H&M suppliers in India discuss effective GFA implementation

IndustriALL Global Union and H&M hosted workshops on GFA implementation in Bengaluru and Delhi on 15 and 24 October.

“The GFA helps to build mutual trust and respect between unions and employers. Effective implementation of the GFA has positive outcomes for workers as well as business, with the creation of good reputations as suppliers. The GFA also facilitates the implementation of international labour standards,”

said Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL’s textile director to H&M suppliers at Bengaluru.

There are three steps to the GFA implementation:

H&M representatives underlined the necessity of having processes in place to ensure good business and to promote India as a good sourcing market.

Suppliers were encouraged to engage with the NMC for a dialogue, to address concerns, and to promote good industrial relations in the supply chain.

Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, addressed H&M suppliers in Delhi and said:

“The GFA implementation processes, including the national monitoring committees, support factory management and unions in achieving good industrial relations. Cooperation and structures for providing conflict resolutions are some of the key features of the GFA.”

IndustriALL and H&M will provide training for both management and union representatives on employers’ responsibilities, workers’ rights and obligations, industrial relations, collective bargaining agreements and peaceful conflict resolution.

Umicore and IndustriALL renew Global Framework Agreement

The global framework agreement was first signed in 2007 and renewed in 2011 and 2015 respectively. The 2019 renewal is the third. The renewed agreement covers human rights, including collective bargaining and equal opportunities, with a new section on violence and harassment at work with a reference to the newly adopted ILO Convention 190, safe and healthy working conditions and environmental issues. The agreement also adds important provisions on due diligence in the cobalt supply chain, and digital transformation.

Both parties have undertaken to pursue the constructive dialogue they initiated in 2007 to ensure successful implementation of the agreement.

Umicore’s chief executive officer, Marc Grynberg, signed the agreement with IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches, in the presence of ILO director general Guy Ryder.

Guy Ryder praised the agreement

Guy Ryder said:

“There is an enormous amount to welcome in this agreement, and I congratulate both parties. Thank you for referencing the newest ILO Convention, 190, which was newly adopted in June. This is the first time I have seen it referenced in an official document.”

He went on to praise the agreement for its commitment to environmental sustainability and supply chain due diligence.

Marc Grynberg spoke at length about the decision Umicore had taken to clean up pollution from its hundred years of industrial operations and to ensure an ethical supply of cobalt for smartphone and electrical vehicle batteries.

Marc Grynberg

He said:

“This agreement reaffirms our commitment towards sustainability in which the engagement of all Umicore employees is vital. The dialogue with IndustriALL plays an important role in our quest to be a frontrunner in all aspects of sustainability, particularly along the supply chain of critical materials.”

Valter Sanches

Valter Sanches added:

“The global environment is very divisive. We have to seize moments like these and use them to demonstrate that having an agreement with workers’ representatives globally is an asset. Stable industrial relations give competitive advantage.

“We referenced ILO C190 because we don’t need to wait for the convention to be ratified before we take action. We are particularly pleased with the commitment to supply chain due diligence and the procurement guidelines, particularly for cobalt.”

The signed agreement

Umicore is a global materials technology and recycling group focused on clean mobility and recycling, employing 10,700 people around the world.

Making use of global agreements in the garment industry

Global fashion brands, ASOS, ESPRIT, H&M, Inditex and Tchibo, which have signed GFAs with IndustriALL Global Union, also joined the meeting on 23 and 24 September.

GFAs are becoming a stronger tool for improving labour relations in the supply chain and there was a call for IndustriALL to negotiate such agreements with more global brands.

Participants discussed how GFAs and social dialogue could be used to promote the new ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 on Violence and Harassment in the garment sector. Gender-based violence, and particularly sexual harassment, is prevalent in the industry. Most garment workers are women and many are young and migrant workers, who are not aware of their rights. They have little access to safe housing and transportation, while the fashion industry generates excessive overtime, low pay, and long working hours.  

The meeting concluded that it was urgent for trade unions and brands to promote the ratification of the new Convention. Trade unions should also push to review existing collective agreements and GFAs, to ensure they are in line with the Convention 190. 

Unions exchanged experiences on the best ways to monitor global framework agreements and there was strong support for production country trade unions to play a greater role. National unions are essential in ensuring that the GFAs are implemented in the global brands’ supplier factories.

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL director for the textile and garment industry, said:

“The increase of unionization rate in GFA supplier factories is key to enable trade unions to monitor the agreements and to ensure that workers’ rights are respected in the global garment supply chain.”

The meeting is part of IndustriALL Global Union’s programme on GFA implementation, which is supported with the assistance of the DGB Bildungswerk.  Since the beginning of the work, trade unions in Turkey and Bangladesh have organized over 50 new GFA supplier factories.

Global framework agreements are negotiated at a global level between trade unions and a multinational company. They 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.

Fiat Chrysler and CNHi must increase dialogue with unions

The annual FCA/CNHi global union network meeting on 8 and 9 July in Toronto, brought together 38 trade unionists in nine countries. FCA and CNHi’s 24 brands include Alfa Romeo, Case, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, New Holland and iron and castings supplier, Teksid.

The current transformation of the automotive industry is a huge challenge that will affect the future of auto companies and workers. The network shared the view that FCA has a responsibility to safeguard jobs and plants through forward looking investments. However, instead of strengthening dialogue, the company tends to ignore the expertise of trade unions and workers. Participants called on FCA to develop a comprehensive strategy based on close cooperation with trade unions and supported by governments, in particular when it comes to fundamental issues such as a possible merger with another OEM (e.g. Renault).

The network committed to taking immediate action to support colleagues at Teksid Hierro in Mexico. After a five-year campaign, IndustriALL affiliate, Los Mineros (SNTMMSSRM), won a trade union election at the Teksid plant in 2018 with a clear majority. Nevertheless, the company refuses to recognize the result and maintains a collective agreement with the defeated CTM union.

In April 2019, Teksid Hierro dismissed 123 workers who protested the company’s behaviour, including the entire plant leadership team of Los Mineros. The network has vowed to continue solidarity support until the company reinstates the dismissed workers and recognizes Los Mineros as the democratically elected bargaining partner.

The network resolved to approach FCA and CNHi on the importance of core ILO labour conventions in upholding basic social and trade union rights in a globalized economy, especially in relation to supply chains. In this context, it will propose to enter into negotiations for a global framework agreement with both FCA and CNHi.

Participants agreed to increase the exchange of information in the network, in particular by contributing to the database and by making active use of it. The network also agreed clear rules on the representation of women and younger generations in the network.

On the second day of the meeting, participants visited the Brampton Assembly plant where they met the Director of HR, FCA Canada, providing an example of how good relations with the North American management could work with the entire Group.

IndustriALL’s director for the auto sector, Georg Leutert, said:

“Fiat is the only European automotive company without a global forum providing for regular information and consultation between the company and trade unions. We urge the company to end this unsustainable position and to enter into dialogue.”

The group particularly thanked Canadian affiliate, Unifor, for hosting the meeting.

IndustriALL signs quality of working life agreement with Renault

The global agreement – "Building the world of work together within Groupe Renault” – was signed between Thierry Bolloré, chief executive officer of Renault, Valter Sanches, General Secretary of IndustriALL, the French trade union federations and the other trade union federations or unions represented within the group committee, and Eric Vidal, secretary of the group committee.

The agreement, signed by the ten trade union federations or unions represented in the Group Works Council, provides a basis for structuring social dialogue, both at Group and local level. It offers the possibility and encourages the launching of new initiatives, as well as finding relevant pragmatic solutions to improve employees' life at work, through the negotiation of local agreements.

 "I'm proud that Renault is signing such an innovative agreement, ensuring that our teams around the world will work in a safer, more attractive environment that respects the balance between professional and personal life." 

– Thierry Bolloré, Renault CEO

 

“New propulsion systems and digitization are massively transforming the working environment and we must prepare for this change in social terms.  This agreement allows our unions around the world to deal with these changes in a negotiated way. In particular, it provides for the development of the necessary skills for each employee, thus ensuring that today's workers are still employed tomorrow.”

– Valter Sanches, general secretary of IndustriALL

Through a sustainable approach, the new agreement addresses many aspects of life at work, and particularly those that enable employees to combine performance and well-being. 

This approach, which involves all the Group's employees, is based on five fundamental principles:

This new agreement complements the global framework agreement signed on July 2, 2013, "Committing together for sustainable growth and development". It confirms the Group's commitment to respect fundamental social rights and incorporates the Convention adopted this year by the ILO to combat violence and harassment at work. 

"The agreement puts into practice one of the conclusions of the ILO's centenary: the future of work is not written in advance, it depends on what the labour actors will do with it, particularly through social dialogue. I welcome the signatories of this agreement who are part of this voluntarist and positive perspective with regard to the challenges of labour transformation."

– Guy Ryder, director general of the ILO

"This new agreement paves the way, within the framework of local social dialogue, for concrete actions on the ground for the daily lives of Groupe Renault employees around the world. Thus, this new agreement makes it possible to reconcile economic performance for the company and social performance for Groupe Renault employees."

– Eric Vidal, group committee
 

IndustriALL renews global agreement with energy company Eni

The GFA was signed between ENI industrial relations manger, Fabrizio Sbarra, and IndustriALL, general secretary, Valter Sanches, as well as representatives of Italian affiliated unions FILCTEM-CGIL, FEMCA-CISL and UILTEC-UIL, which were co-signatories.

The renewed GFA includes improvements in its human rights due diligence process to ensure its alignment with the UN guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. 

Eni has also made a strong commitment to workers’ rights by collaborating with the ILO to produce a guide named “International Labour Standards and Eni”. It serves as a useful reference book to implement the GFA and ILO Conventions in countries where Eni is operating and which haven’t ratified fundamental conventions.

As the International Labour Conference overwhelmingly adopted a new convention to eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work on the same day as the signing, a paragraph was added to the GFA forbidding any form of violence or harassment, either sexual or based on personal and cultural diversity, without exception, and affirming that that the parties will not tolerate harassment, violence or bullying of any kind, whether inside the workplace or outside.  

The strengthened GFA puts greater emphasis on improving working conditions in supply chains, and a includes a new article on sustainable development and environmental protection in which the company commits to continue reducing the carbon intensity of its operations and investing in the development of low carbon energy products.

The GFA also includes the principle of a "Just Transition" for a meaningful transition towards economies and companies that are environmentally sustainable for all, in accordance with ILO guidelines.

Valter Sanches, General Secretary, said 

“With this renewed agreement, Eni has made a strong commitment to international labour standards and has agreed on providing a platform to negotiate with unions worldwide on the impacts of energy transition. We will be able use this global framework agreement to improve the rights and interests of our members at Eni operations across the globe.”

To support parenting, and in the frame of ILO Convention 183 on maternity protection, Eni grants 10 working days with 100 per cent of the annual salary to all the working fathers and mothers in the company. Maternity protection is essential to safeguard the health and safety of mother and child and for the equality of all women in the workforce.

Marcellino Tufo, from FILCTEM-CGIL and coordinator of the GFA said:

“We are convinced that the innovations introduced in the GFA can improve the conditions of workers and support the communities in which Eni operates. From today our task, together with IndustriALL, will be to transform what's written in the GFA into reality.”

 For the first time, a list of indicators has been added to the annex of the agreement to monitor the implementation of the agreement, as well as a dispute resolution mechanism to solve possible conflicts related to the GFA.

Patrizia Pitronaci, Head of the Uiltec-Uil international office, said:

“The ENI global agreement confirms the Italian multinational's willingness to respect standards established by the ILO. Great strides have been made and many improvements added.”

IndustriALL trade union affiliates at Eni at the GFA signing

Nora Garofalo, General Secretary of FEMCA-CISL summised:

"The renewed agreement is a model for everyone and is the result of constant dialogue between unions and the company based on shared values and principles in the field of human and labour rights.”

Eni is an integrated Italian energy company with 31,000 employees in approximately 67 countries worldwide. It is a key player in the exploration, refining and sale of petroleum products; the development and extraction of oil and natural gas; and the procurement, supply, trading and transport of natural gas, LNG, electric power, fuels and chemical products.

Stora Enso GFA committee plans sustainable future

The parties to the GFA commit to an ongoing dialogue, and will meet once every two years to monitor the implementation of the agreement in the company. The committee brings together the three global unions, plus three national unions, Paperiliitto of Finland, and Pappers and GS Facket of Sweden. The steering committee of the Stora Enso European Works Council is another important part of the committee.

Stora Enso is committed to building a sustainable company, and the GFA is an important aspect of this strategy. Their policy sees sustainability as having three interlocking areas: environmental, economic and social. The company believes that a strong ethical approach gives them a competitive edge in the market. Consumers are becoming more aware and demanding when it comes to environmental and social behaviour.

The company is at the forefront of industrial change to environmentally sustainable production based on renewable technologies. Stora Enso aspires to develop solutions to make everything that is made with fossil fuels today out of trees in the future. That includes cars, planes, plastic bottles, solar panels and even skyscrapers.

The Stora Enso management presented the committee with their ongoing work in the specific areas of safety, working conditions, ethics, responsible sourcing and overall corporate development. The committee analysed ways in which union involvement could be increased in these different areas of work, and these discussions will be ongoing.

Malin Bendz, executive vice president of human resources in Stora Enso, stated:

“The GFA is part of everything we do. It fits with our beliefs, what we try to be as a company. We have a partnership and we explore how we can work together to make us stronger.”

Tom Grinter, pulp and paper sector director at IndustriALL said:

“Stora Enso are doing a lot of things well. One priority for our union reps at the company is to improve union consultation and involvement in the various ethical initiatives that Stora Enso is doing. This company’s importance will continue to grow, and our GFA dialogue will accompany that growth.”

IndustriALL’s Executive Committee advancing workers’ rights

“An attack on one, is an attack on all,” said IndustriALL President Jörg Hofmann in his opening statement.

“We need to make sure that as many people as possible benefit from global solidarity, which we know can make a difference against global capital.”

During the two days of meeting, union leaders discussed a global response to challenges ahead, in a world where regimes attack opponents, its citizens and unions, like in Brazil and Algeria, or Colombia where Igor Diaz from Sintracarbón is receiving death threats.

Delegates listened to a testimony from USW Métallos in Canada, whose 1,000 members in Bécancour, Québec, have been locked out from work at the Alcoa plant for nearly 17 months after the company refuses to negotiate.

Volkswagen workers in, Chattanooga, Tennessee, US, are still being denied the right to join a union, which led IndustriALL to suspend a global framework agreement (GFA) for the first time.

Confronting global capital is a strategic goal and key in advancing workers’ rights. The 46 GFAs signed by IndustriALL and multinational companies are important tools in developing industrial relations on a global level, as the example of how the GFA with Solvay resolved an issue over bonuses at the company’s operations in India shows.

Currently, negotiations are ongoing with a major global auto company over an agreement on the future of work, providing an opportunity to respond to the huge transformation in the world of work and put Just Transition on the agenda. 

The ILO Global Commission on Future of Work examines how to achieve a better future work for all at a time of unprecedented change. Participants shared experiences and discussed the need for a strategy on a global level for the labour movement, as not all countries are as technologically advanced.

Acknowledging the need to exchange experiences, the Executive Committee endorsed the work to continue and:

IndustriALL’s trade union guide to a Just Transition, focusing on an implementation in the interest of the workers formed the basis for a discussion leading up to a commitment to an exchange of information and expectations to form policies on Just Transition, and making sure workers have a say on the future of their industries. 

Union building is a vital part of IndustriALL’s efforts to increase organizing and build union power. In 2018, 768 capacity building activities were held, with a staggering 23,000 participants.

The Executive Committee approved affiliations from six new unions, adding 224,000 new members, adding to the fighting power and proving that we are stronger together.

IndustriALL’s Women’s Committee is planning a Women’s Conference later this year, in November. The Executive Committee reiterated its support for an ILO Convention on gender-based violence, a convention IndustriALL is fighting for together with other global unions.

More than 100 affiliated unions have so far adopted IndustriALL's Pledge to end violence against women in the workplace, a campaign that is continuing. 

The two working groups on IndustriALL’s 3rd Congress, taking place in Cape Town in October 2020, have started preparations for bringing together union delegates from all over the world. Involvement from affiliated unions will be important for proposals on IndustriALL's action plan, priorities and structures.

IndustriALL’s Executive Committee adopted a number of solidarity resolutions:

Support for the Brazilian trade union movement
IndustriALL supports the general strike called for by the Brazilian trade union centres on 14 June, in the face of deteriorating labour legislation, social and trade union rights.

Resolution on Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea
IndustriALL is concerned about the lack of transparency in negotiations over the merger; restricting fair trade and competition is a significant threat to workers and unions along the supply chain of the shipbuilding industry.

Calling on South Korean government to stop regressive labour law revision and ratify ILO core conventions
These are basic human rights for workers, not bargaining chips for employers, and IndustriALL urges the South Korean government to show a sign of commitment.

All photos from IndustriALL Executive Committee can be found on Flickr.

Innovative union organizing strategies tackled in Philippine workshop

Union density is low in the Philippines at 7.7 per cent (in 2014). Numerous factors such as difficulty in gaining legal recognition, intervention of employers and local governments, state repression, as well as the power of global corporations, make it more difficult than ever to organize.

“I recall that during the 80s, union organizing was easy and workers even used to walk into our office asking to be organized. Today it is so different as organizers must take innovative approaches to reach out and communicate to workers, as most of them, especially those in the ecozones, are being transported from plant to drop off points far from the organizers,” said Racquel Clavillas field organizer from Associated Labor Unions for 30 years.

With the growing power of multinational corporations, unions must think of better ways to deal with those companies, making sure workers can exercise their legitimate rights and negotiate for better working conditions. Domestic firms are mostly linked to big corporations as a supplier, agent or buyer through global supply chains.

Participants addressed the knowledge and skills gap in organizing in supply chains of multinational corporations and looked at how international tools, such as global framework agreements and trade union networks, can reinforce field organizing efforts.

Unions agreed to create two new networks: a sectoral network on textile and garment and a company-specific network for Essilor, a French-based international ophthalmic optics company, which has two operations in the Philippines.

“We learned a lot of new things in this workshop. Because most global corporations are consolidating, unions also need to consolidate and use our collective power. We need to build global solidarity to counter the power of global capital,” said Manuel Mallonga, local union president of Essilor in Bataan. 

“Organizing unions and solidarity at every level is an important lesson. We are committed to building a network among Essilor unions in the Philippines, in our neighboring countries in South-East Asia, and even at the global level,” he added.

All the participants agreed and signed a declaration on building network and solidarity that defines basic principles and areas of cooperation in organizing where they can work together, as well as continuing communication and joint actions.

IndustriALL and H&M national monitoring committee established in India.

The purpose of the NMC is to develop the national short and long term plans and strategies for implementing the GFA at H&M suppliers. The monitoring committees are composed of local trade unions as well as H&M representatives.

The Indian NMC is now the sixth country-based NMC – the others are in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Turkey. The Indian NMC is the first to be composed of all women members.

The two-day meeting in Bangalore focused on building understanding of complaint resolutions and the NMC’s role in the process. Further discussions centred around the development of joint awareness training on freedom of association and collective bargaining for management and workers at H&M suppliers.  

IndustriALL NMC members, Prathibha R from Unions United, Rukmini V.P from Textile Workers Federation of India and Thilagam Ramalingam from IndustriALL South Asia office added:

‘’The formation of the NMC in India is a very important step to ensure that the GFA with H&M is implemented effectively. We look forward to having better industrial relations in all H&M suppliers.’’