IndustriALL renews GFA with Mizuno

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:

“I truly appreciate the full cooperation provided by UA Zensen and Mizuno Workers’ Union in the support for monitoring the issues that arise throughout Mizuno’s operations and its supply chain globally.

“Access language and the integration of a strong dispute resolution mechanism, including a provision on binding arbitration, have been incorporated in the renewed GFA. We welcome that Mizuno shares our view that these are important points.”

Mizuno is the first Japanese multinational company to sign a global framework agreement (GFA) with IndustriALL. The GFA includes commitments to implement minimum standards of workers’ rights throughout Mizuno’s factories globally, as well as at its suppliers in several countries throughout Asia.

Mizuno Corporation says on the renewed agreement:

"We will continuously cooperate with all the parties to ensure proper application of the international labour standards in the global supply chain of Mizuno Corporation."

The previous GFA, was signed by one of IndustriALL’s founding organizations, International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF), dates from 2011. Over the experience from implementing the GFA, Mizuno and IndustriALL have worked together to improve the GFA that was signed on 1 October. 

Mizuno Workers’ Union says:

“We will continue to work together for better working environment so that people who are involved with Mizuno Group around the world can have comfortable life.”

“UA ZENSEN will extend its support to continuous cooperation among four signatories for workers’ rights and decent work in supply chain of Mizuno Corporation under the renewed GFA,”

says UA ZENSEN.

Mizuno produces sport related goods like clothing, golf clubs, and athletic shoes.

Photos: IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches signs the GFA; Matsuura-San, UA Zensen, signs the GFA.

Mizuno

Mizuno mainly produces sport related goods such as sport clothing, golf clubs, and athletic shoes among others.

Agreement renewed: 1 October 2020

Other signatories: UA Zensen, Mizuno Workers’ Union, Japan

South Asia unions prioritize social protection, health and workers’ rights

As countries in South Asia experience a prolonged Covid-19 lockdown and containment measures, affiliates reporte job losses and increasing retrenchment of hundreds and thousands of workers.

Large numbers of precarious workers have lost their jobs, and many have not been paid at all or have received reduced wages during lockdown. The devastating impact of job losses are evident in the garment and textile, home-based work and informal sectors, where the majority of workers are women.

Lacking effective social protection, workers and people in the region are facing a humanitarian crisis. While governments have announced relief measures, large numbers of people have not received them. IndustriALL affiliates are involved in mobilizing resources, working with local social organizations and providing relief by distributing cooked food and food grains.

As lockdown measures have eased and factories resume operations, workers are gradually returning to work. Most workplaces cannot provide space for physical distancing and pose an enhanced health and safety risk. Large numbers of workers and their families face the risk of Covid-19 infection every day.

Unplanned stoppages and restarting industrial operations have led to a large number of accidents in India.

Many provincial governments in India have used Covid-19 as an excuse to announce anti-worker labour law changes. Labour law changes are also proposed in Sri Lanka. Retrenchment and lay off rules have not been followed and millions of workers across the region have not received their legally due compensation.

Collective bargaining agreements have not been implemented. Implementation of IndustriALL’s global framework agreements, particularly in the garment and textile sector have faced stiff challenges during this period.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, says:

“Covid-19 has caused unprecedented misery and despair and a dialogue with union representatives in the policymaking process is crucial. The increasing attacks on workers’ rights particularly in India and Sri Lanka are deplorable. The democratic decision-making process and unity among working people at all levels are central for protecting workers’ interests and a just future.

“IndustriALL will intensify the strategic efforts to strengthen solidarity support for our affiliates. We are working together with other global unions towards just economic and industrial polices, including universal social protection and ensuring the right to health and safety at the workplaces be considered a fundamental workers’ right.”

Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, says:

“These online events were used to seek input from our affiliates and plan activities that will protect workers’ rights against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, strengthen union power, support affiliates’ actions on sustainable trade and industrial policies.”

The meetings to discuss national union actions and South Asia strategic plan started on 1 September with Sri Lankan affiliates, continued on 2 September with Bangladesh and Nepal, and subsequently Pakistan and India affiliates on 3 and 4 September respectively.

Photo from IndustriALL rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 2017, together with affiliated unions from all over the world.

Global unions welcome ENGIE’s commitment to cover Covid-19 related health care and social security for employees

Given the urgency to ensure social security coverage to all ENGIE employees in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, ENGIE has approached the global union federations to make parts of ENGIE CARE immediately effective.

“We welcome this initiative from our global framework agreement partner in the face of the pandemic. Workers are paying a high price and we urge ENGIE to make it accessible to workers all over the world,”

says Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary.

“Austerity policies have forced many governments to cut public funding in social security and other public services. ENGIE’s commitment to ensure a common social protection base to its workers worldwide is a commendable contribution to complement the state provision, where existing, and to provide support where workers have no protection. But it also highlights the need for governments to invest in public social protection systems to alleviate the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis and to ease the recovery of the economy,”

says Rosa Pavanelli, PSI general secretary.

“As partners in the negotiations for a new International Framework Agreement, we are jointly committed to the protection and promotion of workers’ rights around the world. BWI therefore welcomes ENGIE’s pro-active response to mitigate the negative impact of Covid-19 to all its workers. This highlights the importance of recognizing collective bargaining at all appropriate levels with trade unions to identify threats to workers’ health, rights and welfare, and to develop and implement workplace responses,”

says Ambet Yuson, BWI general secretary.

ENGIE, IndustriALL, Public Services International (PSI) and Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) remain committed to the continuation of their dialogue and to the negotiations on the global framework agreement that will resume as soon as conditions allow.

The new ENGIE GFA will include the company’s commitment to guarantee a common social protection base in terms of parenthood, health, disability and death throughout its world operations for all employees, implemented via the ENGIE CARE programme.

40 Brazilian companies call for a no-layoffs pledge

The aim of the "Não demita!" (No layoffs!) initiative is to promote corporate social responsibility. They are urging other companies to pledge to keep on all of their workers during the first two months of the coronavirus crisis in order to prevent, or at least minimize, a possible economic and social meltdown.

The companies are urging for other options during this exceptional period before shutting down operations and conducting mass layoffs. Companies needed to look after their employees, who depend on their wages. It is up to companies to ensure their supply chains are intact and that factories are operational.

They called on business leaders to comply with the workplace health and safety measures recommended by the World Health Organization and Brazil’s Ministry of health, for example providing a safe work environment where workers can maintain the recommended physical distance.

They also called on financially solid companies to support local communities, as local entrepreneurs have an important role to play.

At least seven of the 40 companies involved operate in sectors represented by IndustriALL Global Union, including:

IndustriALL's general secretary, Valter Sanches, recently wrote to 50 companies with which IndustriALL has global framework agreements with, calling for cooperation with unions to protect the health, safety, jobs and wages during the coronavirus pandemic.

Sanches welcomes the initiative by Brazilian companies and encourages companies in other countries to follow:

"Workers will need to have jobs, wages and spending power in order to take us out of the economic crisis as quickly as possible. This is the type of commitment we would like to see from companies all around the world."

Using global framework agreements to organize

IndustriALL textile and garment director Christina Hajagos-Clausen says that the agreements contain a wide range of provisions to improve working conditions and to protect workers’ rights, especially on freedom of association:

"GFAs are instrumental in resolving conflicts and strengthening workers’ voices. In addition they are a instrumental tool for our affiliates to  increase union representation along the supply chain."

On 29 January, 36 trade union representatives from Indonesia’s textile and garment sector met in Jakarta to learn more about how to effectively implement global framework agreements.

Participants committed to continue mapping trade union density and collective bargaining coverage in the supplier factories of GFA brands, like H&M, Inditex, Tchibo, Esprit and Mizuno.

The results of a preliminary mapping, had identified that Garteks, SPN, FSPTK, GSBI and FSPTSK had established unions at 38 out of the 106 GFA suppliers in Indonesia. The union leaders discussed organizing plans to target the remaining non-unionized suppliers.
 

“The GFAs have evolved over the years, the latest features include setting up national monitoring committees in 6 countries with H&M, the establishment of a global union committee with Inditex and a GFA online app with ASOS. Trainings like this can help our Indonesian affiliates to increase union representation,”

says Christina Hajagos-Clausen.

According to SPN and Garteks, when textile and garment employers became aware of workers attempting to form a trade union, the union leaders were immediately demoted and refused approval for their overtime.

“It is not easy to overcome anti-union discrimination as authorities are slow in taking actions against employers violating labour laws. GFAs will be a useful instrument to negotiate with factories and organize more workers,”

says Trisnur Priyanto, Garteks general secretary.

IndustriALL’s regional secretary Annie Adviento says the GFA workshop aims to enhance union leaders’ knowledge on the agreements, and more trainings will be provided to strengthen Indonesian affiliates’ capacity to organize textile and garment workers.

IndustriALL and Michelin sign agreement for global works council

On 27 January 2020, Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary, and Florent Menegaux, CEO of Michelin Group, signed an agreement to set up the Michelin Global Works Council.

For Michelin Group, the agreement signed with IndustriALL is a milestone in a process launched several years ago aimed at fostering open, constructive and responsible social dialogue in its operations around the world.

The Global Works Council was created to fulfil the following aims:

The Council will therefore have the following missions:

The Michelin Global Works Council will be chaired by Michelin Group's general secretary Remi de Verdilhac. Fifty council members will be appointed during the month of February in order to properly prepare for the council's first meeting, scheduled to take place on 1 April this year in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

With this agreement, Michelin recognizes the importance of the fundamental conventions of the ILO, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The Group pledges to support and respect human rights and to develop a culture of vigilance on this matter. In particular, Michelin commits to comply with the principles of freedom of association and employee representation, and to protect the rights of employees and union representatives.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches says:

"Global works councils are a strategic way of involving multinational companies in our action plan. Michelin is a leader in its sector, and the Global Works Council is another step in the process of enhancing industrial relations within the Group."

Michelin Group's CEO, Florent Menegaux, says that:

"The Michelin Global Works Council will allow us to go further when it comes to fostering social dialogue and supporting workers as the company evolves. It will also help us to improve working conditions and strengthen the rights of our workers around the world."

IndustriALL renews global agreement with Siemens Gamesa

The new agreement, signed on 25 November, covers 23,000 Siemens Gamesa workers around the world and strengthens the company’s commitment to human rights, the environment and sustainable jobs.

Siemens Gamesa CEO, Markus Tacke, and Valter Sanches general secretary, IndustriALL

The new GFA includes some important improvements from the original agreement signed with Gamesa in 2015. These include:

IndustriALL, trade union representatives and management at Siemens Gamesa group will jointly oversee the effective implementation of the agreement, and a series of local committees will be set up to allow for this process.

“We are pleased that today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we have signed a strengthened agreement with Siemens Gamesa that includes respect for ILO Convention 190 on ending violence and harassment at work, before it has even been ratified by Spain,” said Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary. He added:

“In a first test of the agreement, as the Siemens Gamesa goes through restructuring in Europe, we expect the company to carry it out in a socially responsible manner and in negotiation with the respective trade unions.”

Under the agreement, Siemens Gamesa promises to adhere to UN core human rights as well as fundamental labour conventions concerning freedom of association and collective bargaining, forced labour, child labour and exploitation, and discrimination.

The group also treats unions positively and commits to constructively cooperate with workers and their representatives.

Siemens Wind Power and Gamesa concluded the merger of their wind power businesses in April 2017 providing onshore and offshore services. The united company is based in Zamudio, Spain, and has a presence in over 90 countries.

The 2019 GFA was signed by Siemens Gamesa CEO, Markus Tacke, and Valter Sanches from IndustriALL Global Union.

IndustriALL and Inditex create a global union committee

IndustriALL general secretary, Valter Sanches, and Inditex executive chairman, Pablo Isla, today renewed the global framework agreement (GFA) at the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland. The signing ceremony was attended by the ILO's deputy director-general for field operations & partnerships, Moussa Oumarou.

The new agreement contains provisions for a global union committee to exchange best practices in promoting the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.

The committee will be made up of union representatives from Inditex's six main production clusters around the world and representatives from IndustriALL Spanish affiliates Comisiones Obreras and UGT.

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary, says:

“This agreement improves the preconditions for real change in working conditions, as an instrument for empowering our affiliated unions, providing them with a new tool to gain bargaining power.” 

Through the global union committee, local union representatives will participate more directly in how the GFA is applied and have the chance to receive advice from union experts, as was stipulated in the expansion of the agreement agreed upon in 2016.

One of the key aspects of the agreement is the establishment of joint training policies and programmes that involve the workers at Inditex factories and suppliers, in order to make progress on the promotion of social dialogue and workplace equality, among other things.

“The agreement reinforces Inditex' firm conviction that the joint work of the various garment industry stakeholders is key to spreading best social and environmental practices throughout the value chain,”

says Pablo Isla.

Global dialogue gains traction in Berlin

Speaking at the opening, IndustriALL’s general secretary, Valter Sanches, said:

“We decided to hold this conference here in Berlin because Germany, which has the fourth largest economy in the world, is successful due to its system of codetermination and respect for labour relations. It stands as a model for all the other countries.”

Addressing the conference, Björn Böhning, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, said that strong social dialogue needs strong unions behind it, especially as the world faces new challenges from digitalization and climate change. He called for respect for international institutions to achieve progress.

The conference, which is the first of its kind, addressed major themes including constructive industrial relations, global framework agreements, and managing global supply chains.

Mirko Herberg, from German organization, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, which supported the conference, said:

“We want to look at workers not as cost factors but as citizens with inalienable human rights, and they have the right to enjoy those rights at work. Smart companies involve workers in decision-making, particularly when we look at the current challenges we have to face in terms of digital transformation.”

Representatives from companies Eni, H&M, Inditex, Renault, Solvay all took part in panel discussions which were streamed live on IndustriALL’s Facebook page.

Renault Group, which has 183,000 employees all over the world, entered into a global framework agreement with IndustriALL in 2013.  Renault’s head of industrial relations, Miguel Valcarcel, said it was natural to enter into a GFA as the company became less European and French-centred:

“You realise local legislation, working conditions and social dialogue practices in other countries and regions are very different. The company needs a stable environment to do business…The GFA creates the conditions to share best practices. It gives the opportunity to anticipate when we have problems or conflicts when we have to intervene.”

However, Tracy Romero from UAW in North America, painted a different picture. She said anti-union avoidance firms that have been hired by companies such as Volkswagen and Nissan in the USA aggressively undermined their unionizing efforts which, combined with government interference, are undermining freedom of association, human rights and labour standards.

The conference brought together MNCs and unions in Berlin.

Elsewhere in the world, participants heard how GFAs with fashion brands, H&M and Inditex, are helping to improve freedom of association, unionization and labour rights in their supply chains.

Assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan, said:  

“This groundbreaking conference showed the benefit of constructive labour relations to the sustainability of companies, and as a means to improve working conditions and the fundamental rights of workers. We have deepened our mutual understanding and remain committed to social dialogue to improve the lives of workers.”