24 February, 2012The IMF has written to the CEO of Ricoh Ltd in Japan to demand reinstatement for all 54 workers who were dismissed for forming a trade union.
THAILAND: Since Ricoh opened its manufacturing facility in Thailand three years ago, workers have protested regularly about poor wages and working conditions. When they formed a union to attempt to engage with the company to resolve their grievances, Ricoh Thailand responded by dismissing 54 workers who were active in the union out of a total workforce of 724.
Ricoh's violations of labour rights include:
- Forced overtime,
- Wage and bonus increases applied unfairly,
- Docking time while workers use the restroom, and
- Insufficient safety equipment.
Management targeted for dismissal those workers who were members of the negotiating team and leaders and activists who signed a petition, finding spurious justifications for the dismissals to disguise that these were the company's response to legitimate union activities. The dismissed workers are now protesting outside the factory. The remaining workers in the factory have come under heavy pressure from management not to join the union and have been threatened with dismissal if they join the protest of dismissed workers.
The Ricoh union was officially registered on December 16, 2011 and through its membership of the Confederation of Thai Electrical Appliances, Electronic, Automobile and Metalworkers (TEAM) is now an affiliate of the IMF. TEAM has called on the Japanese Ambassador to Thailand to intervene in the case and is supporting the dismissed workers through a case to the Thai Labour Relations Committee.
IMF is calling on Ricoh to immediately reinstate all 54 workers and to engage constructively with the union. IMF has also written to the Global Compact to bring to its attention Ricoh's violation of its principles. Ricoh has been a member of the Global Compact since 2002.