11 January, 2010Respect of the right to collective bargaining and of the national labour law was the focus of the meeting. Shop stewards were saddened at the news that one more worker, the sixth since the beginning of this year, died at an ArcelorMittal production site in Spain.
MOROCCO: Shop stewards and trade union delegates from the production sites of the ArcelorMittal controlled SONASID in Nador and El Jadida, Morocco met in Casablanca with a delegation from IMF HQs on January 7-8, 2010.
Concerns were expressed about a serious deterioration of the industrial relations. Shop stewards indicated that, contrary to what used to happen until a couple of years ago, the local management does not seem to be interested in constructive social dialogue and even refuses to listen to unions. Since the last elections of workers' representatives in May 2009 management has refused to enter into negotiations with a union that is legitimately entitled to collective bargaining according to the national law. The SNTIMMEE-CDT has in fact received at each of the two production sites more than 35 per cent of votes, which is the threshold set by the Moroccan labour code for that purpose.
Cases have been reported of discrimination against SNTIMMEE members who were on strike, and of non-implementation of a signed collective agreement at the El Jadida site. The shop stewards asked for IMF support against discrimination by management and to resume a dialogue and negotiations in good faith with the company's management.
While the meeting was taking place information reached the participants of another tragic fatality that took place at an ArcelorMittal production site in Spain. The participants expressed deep concern for the dangerous working conditions and the recently increased number of fatalities at the production sites of ArcelorMittal around the world. In particular, they pointed to the risks involved in the increasing management's practice to replace senior, more experienced workers with young ones. These in most cases are employed under precarious employment arrangements, with a lower level of protection.
This activity is part of the IMF ongoing work, particularly in Maghreb, to monitor the respect of fundamental rights by TNCs around the world, and to promote trade union coordination and networking between unions organizing the employees of a same TNC.