Striking workers vote down a meagre proposal of Bombardier

Members of Unifor Local 1075 went on strike on 14 July 2014 in response to Bombardier’s demands for deep concessions. The recent offer was put to a vote at the request of the company in accordance with provincial legislation offering such an option at each bargaining round. 80 per cent of the workers voted against the offer.

Commenting on the results of the vote Jerry Dias, Unifor National President said, “These workers have shown incredible resolve and determination in their struggle to maintain good jobs for today and for future generations.”

“These results send a clear message to Bombardier that the membership of this union supports its bargaining team, which has consistently told the company that it cannot accept the demanded concessions," added Diaz.

If accepted the proposal would have meant large cuts in benefits for current workers and retirees, while offering a wage increase of less than one per cent over three years and denying the current defined benefit pension plan to those hired after 31 May 2014. Those hired in 2011 would have received no retiree benefits, and would have got a one-time payment of 350 CAD (245 EUR). More than half of the workers would have been affected by this concession.

Unifor Local 1075 President Dominic Pasqualino said there are better ways for the company to save money if it needs to do so. "Working with the union, the company can eliminate so many wasteful practices that there would be enough savings to both increase the company profits and continue to fund our modest pension," Pasqualino added.

Don’t criminalize the right to strike in Spain, IndustriALL demands

The eight workers who are members of IndustriALL affiliates, FI-CC.OO and MCA-UGT, were arrested after demonstrating outside the Airbus factory in Getafe, Madrid which employs more than 2,000 people in manufacturing aircraft parts.

After protracted court proceedings, the union members are set to stand trial imminently, with the prosecution recommending they are each sentenced to eight years and three months in prison.

“The prosecution’s demand for such a grossly excessive prison term is totally out of proportion to the charges and marks a dangerous step towards the criminalization of the right to strike in Spain,” says Jyrki Raina, General Secretary at IndustriALL. “Not only is it an affront to democracy, it is also unprecedented in the post-Franco era.”

IndustriALL has written to the Attorney General in Spain denouncing the false accusations and extreme sentencing orders against the workers, who were exercising their legitimate right to demonstrate in front of the Airbus factory.

The letter also urges Spanish authorities to give up their policy of violating workers’ rights and to end the repression of democratic freedoms.

“We demand justice for the eight workers who were demonstrating in defense of the working class against the casualization of labour and industrial relations; unemployment; welfare cuts; and the abolition of labour rights,” writes Raina.

FI-CC.OO and MCA-UGT believe the false accusations are part of a wider campaign by Spanish authorities against trade union organizations.

IndustriALL together with FI-CC.OO and MCA-UGT, also questions why judicial proceedings have been solely focused on persecuting unionists without taking into account the abusive and illegal actions of the police on 29 September 2010, who opened fire on demonstrators wounding dozens of people.

Airbus refuses to respect workers' rights in Tunisia

On 29 April, IndustriALL affiliate the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), representing the workers of Latélec, demonstrated in front of the French Embassy in Tunis to demand the respect of trade union rights at Latélec.

On 15 April, five workers were dismissed illegally; three of them were active union representatives. "We want to keep our work without losing our dignity," said Sonia Jebali Secretary General of the UGTT company union at SEA Latelec Fouchana.

SEA Latélec relocated part of the production from France to Fouchana in the suburbs of Tunis in 2005. Since 2010, the workers got organized and ever since have been exposed to systematic anti-union repression including layoffs, attempted bribery, insults, abusive sanctions, isolation, sexist remarks and death threats.

When the workers refused to bow their heads, the French managers imposed a lockout for a month in September 2012 and the temporary transfer of production to France. 200 temporary jobs were lost between October 2012 and April 2013 and 200 more will be made before the end of the year.

The company now threatens to leave Tunisia as it refuses to obey Tunisian labour laws and to allow any trade union activity in the plant. 

Strengthening unity in IndustriALL in Asia

The metalworker unions were gathered together for the 6th Asian Metalworkers’ Liaison Conference (AMLC) on 22 to 23 April in Singapore to share their experiences and discus priority issues and union activities in the region.

Koichiro Nishihara, president of the Japanese Council of Metalworkers (JCM), executive committee member of IndustriALL Global Union and chairperson of IndustriALL in the Asia Pacific region, insisted that the metalworkers’ unions have an important role of extending solidarity using the platform of the newly created IndustriALL Global Union. The meeting then heard and discussed reports from the countries of the region, examining the priorities and challenges in each of the respective countries.

During a plenary discussion on organizing and union building in the region, all the participants agreed on the importance of active involvement by IndustriALL and its affiliates for supporting union building activities i Burma (Myanmar) in cooperation and coordination with the activities of other Global Union Federations and non-governmental organizations.

The meeting shared experiences of concrete actions on strengthening unity among unions at the national level, such as the historic two days general strike in India on 20 to 21 February and the regular meetings and efforts being made by the Japanese affiliates to develop a consensus based on the IndustriALL Action Plan and its future activities.

Improving minimum wages in many countries in Asia Pacific was also discussed. The past experiences of the Japanese affiliates suggests that a substantial improvement in minimum wages and standards of living requires a level playing field among countries in Asia so as to avoid the negative effects such as the transfer of employment to low wage countries.

In Thailand, TEAM has established a call center to provide advice on minimum wages when issues arise between labour and management and the union has been monitoring compliance with minimum wage requirements by the companies present in Thailand.

The AMLC, organized and sponsored by JCM, is not an IndustriALL decision-making body, however it plays an important role in building solidarity among metalworker unions in Asia Pacific and complements the regional activities of IndustriALL Global Union. The conference confirmed that AMLC will continue during the transitional period of IndustriALL until 2016. Meanwhile JCM will discuss the possibility of promoting joint meetings and cooperation with other Japanese affiliates (UA Zensen and IndustriALL JAF) who are conducting similar activities in Asia Pacific.

The next AMLC is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in mid-April 2014.

Global supply chain alliance set to build union power

The Components to Carriers initiative, led by the ITF and its global union partner IndustriALL Global Union, will provide unions with the opportunity to share best practice, foster solidarity action and develop joint strategies to help build union power. It will also enable activists to map union strength in strategic locations and collect intelligence on global corporations and shifts in the supply chain.

Representatives from the ITF’s ground staff committee and civil aviation section and IndustriALL’s aerospace section meeting have recognized the potential of connecting groups of workers across the aeronautical industry. They are leading the Components to Carriers work through a joint ITF/IndustriALL working group.

The alliance will involve unionists representing a range of specific areas – from aircraft manufacturing and logistics to maintenance, repair and overhaul operations.

ITF organizing globally coordinator Ingo Marowsky said, “Connections between unions representing different types of workers are vital if we want to influence the global supply chain. It’s important that we understand the ‘big picture’ and get ahead of the game.”

Rob Johnston, IndustriALL Executive Director responsible for Aerospace, said, “Our new alliance will be a powerful force for change and bring together workers in vitally important sectors.”

For further information and details of how to get involved visit:

http://www.itfglobal.org/civil-aviation/components-to-carriers.cfm

Eliminate violence against women

The day is designated in memory of three political activists in the Dominican Republican – the Mirabal sisters – who were brutally assassinated by the regime of dictator Rafael Trujillo on 25 November 1960.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women also marks 25 November to 10 December, to emphasize the connection between women, violence and human rights, which encompasses 25 November, the 1 December World Aids Day, the Montreal Massacre of 6 December 1989, when 14 female engineering students were gunned down in Canada for being feminists, and 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Violence against women is an act that results in or may result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women. Violence against women can occur in private, such as in the home, or in public. These forms of violence can be rape, domestic violence, trafficking, forced prostitution, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, an arm of warfare and murder, inexorably linked to the problem of HIV-AIDS and gravely impacting on women’s rights. Prevention activities need to take place alongside efforts to reduce violence against women and girls. These programs must address the interconnection between gender and socioeconomic inequality and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Gender-based violence is due to the pervasive system of injustice that perpetuates the dominance of men and the subordination of women and is the most glaring example of gender inequality. Gender-based violence adversely affects the world of work. It is described by many as the world’s worst human rights violation. At least one in three women worldwide are estimated to have been forced to have sex, physically beaten or otherwise abused. Apart from the human suffering, there is an economic efficiency argument to eliminating violence against women. Due to life-long discrimination and job stereotyping, most women work in low-paid and low-status jobs with little control or decision-making power or scope for bargaining. They are over-represented in atypical and precarious jobs which are risk factors for gender-based violence including sexual harassment and sexual abuse. Moreover workplace violence can take the form of bullying and mobbing.

The economic crisis is likely to have exacerbated violence against women. Women’s situation is more precarious and thus more vulnerable, which increases the likelihood of violence.

The interplay between domestic violence and gender-based violence at work has become increasingly clear. The victim may even be stalked by the abuser at work, with all the ramifications that this would have for the other employees. The poor job performance by the person concerned affects the whole workplace and decreases everyone’s productivity. The victim suffers from low self-esteem and stops interacting with the outside world. Absenteeism goes up, poor staff relations ensue.

A recent UK study estimates that domestic violence costs the economy 2.7 billion pounds (4.2 billion USD) a year in reduced productivity, lost wages and sick pay. In the United States in 2011 The Novartis Pharmaceuticals Company was found liable in one of the biggest-ever sexual harassment and discrimination cases and ordered to pay 3.3 million USD in compensation and 250 million USD in damages to 5,600 women who were also entitled to seek additional awards of up to 0.3 million USD each.

Unions in male-dominated industries should lead the campaign to stop violence against women. Partnership between women and men must be fostered in order to create an environment which nurtures peace and development. Unions should fight gender-based violence through collective action of men portraying this as a sign of strength and not of weakness. Working with men to eliminate violence against women will be a giant step on the way to gender equality.

Many countries have passed stronger laws to tackle the problem of violence against women. There are a number of regional treaties that have enshrined laws to stop the violence. Nevertheless the workplace itself can be a platform for the prevention of violence. Collective bargaining can be a basis for tackling violence. Equality agreements which provide for transfers and monetary compensation for victims of domestic violence are one more tool.

STOP Precarious Work mobilization, October 2012

Affiliates from all regions and representing all the industries that make up IndustriALL have recognized precarious work as a common threat to workers’ rights throughout the world that must be resisted. The mobilization around October 7 was significant as the first occasion that IndustriALL affiliates have united globally in a common action.

Affiliate actions
Altogether, 150 affiliates from 46 countries reported taking part in what was a truly global action. Workers took to the streets in Burkina Faso, Colombia, Guinea, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan , Mali, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Thailand and many other countries. Affiliates reported on actions which varied from distribution of campaign materials in workplaces and thematic conferences to demands on government, flash mobs, public hearings and mass mobilisations in marches and rallies.

The full list of affiliate actions plus many inspiring photos can be seen on the IndustriALL website, as well as on Flickr. The photos show unionists around the world mobilizing under the IndustriALL banner. The poster and leaflet created for the campaign were translated into more than 14 languages and were widely used by affiliates to send a strong message to governments, employers and the public that unions are united in their opposition to precarious work. News of the actions was carried on Facebook and Twitter and A STOP Precarious Work Cause page on Facebook was supported by over 1700 people.

Reflecting the spirit of unity in which IndustriALL was founded, affiliates in a number of countries came together in joint actions under the banner of IndustriALL. Many affiliates were also able to influence their national centres to take up the fight against precarious work for their actions on the World Day for Decent Work, further strengthening the IndustriALL campaign. Affiliates also reported significant success in gaining national media coverage of their actions.

‘The Triangular Trap’
On October 2, IndustriALL released ‘The Triangular Trap: Unions take action against agency labour’ as part of the campaign. This report attacks the massive expansion of employment via agencies, labour brokers, dispatchers and contractors and the wholesale replacement of permanent, direct employment. It exposes the lobbying efforts of the global agency industry body Ciett to remove legal restrictions on agency work, and draws heavily on the experiences of IndustriALL affiliates.

Unions have started using “The Triangular Trap” to inform their members and the public of this global threat to workers’ rights, and to strengthen their demands on government and employers. It is available in English, French, Spanish and Turkish on the IndustriALL website, or in hard copy on request.

Workers invade streets in London

As part of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) organized campaign against austerity, more than 150,000 people came to London to rally for A Future That Works calling for an end to the government's programme of damaging and self-defeating austerity. Thousands more marched in Glasgow and Belfast.
 
Time and again the participating unions, including IndustriALL Global Union UK affiliate Unite, claim the austerity measures are the worst possible response of the government towards the crisis and are paving a dire future for ordinary people.
 
Speaking to the participants of the march Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey said that with living standards already crumbling people simply will not be able to cope with further punishment from the government. The unions in the UK are concerned by the fact that some 90 per cent of cuts have yet to be imposed by the ruling coalition.
 
“People are already borrowing hundreds of pounds to get by each month. We know – and the government knows full well – that millions of low waged workers are just about keeping their heads above water,” said McCluskey.

He continued, “There is not a shred of economic evidence to support this austerity addiction but plenty to warn about the dire outcomes for ordinary people. Failure to think again is not just heartless, but a senseless assault on our country’s stability.”
 
 

Workers must come first in proposed EADS and BAE merger

IndustriALL Global Union is calling for an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the merger for workers in both companies.

The proposed merger is suggested as good for business but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good for the workforce and the countries where they operate. Eliminating the fear of workers will assist in a faster integration of the two companies should the merger proceed.

The new company would have a workforce of over 200,000 and annual sales of over 57 billion GBP. Although both companies have a presence in similar markets there are also areas that are unique to each such as EADS Space Division.

As both companies have a considerable defense portfolio a lot of attention has been focused on the implications and issues of national interest. Although this attention is warranted what’s likely to have an equally important impact is the companies’ industrial strategy post merger.

In order for unions to support the merger management must first eliminate fear among workers and develop a transparent and inclusive process. Unions in both companies have been developing strategies in response to the announcement and IndustriALL has a central role in coordinating these efforts globally.

Rob Johnston, Executive Director of IndustriALL Global Union and responsible for Aerospace argues, “A merger of this nature needs careful consideration. Both companies provide thousands of highly skilled jobs we can’t afford to gamble with these. We need to ensure the checks and balances are in place to protect employment and that a well thought out business plan exists should the merger take place.”

Critical to unions is transparency throughout the merger process and the ability to influence the company’s future plans. Since the announcement of the merger most commentary has focused on the economic case. Little attention has focused on the industrial strategy and the management’s business plan in particular the case for jobs.

Unions in both EADS and BAE Systems have been loudest in raising this question. To date an answer has not been provided and that’s why unions are seeking a greater involvement in the merger process. IndustriALL will coordinate these efforts at the global level engaging unions across the world and developing a common platform among unions.

Making the case for jobs and employment is a vitally important element to the success or failure of the proposed merger. Developing new tools that will up-skill an already highly skilled workforce should form an integral part of any new business model. The result of the merger must not be a weaker but larger company, but a company focused on developing and retaining a highly skilled workforce to secure its success.

IndustriALL strategy takes off in the Aerospace sector

It’s incredible to consider that somewhere in the world an aircraft powered by a Rolls Royce, General Electric or Pratt & Whitney engine takes off every two and half seconds. It is even more incredible when the millions of high-skilled jobs that are directly related to an airplane are considered and the millions of more jobs that are created by all of the related industries that have been developed by the aerospace industry.

One common theme among all the major engine manufacturers is the amazing contribution of trade unions to the success of the industry. Workers in the aerospace sector are at the cutting edge of technology. With demand for commercial aircraft ramping up, forecasts predict that 27,000 new large civil airliners will be needed by 2030.

 Unions believe that employers and government need to take a long-term vision and invest in developing the industry by first creating an environment that implements fundamental human rights—like the right of workers to form their own unions and engage in collective bargaining. IndustriALL believes that governments should encourage employers to create partnerships with trade unions to ensure that everyone benefits from the growing and vibrant aerospace industry.

Tom Buffenbarger, President of the IndustriALL Aerospace Section notes, “the future for the world’s economic prosperity lies in the strength of the world’s aerospace industry and the strength of the world’s aerospace industry depends on strong labor unions.” The next generation of aerospace workers  must be fully integrated into the industry to ensure the development of the new technologies, ideas and skills that have always been present in this great industry.

Much of the growth predicted is set to occur in the Asia Pacific where 33 per cent of world traffic is expected to take place by 2030.  China, which has targeted the aerospace industry, has yet to recognize fundamental human rights for its workers. As a result, its continuing growth in the industry presents a sizeable challenge for workers not only in China who do not enjoy basic rights, but also workers outside of China.

In response IndustriALL is developing a global strategy through its aerospace steering committee that will offer affiliates a  common vision for stronger labour unions that will contribute to the global aerospace industry.  Among many items, the committee formed a global alliance of the world’s aerospace unions two years ago and will be strengthening these alliance efforts. Other strategies include, coordination with other GUFs like the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) on projects like the current examination of new trends in the industry such as the growth of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) agreements.

These agreements started in the mid 90’s as the aero-engine manufacturers embarked in a strategy to capture the maintenance value in an engine as part of the product life cycle. The industry is estimated to be worth 46 billion USD and forecast to grow by 4 per cent over the coming decade.

The challenge for unions is to ensure that this growth sector is organized and that the traditional maintenance carried out by union members in many airlines is not outsourced as a cost cutting measure to undermine workers terms and conditions in the airlines. As the end user and customer it’s also important for aviation workers and unions to support aerospace workers in conflict.

In order to achieve this aim IndustriALL has been working closely with the ITF and the outcomes of this work will be published later this year. In the coming year, the aerospace section will also be developing many other action-oriented projects involving innovative approaches to better representing IndustriALL’s affiliates in this essential and vibrant industry.