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The lockout by U.S. Steel against 900 active workers and 9,000 retirees and widows at a steel mill in Hamilton, Ontario, gained national Canadian attention on 29 January when over 10,000 trade unionists assembled and manifested in wet snow in Hamilton. Some 75 busloads of citizens came to what&rsquo;s known in Canada as &ldquo;Steeltown,&rdquo; angry at their government and manifesting under the slogan &ldquo;The People vs. U.S. Steel.&rdquo; 
View video footage of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAb_uR-UFv0">Hamilton Rally</a>. 
 
The Hamilton Day of Action for locked-out members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1005 served as a national rallying cry against the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Harper and other parliamentarians have failed to make accountable foreign multinationals which buy Canadian assets and then immediately furlough workers and cut living standards. 
 
Both the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL/CLC) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) lent heavy support in making 29 January this rallying cry, as well as national signal that this unprovoked lockout marks undeniably that Canadian investment law is deeply flawed. 
<img alt="" src="" width="269" height="179" />
Quebec Steelworkers in Hamilton 
Photo: John Maclennan
The day&rsquo;s speeches, placards, and slogans stated just that that. Local 1005 is defending workers, retirees, and widows against an American predator that three years ago bought Ontario-based steelmaker Stelco but immediately began side-stepping a weakened Investment Canada Act. The OFL claims that contrary to provisions in the Investment Canada Act, U.S. Steel has cut 2,200 jobs Stelco jobs in Hamilton and the Nanticoke Works in those three years. 
 
One of the main speakers of the day, USW President Leo Gerard, minced no words in describing the head-lock that corporations have on workers and governments: &ldquo;Everywhere on earth, these corporate bastards are trying to pick our pockets. I&rsquo;ll be damned if I&rsquo;m going to stand by and let them take our pensions. We have to demand that Harper stand up for Canada.&rdquo; 
<img alt="" src="" width="231" height="169" />
USW President Leo Gerard. (At right, USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann) 
Photo: John Maclennan
The Investment Canada Act is supposed to provide a &ldquo;net benefit&rdquo; to Canadians when foreign ownership acquires Canadian-based assets. Steelworkers of Local 1005, along with retirees and widows from the Hamilton Works, made the strong statement Saturday that they are victims, thrown off their jobs because they refuse to have their rightful benefits stripped from them.
The U.S. Steel lockout, now beginning its 13th week, centers on the company&rsquo;s demand that retirees and widows lose pension indexing calculations, a sum meant to meet inflation costs amounting to C$30 per year, depending on different pension levels. U.S. Steel also wants to close off the defined benefit plan for new workers, certainly no &ldquo;net benefit&rdquo; to young Canadian workers. 
<img alt="" src="" width="369" height="161" />
Photo: John Maclennan
Bus-loads of loyal steelworkers from Quebec arrived and made USW Local 1005 supporters proud that such national unity crosses provincial boundaries. Buses of steelworkers also came from Sudbury, Ontario, where a foreign multinational also has slashed jobs and living standards, as well as from U.S. Steel&rsquo;s Great Lakes mill in the US state of Michigan. 
 
Union delegations turned out in full from the Canadian Autoworkers&rsquo; Union (CAW), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The OFL and CLC led the larger call across Canada. Scores of trade union delegations from teachers&rsquo; unions, to the Ontario Public Service Union, to ICEM-affiliated Power Workers Union (PWU) and the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union also lent their support. 
<img alt="" src="" width="218" height="163" />
Bill Mahoney
Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina, an outspoken critic of U.S. Steel&rsquo;s conduct in his city, spoke at Saturday&rsquo;s &ldquo;The People vs. U.S. Steel&rdquo; manifestation, as did MP Chris Charlton, the leading national politician currently out to refine the Investment Canada Act. Other speakers included CLC President Ken Georgetti, OFL President Sid Ryan, and Bill Mahoney, a victim himself who has put to words what Local 1005&rsquo;s fightback symbolises. 
 
Called the &ldquo;Protest Poet,&rdquo; Mahoney has been retired from Stelco&rsquo;s Hamilton Works for five works and has penned some 25 poems on social erosion. One, entitled &ldquo;Scrooge Comes to Town,&rdquo; reads: 
We are fighting for our dignity, united young and old 
All across the country, the story is being told 
Of our proud community whose dignity won&rsquo;t be sold 
We are fighting for our country, Canada is our home. 
Prior ICEM reports on the struggle by USW Local 1005 in Hamilton can be found <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4101-Flawed-Investment-Canada-Act-Again-Seen-in-Steel-Lockout ">here</a> and <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4190-Rally-Slated-29-January-in-Canada-to-Support-Locked-out-Steelworkers ">here</a>.

Over 10,000 Manifest in Hamilton Against Canadian Government, U.S. Steel

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The global mobilization of trade unions affiliated to four Global Union Federations, calling for trade union rights in Mexico, is now two weeks away. Affiliates of the ICEM, International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), and UNI have planned coordinated actions across the world during the week that marks the five-year anniversary of the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster. 
 
In February 2006, an explosion happened in that mine and 65 miners were killed. The tragic blast followed continued pleas by the Mexican Miners Union, Los Mineros, for improved safety conditions at the mine. 
 
The campaign has now made available posters, hand-bills, and information backgrounders in various languages, available <a href="/en/5-Mining-DGOJP">here</a>.&nbsp; 
<img alt="" src="" width="368" height="87" />
In Geneva, a high-level delegation from the four coordinating GUFs will meet with the Mexican ambassador to the UN in the Swiss city, to communicate the demands of the global action and seek explanations on sustained efforts to bust unions by the Calder&oacute;n government. An action in front of the Mexican mission in Geneva will be joined by other Global Union Federations, including the Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), Public Services International (PSI), and the International Union of Food and Agricultural Workers (IUF). 
 
Mexico&rsquo;s assault against trade unions, specifically against Los Mineros, continued last Monday, 24 January, when a US representative of the USW, Manny Armenta, was arrested by Mexican customs police on his way to assist attorneys for Los Mineros. He was accused of driving a stolen vehicle. Armenta immediately presented documentation for the car, but was still instructed to pay a fine to a corrupt officer of US$15,000. On refusing to pay, Armenta was arrested and detained, until Los Mineros posted a bond of US$7,500 for his release. Armenta&rsquo;s car is still impounded and his wallet was returned to him by police minus US$700. 
<img alt="" src="" width="261" height="177" />
USW's Manny Armenta in Mexican Prison Cell
Steelworker President Leo Gerard stated, &ldquo;It is ironic that although Mexican courts have issued 20 warrants for Germ&aacute;n Larrea &ndash; the owner of Grupo M&eacute;xico &ndash; the government has never been able to arrest him. Yet they can arrest Manny because he is in Mexico helping the mineworkers defend their rights.&rdquo; 
 
In a further clear example of the Calder&oacute;n government&rsquo;s complicit support for union-busting efforts, three leaders of the Los Mineros Section 142 were arrested at 5.30am on 26 January. Ministerial police violently pulled the men from their homes, still in their underwear in an effort to intimidate the section, currently on strike at the El Cubo mine, in Guanajuato. 
 
Those arrested were Juan Andr&eacute;s Villa Licea, President of the Strike Committee, Mart&iacute;n Reina Cruces, and Jorge Ram&oacute;n Monsiv&aacute;is Ortega, all senior members of the union.

14-19 February Mexico Days of Action Draws Near

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The second meeting of the Latin American Trade Union Network of Dutch multinational Akzo Nobel was held on from 7-9 December 2010 in S&atilde;o Paulo, Brazil. The meeting was jointly organized by the project called CUTMulti, CUT`s International Relations Secretariat, and ICEM&rsquo;s Dutch trade union affiliate, FNV Bondgenoten. 
 
The meeting was attended by trade union representatives from Brazil, the Netherlands, US, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, together with representatives from the Brazilian national labour centre CUT, ICEM, and Brazil&rsquo;s Social Observatory Institute. 
 
At the opening session, the general coordinator of ICEM affiliate CNQ/CUT &ndash; the National Workers Confederation of the Chemical Sector &ndash; Antenor Nakamura (Kazu) congratulated the initiative to expand the committee, and highlighted the importance of trade union networking in the chemicals sector. 
<img alt="" src="" width="320" height="147" />
Delegates put forward their expectations from the network. Marcel Tesselaar, representative of FNV Bondgenoten, the union representing headquarters workers of AkzoNobel, acknowledged that the company has different behaviours in the Netherlands from the rest of the world. &ldquo;Through meetings like this, we can create a real social dialogue process,&rdquo; he said. 
 
James Carvin, a sub-district director of ICEM&rsquo;s North American Affiliate, the United Steelworkers (USW), told the meeting that his union&rsquo;s intention is to intensify the work with the network and promised to reproduce work done in Brazil in the US. 
 
ICEM&rsquo;s Kemal &Ouml;zkan reported on the current situation of the chemical industry worldwide. A international labor standards and other tools for union action presentation was made by Jos&eacute; Drummond, with emphasis on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the ILO tripartite declaration for multinationals, UN Global Compact, Socio-Labor Declaration of Mercosur, ISO 26000, and various companies codes of conduct. Data on the AkzoNobel restructuring process was presented by the DIEESE. 
<img alt="" src="" width="266" height="161" />
The meeting also included country reports on existing situations at AkzoNobel plants. A plant visit to Mau&aacute;, discussions on communication of the network, its expansion and political coordination, and strengthening of the Latin American network were the major topics of the meeting programme. 
 
The activities closed on 10 December with a social dialogue session with the participation of the company`s management for South America. Some eight managers attended, including human resource managers and union relations consultants hired specially to deal with the workers network. The social dialogue debates included a presentation of the company on strategic investments in China, a report of the network on the proposals put forward in this second Latin American meeting, international labor standards, the social dialogue process, organization at the workplace, corporate social responsibility, the company&rsquo;s code of conduct, and a proposal on training and labour/union relations for the management of the company.

Latin American Union Network for AkzoNobel Held in São Paulo, Brazil

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Cements workers and others of Jindal Cement and its parent, Indian steel conglomerate Jindal Group or JSW, had a demonstration busted up by riot police firing gunshots over their heads in Gadivemula, India. The 4,000 demonstrators were protesting on 23 January over the misery sum Jindal offered to pay the family of a construction worker who fell and died at the cement plant. 
 
Managers called area Kurnool police used near-deadly force to disperse the workers, who then hurled rocks and other objects at police, damaging a police vehicle. Some workers were injured when they jostled with police while trying to gain entry to the cement plant. 
<img src="" width="180" height="83" alt="" />
Workers claim it was Jindal&rsquo;s negligence that led to the death of the 43-year-old worker, Bikakalagudur, who fell from a high beam while employed on construction of the company&rsquo;s Gadivemula cement works. 
 
Jindal Cement at first offered to pay only one-half the standard ex-gratia to the dead worker&rsquo;s family. 
 
Mumbai-based JSW Group, a US$8 billion concern, is busy constructing cement plants adjacent to many of the company&rsquo;s steel mills in order to take advantage of slag and flyash for use in cement manufacture.

Cement Workers in India Vehemently Protest Over Dead Colleague

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The ICEM directed criticism at Advanced Chemical Industries Ltd. (ACI) of Bangladesh last week over 22-23 January protests inside a pharmaceutical factory in Siddhirganj, central Narayanganj district, that left one worker dead. The ICEM believes that both full-time and temporary workers were pushed to their limits by ACI Plant Manger Ishtiaque Ahmed, who exhibited notoriously cruel behaviour to workers with constant threats of dismissal. 
 
Following peaceful worker protests on 22 January, ACI management responded by calling for armed police action against nearly all 400 workers inside the plant on the following day. The ICEM learned that management refused several times in recent months to engage in earnest discussions over workers&rsquo; grievances. 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s protest to ACI can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2.GDFSUEZunitedwatLet.pdf ">here</a>. Police fired rubber bullets and 30 canisters of tear gas on 23 January to break up the in-plant protests. One worker, 25-year-old temporary worker Enamul Huq, died from wounds suffered by he police assault. Over 100 others, including some police officers and the plant manager himself, were hospitalised. 
<img alt="" src="" width="123" height="151" />
Arrest Warrant: Beaten Worker
In the early days of last week, local Narayanganj police issued arrest for 30 named workers and another 300 whose names were not listed. 
 
The ICEM finds that the mayhem is attributable to ACI, which for too long neglected the pleas of workers and their plant-level trade union to address issues. Those issues include extended temporary work status to deserving workers, denying those workers union representation, and employing temporary workers at a sub-par level of benefits. Some temporary staff at ACI Pharmaceutical in Siddhirganj have worked as long as 12 years in unsecured job postings. 
 
The ICEM noted that nearly 400 of the plant&rsquo;s 407 workers took part in last weekend&rsquo;s protests. The ACI plant employs 167 full-time and 240 temporary workers. 
 
The ACI plant produces drug aids for human use. The plant employs 167 full-time workers and is a major Asian manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of drug aids, agri-chemical and pesticide products, and basic consumer products.

ICEM Says Bangladesh Chemical Company Provoked Riot that Killed One

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Release from International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF) 
 
The Global Union representing workers in the garment industry is convened a meeting of jeans&rsquo; brands and retailers to raise awareness of the need to eliminate the use of sandblasting, a method used to give jeans a fashionably faded look. 
 
Patrick Itschert, General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF), said, &ldquo;Sandblasting is an extremely harmful process which can cause silicosis. The meeting on January 20 in Brussels provides an opportunity to hear contributions by experts, to examine best practices, to exchange points of view and to discuss further steps for action. 
<img src="" width="130" height="106" alt="" />
ITGLWF General Secretary Patrick Itschert
&ldquo;In Turkey, the world&rsquo;s third largest exporter of jeans and the only country so far where the impact of sandblasting on the health of workers has come under scrutiny, 550 former sandblasting workers have been diagnosed with silicosis since 2005 and 46 have so far died of the disease. These officially-documented cases are just the tip of the iceberg both in Turkey and globally. 
 
&ldquo;Clearly, government regulation is needed to ban the process or to enforce existing bans. However, in the absence of effective government regulation brands and retailers urgently need to take voluntary action. 
 
&ldquo;Even if brands and retailers adopt rigorous standards regarding sandblasting, there will always be suppliers that do not enforce those standards, thus putting unsuspecting workers at risk. Therefore the best policy is to ban sandblasting altogether in the garment industry. Several leading brands have already done so and we believe others should now do the same&rdquo;. 
 
Speakers at the meeting, entitled &ldquo;Towards the Elimination of Sandblasting in the Garment Industry,&rdquo; were trade union health and safety experts as well as brands that have taken the step to ban sandblasting.

ITGLWF Convenes Meeting of Jeans’ Companies on Perils of Sandblasting

<img alt="" src="" width="110" height="50" />
The ICEM has developed a short guide to dealing with Contract and Agency Labour (CAL). The guide, intended to help unions raise awareness of the prevalence and impact of precarious work, outlines what types of employment are included in the ICEM&rsquo;s definition of CAL, and highlights some of the most common problems associated with such work. 
 
The guide also gives an overview of what the ICEM and its affiliates around the world are doing to promote permanent, direct employment, and at the same time to promote better conditions for CAL workers. 
 
The guide lists a number of specific attempts unions have made to keep employment permanent and direct, for example, by agreeing to a cap on the number of CAL workers who can be employed in a particular company or sector, or by restricting the number of times a fixed-term contract may be renewed before employment becomes permanent. 
 
In terms of ensuring respect for the rights of CAL workers, ICEM affiliates have sought guarantees that CAL workers will receive equal treatment from the first day of their employment and that those on fixed-term contracts will receive severance fees in the event their contracts are not renewed. Unions have also attempted, and in some cases succeeded, in negotiating collective bargaining agreement clauses, which require the company to consult with the union, and to get their approval, before outside labour is used. 
 
The guide proposes ways in which unions can build relations with CAL workers, suggesting that unions consider altering their internal rules to permit CAL workers to join; create a dedicated precarious workers&rsquo; section or representative; or consider introducing different membership fee levels and alternative methods of dues collection. 
 
The guide concludes by encouraging affiliates to initiate a discussion on CAL within their own unions, and suggests a number of questions which may help to get these discussions started. 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s Mini Guide to Dealing with CAL is available <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/1012.ICEM%20Mini%20Guide%20CAL%20HQ.pdf">here</a>.

ICEM Launches Mini Guide to Dealing with Contract, Agency Labour

<img alt="" src="" width="110" height="50" />
How prevalent is CAL in Mauritius? 
 
The whole history of Mauritius itself is CAL history, so to speak. It is traditional to have seasonal workers for sugarcane plantations; it is accepted by everyone that this is needed for the economy to survive. But, with the introduction of the textile sector, came more and more workers employed in precarious work, including migrant workers recruited especially from China. 
 
The labour law was reformed in 2006 and migrants no longer have to follow a procedure &ndash; they come to Mauritius on tourist visas then search for employment. Protection against dismissal has been removed from labour law, so in a way all workers in Mauritius are CAL. There are no severance payments for workers under 60 years. Now, outsourcing even exists in the oldest spheres of the economy, and the way it is done is almost mafia-like. 
 
How does the law protect against abuse of CAL workers? 
 
The new legislation says that workers should not work more than 90 hours in a fortnight, but does not limit the number of hours per day or per week. There are situations where employers are making contract workers, migrant workers, and others work 20 hours in one day, without overtime. A complaint filed with the ILO got a favourable result in 2009 but despite this, Mauritius got the top African place in the World Bank&rsquo;s Doing Business Report, 2010. 
 
From 2006 until now, we have seen considerable economic progress. The official unemployment rate is not meaningful as it does not take into account the high numbers of workers in the informal sector. 
 
How do conditions differ for CAL workers? 
 
CAL workers are obliged to work on Sundays. For new recruits, the definition of a week is no longer Monday to Sunday, but can be any seven days in a row. CAL workers also have to be completely flexible with regard to their working hours and starting times. In addition, CAL workers are not protected against occupational health and safety hazards. People are being transformed into a commodity. 
 
Migrant workers do the same job but without the same pay. They receive no production bonus and no meal allowances. The Ministry of Labour will not deal with their complaints. Employers have the power to send away workers who complain, but so many are heavily indebted to labour brokers that they have no alternative but to accept their conditions. 
 
The exploitation of CAL workers is heavily supported through discrimination. The law itself states that old workers must remain in the same work conditions, but newer recruits have worse conditions. So employers fire old workers unjustly or for petty reasons. For example, simply to accuse them of becoming unproductive as they get older. 
 
Are there hostilities between permanent and CAL workers, and if so, how does your union deal with this? 
 
There is hostility between CAL and permanent workers in the construction and textile sectors. In these two sectors, many companies close and reopen under another name and then employ only migrant workers. There are some cultural differences. It took four-to-five years to break down the barriers, but in general now all are persuaded that we should be defending migrant workers&rsquo; rights. In practice, migrant workers cannot organise. 
 
What other action is your union taking on CAL? 
 
Since 2006, several forms of taxation have been reduced for the very rich. Unions have been constantly demonstrating against this, as it is unfair. In 2009, the government introduced a corporate social responsibility system where 2% of net profits must be paid as a tax to finance social projects. The CMCTEU has proposed that half of this new tax should go to the workers &ndash; corporate responsibility to employees should come before corporate social responsibility, especially for CAL workers who are exploited. This would be paid as a bonus every year and everyone, including migrant workers, would receive an equal part. 
 
We are hopeful that the government will agree to this and we have the full support of the media and civil society. 
 
The strength of the union is its capacity to hold members. CMCTEU started by analyzing worker behaviour and found that most workers are primarily concerned about servicing their debts: more than 70% of workers in Mauritius are in debt. The union created an Information Technology school, open to all workers and their families, a credit union with low interest rates, and we are currently developing a two-story building that will be put at the disposal of members for social gatherings. 
 
We are changing the view of workers, and they are becoming more interested in the union. We reduced the membership fee drastically and as soon as we did that we gained 3,000 new members. We&rsquo;ve also amended the union rules: now every woman is considered a working woman even if they work from their home. Construction was the sector with the second biggest membership gains, including membership in cement plants and petroleum distribution. In construction, 85% of workers are employed on fixed-term contracts and those who join the union have big problems. 
 
In the future, we will prioritise creating a severance allowance for workers based on one day&rsquo;s wages for every month worked. It was agreed by the ILO experts and now it is only the employers who are resisting, but I am sure we can win.

CMCTEU - the Chemical, Manufacturing, and Connected Trades Employees’ Union of Mauritius 



Interview with Reeaz Chuttoo of the CMCTEU of Mauritius

<img alt="" src="" width="110" height="50" />
How common is Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) in Mozambique? 
 
At the moment, we do not know how frequently this employment practice is used. In September, we discovered for the first time the use of contract workers in Maputo &ndash; in a factory with 1,700 workers, there were at least 800 on fixed-term contracts. We also discovered that at another factory, which produces washing powder, all employment comes through labour agencies. 
 
More companies are taking advantage of the new labour law of 2007, which says that it is possible to have three-month, six-month, and one-year fixed contracts. Permanent work was much more common with the old law. Many companies are functioning normally, but still making retrenchments. Fixed-term contracts and other types of employment practices are then brought in. 
 
The previous law was stronger and provided better protection for workers&rsquo; rights, but companies wanting to invest in Mozambique thought the law was too rigid. The new law cancelled many rights, for example holidays have been reduced from 30 days to between 12 and 20 days. Under the old law, there was a bonus payment for seniority, but not anymore. When workers were retrenched under the old law, they were entitled to three months salary if they had worked for two years. Now, they are entitled to only 21 days salary. 
 
What are conditions like for CAL workers? 
 
According to the law, every worker is entitled to the same benefits, salary, etc. However, employers often do not obey the law. There are never salary increases for CAL workers and social security payments are not taken care of. 
 
There was one case when an agency worker in a chemical factory had an accident when the sack he was carrying broke and chemicals burnt his skin. The worker asked the company to pay for his treatment, but the company said it was not responsible. When the worker asked the agency, they also denied responsibility. The worker eventually died from his injuries. 
 
We became aware of the health and safety issue to CAL after an ICEM workshop where workers said there were big differences. Permanent workers have all their health and safety rights respected, but CAL workers do not. Our union needs to investigate this more, but it is already clear to us that employers look at health and safety for all as an additional cost. The union is demanding check-ups for everyone, and the labour inspectorate is looking at these issues very seriously, especially in two new factories &ndash; one for textiles, one for glass &ndash; that are going to open. Our union is already there trying to make sure that the rights to negotiate, and to a healthy and safe working environment are respected. 
 
Even if the government is in favour of reasonable conditions, international investors would like less regulations and more flexibility. They have publicly announced that they would like another new law! The Mozambique Chemical and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union has rejected this, as the law was a result of heavy tripartite negotiations, and not something that we are going to do again. 
 
What actions has your union taken on CAL? 
 
Once we became aware of the problem &ndash; it was brought to our attention through the ICEM project which made us sensitive to the issue &ndash; we took action very quickly. We have had some success with changing the attitude of companies and getting them to accept contracts of longer duration for contract workers. 
 
It is difficult for us to get information about what is happening behind the scenes as the situation is very opaque, but we are trying to organise CAL workers. We have already started to invite them to come to meetings where we&rsquo;ve explained that they have the same rights as everybody else. It is difficult to access CAL workers so we invite them to come to our office. 
 
The constitution of our union is open and the labour law says that workers are free to have union activities in the workplace or outside if need be, so that is not a problem. LOFTF in Denmark has also assisted us a lot by funding the production of brochures and pamphlets to inform CAL workers about their rights. With the project funded by LOFTF, we have managed to provide free legal assistance to members who have paid their dues &ndash; this is a very powerful organising tool. 
 
What plans has the Mozambique Chemical and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union for the future, with regard to CAL? 
 
We want to research the extent of the contract, agency labour problem and to inform all workers about their right to join a union. We will also engage with companies and employment agencies so they recognise that workers&rsquo; basic rights must be respected regardless of whether they are employed directly or not. 
 
The trouble is that companies like to keep CAL workers ignorant about their rights, and union people are sent away. The more ignorance there is, the more exploitation there is. In the workshop organised by the ICEM, one worker said he was not sure if he could continue in his job because he had attended the workshop, but the labour inspectorate said they would follow up with him and intervene if needed. 
 
We are also planning to work with the labour inspectorate to investigate and correct working conditions. When we find a problem we create a &ldquo;mixed brigade,&rdquo; with representatives from the union and the inspectorate, to solve the problem. Unions need to be militant to encourage labour inspectors to work well, and to develop relationships with them.

Interview with Jorge Alberto Monjane, Deputy General Secretary, Mozambique Chemical Workers&#039; Union

<img alt="" src="" width="110" height="50" />
The ICEM&rsquo;s Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) Regional Seminar for Sub-Saharan Africa took place in Accra, Ghana, on 8-9 November. The seminar brought together ICEM affiliates from Senegal, Guinea, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Nigeria, Mauritius, Ghana, and Togo to discuss CAL developments in their countries. 
 
Representatives from SASK, the international arm of the Finnish national labour centre, which supports the Sub-Saharan Africa CAL project, and the ICEM CAL global and African coordinators also participated in the seminar. 
<img alt="" src="" width="117" height="166" />
Joseph Toe, CAL Sub-Saharan Africa Project Coordinator, at the Ghana seminar
Affiliates exchanged information on what steps they had taken in respect to their specific action plans developed during previous workshops. Many participants reported that dealing with the issue of short-term contract work or agency labour was becoming more and more challenging. This was the case expressed by those coming from Nigeria, where management attitudes are increasingly favouring the use of precarious employment. 
 
Although unions in Nigeria have been demanding that remuneration of contract staff should be determined by the industry in which the contract operates, so that workers receive equal pay for equal work, they have not managed to achieve this yet. 
<img alt="" src="" width="240" height="135" />
Matti Koskinen, from the Finnish Union of Salaried Employees, Toimihenkil&ouml;unioni (TU), made a presentation on how CAL is dealt with in Finland, and said that collective agreements mostly regulate the use of short-term labour. Matti also drew attention to the European Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation&rsquo;s second common demand for more secure employment, against precarious work. Joseph Toe, the Sub-Saharan Africa CAL Project Coordinator, presented a paper on membership recruitment, which participants said would prove to be very helpful in their CAL organising campaigns. 
 
Looking to the future, affiliates proposed that they should concentrate more on collecting facts and figures relating to CAL, and that they should prioritise the organising of CAL workers. Affiliates also suggested that dedicated funds should be raised for CAL workers, and that there should be more capacity building for dealing with CAL workers.

Africa Regional CAL Seminar Takes Place in Ghana

Archive

Over 10,000 Manifest in Hamilton Against Canadian Government, U.S. Steel

14-19 February Mexico Days of Action Draws Near

Latin American Union Network for AkzoNobel Held in São Paulo, Brazil

Cement Workers in India Vehemently Protest Over Dead Colleague

ICEM Says Bangladesh Chemical Company Provoked Riot that Killed One

ITGLWF Convenes Meeting of Jeans’ Companies on Perils of Sandblasting

ICEM Launches Mini Guide to Dealing with Contract, Agency Labour

Interview with Reeaz Chuttoo of the CMCTEU of Mauritius

Interview with Jorge Alberto Monjane, Deputy General Secretary, Mozambique Chemical Workers' Union

Africa Regional CAL Seminar Takes Place in Ghana

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