28 June, 2010
ICEM’s Bridgestone Global Union Network continued its regular work with the 10th Meeting of its Steering Committee which met in Madrid, Spain on 25-26 June 2010, upon invitation of ICEM’s Spanish affiliate the Federation of Related Industries FIA-UGT, represented by Jesus Delgado, Secretary of the European Works Council of the company and as member of the Steering Committee on behalf of Europe. Delgado originally comes from the Bridgestone plant in Burgos.
The Meeting, chaired by Toshiaki Hojo, President ICEM’s Japanese affiliate GOMU RENGO, the Confederation of Rubber Workers’ Unions was attended by members from Japan, namely Akihiro Nagasawa, President, Gen Tashiro, Vice President and Kazutaka Nishihira, Central Executive Member of the Bridgestone Union (BSU); Terezinho Da Martins, President, Daniel Demetrio, Regional Vice-President and Joao Batista Goncalves, Assistant to the President of Sao Paulo Rubber Workers’ Federation Brazil; Eduardo Alonso, shop steward at Burgos from FIA-UGT of Spain, Yoshio Sato, General Secretary of ICEM’s Japanese Affiliates Federation (ICEM-JAF) and Kemal Özkan, ICEM’s Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer. The meeting also welcomed, as observer, Tamas Szekely, President of ICEM’s Hungarian affiliate VDSz, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation.
“The Bridgestone Global Union Network can be a good model for networking activities in the rubber industry” said Toshiaki Hojo at the opening of the meeting. “In some countries unions are faced with very hostile relations and the denial of human rights. Networks should also confirm their role in extending solidarity” he added.
The meeting received an extensive report from ICEM’s Kemal Özkan on the economic situation, corporate mergers and acquisitions, future trends of the global tire and rubber industry and their effects on employees. According to Özkan, the global tire and rubber industry was in depression and severely suffered from the crisis in 2008. He however noted that the situation was improved in 2009, demand in the industry had not recovered to the peak level in the previous year. For 2010, he reported, the industry seems to continue to recover in a relatively stabilized situation which will give opportunity to the unions in the sector to be in a better position vis-a-vis employers.
Left: Gen Tashiro, Coordinator ICEM Bridgestone Global Union Network and Vice-President of Bridgestone Union Right: Toshiaki Hojo, Chairman of ICEM Bridgestone Global Union Network and President of GOMU RENGO
Following the particular report on Bridgestone given by the BSU, participants reported on economic and employment situations of the tire industry and Bridgestone in their respective regions and countries. The company’s activities on CSR (corporate social responsibility) were discussed by the participants.
The second part of the meeting dealt with the participants’ reports on occupational health, safety and environment, particularly on the number of accidents in 2009, involving the workers entangled or stuck in machines, by giving examples as well as unions’ activities on preventing accidents. The meeting then moved to the reports on health and safety measures being taken by unions and/or the company with a view to preventing similar industrial accidents; promoting education on industrial safety and capacity building, and on the handling of chemical substances and health.
Tamas Szekely of Hungary gave a written report to the meeting on the union situation at the plant located in Tatabanya, Hungary where his organisation has been trying to establish a trade union for three years without success. He asked for the support of the Global Union Network in the process of developing industrial relations with the local management of the company there. Having invited participants to Hungary in the near future, Szekely particularly thanked representatives of GOMU RENGO and BSU of Japan for their interest.
The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled to take place on 24-25 June 2011 in Japan.