AMERICAN LABOUR IOWA:

ROQUETTE LOCKOUT CONTINUES COMPLAINT LODGED WITH OECD:

Here is more on the lockout at Roquette Frères in Keokuk Iowa that was reported on before on this blog. The union representing the workers, an affiliate of the IUF, along with their allies have launched a complaint with the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) about violations of standards of practice for multinational enterprises. Here's the story from the IUF.

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Sugar and starch TNC Roquette in the dock at the OECD
The US AFL-CIO and the global union federation ICEM have joined the IUF in lodging a formal complaint against French-based sugar- and starchmaker Roquette Frères for violating the Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The Guidelines, which are legally binding on the 34 member states of the OECD and other countries which have signed on, oblige governments to ensure that transnational companies headquartered in or operating on their territory comply with internationally agreed human rights standards, including core Conventions of the ILO guaranteeing workers their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, among others.

Workers at Roquette America’s corn milling plant in Keokuk, Iowa, represented by the IUF-affiliated BCTGM, have been locked out of their jobs since September 28 last year for refusing to submit to contract proposals which would have effectively destroyed their wages, seniority, pensions and health benefits while opening up the workplace to "temporary" employees with no benefits or security.

Immediately after the lockout, according to the submission, "The company continued operations at the plant using a combination of supervisors, employees from the Illinois Roquette facility and workers recruited and supplied by a company based in Westchester, Ohio - "Last, Best & Final" specializing in furnishing replacement workers during industrial disputes.

"The fact that replacement workers were instantly available to operate a complex plant requiring a trained, specialized workforce immediately after the lockout was implemented indicates a premeditated plan to lock out the workers, if necessary for a prolonged period, in order to impose a collective agreement on the company’s unilateral terms and/or to permanently replace the existing workforce. Such an operation would have required sophisticated planning to have been underway no later than August, as part of management’s aggressive drive to weaken the union."

Running a sophisticated plant with hastily trained scabs has led to environmental contamination: over December 30-31, the Keokuk plant discharged 6,000 gallons of corn syrup into the Mississippi river – and the company failed to report the spill as required by law, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The union submission to the OECD calls on the US National Contact Point for the Guidelines to facilitate a resolution to the dispute, and to involve as well the government of the home country, France, in these efforts.

You can support the Roquette workers – now in their fourth month on the picket line – by clicking here to send a message to Roquette Frères in the US and France, urging an immediate end to the lockout and an unconditional return to good faith negotiations.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

LATEST ATTACKS ON IRANIAN SUGAR WORKERS - HOW YOU CAN HELP:

The following appeal for solidarity with imprisoned Iranian trade unionists comes originally from the Justice For Iranian Workers organization. In their appeal for help they are being assisted by the IUF. Here is the story and appeal.

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New attacks on Iranian sugar union – president, activists sentenced to prison
Urgent Action 03-12-2010
In the latest crackdown on Iran’s independent union at the giant cane growing and processing Haft Tapeh complex in the southern city of Shush, Executive Board President Reza Rakhshan was sentenced to 6 months in prison on December 1 by the Court of Appeal in the city of Ahvaz. The charge was “spreading lies” – the consequence of an article Rakhshan recently published entitled ‘Happy Birthday Sugarcane Workers!’

In the article, published on Farsi-language internet sites, Rakhshan wrote: “It is now two years since the union came into being – two bittersweet years.
“On the one hand, after much ebb and flow, five members of our executive – Fereidoun Nikoufard, Ali Nejati, Jalil Ahmadi, Ghorban Alipour, and Mohammad Heidari– were eventually sentenced by the Dezful Revolutionary Court to jail terms and transferred to prison after being fired from their jobs. Following several prison stints, I was, fired from my job over ten months ago.

“On the other hand, the establishment of the union has been something of an achievement for the other workers since the authorities have taken a sudden interest in the company’s affairs– after three years of continual neglect t– by virtue of the union’s mere existence. The result: the condition of workers and that of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company are in much better shape than before.”

He could have added that the fired union members have all been expelled from their homes and are blacklisted from employment throughout the region. And that improvements in the workers’ situation are the result of repeated strikes and other actions to claim huge wage arrears and protest deteriorating working conditions. The union was officially founded in June 2008 following a 42-day strike and is an IUF affiliate.

Every word that Rakhshan wrote is true – but in Iran speaking the truth can result in losing one’s job, expulsion from one’s home, imprisonment and torture.

On November 18, three Haft Tapeh members - Behrouz Nikoufard, Alireza Saeed, and Behrouz Molazadeh - were convicted and sentenced to 6 months in prison by the Ahwaz Court of Appeal on charges of “showing disrespect to the Supreme Leader”. They were all arrested in the general crackdown following election protests last year.

Over and above the daily repression which marks the dictatorship in Iran, the authorities are reinforcing security measures and cracking down on labour and human rights activists to preempt anticipated protests as they prepare to radically cut subsidies for fuel and basic foodstuffs. Last month another member of the Vahed union of Tehran bus workers was jailed, bringing to 5 the number of Vahed members in prison (updates at Justice for Iranian workers).

CLICK HERE to send a message to the Iranian state and judicial authorities demanding immediate and unconditional freedom for all Haft Tapeh members and their reinstatement in their jobs and homes. Your message will be conveyed to the Haft Tapeh workers.

Please note that some messages may bounce back - do not be discouraged! Server overload is a common condition in Iran - some messages will get through, making the point that the persecuted trade unionists enjoy international support. The Haft Tapeh union leaders and members are also supported by Amnesty International.

You can also send a message to the Iranian embassy or diplomatic representation in your country - or pay them a visit! A complete list of embassies/consulates is available here, and you can generally find e-mail addresses by searching the internet for the individual representation in your country.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following letter to the Iranian authorities.

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To His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Republic
To His Excellency Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani, Head of Judiciary
To His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President

Dear sirs

Your government continues to arrest, imprison and victimize members of the Haft Tapeh Sugar workers Union for democratic trade union activity which is protected under international law. President Reza Rakhshan was sentenced to 6 months in prison for “spreading lies” on December 1 by the Court of Appeal in the city of Ahvaz. On November 18, three Haft Tapeh members - Behrouz Nikoufard, Alireza Saeed, and Behrouz Molazadeh - were convicted and sentenced to 6 months in prison by the Ahwaz Court of Appeal on charges of “showing disrespect to the Supreme Leader”. Five Haft Tapeh officers convicted last year, Ali Nejati, Gorban Alipour, Mohammad Heidari, Jali Ahmadi and Feridun Nikfar have been fired from their jobs and expelled from their homes after having served their unjust sentences.

We call on your government to immediately and unconditionally drop all current and past charges against all Haft Tapeh officers and members and to have them reinstated to their jobs and their homes. I am closely following your government’s action in this regard.

Yours sincerely

AMERICAN LABOUR IOWA:

SUPPORT ROQUETTE WORKERS IN IOWA:

The following appeal for support for locked out workers in Keokuk Iowa come from the international union federation the IUF.

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Lockout at Roquette America enters month 3
Urgent Action 02-12-2010
Workers at Roquette America’s corn milling plant in Keokuk, Iowa, represented by the BCTGM, have been locked out of their jobs for over 2 months – and the union is calling for international support to end the lockout as it moves into month 3.

Roquette Frères is a French-based manufacturer of starch and sugar derivatives and polyols, which have a broad range of food, beverage and other manufacturing applications. The fourth largest global company in its sector, with 18 plants worldwide, family-held Roquette is notoriously secretive about its finances and general operations. This doesn’t prevent them from boasting of their market capitalization (over €8.8 billion, or some USD 11.5 billion) on their corporate stationary just below the address and phone number. A sample is visible on the letter the company CEO wrote last year to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon when they joined the UN global Compact and committed to respecting labour rights and integrating them along with other principles into the “strategy, culture and day-to-day operations” of the company.

Management at Roquette America apparently hasn’t been brought up to speed on this. BCTGM Local 48G represents 240 workers at the Keokuk plant, which manufactures starches including the high-fructose corn syrup sourced by companies including Coca-Cola and Heinz. Negotiations for a renewed contract officially began on September 14, with the company demanding, among other major reductions and concessions, the right to hire temporary workers at less than half the wages of the permanent workforce with no benefits, an end to seniority in layoffs, an end to overtime for weekend work, the elimination of sick, personal and maternity leave, enormous increases in worker contributions for health care, the end of the company pension scheme and a 4-year wage freeze.

When the members rejected these proposals, the workers were given a 24-hour ultimatum to approve the company’s final offer – and locked out of their jobs when the contract expired on September 28, despite the union’s offer to continue working under the terms of the expired contract while negotiations continued.

The Roquette workers are the latest union workforce to be attacked by a vicious corporate offensive to profit from high unemployment by rolling back wages and conditions at a time of healthy profits and cheap credit. Despite sub-zero temperatures, members of Local 48G have maintained a round-the-clock informational picket at the plant. They are fighting for the rights of current and future Roquette workers. The union has two demands: an immediate end to the lockout, and an unconditional return to negotiations. You can support their struggle by clicking here to send a message to French and US management.

We thank you for your solidarity and support.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following letter to French and American management of Roquette.

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To Marc Roquette, Président Roquette Frères
Guy Talbourdet CEO

Dear sirs,

Roquette Frères claim to be committed to upholding international labour standards and integrating them into the company's operations, strategy and culture. The punishing lockout of BCTGM Local 48G at your plant in Keokuk, Iowa which continues since September 28 is in violation of ILO standards, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the principles of the UN Global Compact which you have signed on to. I urge you to act to ensure that the lockout is immediately and unconditionally lifted and good faith negotiations for the renewal of a collective agreement commence without delay.

Yours sincerely

AMERICAN LABOUR:

HYATT WORKERS FIGHT BACK:

Hyatt Hotels has profited even in hard times, yet they want to put the thumbscrews on their workers even tighter. the workers are fighting back. See the following item from the international union federation the IUF.

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Earnings up, Hyatt Hotels seeks to lock workers into recession
News 05-11-2010
Revenue and earnings are up at the upscale Hyatt Hotels chain, and the company is sitting on a pile of cash on the prowl for acquisitions. Hyatt workers, however, say the company is seeking to lock them into recession through outsourcing, speedup, bargaining concessions and fierce resistance to recruitment and organizing by the IUF-affiliated Unite Here!

Hyatt’s third quarter results show an increase in revpar (revenue per available room) of 7.5 percent at full-service hotels in North America and a whopping 17 percent internationally. Hyatt’s share price is up 40% for 2010. But as contracts expire in cities in Canada and the US, management is insisting on rolling back conditions and benefits for already low-paid workers.

Last year, Hyatt fired 98 room cleaners at its three hotels in the Boston area. Before getting the sack, however, the long-serving workers were required to train their own replacements – subcontracted workers paid the minimum wage.

Hyatt, says the union, is inflicting physical pain, injury and even permanent disability on its workers as well as economic hardship. Speedup has room cleaners called upon to clean up to 30 rooms in a single shift – double the normal work load. A recent article in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine showed Hyatt housekeepers having the highest rate of injury of all the hotels studied - and double the injury rate for the lowest.



The union is fighting back with demonstrations, boycotts, industrial action, including national strike action, and coalition building. The call to boycott the Boston Hyatt until the workers are rehired has received wide support, including from the state governor.

News and updates on union action at Hyatt are available on the websites of Unite Here! and Hotel Workers Rising.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR RUSSIA:

FULL TIME WORK DEMANDED AT HEINEKEN IN ST. PETERSBURG:

The following news story highlighting the struggle at the Heineken brewery in St. Petersburg Russia comes from the international union federation the IUF.

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Heineken St-Petersburg union demands restrictions on precarious jobs
News 05-11-2010
The union of workers at the Heineken brewery in St-Petersburg, Russia held a picket at the plant’s gates on October 18 to highlight their call for negotiations to reverse the creeping expansion of agency labour at the plant. Members of the city’s other unions in the food and beverage sectors took part in the action.

Since last November the union has been in negotiations with Heineken management to develop a program for safeguarding permanent jobs, including restrictions on the use of agency labour. But after nearly a year, management still insists that it’s only obligation is to respect the minimum requirements of the Labour Code. The union naturally contends that this is hardly a negotiating position, since the Labour Code simply specifies the minimum legal conditions which have to be adhered to.

Eleven months of fruitless negotiations prompted the union to hold a picket to publicly highlight the negotiating deadlock and the wider, negative impact of precarious work on Heineken workers, on trade union rights and on tax revenue and public finances. The union has received support for their struggle from the Heineken European Works Council and the Dutch FNV, in addition to local support from the IUF.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR SOUTH KOREA:

REPRESSION OF WORKERS IN SOUTH KOREA:

South Korea is due to host the next G20 meeting soon. It will no doubt be true to form with protests being violently repressed. Whether SK can live up to the heights of overkill recently demonstrated on the streets of Toronto is an open question. What is sure is that South Korea has yet to live up to its commitments to bring its labour legislation in line with international standards. Here is an item from the international union federation the IUF about what sort of country the g20 meeting will be held in this time around.

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International Unions Call for Action on Labour Rights Abuses in Korea
When Korea joined the OECD in 1996, a condition of adherence was a commitment to reform its industrial relations legislation in line with ILO standards. Not only has there been no reform, but the situation has markedly deteriorated.

In the runup to the G20* meeting scheduled for November 11-12 in Seoul, South Korea, international union organizations are calling for pressure on the Korean government to bring its repressive labour law and employment regime into line with international standards and its own commitments.

The ILO has repeatedly called on the government of South Korea to amend its labour legislation, which criminalizes legitimate union activity, blocks large numbers of public sector workers from joining unions or bargaining collectively and promotes the massive use of precarious employment relationships to effectively deny workers their collective rights.

Despite its 1996 pledge, current and previous Korean governments has refused to ratify ILO Conventions 87 (freedom of association) and 98 (collective bargaining).

Article 314 of the Penal Code on "obstruction of business" is routinely used to arrest and imprison union leaders and members and impose fines totalling millions of dollars in order to cripple union activity. Over 300 trade unionists have been imprisoned over the past 18 months.


When the crisis affected production at Ssangyong Motors, management responded to union demands to negotiate worksharing by unilaterally dismissing agency workers. In the course of the strike which followed (May-August 2010), riot police consistently used violence against the workers, including using electroshock weapons. ( See previous posts here at Molly's Blog- Molly )

A loose definition of "essential services" allows the government to deny large numbers of public sector workers the right to join a union. Unions of government employees, teachers, construction and transport workers are refused the right to represent over 250,000 workers.

Outsourced, subcontracted (dispatched) and other forms of precarious work have been aggressively promoted to deny whole categories of workers their right to union representation. Some 50% of all employed persons in Korea today lack an open-ended, direct permanent employment contract. The KCTU Korean metalworkrers have identified companies making use of up to a hundred labour contractors in a single factory - all to prevent workers from joining a union and bargaining with the real employer.

In an important decision last year, the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association called on the government of Korea to stop the abusive use of precarious contracts to deny workers their rights.

The only labour law reform, however, is proposed legislation to extend the current two-year period after which dispatch workers must be made permanent - to 4 years! Sungjong Lee, Policy Director of the IUF-affiliated Korean Federation of Private Service Workers' Unions (KFSU), denounces the proposed legislation because it will be used by employers to evade their obligation to regularize precarious workers: most employers, says Lee, will simply replace irregular workers as their contract conversion approaches with new, precarious hires.

Newly proposed legislation would also expand the range of job classifications allowed for dispatch (agency) work from the current 32 with up to 17 additional job classifications (in accordance with "market needs"). According to Nambee Park, President of the IUF-affiliated Korean Women's Trade Union, this has already encouraged the conversion to agency work of many directly-employed women workers, with a consequent loss of security, wages and benefits. If the remaining restrictions on agency work are done away with, says Park, the result will be a further expansion of low wage work, deepening insecurity and gender discrimination

The global union federations, the ITUC and TUAC are together calling for pressure on G20 governments to make sure the urgent need for labour law reform comes to the fore at the G20 meeting. A briefing note, sample letters and background materials for trade unions are available on the website of the International Metalworkers Federation in English, French, German, Russian and Spanish.

But you needn't live and work in a G20 country to take action in support of our Korean sisters and brothers! Unions everywhere can use these campaign materials to urge your government to pressure the government of Korea, to organize actions and protests at South Korean government representations and to inform your members and the wider public about the current situation - and the urgent need for change.

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*The Group of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors is made up of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the USA.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following message to the President of South Korea.

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Dear President Lee Myung-bak,

I join with the International Metalworkers' Federation in calling for the Korean government to honour its international commitments and respect workers’ rights.

Repeatedly workers and trade unions in Korea are subject to violations of human and trade union rights. The number of arrests and severity of prison sentences as well as physical violence is increasing.

When Korea joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1996 it was on the proviso that your government would take the necessary measures to bring Korea’s labour law in line with international standards.

Korea has failed to adhere to or ratify ILO conventions no. 87 (right to freedom of association) and no. 98 (right to collective bargaining) and your government has repeatedly refused offers of technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation to bring your legislation into line with international standards.

The Korean Government routinely uses criminal sanctions under Article 314 of the criminal code to arrest and imprison trade unionists for exercising their legitimate right to conduct trade union activities.

The Korean law denies workers in precarious or irregular employment the right to join a trade union and bargain collectively. Employers systematically engage workers on precarious employment contracts specifically to prevent them from forming and joining trade unions.

Public sector workers are subjected to anti-union discrimination and disciplinary measures and their collective agreements are unilaterally cancelled by the Government. Whole categories of Government workers are prevented from organizing through an overly broad definition of “essential services”.

I call on the Korean government to honour your international commitments and respect workers’ rights.

Yours,

AMERICAN LABOUR CONSUMER AFFAIRS:

FOOD RECALLS AND WORKER RIGHTS:

The USA is now at the tail end of the most massive egg recall in its history. As of August 20 520 million ! eggs had been recalled due to contamination with Salmonella. The FDA has a list of brands affected that the reader can access. One of the major producers DeCoster has a long history of brushes with the law in relation to food safety, and according to Yahoo News it is likely that this operation knew of Salmonella contamination in their product for at least two years prior to this events.

A lot could be said about this situation from an anarchist point of view. The first is the massive size of the product affected. Is it really to society's benefit that agribiz should be allowed to expand in such a cancerous fashion such that a problem ends of affected millions of people ? There is certainly nothing magical about small scale production that would guarantee freedom from occasional contamination, but if such a thing were to occur it would have far less of an effect. The second thing is that the system of production for profit with no barriers to gigantism inevitably leads to such monopoly concentration and also to the temptation to cut every corner that can be cut.

One such corner is workers' rights, and the chances of danger to the consumer march hand in hand with poor working conditions, as the following item from the international union federation the IUF makes plain.

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Record US Egg Recall Should Turn Spotlight on Working Conditions and Trade Union Rights

Over 1,500 cases of potentially fatal salmonella enteritidis poisoning across the United States have been linked to production from two interlinked giant producers. The poisonings have led to the largest-ever recall of eggs – over half a billion so far.

Critics of hyper-concentration in the agrifood industry have forcefully made the point that the record number of salmonella cases stem from the operations of just 2 giant Iowa producers - Wright County Egg, owned by Jack DeCoster, and another in which DeCoster is a major investor. DeCoster also owns the company providing feed (suspected as the source of the bacterial contamination) and chicks to the two egg farms. Eggs sourced from DeCoster are supplied under a bewildering variety of names at supermarkets and other retail outlets across the US, making the product origin impossible for consumers to trace. Information posted on a US government website lists some 90 branded eggs under the recall - 3 of them identified only as "No Brand Name Available" in various size retail packaging, with their expiration dates!

The latest tainted food episode, following on a seemingly endless series of food product recalls from meat to nuts to frozen cookie-dough, has again turned the spotlight on the federal agencies largely for food safety, the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture (it is the FDA which is responsible for shell eggs). DeCoster in fact has a long history of violating federal law at operations from Iowa to Maine - and past fines don't seem to have made a dent in the business model or stimulated regulatory activity. An FDA spokesperson told the New York Times on August 24 “FDA has no inspectional history with either of these facilities in Iowa."

So while many are asking where the federal regulators have been, it's time to ask what the most recent large-scale outbreak of food-borne illness tells us about working conditions and worker rights.

Recent inspections at the farms at the origin of the outbreak reported massive piles of manure under he egg-laying facilities, with maggot and rodent infestations cited among other flagrant violations of elementary hygienic standards. Wild birds were nesting in and flying around a DeCoster feed mill suspected as a source of the salmonella, whose storage and other facilities were full of holes and open to the wild. Identical strains of the salmonella bacteria were detected in water, manure, walkways and equipment at the feed and egg facilities. The FDA, according to their website, is investigating "whether equipment used to handle manure or bird carcasses is also used to handle feed."

Behind the appalling hygiene lies an appalling exploitation of workers, whose role as the guarantors of safe food can only be exercised when they can safely exercise their right to organize. Where chickens are forced to wade through rat- and maggot-infested manure heaps, so too are workers. Inadequate protective clothing at Wright Country Egg meant that workers were potentially spreading bacteria - and serving as potential vectors for the deadly H5N1 virus. should it appear.

In 1997, a DeCoster egg operation in Maine was fined USD 2 million dollars for egregious health and safety violations, In addition to bacterial contamination, government reports cited electrical hazards and unguarded machinery. In a recent blog, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich wrote that "Workers had been forced to live in trailers infested with rats and handle manure and dead chickens with their bare hands. It was an agricultural sweatshop."

In 2002, DeCoster paid USD 1.5 million to settle charges stemming from a lawsuit on behalf of Mexican women workers subjected to sexual abuse by supervisors, including rape..

For an operation like Wright Country Eggs, the fines are a trifle - part of the cost of doing business. One manager who trafficked undocumented workers between facilities for three years was confined to home for three months and fined USD 9,000. The fines are digestible, though the product may be toxic.

When strong unions, with strong health and safety committees, are absent or repressed, the result is hazardous and unsanitary conditions. The conditions which sicken and maim agricultural workers – 8 foot (2.4 meter) piles of rodent-infested manure, unguarded machinery, contaminated water and walkways - are precisely the conditions which turn egg farms into giant salmonella incubators. Denying workers effective legal protection to organize at the workplace deprives consumers of a crucial protection against food hazards.

Increasing the regulatory capacity of government to ensure safe food means securing effective rights for those who produce our food, clearing the way for workers to transform agricultural sweatshops into union shops.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR INDONESIA:
NESTLE WORKERS STRUGGLE FOR THEIR RIGHTS:


The following struggle for union representation has been going on for three years now, and the Nestlé corporation is unbending in its determination to prevent its Indonesian workers from having independent representation. Here's the story from the international union federation the IUF.
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No more Nestlies!
Stop Discrimination and Union-busting at Nestlé Indonesia!
Nestlé is determined to stop the SBNIP, the union representing workers at its Indonesian Nescafé factory, from negotiating a collective agreement which includes wages. In response to pressure from the IUF, Nestlé has conceded the union's right to negotiate wages, but now insists that the union must bargain jointly with a 'Communication Forum' (FKBNIP) which the company itself created and supports in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy and membership of the SBNIP. The SBNIP rightly rejects bargaining jointly with a management-sponsored organisation. In April, Nestlé again imposed a unilaterally-determined wage system with no negotiations.

The struggle for basic trade union rights at Nestlé Panjang continues, and the SBNIP needs your support.
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THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following letter to Nestlé management.
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To Paul Bulcke, CEO
Frits van Dijk, Executive Vice President, Zone AOA

CC Jean-Marc Duvoisin, Executive Vice President, Human Resources
Nigel Isherwood, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, Zone AOA
Enrique Rueda, Corporate Employee Relations Manager
Arshad Chaudhry, Managing Director, Nestlé Indonesia

Dear Sirs,

Management at the Nescafé factory in Panjang, Indonesia, still denies the right of the SBNIP to negotiate wages through collective bargaining. SBNIP members face discrimination and pressure. I call upon Nestlé to fully respect trade union rights, stop fighting the SBNIP, stop promoting the company union and immediately engage in good faith collective bargaining negotiations with the SBNIP as the representative of the Panjang workers for collective bargaining.

Yours sincerely,

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR RUSSIA:

UNION WINS AGAINST NESTLE IN RUSSIA:

Molly has reported several times on the worldwide campaign against the anti-worker policies of the Nestlé Corporation. The international union federation the IUF has been at the forefront of this, and they now announce a victory in Russia. Here's the story from their website.

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Nestlé Waters Russia Bows to Pressure, Union Vice-Chair Reinstated
Management of Nestlé Waters Russia has declined to appeal the court-ordered reinstatement of Sergei Strykov, Vice-Chair of the union formed last year who was fired on January 27. Strykov has also been compensated for wages lost from January through May, while the union was fighting his illegal dismissal.

Strykov's dismissal was part of a series of harsh anti-union measures inflicted by Nestlé management in an attempt to stop the union from developing. The union fought back with a series of public actions, backed by international support.


While the workers are still seeking negotiations around urgent issues including workloads, work assignments and overtime pay Nestlé's decision not to fight the reinstatement represents a clear victory for the campaign to defend basic union rights at Nestlé Domodedovo.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-PAKISTAN:

COKE WORKERS IN PAKISTAN STRUGGLE FOR A UNION:

Coca-Cola is, not surprisingly, one of the corporate sponsors of this year's World Cup in South Africa. Yet they steadfastly refuse to play fair in their bottling plants across the world. Here's a story and appeal from the international union federation the IUF about the struggle for a real union amongst Coke workers in Pakistan.

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Coca-Cola Pakistan Greets New Union with Death Threats, Abduction, Extortion and Dismissals
Since forming a union at Coca-Cola's bottling plant in the southern Pakistan city of Multan in June 2009, members have met with death threats, abduction, firings, extortion, forgery and fraud. It's been a long wait for rights and recognition - and not exactly refreshing.

In addition to the threats and dismissals, management has manipulated the relevant authorities to stop the legal registration of the union. Workers' social security documents have been massively falsified to “transfer” regular workers to a fictitious labour contractor in order to 'prove' that they don't work for Coca-Cola, and can't join a union of Coca-Cola workers! Management created a yellow union – but even the alleged president of that union testified that he had never attended the founding meeting, was not the president and had never applied for registration!

The Multan plant is part of Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited (CCBPL), jointly owned by Turkish bottler Coca-Cola Icecek (CCI) and The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) based in Atlanta, which sits atop the global Coca-Cola system.

The Multan workers need your support. Despite all these illegal acts the union officers and their supporters remain steadfast in their determination to win union recognition and become the IUF’s newest members in the Coca-Cola system.
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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following message to the Coca Cola company telling them that you support their Pakistani workers.

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To Ed Potter, Director Global Labor Relations, The Coca-Cola Company
Hüseyin Akin, President, International Operations CCI
Aliye Alptekin, Human Resources Director CCI
Ronald Jones, President, Middle East & Pakistan Region CCI

Dear Madam/Sirs

I am shocked and outraged to learn that management of your bottling plant in Multan, Pakistan, has committed an escalating series of illegal and criminal actions in an effort to block the establishment of the new union at the plant. According to reliable information these acts have included death threats, abduction, transfers, dismissals and the fraudulent falsification of employment records in a campaign to destroy the union.


These acts are in flagrant violation of international human rights norms and Conventions. I therefore call on you to ensure that: all acts of intimidation against members and supporters of the People's Employees Union at the Multan plant cease immediately; that the company cease its efforts to block the union's legal registration: that managers and other company employees who organized or committed such actions are identified and all those implicated in violence or threats of violence are removed; and that trade union rights are fully respected at the plant.

Yours sincerely,

CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:

SUPPORT ACCOR HOTEL WORKERS:

Accor claims to be the 'European leader' in hotels. As usual one should take such corporate claims with a Siberian salt mine full of product. In Canada they operate three hotels in Ontario under the Novotel brand. One thing they are, however, the leader in is treachery as the following story from the IUF union confederation makes clear. The IUF are asking you to stand in solidarity with the hotel workers at these three hotels in their struggle for union representation. Here's the story.

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Act Now! - Support the Struggle for Trade Union Rights at Accor Canada Hotels
Since 2008 workers at three Accor hotels in Canada, have been organizing to win union recognition and collective bargaining rights in the face of fierce opposition from management.

Several workers at the Novotel Mississauga, Novotel North York, and Novotel Ottawa have been fired or punished with reduced shifts or hours after becoming public union supporters. Management has repeatedly pressured workers to vote ‘no’ in union elections.

UNITE HERE! Local 75, which represents more than 6000 workers in 40 Greater Toronto Hotels, including Novotel Toronto Centre, has filed dozens of complaints of labour law violations against Accor management, and community leaders and local politicians have expressed their outrage at the ant-union actions of these hotels.

The Novotel chain is part of the Accor Group of Hotels, which operates 3,982 hotels worldwide with over 150,000 employees. In 1995 Accor signed an agreement with the IUF, by which they undertook "not to oppose efforts to unionize its employees"' The agreement also states that the company "considers respect for union rights to be part of the good reputation of its brand names."

At the Novotel Mississauga in April 2009, 64% of workers demonstrated their support for the union by signing union cards. Despite this, less than a month later only 40% of workers voted for the union - a measure of intense pressure and threats from management.

Myriam Toribo has worked at the Novotel since 2000. She has been an active supporter of the campaign to unionize the hotel since 2005. Over this time, like many of her co-workers, she has been subject to harassment and discrimination for being a union supporter. This has included being told by a manager that the union 'is not good for you' in one-on-one meetings, and not being allocated shifts in accordance with her seniority in line with normal practice at the hotel.

In February this year, the situation escalated when Myriam was fired from her employment at the hotel with no due process. This came after the Hotel had implemented new policies to try and discourage housekeepers from talking to each other either during or before their shifts. Myriam's termination was then announced to the other housekeeping staff to frighten and discourage them from supporting the union. Other union supporters were also told to 'watch out' as they could be next.

In April this year, workers at the Novotel Ottawa showed overwhelming support for the union, and Unite Here! Local 75 called for a recognition ballot. Management then ran an aggressive ‘Vote No’ campaign in the run up to the ballot. This included firing union supporters and holding captive audience meetings with workers to dissuade them from supporting the union. On the day before the ballot, a letter was delivered individually to each worker, encouraging them to vote ‘no’. This pressure led to a 50% vote in favour of the union, just short of the number needed to secure recognition.

At a recent union rally Jeff Segat, a young father of two who helped lead the organizing drive and was fired from his position as cook at the Novotel Ottawa three weeks before the recognition ballot, told supporters “I'm not giving up, and we're not giving up!" The spotlight will continue on Accor’s anti-union record in the coming weeks during the G20 summit and alternative civil society People's Summit. Workers at the Novotel Toronto have overwhelmingly voted in favor of strike action (click here for more information).

In October 2009, the Accor European Works Council called on the company to fully respect the International Trade Union Rights Agreement with the IUF and comply with their commitment to protect employees against all acts of discrimination that tend to violate freedom of association by positively engaging with Unite Here! Despite European and international pressure, the company refuses to sign an agreement with Unite Here! guaranteeing freedom of association.

Accor workers in Canada need your support - click here to send a strong message to Accor! Tell the company that violations of the international trade union rights agreement with the IUF will not be tolerated, and that they should immediately recognize the union at these hotels. Union supporters who were fired since the organizing campaign went public must be reinstated, and those who were victimized through lost shifts or hours must have their pay and conditions restored.

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THE LETTER

Please go to this link to send the following letter to Accor management.

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To Gilles Pélisson, Chairman and CEO
Cc Patrick Ollivier, Executive Vice President Global Human Resources

I am shocked to learn of the agrressive anti-union behaviour of management at the Novotel Mississauga, Novotel North York, and Novotel Ottawa hotels in Canada where workers have been organising to win union recognition and collective bargaining rights.

Workers have been fired, or lost shifts or hours after becoming public union supporters. Management has also repeatedly pressured workers to vote ‘no’ in union elections.

This behaviour flies in the face of Accor's global framework agreement with the IUF on Trade Union Rights, in which the company undertakes 'not to oppose efforts to unionize its employees.'

I call on Accor to act immediately to:

- Uphold the letter and spirit of the Trade Union Rights agreement in all current and future dealings with workers employed by Accor in Canada, in particular the commitment not to oppose efforts by its workers to unionize;
- affirm its neutrality publicly and voluntarily grant union recognition with evidence of majority support at these hotels;
- reinstate the union supporters who have been fired and to restore the pay and conditions of those who have been victimized through lost shifts and hours since the organizing campaigns became public in November 2008.

I will be closely following developments at the three Novotel Hotels in Canada.

Yours sincerely

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-RUSSIA:
HELP RUSSIAN WORKERS WIN UNION RECOGNITION:




The following came to Molly's attention via the online labour solidarity site Labour Start. It's originally from the international union federation, the IUF. There's a website and a Facebook page for the international campaign to make Nestlé treat its workers fairly
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Stop Nespressure in Russia!
Rights and Recognition for Nestlé Waters Workers and their Union!
In November 2009 workers at Nestlé Waters Direct in Domodedovo, near Moscow, joined together to do something about eroding real wages and deteriorating working conditions. They formed a legal union - and management responding by harassment, discriminatory work assignments, cutting drivers' wages by half and sacking the union vice-chair, who was formally accused of damaging the company by doing his job too well! The workers are determined to defend their union and win their rights - you can support them by using the form below to send a message to management of Nestlé, the world's largest food company.
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The letter
Please go to this link to send the following letter to Nestlé management.
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To Stefan De Loecker, Market Head Russia
cc Alfredo Silva, Assistant Vice-President, Human Resources - Zone Europe
Dear Sirs
I am shocked to learn that management at Nestlé Waters Direct in Domodedovo has responded to the formation of a union by imposing pay cuts on drivers who join the union and by firing the union vice-chair Sergei Strykov on January 27. I call on you to immediately reinstate Strykov, to reinstate all union members to their former driver work assignments, to end all anti-union discrimination through rates, bonuses and job assignments and to enter into good faith negotiations with the union on working conditions and overtime pay.
Yours sincerely

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-PAKISTAN:
SUPPORT HOTEL WORKERS IN KARACHI:

The following is from the international union federation, the IUF.
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Tension Escalates At Pearl Continental Karachi as Workers Contest New Management Brutality
Tension is building to a crisis point at the notorious Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi, Pakistan, as 4 elected union leaders continue to resist their illegal dismissal on February 24 by refusing to leave the hotel and union members and supporters maintain a vigil outside.




The sit-in and supporters' camp outside the luxury establishment have been continuously maintained for three weeks following the dismissal of four officers including the union President, Vice-President and Vice-Chairman. The dismissed leaders and the growing number of supporters outside have vowed not to move until the illegal dismissals are withdrawn and the hotel management agrees to negotiate issues unresolved at the hotel since 2002, including previous sackings of other union officers and members.




For eight years management has been brutally and systematically seeking to destroy the Pearl Continental Karachi Union through anti-union dismissals, intimidation, violence and false imprisonment (background). In 2002, three union leaders were illegally jailed for months while management and the police conspired to link them to various alleged criminal acts. In 2009, after 7 years of vilification and false accusations, their cases were thrown out of the courts in a decision which declared that "Doubt prevails in every nook and cranny of this case."



In 2003, the Committee on Freedom of Association of the ILO determined that grave violations of union rights had been committed by the hotel management and local authorities.and instructed the government to fully investigate the incidents of police detention, violence and harassment of union members.




Neither the hotel management nor the government of Pakistan has responded to this decision. Eight years on the union continues to struggle for legal recognition of its rights. Because the union's demands have been pending before the labour court and the labour department since 2002, no union officer can be legally terminated without the authorization of the labour court.




The February 24 dismissals triggered a response born of 8 years of frustration, with the dismissed officers refusing to leave the hotel until they were reinstated and supporters including family members, fraternal unions, social and human rights activists showing continuous support outside. On March 1, police assaulted the supporters outside the hotel, including women and children, holding them in detention. They were released following a protest action outside the prison - and returned to the supporters' camp.




Management is pressing for new police action through the use of warrants and new court orders, but the depth of support for the Pearl Continental workers has left the police hesitant - for now - to forcibly remove the officers inside or assault the supporters outside the hotel.




The IUF Pakistan office has mobilized wide support to press for restraint by the police and civil authorities and to resolve the conflict through negotiations. International pressure is urgently needed. Please write the hotel management and the parent company to tell them to withdraw the latest dismissals and to begin negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues.
Eight years of assaulting and repressing union members and officers, censure by the United Nations' ILO and continuous human rights violations is enough!

CLICK HERE to send a message to the hotel management and to the parent company
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The Letter
Please go to this link to send the following protest letter to management at the Pearl Continental Hotel. Or click on the link above.
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To
*Dr. Salim Mehmud
Senior Executive Advisor
Pakistan Services Limited


*Zulfiqar Malik
General Manager
Pearl Continental Hotel Karachi
Dear Sirs
In 2003 the United Nations' ILO determined that serious violations of trade union rights had occurred at the Pearl Continental Karachi hotel, and called for the anti-union practices to be rectified.



I am outraged to learn that management stils refuses to recognize the Pearl Continental Hotel Workers' Union and that on February 24 four elected office bearers were dismissed - illegally, because the union's charter of demands from 2002 is still pending due to management's hostile attitude towards the union. Attempts to forcibly remove the dismissed officers and disperse their many supporters outside will only worsen the situation and cause further reputational damage to the hotel.



I urge you to immediately withdraw the suspensions and to enter into good faith negotiations with the Pearl Continental Karachi Workers' Union.
Yours sincerely

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

AN END ROUND AROUND RONNIE:

The world is full of sneakiness, and it does my old heart good when I see the "forces of good" do an end round around the "forces of evil". The following from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start is one such instance. It seems that the evil clown Ronald McNasty has tried to suppress criticism of the corporation by buying up internet domain sites, but, as is usual when you pay a manager 150,000 per year or a consultant a one time payment of $500,000, the uselessness of such people comes through. In this case David has done an end run around Goliath. Here's the story.

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McJobs‏
McJobs -- we all know what those are.
One online source defines a McJob as "a low-paying, low-prestige job that requires few skills and offers very little chance of intracompany advancement". McDonald's was never very happy about the use of this term.

In fact, the company bought the domain name "mcjobs.com" just to make sure that no one could use it.

But they forget to acquire "mcjobs.org"( To "oops" is management-Molly ) -- and the global union federation for food workers, the IUF, together with LabourStart, bought the name and today are pleased to announce the public launch of McJobs.org, the website for McDonald's workers around the world.

If you work in McDonald's, or know anyone who does, or are just curious, please do check it out:

http://www.mcjobs.org

Eric Lee

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-IRAN:

FREEDOM FOR IRANIAN SUGAR UNION PRESIDENT:

The following appeal for solidarity with imprisoned Iranian unionists comes from the international union federation, the IUF.

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Four Iran Sugar Union Leaders Free but President Nejati Still in Prison and Facing Additional Sentence:
While 4 convicted leaders of the independent Haft Tapeh sugarworkers union in Iran have now been freed, President Ali Nejati remains in prison, where he could spend two years or more on charges of 'endangering national security'. Union Communications Officer Reza Rakhshan is stiill awaiting final sentencing for his conviction last year on similar charges.

Nejati (pictured at right) is currently serving a one-year sentence and faces an additional term of one year or more.

Gorban Alipour and Mohammad Heidari have been released after completing all or part of their sentences; Jali Ahmadi and Feridun Nikfar have been released conditionally on probation after partially serving their sentences.

Nothing has changed at Haft Tapeh, where workers have had to resort to spontaneous industrial action on several occasions since the union leaders were imprisoned in order to obtain payment of their wages.

The campaign for the Haft Tapeh workers will continue until:
*President Ali Nejati is released, his sentence annulled and all pending charges are dropped:
*all past and present charges against Reza Rakhshan are dropped;
*all Haft Tapeh union officers are immediately reinstated in their jobs, with full back pay;
*the government and the company recognize the Haft Tapeh Union as the workers' representative for collective bargaining, fully respecting all trade rights.

CLICK HERE to send a message to the Iranian state and judicial authorities. Your message will be conveyed to the Haft Tapeh workers.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-RUSSIA:

SUPPORT NESTLÉ WORKERS IN RUSSIA:

The world of the international corporation knows no borders, and the actions of management worldwide are the same. Conversely the solidarity of ordinary people should also know no boundaries. What follows is an appeal from the international union confederation, the IUF, for solidarity with workers in Russia who are pitted against the dictatorial actions of the Nestlé Corporation.

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Nespressure Again at Nestlé Russia:

Company Punishes Union Workers with Dismissal, Discrimination and Pay Cuts:
Nestlé's Corporate Business Principles state that their business practices are "designed" to "establish a constructive dialogue with unions. In fact they have little choice - if they want to respect international Conventions and treaties which anchor this obligation in international human rights law.

In 2008 - after a year of struggle - Nestlé management conceded that that the union representing Kit-Kat workers in the Russian city of Perm could negotiate the wages management had declared a "commercial secret". Less than two years later, Nespressure - squeezing workers and suppressing rights - is being applied again at Nestlé Russia.

In November 2009, workers at Nestlé Waters Direct in Domodedovo, 30 kilometers outside Moscow, joined together to address the problem of eroding real wages and deteriorating working conditions. Nestlé's subsidiary in Domodedovo bottles and delivers Pure Life water to homes and offices. Workloads have increased substantially for drivers following the 2008 closure of one of the company's three Moscow-region distribution depots (increasing pressure on remaining drivers). Drivers are paid according to a piece rate/bonus scheme. Working days of 12 hours or more are necessary to reach a reasonable level of pay. Last year, the number of dispatchers was reduced by 50% in a cost-cutting exercise, which dramatically increased the workload on the survivors. So drivers, joined by dispatchers, formed a union and on November 17 obtained legal status by joining the All-Russia Trade and Service Employee's Union 'Solidarnost'.

Management immediately began harassing the union chairman and interfering with his access to members. Drivers were reassigned to work as loaders, eliminating the drivers' bonus, or assigned to smaller vehicles, making it impossible to achieve the bonus quota even with 15-16 hours of work. Drivers who joined the union have seen their pay cut by up to 40%.

Union communications to management, supported by the Russia-wide Nestlé Union Coordinating Council, requesting negotiations to determine work schedules, overtime and bonus pay and an end to the anti-union harassment were not answered.

On January 24, braving a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius, union members demonstrated in support of their rights at Nestlé's Moscow headquarters.

On January 27, union vice-chair Sergei Strykov was summarily dismissed. Though Strykov had a perfect work record, he was accused of financially damaging the company by consistently selling the extra bottles drivers have previously been encouraged and rewarded for selling! At a meeting with the bosses, union activist Strykov was told he could collect the overtime he is owed in exchange for "resigning by mutual consent" with the management.

Strykov is one of a group of workers who filed a legal case against the company on January 21 to recover unpaid overtime payment - in Strykov's case money owed since January 2006.

When he refused to "resign", he was fired and ordered to immediately relinquish his company uniform - shirt, coat, hat and shoes - in subfreezing weather! ( who ever said that managers were human beings ?-Molly )

The Nestlé Domodedovo workers have not been intimidated by the brutal sacking of their union vice-chair. Union members and their supporters turned out for another rally at the factory gate on February 5.

The union is demanding the reinstatement of vice-chair Sergei Strykov, that all union members are reinstated to their former work assignments; an end to all anti-union discrimination through rates, bonuses and job assignments and negotiations between management and the union on working conditions and overtime pay.

You can support their demands - CLICK HERE to send a message to Nestlé Russia's Human Resources Director and to corporate management in Switzerland.

Stop Nespressure!
Nestlé - Stop Pressure on the Union!

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The Letter:

Please go to the link above or to This Link to send the following message to Nestlé management in Russia.

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To Stefan De Loecker, Market Head Russiacc Alfredo Silva, Assistant Vice-President, Human Resources - Zone Europe
Dear Sirs
I am shocked to learn that management at Nestlé Waters Direct in Domodedovo has responded to the formation of a union by imposing pay cuts on drivers who join the union and by firing the union vice-chair Sergei Strykov on January 27. I call on you to immediately reinstate Strykov, to reinstate all union members to their former driver work assignments, to end all anti-union discrimination through rates, bonuses and job assignments and to enter into good faith negotiations with the union on working conditions and overtime pay.
Yours sincerely

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-SOUTH AFRICA:

STAND WITH SOUTH AFRICAN SAB MILLER'S WORKERS:

The following appeal for online solidarity is from the international union federation the IUF. Since before Christmas workers represented by the Food and Allied Workers' Union (FAWU) have been on strike against the SAB Miller's ABI division. They are asking you to help pressure the company to deal fairly with its workers. Here's the appeal.

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FAWU on Strike at SAB Miller South African Soft Drinks:
Three thousand members of South Africa's FAWU have been on strike at SAB Miller's ABI Soft Drinks Division since December 22. The union is demanding better wages, fair overtime payment for Saturday work and an end to the further use of labour brokers and the "Driver-Owner Schemes" which convert lorry drivers into "independent" owner operators and their crews into casual workers without working conditions or job security. The company has chosen confrontation over negotiation, preferring allegations of worker violence to constructive negotiations. The union has won strong support for their struggle inside South Africa - and is now asking for international solidarity. You can support FAWU's fight for decent conditions and their demand for an end to the extension of precarious work.

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THE LETTER

Please go to this link to send the following message to ABI management.

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To:

Graham Mackay, CEO, SAB plc, UK

To:

Norman Joseph Adami, Chairman and Managing Director, SAB Ltd

To:

Steve Bluen, Human resources director SAB Ltd, South Africa

To:

John Ustas, Managing Director, ABI, South Africa

To:
Ed Potter, Director of global labor relations, TCCC,
Dear Mr Mckay, Mr Adami, Mr Bluen, Mr Ustas,
I am writing to you to express my concern about the uncompromising position of ABI management in the ongoing industrial dispute with FAWU. The workers who are expected to work for the company during the upcoming World Cup with full motivation deserve a fair wage increase, fair regulation of work schedules, and a stop to precarious work conditions for transport crews as expressed in FAWU's demands.

The company should immediately sit down and negotiate a fair agreement with FAWU based on the union's just demands, rather than blackmailing the union and its members with unsubstantiated allegations of violence which cover the refusal to bargain in good faith.
Sincerely yours,