IndustriALL and PSI renew global agreement with EDF

The extension was also signed by representatives of 15 trade unions, representing EDF workers around the world, from France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Belgium, and China. The agreement applies to all EDF operations worldwide, covering over 160,000 workers in 24 countries.

The GFA was first negotiated and signed in 2005 and renewed in 2009. Another round of negotiations took place in 2018. Trade union representatives chose an extension of the current GFA instead of initiating a renegotiation process. The parties reached a consensus that the current global agreement contains good language and that the focus should be on implementation at workplaces around the world rather than renegotiation, particularly during a moment when the threat of restructuring the EDF group remains present.

Some of the important clauses that are included in the GFA are:

The GFA offers an opportunity for IndustriALL and PSI affiliates to collectively take full advantage of its provisions to build power, to defend members’ rights and conditions, while promoting quality public services. Affiliates with membership in EDF operations, subsidiaries and subcontractors worldwide are invited to maintain close contact from all regions to ensure that the content of this agreement is fully implemented and respected.

Atle Hoie, IndustriALL general secretary, said:

 “Global framework agreements give us the possibility of being aware of workers’ labour conditions around the world in multinational companies. They also help us to solve conflicts and anticipate the challenges for them. With this extension we will continue focusing on key aspects like due diligence and Just Transition within EDF.”

Rosa Pavanelli, PSI general secretary, said:

“The expiry of any agreement provides an opportunity to reflect on its contents and implementation. We have good GFA with EDF. We need to focus on a full and coordinated implementation of this global agreement from the bottom up.”

The agreement is monitored by a Dialogue Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CDRS). CDRS secretary Roland Van Puyenbroeck said:

“All of the members of the global coordinating committee are looking forward to giving continuity to this important work.”

EDF (Électricité de France)  is a French multinational energy company, largely owned by the French state. The company is active in electricity generation and distribution, power plant design, construction and dismantling and energy trading. EDF maintains operations in nuclear power, hydropower, marine energies, wind power, solar energy, biomass, geothermal energy and fossil-fired energy.

Image of the EDF tower in Paris CC by Falcon Photography

IndustriALL and Daimler sign innovative global agreement

The renewed agreement, ‘Principles of Social Responsibility and Human Rights’, was signed by Daimler corporate management, the Daimler World Employee Committee and IndustriALL Global Union on 1 September.

Key aspects of the agreement include:

Valter Sanches, a former Daimler worker who also served on the World Employee Committee (WEC) and on  Daimler supervisory board, says:

“I am particularly grateful that we have renewed this agreement with improvements, as I participated as WEC member in negotiations of the original GFA, signed in 2002 with the International Metalworkers Federation. Daimler was among the pioneering companies to sign a GFA. The agreement contains a number of innovative points, like on the role and the protection of human rights defenders and whistleblowers, as well as the importance of data protection and the use of artificial intelligence, underlining that the digital world has to remain under human control. It has also a strong language related to business partners and suppliers to follow the same principles.

“The commitment to training and lifelong learning is key to prevent the risk that a significant number of workers are left behind as the automotive industry is going through a profound transformation. The agreement sets a playfield for unions and management to promote a Just Transition to ensure that there is a fair chance for everybody to manage the challenges of today and of tomorrow.”

IndustriALL and Anglo American set framework for global dialogue

Anglo American recognizes IndustriALL as global counterpart and pledges its commitments for ILO fundamental rights at work and puts in place mechanisms to ensure a permanent monitoring of workers’ effective access to these fundamental rights.

The global dialogue mechanism will take place at least twice a year.

Among other things, the global dialogue mechanism provides for:

Says Anglo American CEO, Mark Cutifiani:

“The last year has again reminded us of the value of collaboration across the mining industry. As economies reopen and we transition towards a lower carbon future, dialogue with our employees and their representatives has never been more important. I therefore very much welcome the chance to continue the dialogue we have with IndustriALL and look forward to further productive cooperation.”

Today’s signature is the culmination of a process that began at the height of the commodities crises when workers across the mining industry were losing their jobs. and protests and strikes characterized industrial relations. Covid-19 brought another testing period for the mining industry but also proved an opportunity for further dialogue and collaboration between the two parties.

Says IndustriALL general secretary, Valter Sanches:

“This memorandum of understanding is ground-breaking for the mining industry and provides open channels between us and Anglo American in order to improve conflict resolution processes. The commitment goes beyond effective access to fundamental rights at work and extends to health and safety, managing the introduction of new technologies and a Just transition for coal miners and the communities around Anglo American’s operations.”

Anglo American is the world's largest producer of platinum, with around 40 per cent of world output, as well as a major producer of diamonds, copper, nickel, iron ore, and metallurgical and thermal coal with 90,000 employees. 

 
 
 

IndustriALL and Renault sign first global agreement on telework in the industry

Although telework is nothing new, the pandemic has changed our lives and the way we work forever. For over a year, this has been the predominant way of work for many white-collar workers. The OECD estimates that around a fourth of the formal jobs are being performed remotely with a prediction that it can reach over 40 per cent very soon. This icreases the need to regulate telework through legislation and collective bargaining.

The global framework agreement (GFA), signed in 2013 with Renault, was complemented by a second GFA on the quality of working life in 2019. The agreement is called “Building the world of work together at Renault Group” and was called precedent-setting as it was the first global agreement to address the transformation in the world of work.

The GFA already contained a chapter on remote working, but as the world of work is rapidly changing, not least due to the Covid-19 pandemic, IndustriALL and Renault agreed to reinforce the principles and values.

“The pandemic has forced a significant part of the workforce to work remotely, and it is of utmost importance to ensure workers' rights are well protected. This agreement with Renault is an important milestone as it sets high global standards and offers a framework for national/local bargaining. We will address other companies about this subject in the hope they will follow this good example,”

says IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches.

The groundbreaking agreement specifies the conditions under which remote working can be carried out within the Renault Group. Among other things, it addresses:

In addition, the addendum promotes and encourages negotiations of local and national agreements at Renault to capture national laws and regulations and other items that are specific to a certain location/country.

The signing of the global agreement with Renault coincides with IndustriALL opening a consultation process with sector co-chairs for guidelines on remote work. Once the consultation process is finalized, the guidelines will be made available to all affiliates.

Building union power at Stellantis, Morocco

The auto industry in Morocco is booming and its supply chain widening fast with the arrival of new players from across the world. With its 135,000-strong workforce, the industry has become primary export sector and plays a pivotal role in the country’s development.

The Stellantis plant in Kenitra comes out of a major investment by French auto giant PSA in recent years. Since 2019 the workforce has grown to 3,000 employees, and there are plans to make it the largest automotive operation in Morocco.

Often unions face difficulties in organizing and operating in the special economic zones (SEZ) as employers try to keep them out. UMT reached a first major breakthrough in 2012, when organizing the Renault factory in the Tanger SEZ. In both the case of Renault and that of Stellantis, the global framework agreements IndustriALL has signed with the car manufacturers, together with global solidarity, played important roles.

 

There was a first meeting between the PSA management in Morocco and the unions in 2018, during the IndustriALL MENA auto network meeting in Casablanca.

UMT general secretary Miloudi Moukharik says:

"This success is the result of our continuous work to strengthen union work in the relatively new industries in Morocco, including aerospace and automotive, where large numbers of multinational companies and their supply chains operate. International solidarity from IndustriALL has been important. We are prioritizing a fruitful dialogue with the company with the aim of developing a collective agreement that promotes stability and cooperation between the union and the management.”

After years of groundwork, UMT Kenitra leaders and young union leaders who have been trained within the framework of the IndustriALL youth programme, have played an active role in organizing at the factory.

At a crucial moment of wining the recognition, the new union successfully organized a general assembly with the participation of 300 workers, as more members joined the union. Trainings for the new union members are expected to start next month. 

“Organizing workers at Stellantis is an important step forward and the result of many years of work with the support from  union building programmes, global framework agreements and company networks.

“IndustriALL will continue to support UMT’s efforts for the establishment of a national metal federation, bringing together the auto and wiring, electronics and ICT, steel and aerospace sectors,”

says Ahmed Kamel, MENA regional secretary.

“Throughout the organizing drive in Morocco we had no doubts that PSA management would honour the fundamental rights of freedom of association,”

says IndustriALL automotive director, Georg Leutert.

Stellantis N.V. was formed in January 2021, through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA. IndustriALL is currently in preliminary talks with the new company regarding continued transnational social dialogue and the application of fundamental labour rights.

IndustriALL and ASOS join forces for the recovery of the global garment industry

In a move to minimize the impacts of the global Covid-19 crisis on the garment industry, IndustriALL and ASOS now reaffirm and strengthen their commitments to work together with suppliers through a joint statement with number of actions.

Cooperation has been integral to supporting the global garment manufacturing industry since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. For ASOS and IndustriALL, this collaboration has taken place both bilaterally and in multi-stakeholder initiatives, on both a global and a national level, like the multi-stakeholder initiative of the International Labour Organization Call to Action in the Global Garment Industry (CtA).

Through a new statement signed in February 2021, ASOS and IndustriALL express their commitment to contribute to the economic recovery of the garment industry and the security of workers.

Among other things, the action points in the statement aim to:

“This joint statement with clear points of action is an important step in the recovery plan for the global garment industry. It expresses the mutual commitment for respect of unions, while protecting jobs and income of workers along the supply chain.

“We also call on other international and national stakeholders to commit to this goal and contribute to the global economic and social recovery,”

says IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches.

“Freedom of association, collective bargaining, and strengthened industrial relations are fundamental enablers of improved conditions for workers in the global supply chain. We’re proud to be renewing our partnership with IndustriALL Global Union and reiterating our long-term commitment to work together to contribute to the security of garment workers around the world,”

says ASOS CEO, Nick Beighton.

The statement builds on a long-standing partnership between ASOS and IndustriALL, established through the Global Framework Agreement signed in 2017.

Union wins reinstatement of 1,257 workers in India

After the first Covid-19 lockdown, garment producer Gokaldas Exports, based in the Indian state of Karnataka, used the pandemic as an excuse to break the union at its Euro Clothing Company 2 (ECC-2) factory. It began removing machinery on 30 May, and on 8 June, it shut the factory and fired all 1,257 workers. The firing was illegal under Indian federal labour law.

Gokaldas has more than 20 production units. However, ECC-2 was the only one that was unionized, with about 900 workers belonging to IndustriALL Global Union affiliate GATWU and its federation Unions United. ECC-2 produces clothing for European brands. At the time, the factory was fulfilling orders for H&M, its main client. Gokaldas claimed that H&M order cancellations were the reason for shutting the factory. H&M disputed this, saying that it had paid for all clothing produced.

Before and after shutting the factory, managers engaged in an aggressive union busting campaign. This included travelling to workers’ home villages to threaten them. The workers did not back down: they launched a sit-in at the factory as soon as the closure was announced, which continued for 50 days and resulted in the workers receiving pay that was owed to them.

IndustriALL first wrote to the company on 9 June. IndustriALL has a global framework agreement (GFA) with H&M that guarantees freedom of association in the company’s supply chains. Violations are monitored by a National Monitoring Committee. Gokaldas initially refused to meet with the committee, and later refused to engage in the conciliation process.

A solidarity demonstration in Vienna

IndustriALL launched an international campaign, which included a Global Day of Action on 4 September. The case received widespread media attention and support from the Worker Rights Consortium who put pressure on American brands such as GAP and Columbia. H&M, in compliance with the GFA, announced its intention to stop ordering from Gokaldas if the company failed to respect freedom of association.

Workers sent solidarity from around the world – Bangladesh

In India, GATWU kept up the pressure on the company. The resolution of the union paid off, and on 1 February 2021, Gokaldas Exports signed a memorandum of understanding with GATWU, their national centre NTUI and IndustriALL.

The most important points of the agreement are:

  1. All 1,257 workers who were employed when the factory shut will be offered work if they apply before 15 March 2021.
  2. ECC-2 will remain shut, but workers will be offered employment in two other factories.
  3. The company will provide transport to the factories.
  4. GATWU will be recognized as the sole bargaining agent for three years in any factory where they have more than 20 per cent membership.

Padma, a worker at ECC-2 and a key union activist said:

“We always knew that after such a powerful struggle we would win back all 1,257 jobs. This is because of the sustained struggle of all the workers and of GATWU, NTUI and IndustriALL.”

Nagamma, a worker at ECC-2, said:

“We fought because all we have is our jobs to keep us alive. All workers should learn from this and join a union. It is only through strong unions that you can fight such big companies.”

GATWU president Prathibha R said,

“It was the determination of the union and its members, along with international solidarity, that ensured that an agreement like this, which has never been seen before, can be signed. GATWU will continue to organize garment workers and build its strength”.

IndustriALL General secretary Valter Sanches, said:

“This is a tremendous victory for GATWU against almost impossible odds. Against a backdrop of a global pandemic that has resulted in economic carnage and lost jobs, GATWU won workers’ jobs back, as well as a recognition agreement that it will use to expand its coverage at the company. The courage and determination of the workers is an inspiration to us all.

“This victory also shows the importance of our global framework agreements. Combined with a strong campaign on the ground and international solidarity, they provide the leverage that leads to victory. I would like to thank all our affiliates around the world that engaged in the solidarity actions.”

The general secretary of the NTUI, Gautam Mody, added:

“This is what union power is about – a united and militant membership makes for strong union, a strong national centre and a strong global union. The solidarity and support we received was incredible. That kept the spirits up.  IndustriALL really proved what a fighting global union can achieve.”

Workers sent solidarity from around the world – Iraq

Workers sent solidarity from around the world

 

Workers sent solidarity from around the world

Nagamma, a worker at ECC-2, said:

“We fought because all we have is our jobs to keep us alive. All workers should learn from this and join a union. It is only through strong unions that you can fight such big companies.”

GATWU president Prathibha R said,

“It was the determination of the union and its members, along with international solidarity, that ensured that an agreement like this, which has never been seen before, can be signed. GATWU will continue to organize garment workers and build its strength”.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches, said:

“This is a tremendous victory for GATWU against almost impossible odds. Against a backdrop of a global pandemic that has resulted in economic carnage and lost jobs, GATWU won workers’ jobs back, as well as a recognition agreement that it will use to expand its coverage at the company. The courage and determination of the workers is an inspiration to us all.

“This victory also shows the importance of our global framework agreements. Combined with a strong campaign on the ground and international solidarity, they provide the leverage that leads to victory. I would like to thank all our affiliates around the world that engaged in the solidarity actions.”

The general secretary of the NTUI, Gautam Mody, added:

“This is what union power is about – a united and militant membership makes for strong union, a strong national centre and a strong global union. The solidarity and support we received was incredible. That kept the spirits up.  IndustriALL really proved what a fighting global union can achieve.”

Workers sent solidarity from around the world – Iraq

IndustriALL signs framework agreement with TK Elevator

IndustriALL already had a framework agreement with thyssenkrupp concluded in 2015. So, following the separation, it was only logical to take the old agreement and adapt in the new company. This was also the safest way to grant a seamless validity of core labour standards for this new group. Thanks to the strong and consolidated position of IG Metall, the works councils of the company and IndustriALL Global Union, the first ever Global Framework Agreement has been concluded in the lifts and escalators sector. IndustriALL Global Union proposes that other multinational corporations in the sector should follow this example.

Similarly to the previous agreement the ILO core labour standards made the basis of the text of the new agreement, but while designing the new agreement, several changes were made, namely:

Susanne Herberger
Chairperson of the TK Elevator Group Works Council and one of the signatories of the GFA:

"With this new Global Framework Agreement, we have created a centralized complaints institution at TK Elevator for its more than 50,000 employees worldwide. Here, each and every employee can lodge a complaint if fundamental workers' rights are violated. For us as works council and trade unionists, it was particularly important to keep this culture we built with thyssenkrupp also with the new owner of TK Elevator. TK Elevator thus commits to remain a fair and respectful employer for all colleagues.”

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary, comments:

“The new agreement is an important step. For the first time, one of the big six companies in the sector guarantees the adherence to the ILO core standards worldwide. This is a milestone for all production and maintenance employees in the sector. The work for IndustriALL and its affiliates has just begun: now this new global framework agreement needs to be invigorated through real social dialogue at a global level, involving the representative unions in all countries where the company operates.”

Jörg Hofmann, IG Metall and IndustriALL Global Union president said:

"The corona pandemic has led to an increase in global inequality. With the global framework agreement of thyssenkrupp Elevator GmbH we are sending a signal for the defence of workers' rights, that are more needed than ever, especially in times of crisis. We have also succeeded in establishing health and safety committees. The internal reporting system and an international committee ensure monitoring and implementation”.

Turkish unions unite to build power in auto industry

Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are constitutional rights in Turkey, but trade union activities face many barriers. The road to organizing and achieving union recognition is riddled with hurdles. Turkey is regularly criticized by the ILO and the EU for failing to ensure that fundamental workers’ rights are respected.

To that end, IndustriALL organized a workshop on building union power through global framework agreements (GFAs) and other developing instruments for regulating supply chains in the automotive sector in Turkey, bringing together the three affiliates in the country’s metal sector.

GFAs serve to protect the interests of workers across a multinational company’s operations. GFAs put in place the very best standards of trade union rights, health, safety and environmental practices, and quality of work principles across a company's global operations, regardless of whether those standards exist in an individual country. IndustriALL has GFAs with Renault, MAN, Daimler, Volkswagen and Ford, all of which have major operations in Turkey.

“Because of the systemic violations of fundamental labour rights in Turkey, we as a global union have a responsibility to tell the world about. We must make sure multinational companies are aware and can act on the information,”

said IndustriALL auto director Georg Leutert.

“We need to make sure that workers’ voices play a more prominent role in the due diligence process of multinational companies. Trade unions must be recognized as their primary source of information.”

The Turkish union leaders shared their challenges, experiences and cases of conflict in the automotive supply chain.

“We face serious difficulties when we organize and as a union, it is important to preserve and further strengthen our rights. We need support, and international solidarity is crucial for us,“

said Yunus Degirmenci,  Özçelik-İş president, mentioning the union busting at Sampa.

Türk Metal’s president Pevrul Kavlak reiterated the problems unions face when organizing.

“Even when we have the majority in the workplace and the right to organize, the employer can still take us to court. This happens regularly, which makes it almost impossible to organize workplaces.  We all know we can’t fight on our own; we need to unite.”

Adnan Serdaroğlu, Birleşik Metal-İş president, underlined the need for unity:

“Faced with a government that pass anti-labour laws, union busting and layoffs of workers who protest against violations, it is clear that we don’t have the luxury of disagreeing with one another. We must join forces to win.”

Representatives from car manufacturers Volkswagen, MAN and Mercedes joined the workshop and told participants about how they ensure sustainability and respect for workers’ rights in their supply chains.

Philipp Bleckmann from VW said that the German company requires all suppliers to guarantee freedom of association, labour and health protection and non-discrimination. With tens of thousands of suppliers and sub-suppliers Volkswagen performs a high number of audits worldwide and keep a database with self-assessments.

Mustafa Iskifoğlu from MAN Turkey talked about the need to have a dialogue before problems arise, and to that end the company has a charter signed by both the union and the employer.

Yiğit Özgünel, Mercedes-Benz Turkey, explained how their intervention played a role in unionization efforts by Türk Metal at their supplier Bodo Bode in the city of Bursa.

Meeting participants recognized the need for and importance of global solidarity. Forced to protect the basic right of unions, the international movement must be strong. Solidarity support for Turkish autoworkers was offered from US union UAW, organizing Ford workers, as well as from French unions FGMM-CFDT and FTM-CGT, IG Metall, Germany, and FIM-CISL, Italy.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, stressed the need to build union power in Turkey’s automotive sector.

“We have come together at a critical time when the entire supply chain is affected by Covid-19. This workshop is a good and important starting point; the next steps involve mapping, workshops, transnational organizing.

“Industrial relations in Turkey are complicated, but by building union power and showing international solidarity, we have the strength to fight for a new system.”

Developing a global trade union battery supply chain strategy

Battery power is rapidly becoming essential to our daily lives as society becomes increasingly digitally connected with electrical and electronics devices with electric vehicles being the main driver. The battery supply chain is complex and ranges from precarious and extremely dangerous artisanal mining to well organized auto manufacturing.

IndustriALL represents workers along the entire battery supply chain, with the exception of the business that is taking place in China, and is involved in the due diligence processes to secure workers’ rights and organize workers.

The demand for critical raw materials for the low carbon energy transition batteries, cobalt, lithium, copper and nickel, etc. will likely follow the same upstream demand side (mining) narrative of human rights’ violations and unacceptable environmental consequences: child labour, destruction of the living environment of indigenous peoples, ecological destruction, water shortage etc.

 

Andy Leyland from Benchmark Minerals discussed the risk that the quest for cheaper electric vehicles and the batteries used will lead to a race to the bottom, where the workers at the bottom of the supply chain will be the worst off in terms of wages and working conditions.

Moreover, he illustrated that the costs for batteries – against all market expectations – are likely to go up as the demand for the required raw materials will grow faster than new mining capacities can be created.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Atle Høie said that drawing from the experiences from the work in the garment supply chain, working with a cross-sectorial along the battery supply chain opens the opportunity for a comprehensive and sustainable supply chain strategy.

“This will improve the effectiveness of due diligence processes, the enforcement of workers’ and human rights and the promotion of decent working conditions. The further down you get along the supply chain, there are more unorganized workers and substandard wages and working conditions. We need to examine our leverage in the higher end of the supply chain in order to put pressure on the companies operating in the lower parts of the supply chain.”

Speaking at the webinar, Aimee Boulanger, executive director of IRMA, the initiative for responsible mining, welcomed the membership of German automaker BMW earlier this year. She mentioned that other auto makers (the day after the workshop Daimler joined IRMA as a new member) could potentially follow BMW’s lead and join IRMA, underscoring the importance of supply chain due diligence in the global battery supply chain.

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director, described the importance of the sector for the low carbon energy transition and how the emergence of supply chain due diligence requirements in procurement could be a powerful tool to improve the performance of the sector in ESG (environment, social and governance), with a particular emphasis on workers’ rights.

Kan Matsuzaki, director ICT, electrical and electronics, explained that 80 per cent of the electric vehicle battery output is manufactured by six suppliers from China, Japan, and Korea.

“These major manufacturers are now investing outside of China, where IndustriALL’s unions are active, like in Germany, UK, USA and Eastern Europe. It is important to set up concrete organizing strategies for this rapidly expanding industry.”

Diana Junquera, energy industry director, mentioned that all the large electricity multinationals are investing in the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), as a way to accumulate and use unconsumed electricity from the grid. Oil companies are installing electric recharging points for electrical vehicles as well.

“IndustriALL represent workers in these companies and even has global framework agreements with some of them. This is why we can reach all parts of the supply chain to ensure decent working conditions for the workers.”

Armelle Seby, gender coordinator, said:

“It is important to develop a gender responsive approach addressing existing gender-based inequalities and violence along the battery supply chain. Integrating such an approach in due diligence processes limits a negative impact on women’s rights, and also brings systematic changes to discriminatory power structures.”

Georg Leutert, automotive industry director, pointed to the fact that automotive manufacturers had to shoulder an important part of the responsibility regarding socially responsible business conduct in battery supply chains. He also mentioned that auto unions are hoping for the creation of a maximum of jobs to compensate for the losses in traditional engine and transmissions plants.

“There is still a lot of movement in the make or buy decisions regarding batteries. And this is not only about insourcing the cell manufacturing but some companies are even becoming active in purchasing the raw materials themselves.”

Tom Grinter, chemical sector director outlined the main contribution by chemical workers to this supply chain. With materials, technologies, and research, chemical companies are heavily investing into this growing business. Three companies were highlighted that are both important players in the industry, and strongly organised by IndustriALL affiliates around the world, BASF, Solvay, and Umicore.

IndustriALL has applied for funding for a project starting in January 2021 on the battery supply chain across the industrial sectors. In a pilot project IndustriALL intends to collaborate with companies, NGOs and other associations to find out how such an approach can help to genuinely improve the situation workers along the entire battery supply chain.

“We have to use all resources to ensure that workers’ rights are upheld in the entire supply chain and pressure for more transparency,”

said Atle Høie.