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18 September, 2006
Rubber workers in the US, members of ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW), expressed their displeasure with Continental AG at a pair of rallies in recent weeks. Union members protested the manner in which the German tyre-maker closed a factory in Charlotte, state of North Carolina, last spring.
One rally occurred on 4 September in Charlotte, and then another one when USW members converged on the International Tire Exhibition and Conference in Akron, state of Ohio, protesting Continental’s anti-worker practices. The company was an exhibitor at the trade fair.
Continental was cited by the US National Labor Relations Board with violations of the country’s labour law when it refused collective bargaining with the USW over a new contract for 800 workers in Charlotte. The USW had attempted to reach a new labour agreement and keep the Charlotte plant open by offering the company US$16 million in cost-savings. But the company refused to consider the proposal and used 1 May as the date to announce all tyre production would cease at the plant.
In early August, the USW formally called on the US State Department to initiate an investigation over alleged breaches of work practices under guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). “The conduct of this German company and its apparent belief that it can violate US laws and (OECD) Guidelines with impunity is shocking,” wrote USW President Leo Gerard to the US OECD National Contact Point (NCP). “The full force of the US Government, including NCP intervention, should be brought to bear.”