Radio Labour:  International Labour News, Bringing Labour's Voices to the World

LabourStart Solidarity Campaigns

• Violations of Trade Union Rights...annual worldwide survey by the International Trade Union Confederation
• Clean Clothes Campaign...urgent action network
• Working to End Sweatshops in Australia and Overseas...Fair Wear
• Walmart Workers Alliance...Union Network International Americas
• We Expect Better...from Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile
• Quality Public Services--Action Now!...Council of Global Unions
• Decent Work...a web movie available in 29 languages, a three minute overview of the concept of decent work...International Labor Organization
• Campaign for Decent Work...towards and beyond the World Cup 2014
• Alberta Federation of Labour Project 2012...100 years of struggle and solidarity
• Play Fair 2012...campaigning for a sweat free Olympics
• US Labor Education in the Americas Project...campaigns and urgent actions
• Stop the War on Workers...International Brotherhood of Teamsters
• Fight for a Fair Economy...Service Employees International Union
• Stand With Wisconsin...American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
• One Day Longer...UNITE HERE
• Workers Committee for Blood Safety...keep blood drives safe
• Making Change at Walmart...United Food and Commercial Workers

ILO Labor Standards

The International Labor Organization (ILO) labor standards take the form of International Labor Conventions which are ratified by member countries. Of the total number of ILO Conventions, eight are considered core labor standards, fundamental to the rights of workers

European Trade Union Confederation Press Conference - European Day of Action on 29 February 2012

The Electrical Workers' Complaint Will be Considered in U.S. and Canada

Trade Union Leader From Oil Industry and Wife Assassinated in Colombia

01/20/2012 - Colombia: UNI Global Union was saddened to learn of the brutal assassination of Colombian oil worker and union leader Mauricio Redondo and his wife Janeth Ordoñez. On behalf of all its members around the world UNI sends its condolences to Redondo and Ordoñez's family and Redondo's union Unión Sindical Obrera (USO). The parents of five young children, Redondo and Ordoñez were murdered in their home on January 17. Redondo worked for PEI Energy, which is controlled by Colombia's state-run oil company Ecopetrol. He attended a regional petroleum forum in his home region just four days before he was killed. UNI is calling on the Colombian government bring those responsible for Redondo and Ordoñez's murders to justice. UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings and UNI Americas Regional Secretary Adriana Rosenzvaig have sent a letter expressing their condolences and solidarity with USO. "We are united in the global union movement to fight the extreme violence that our sister and brother unionists face every day in Colombia," Jennings and Rosenzvaig said in their letter. "We salute the courage of all the colleagues we have lost in Colombia and those that continue to fight for their rights on the job. It is unacceptable that the Colombian government has failed to end the brutal environment for trade unionists, human rights activists, journalists and others who speak out for what is right."
Source: UNI Global Union--UNI represents over 20 million workers in 900 unions in 150 countries

Global Labour University Seeks Applicants for its Masters Courses

18 January 2012: The Global Labour University (GLU) invites trade unionists and labour activists to apply to its Masters course in "Labour Policies and Globalisation" offered in Germany, or the Masters course in "Globalisation and Labour" offered in India. GLU provides a space in which theory meets practise, discussing and shaping new ideas to meet the global challenges for labour. For the first time, The Hans Boeckler Foundation, one of the programme's main donors, has extended its grant programme to applicants from all EU member states, facilitating some scholarships for workers from industrialised countries. The deadline for applications is 1 March, 2012. A limited number of scholarships will be awarded to students. For application and programme details, please visit www.global-labour-university.org/.
Source: Education International--EI represents over 30 million education workers in 400 organizations in 170 countries and territories

ITF Demands Bargaining Negotiations to Improve Polish Truckers' Lot

13 January 2012: The ITF has thrown its weight behind efforts to ensure that Polish truck drivers, who have been on strike since 2 January, receive the wages and conditions they deserve. Some 350 drivers, represented by the NSZZ Solidarnosc union and employed by trucking firm Norbert Dentressangle, walked out on strike in protest over the company's refusal to start negotiations with the union on a collective bargaining agreement. The company's Polish workers have seen no pay rise for four years; they already receive considerably less than drivers from other countries. It has also been reported that they are enduring deplorable working conditions, such as poor sanitation and nutrition. When the NSZZ Solidarnosc insisted on collective bargaining negotiations in July last year, the company was reported to have intimidated workers, threatening them with dismissal. In tandem with a letter of protest to the company from Eduardo Chagas, general secretary of the ITF's European arm, the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), ITF general secretary David Cockroft wrote to Norbert Dentressangle and other company executives and personnel. He expressed his support for the demands of the drivers and stated: "It is imperative that you start constructive and successful negotiations without delay." Unionists from the Berlin, Brandenburg branch of German union Verdi have been visiting the picket line protest which started last week in Zielona Gora and the ITF and ETF plan to support the protest next week.
Source: International Transport Workers Federation--ITF 779 unions representing 4.6 million transport workers in 155 countries

Cooper Tire Workers Build Solidarity

A delegation of locked-out workers from Cooper Tire in the USA meets Serbian union leaders to discuss common approaches and mutual support when dealing with the company.
Jan 12, 2012 US/SERBIA: United Steelworkers (USW) has informed that a delegation from Local 207L at Cooper Tire and Rubber Co.'s Findlay, Ohio plant and an international union representative are meeting leaders of the Serbian union Nezavisnost representing workers at Cooper's recently purchased tire plant in Krusevac, Serbia. During one week the US delegation and their Serbian colleagues will discuss joint work within Cooper and how workers in the two countries can support each other. Earlier, after the company's announcement of plans to purchase a tire plant in Serbia the president of the Serbian union Nezavisnost, Milorad Panovich, called upon the company to end the lockout in Findlay and pledged support for the 1,051 workers locked out by Cooper in the USA. USW International President Leo W. Gerard commented that international solidarity is especially important in the case of disputes with multinational employers, where a direct link for sharing information can be helpful for workers on both sides of the Atlantic. The situation at Cooper Tire in Findlay remains difficult, and USW continues to reach out to different groups in the US society and abroad. "The company locked out 1,050 workers in Findlay, Ohio," Gerard said, "but our fight is anywhere and everywhere the company does business until our members are back to work with a fair contract." USW has declared Saturday, January 14, a National Day of Action, with events in over 100 US cities to support locked out workers. - Alex Ivanou
Source: International Metalworkers Federation--IMF representing 25 million metalworkers in more than 200 unions in 100 countries

Financial Stability Board Must Deliver on G20's Action Plan

Brussels, 10 January 2012 (ITUC OnLine): As the first 2012 plenary of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) meets in Basel, international trade union organisations have submitted their priorities for the FSB. "The FSB's Action plan for financial reforms has hit the road block of governments' lacklustre ambition, and must be put back on track," said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The international union movement has released a statement mapping the FSB's progress and its impact on working families. The FSB was set up by the G20 in 2009 to restore financial stability and curb irresponsible speculative activity. Unions are calling for increased financial regulation, contrary to the powerful voice of the bank lobby. "The top leaders of banks are out of touch with the day-to-day realities facing ordinary people, and the FSB has failed to soften the practice of big bonus payments; they and the G20 must take a stronger stand to change this abuse by giving employees a seat at the table," said Philip Jennings, General Secretary UNI Global Union. "The most immediate threat to governments and working families lies not in budget deficits, but in governments' and taxpayers' exposure to the risks of badly regulated financial markets and institutions. Doing nothing or doing too little too late to regulate financial markets will deepen the bond markets' speculative pressures on governments," said John Evans, General Secretary of the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD. The international union movement is calling on the FSB to implement a three-step crisis action plan to: Shield governments from the risk of large financial conglomerates with a mandatory separation of commercial and banking activities of the banks considered too big to fail; Ensure the real economy has adequate access to financing with proper access to mortgages and credit and promoting the diversity of financial services such as cooperatives and mutual banking; Curb traders' speculative behaviour, including high frequency trading, with a financial transactions tax. "Working families, small businesses and young people are all sinking into quicksand as they struggle to find work, pay mortgages and get loans to keep their businesses afloat. Big business must not hold on to the reins of the global economy for their own benefit. The Financial Stability Board has the power, the mandate and the plan. In 2012 they need to step up to the plate and translate their words into action," said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the ITUC. Read the ITUC, UNI and TUAC Statement to the Financial Stability Board
Source: International Trade Union Confederation--ITUC represents 175 million workers in 308 affiliated national organisations from 153 countries and territories

ICEM Report Exposes Asian Cement's CAL Practices

5 January 2012: An ICEM report has found that the rights of workers in the cement industries of the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and India are being routinely violated through the use of precarious forms of employment. In many of the plants covered by the research, Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) is being used to restrict or prevent workers from exercising their right to freedom of association. Lafarge in the Philippines, for example, has been using CAL workers to fill permanent positions ever since workers took part in industrial actions as far back as 2000. At one Lafarge plant in Indonesia, all permanent workers are union members, whereas none of the CAL workers are. In India, contract workers at Holcim were dismissed after they joined the union. To make it worse, the company started criminalising the union leaders. ILO Conventions 87 and 98 apply to all workers, as explicitly stated in the 350th report of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association: "The Committee emphasizes that all workers, without distinction whatsoever, whether they are employed on a permanent basis, for a fixed term or as contract employees, should have the right to establish and join organizations of their own choosing." The report further specifies that the non-renewal of a contract for anti-union reasons constitutes a prejudicial act within the meaning of Article 1 of Convention 98. In all five countries covered by the research, CAL workers earn less than permanent workers - despite performing work of equal value - and are denied access to many of the benefits enjoyed by their permanent counterparts. In both the Philippines and Thailand, permanent workers are increasingly being used only in supervisory roles. This division of responsibilities highlights the fact that it is often contract and agency workers who are performing core labour tasks. CAL workers in many cement plants live with the burden of uncertainty. As one interviewee explained, he felt his job would continue only "as long as I will cooperate." In the Philippines, some CAL workers reported that they do not even have written contracts. In many cases and countries, CAL workers are also not clear who is responsible for their welfare. In Thailand, agency workers are the most likely to suffer workplace accidents, yet in many plants they are denied the same health care benefits as permanent workers. The ICEM decries these exploitative practices, and demands that multinational cement companies such as Lafarge and Holcim that operate in Asia guarantee equal rights for CAL workers and take urgent steps to bring their practices in line with not only the various applicable national legislations, but also with all existing international labour standards - including ILO Conventions 87 and 98 and the Employment Relationship Recommendation 198. Cement companies must also act to ensure that they meet their obligations under the OECD Guidelines for MNEs and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Source: International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions--ICEM uniting over 20 million workers in 255 industrial trade unions in 94 countries

Protest Rally at GEA Headquarters

German trade unionists picket GEA headquarters demanding justice for 62 GEA workers in Turkey locked-out since July. It is the 4th action in recent months to demand respect for labour norms by the multinational.
GERMANY: On December 21 workers converged at GEA global headquarters in Düsseldorf. The German company continues to refuse to meet with the Turkish union, Birlesik Metal, which represents the locked-out workers. Several public figures and unions in Germany and internationally have become involved in the conflict at GEA Turkey, and have contacted the GEA management, for example Michael Sommer, President of the ITUC, the IMF, ITF and ICEM, as well as DISK, the national confederation in Turkey. Recently the executive committee of the German metalworker's union IG Metall called on the GEA management to respect social standards and engage in dialogue with the Turkish union Birlesik-IS. The action in Düsseldorf is the first time representatives of trade unions in Germany publicly voice their support for the locked-out colleagues in Turkey, and criticise the multinational for its disrespect for fundamental rights and ILO standards. The call for the rally in Düsseldorf was signed by a long list of elected union representatives in IG Metall, Verdi and IG Bau, amongst others. Also representatives from the food workers' union NGG and shop stewards from Ford, as well as the federation of Turkish immigrant workers' organizations in Germany DIDF participated at the action at GEA headquarters, and underlined the importance of respect for workers' rights. On December 16 IMF and EMF joined the picket line at GEA's subsidiary in Turkey to address locked-out workers and show solidarity with their struggle. In November, international union leaders rallied outside of GEA's factory GEA Klima Sanayive Ticaret A.Ş. (ATR) in Gebze, Turkey in connection to a world conference on labour rights in Istanbul. A Labourstart campaign was launched on November 28. - Rainer Santi
Source: International Metalworkers Federation--IMF representing 25 million metalworkers in more than 200 unions in 100 countries

Unions Launch Global Campaign '12 by 12' to Introduce Decent Laws for Domestic Workers

Brussels, 19 December 2011 (ITUC OnLine): Domestic workers from 12 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East are taking to the streets on Monday 19th December to demand better rights including one day off a week and an eight-hour working day for the 53 million domestic workers worldwide. The global campaign aims to put in place the ILO convention for domestic workers, which needs two countries to ratify the convention to bring it into force, and introduce decent laws in countries where domestic workers are most under threat. "Domestic workers deserve the same rights as other workers. As millions of people prepare to take holidays, it's a stark reminder that some workers don't have the right to have one day off a week," said Sharan Burrow. Domestic workers are campaigning for one day off a week, a minimum wage, an 8-hour day, the right to join a union, protection from exploitation and abuse, social protection and the regulation of employment agencies. In front of parliaments and government offices in Jakarta, Capetown and Brussels domestic workers will be mopping the floor and cleaning the steps in a bid to get politicians to introduce decent laws. The international trade unions year-long campaign, 12 by 12, aims at getting the first 12 countries to pass decent laws for domestic workers in 2012 and ratify ILO Convention 189 giving rights to domestic workers. ITUC is working in partnership with the ETUC, the International Domestic Workers Network , IUF, Solidar and national centres. "If people, many of them government officials and ministers, will hire domestic workers and let them in to their house, why won't they let them into the law?," says Sharan Burrow. 83% of domestic workers are women, and many are migrant workers carrying out roles such as cooking, cleaning and caring for young children and the elderly. The campaign launch follows International Migrants Day on Sunday 18th December. Many domestic workers are migrant workers, with no voice or rights in the countries where they are working. Hidden behind closed doors working in homes, they are also hidden from the law as migrant workers. "For domestic workers, those caring for the elderly and children are never given a day off, and only rest after the people they care for go to bed," said Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the ITUC. "Governments should address the problem and create protective mechanisms to ensure that the rights of migrant workers are actually respected in their territory."
Source: International Trade Union Confederation--ITUC represents 175 million workers in 305 affiliated national organisations from 151 countries and territories