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18 October, 2010
ICEM’s sister trade union organization the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), together with the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF) organized a joint meeting on steel multinationals and sectoral developments in Cardiff, Wales, 13-14 October 2010. The meeting was hosted by three UK unions, Unite, GMB, and Community.
Delegates discussed labour and industry developments with the Steel Group Strategy Director of multinational Tata, as well as major challenges faced by workers in other steel companies, notably ArcelorMittal. Climate strategies were discussed by delegates as trade unions in the sector look to agree on a common strategy for the transition to cleaner production.
The ICEM, attending the meeting as a guest, discussed the ever-increasing cooperation between the ICEM and IMF, focusing in particular on the coordinated global campaigns against Vale and Grupo Mexico. The need for further work together was stressed, in order to organize worker solidarity and strength along the chain of production. The supply chain for steel production starts with miners taking coal and iron ore out of the ground, while these raw materials are transported often by rail-workers, then by dockworkers and maritime workers, and the steel is manufactured by steelworkers.
Photo:EMF
Over 60 delegates from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, India, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, and the UK, passed a common statement entitled ‘Anticipating change for a sustainable global and European steel industry’, calling for the enforcement of five pillars of sustainability:
1. Long-term investment in plants and workers
We urgently demand guarantees on long-term investment in upgrading our plants, investing in innovation and R&D and providing quality and secure jobs. Considering increasing global demand for steel, investment in the upgrading of plants and processes is fundamental to a sustainable response to climate change. The reinvestment of profits into long-term funding for R&D on low carbon steel technologies and carbon capture and storage, taking pilot projects to full-scale operations, must be delivered by steel companies, in cooperation with public authorities. Investment in workers is crucial to ensuring the sustainability and competitiveness of our industry. Governments can play a key role in helping the steel industry build for a brighter future through supporting programmes that train the next generation of steel workers and ensure that we are not faced with a skills gap in the future. Our aim must be a highly skilled, secure workforce in the future.
2. Employment security and safety
Employment quality is a fundamental indicator of a sustainable industry. The IMF and EMF call on steel employers to act responsibly towards their workforces by committing to the respect of labour rights, negotiated solutions, respecting collective agreements, real wage increases, health and safety at work and worker information and consultation rights (including worker representation bodies). The maintenance and development of the skills and knowledge of workers in the steel sector is the basis to ensure its competitiveness emerging from the global economic crisis. We call for guaranteed rights for all workers to access and the provision of vocational training and retraining, plus better employment rights for contract staff and temporary agency workers, and the strengthening social security systems and employment services. The IMF and EMF totally oppose increasing precariousness at work.
3. Environmental modernisation and social responsibility
At Cancún in December 2010, we call for our governments to conclude a binding, comprehensive and ambitious international agreement on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. We maintain our long-held demands for social justice and long-term employment policies as an integral element of climate policy. Only if employment concerns are effectively integrated into climate policy, can economic, technological and social change be directed towards achieving a low emissions and just society. We are concerned that international regulation on carbon emissions unless binding and applied evenly will lead to carbon leakage (the movement of heavy industries from countries who respect or try to implement international governance to countries with weaker or no measures). Climate change legislation must contain strong provisions dealing with international competitiveness (including border adjustment mechanisms), in order to ensure that nations that lack a strong emissions programme do not receive an unfair advantage, and investment in R&D and technology transfer to ensure that industry globally continually upgrades its environmental performance and responsibility.
4. A trade policy working for workers
Promoting trade cannot be a goal in itself, but must be part of a strategy for growth and development in the developed world as well as in the developing world. The IMF and EMF demand that trade rules and trade defence measures provide a fair level playing field, guaranteeing and enforcing core labour rights and environmental standards.
5. Active routes for worker participation
The IMF and EMF demand that workers and their trade unions be fully informed, consulted and involved in corporate and sectoral industrial strategies with the aim of improving the quality and security of jobs in the industry.