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Global worker No1 2022

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KOREA, REPUBLIC: The Korean Metal Workers' Federation (KMWF) has informed the IMF of the tragic death by self-immolation on January 9 of Bae Dal-ho, a 50-year-old worker and trade union member at Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, in Changwon, southeastern Korea.

Bae, who had worked for 21 years at the shipbuilding company and with a family to support, took the decision to commit suicide after Doosan not only fired him and others for participating in strike action last May but had also convinced a court to provisionally seize Bae's property assets and wage compensation. He had not received any pay for over six months. 

A committee of trade unions has blamed Bae's death on the company's harsh treatment of him and its anti-union activities. They called the provisional seizure of Bae's assets "a new kind of trade union suppression". The KMWF and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions have taken their campaign against the company nationwide, staging a number of protest actions in metropolitan areas since January 9. 

In a letter of protest to the president of Doosan Heavy Industries, Park Yong-sung, the IMF's general secretary, Marcello Malentacchi, urged him to take "appropriate action leading to immediate reinstatement of those Doosan workers dismissed for union activities and to halt all anti-union activities of your company."

The unions say they will continue to fight for Bae and over the issue of privatisation of public enterprises. Doosan bought Korea Heavy Industries and Construction from the government in 2001.


Act now! 
<a href="http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=1" title="Click here to go to LabourStart"></a><a href="http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=8">Use the Urgent Action Appeal feature at the LabourStart website, and submit a protest to Doosan's president, Park Yong-sung, in seconds!</a>

Shipbuilding worker and trade union activist burns himself to death as a result of harsh treatment by the company.

Suicide of Doosan worker

On February 15, trade unions across Europe will take to the streets of major cities to demonstrate against the imminent war that Bush and Blair intend to launch against Iraq, to prevent a "bigger" war, as they claim.

The political leaders of eight European countries who recently signed a letter in support of the American Administration's position will face tough questions from their own people. Demonstrations, surveys and polls show that European public opinion is definitely and increasingly against the war. 

Actually, antiwar opinion is growing all over the world, including in the USA.

Participants in the recently concluded World Social Forum in Porto Alegre expressed a unanimous antiwar view at practically all events, small and large alike. It was not an expression of pacifism, but rather a broad rejection of this particular war prospect.

It was a strong signal to the USA that world security must be governed by the United Nations, and not unilaterally by a "superpower".

Expressing this opinion against a war in Iraq must not be confused or mixed up with the battle to defeat terrorism, by all means, including war if necessary. 

The UN must be the only authority to decide what and when action is necessary. Also, the UN must ask the influential Arab countries to put pressure on Saddam Hussein to comply with the resolutions which have been adopted by the UN but ignored by the Iraqi government.

Saddam Hussein is a terrible dictator and, like with all dictators, must be removed, but we cannot accept that millions of innocent civilians in Iraq and elsewhere will have to pay the price for the atrocities he has committed.

On February 15, in Bern, the Swiss trade unions and other NGOs are organising a demonstration.

I am going to join it.

I hope you have the chance to do the same in your country.

No to pre-emptive war against Iraq

BELGIUM: The trade unions represented at the Arcelor Cockerill-Sambre plant in Liège have called for a 24-hour strike to begin on February 6 at 9 p.m. The FGTB Metal and the Christian Metalworkers CCMB, both of which are affiliated to the IMF, say their walkout is in protest at the decision by the steelmaker to freeze investment at the plant.

This will be the first in a series of strikes being planned since the January 24 announcement by the steel group of restructuring plans which would see a freeze on investment at four of its European blast furnaces and a decrease in steel-producing capacity of 8 million metric tons by 2010.

Arcelor, the world's largest steelmaking group, was formed in 2002 with the merger of Luxembourg's Arbed, Spain's Aceralia and France's Usinor. It has a workforce of 106,000 worldwide and a production in 2002 of approximately 44 million metric tons of steel.

Steel group is cutting back its production and freezing investments.

Belgian metalworkers to strike at Arcelor

USA: In a major recruiting victory in the U.S. South, the IMF-affiliated United Auto Workers union has won the right to represent 3,100 workers at two plants in North Carolina operated by DaimlerChrysler's Freightliner unit. The UAW has long campaigned to represent workers at the two DaimlerChrysler-owned factories.

A majority of workers at the plants -- in Cleveland and Gastonia -- approved a "card check" voting process, in which they signed a card indicating support for unionisation. UAW president, Ron Gettelfinger, said that "card check elections are a fair and democratic way to find out whether workers really want a union."

Workers at Freightliner's truck assembly plant in Mount Holly, North Carolina, who have been UAW members since 1990, played a key role in supporting the organising drive in Cleveland and Gastonia.

Source: UAW, Detroit News, just-auto.com

DaimlerChrysler Freightliner workers in North Carolina show their support for the union.

UAW in southern victory

CHINA: The International Metalworkers' Federation is deeply concerned about charges of subversion which have been brought against Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang, workers' representatives in the four-year campaign against corruption, mismanagement and the resultant bankruptcy at the Liaoyang Ferro-Alloy Factory. The metalworkers had been demanding a basic living allowance, pension and back pay. 

Yao and Xiao and fellow workers, Pang Qingxiang and Wang Zhaoming, were detained in March 2002, and during this time their rights were repeatedly violated. Pang and Wang were finally released on bail in December. 

In letters of protest to the president of the People's Republic of China, Jian Zemin, and to the chairman of the All China Federation of Trade Unions, Wang Zhaoguo, the IMF general secretary, Marcello Malentacchi, stated the Liaoyang workers were only exercising their rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining as guaranteed by the International Labour Organisation's Conventions No. 87 and 98, and that as a member of the ILO, China had to guarantee its workers these established rights.

Malentacchi also wrote in his letter to the All China Federation of Trade Unions that instead of assisting Yao and Xiao in their dispute with the factory management or supporting them now in their cases before the courts, "the ACFTU has abandoned them to a system that continues to ignore even the most fundamental workers' rights. Indeed, far from helping these workers, the ACFTU has actually worked against them and added to the unfounded allegations they face."

The IMF joined the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in a formal complaint last March with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association against the government of the People's Republic of China for violations of the principles of freedom of association. 

The trial against the two activists opens today, January 15.

Independent workers' activists from the Liaoyang Ferro-Alloy Factory are being charged with subversion.

Background news item

Special campaign website of China Labour Bulletin

Concern for Chinese metalworkers on trial

<img style="margin-right: 5px" src="" alt="IFAs" title="IFAs" width="89" height="89" align="left" />How do you protect workers rights where legislation is inadequate? How can you ensure respect for the ILO Core Labour Standards in all facilities of a transnational company? And how do you protect the interests of workers where unions are weak or non-existent? International Framework Agreements (IFAs) are a relatively recent tool but one now widely used by the IMF and other Global Union Federations to lay down the rules of conduct for transnational companies. Since they are negotiated on a global level and require the participation of trade unions, International Framework Agreements are an ideal instrument for dealing with the issues raised by globalisation. This is why the International Metalworkers Federation is dedicated to pursuing IFAs in all transnational companies where our affiliates have members. The future direction of International Framework Agreements (IFAs) was the subject of discussion at a world conference in 2006. The recommendations arising from the conference and subsequently adopted by the IMF Executive Committee can be found <a href="../index.cfm?c=14787">here</a>.

In depth: IFAs

List of all IFAs concluded by the Global Union Federations

Indesit (previously Merloni)

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The power of Framework Agreements

A &quot;Declaration on Social Rights and Industrial Relationships at Volkswagen&quot; was signed in June 2002, by Volkswagen management, the IMF and the Volkswagen Global Works' Council (GWC). The Declaration states that the principles of the <a href="index.cfm?n=47&amp;l=2&amp;c=7799">ILO Core Labour Standards</a> will be assured within Volkswagen. The VW Declaration deals with the freedom of association, collective bargaining, prohibition of child work and forced labour and non-discrimination, as well as remuneration, health and safety and working time. Company management will report to the GWC and its Steering Committee, and in cases of reported violations, one of the two will become active and discuss ways to solve the problems. The IMF's coordinator for the VW Global Works' Council is involved in this discussion and will bring in the position of the IMF and its affiliated unions. The agreement is applicable to the entire Volkswagen group - Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Rolls-Royce Bentley, Lamborghini, Auto-Europa.

List of Volkswagen plants and brands

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IFA: Volkswagen

GERMANY: Among steps being taken by the German metalworkers' union IG Metall against Gerhard Schroeder's "Agenda 2010" reform plan is its participation in an action week, from May 12-17, organised by the German trade union confederation DGB with its member unions. 

The announced reforms contained in the German chancellor's programme, which was presented to Parliament in March, caused an uproar among the country's trade unions due to the planned dismantling of three major elements of German social security:
<ul>
<li>unemployment benefits to be levelled down to welfare and shortened,
<li>protection against dismissal to be reduced,
<li>health-care costs to increase.
</ul>
The unions have strongly condemned Agenda 2010 as an attack on what has been achieved in more than a century of combined efforts by the trade unions and social democracy. A spokesperson for IG Metall said reforms were needed that would bring growth and contribute to job creation, but this was not the case with Agenda 2010.

In a letter to the Social Democratic and Green members of Parliament, IG Metall president, Klaus Zwickel, has accused Schroeder of breaking promises not to touch such social measures, made at IG Metall's Future Congress in June 2002, in discussions with trade union presidents immediately after last September's elections, and in a meeting with the IG Metall Executive in February 2003.

In addition to the upcoming Action Week, IG Metall and other unions made their objection to Agenda 2010 the focus of their protests during May 1st marches throughout the country. Many more rallies, petitions, distribution of information, Internet discussion between union members and members of Parliament are being organised, and alternative proposals are being put forth. The culmination of trade union protest will take place on May 24 with a nationwide action day by all DGB member unions.

The German trade union movement plans protest action and alternative proposals to the chancellor's reform agenda.

Unions battle Schroeder

GREAT BRITAIN/USA: Although the vote in favour of enhanced executive pay won a majority at the April 17th annual general meeting of the British-based news agency Reuters, the unions report the 22 per cent negative vote they achieved was "definitely a good result, especially for a first attempt."

A spokesperson for the British TUC said that the vote came at a time in the UK when institutional investors are under a great deal of pressure to prove they will stand up to investee companies where necessary over governance issues like executive pay.

Also, direct approaches to shareholders seem to be paying off. In one letter sent to Reuters shareholders before the annual meeting took place, the president of the IMF-affiliated Communications Workers of America, Morton Bahr, called for opposition to approval of the enhanced executive pay plan. "Executive pay," said Bahr, "is not simply a cost issue, but also an issue of corporate performance."

Proposal in favour of enhanced executive pay wins the majority at the annual meeting, but unions achieve a high vote against.

Earlier news item on Reuters

Labour campaign at Reuters gets good result

GLOBAL: The International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers has been observed worldwide by the trade union movement and Global Unions since 1996. As well as commemorating workers who have died, been injured or fallen ill in the workplace, this day serves to mark the campaign by trade unions to improve health and safety at work. 

Figures speak for themselves:
<ul>
<li>Every day, 5,000 workers die from work-related diseases and accidents.
<li>Every year, 12,000 children are killed on the job.
<li>Asbestos alone claims some 300 lives daily.
<li>Workers suffer 270 million occupational accidents annually, of which 355,000 are fatal.</ul>

" 'Fatal' would imply this has something to do with fate, in other words something that is bound to happen. This is not the case," says Toni Ferigo, responsible for health and safety work at the IMF. "There are clear causes," he states, "of this dramatic 'silent war', such as working extended hours, lack of investment in health and safety, lack of training, deregulation and the negligence of employers to respect basic legislation."

The IMF thinks the best way to commemorate the dead and injured workers is to put pressure for:
<ul>
<li>bringing justice to the dead and injured by punishing the criminals who are responsible,
<li>increasing workers' participation in prevention policies,
<li>seeking legislation which meets at least basic ILO standards,
<li>increasing H&amp;S investment in the workplace.</ul>

The IMF invites its affiliates around the world to participate in initiatives organised by national union centres. This is the best to commemorate the dead and the injured.

The ILO, on April 28, is organising a tripartite panel in Geneva to discuss how to reduce injury, sickness and death at the workplace.

On April 28, trade unions around the world will be organising events to mark the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers.

Daily death toll: 5,000 workers

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