquidity for Job Creation

Similarly to integration on the global level, European industrial union federations are integrating for greater strength and more social power. As part of that, EMCEF, EMF, and ETUF-TCL issued a recent common and joint position on the Eurobonds debate aimed at the European Central Bank and the Council of the European Union.

General Secretaries Michael Wolters (EMCEF), Ulrich Eckelmann (EMF) and Luc Triangle (ETUF-TCL) warned banks again could be the nemesis of the real economy and the fight over Eurobonds must be put on hold while action is focused on supplying the real economy with liquidity instead.

The three federations said creation of a Eurobond market is no guarantee that banks will make necessary industrial investments with an economic environment that still allows speculation and opportunism to exist. This bodes badly for small- and medium-sized industrial enterprises, in particular, and lack of investment here could be a deathknell.

“The recovery of industry – and hence millions of jobs – is seriously threatened,” stated the three federations. “It is foolish and short-sighted to exclusively focus on austerity measures despite the need to discuss budget consolidations and develop a fair framework for responsible governance.

Advocating the Financial Transaction Tax as a start, EMCEF, EMF, and ETUF-TCL said “sustainable investments are required to secure the stability of the real economy.” Necessary investments can be made by European Union future investment bonds which must be limited in time, related to specific projects, and financed by levies placed on the capital of wealthy speculators that caused the financial crisis in the first place.

Common efforts input to workers’ safety at ArcelorMittal

The ArcelorMittal Health and Safety Committee, created in June 2008 in a common effort by the company and unions to improve safety in ArcelorMittal, issued its first report of activities on August 15, “Together for safety”. The number of fatalities has declined since 2008, but remains unacceptably high in the company.

GLOBAL: In June 2008 ArcelorMittal management and unions signed an agreement to create a Joint Health and Safety Committee to address the high number of fatalities in the company’s units. The Committee is composed of representatives of the IMF, the EMF, United Steelworkers, CNM-CUT, a mining area representative, and company H&S representatives.

On August 15, 2011, the Joint Global Health and Safety Committee launched its first report, concluding it has had a positive impact on the number of fatalities, which it ascribes to good workplace cooperation between trade unions and management.

Since its inception, the Committee has created local H&S committees and made site visits in priority company sites in Kazakhstan, Brazil, Mexico, Czech Republic, Romania, South Africa, USA, Argentina and Ukraine. During these visits, local union members and management met with Committee members to review the local safety situation and develop an H&S action plan. The Committee has then arranged follow-up visits.

The Committee concludes that it has had a positive impact on the number of accidents in the workplace, especially fatalities, and helped reduce risk faced by workers. It has also helped to improve communication and cooperation between unions and management, locally and globally.

The Committee however also notes an increase in the number of fatalities in the last year – from 36 in 2009 to 41 in 2010, which is considered to be unacceptably high by both unions and management.

There remain issues of dispute between unions and management. The company has publicised a set of “Golden Rules” for safety and associated actions, including penalties for violations, while unions fear that this violations policy will impede safety by dissuading workers to report about minor accidents and near misses, thereby creating a lazy safety management culture.

There is also joint criticism of inconsistent responses to requests for H&S training, and a deficient H&S dialogue at some business units and work sites.

The parties remain committed to the Committee’s work, and see the joint report and accompanying union and management statements as evidence for a working dialogue and commitment to building a positive workplace culture.

The report, Together for safety, has been issued in English, and will be published also in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

For further details, contact Joint Committee co-chair Rob Johnston at rjohnston@imfmetal.org.