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Global worker No1 2022

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All workers should enjoy equal rights. Yet workers throughout the world continue to be subject to discrimination, resulting in many being denied their right to join a union. Discrimination also means that women and young workers are over-represented in precarious employment.IMF activities focus on assisting affiliates to develop specific organising strategies to improve unionisation rates among women, migrant workers and young workers. Strategies focus particularly on electronics production workers and workers in EPZ, areas where young women and migrant workers predominate, labour rights are abused and trade unionism is repressed.Women&#039;s representation at all levels of trade union organisation is still too low. IMF has taken steps towards improving the level of participation within the organisation and will continue to work with affiliates to assist them to remove barriers to women&#039;s representation in their unions.

Equal rights

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PROTEST LETTER (thanks)

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PROTEST LETTER (to send)

Visit the IMF website for regular updates on the IMF campaign to end labour rights abuses in Korea or sign up for <a href="../index.cfm?n=669">IMF Action Alerts</a> to be notified of urgent solidarity requests and campaign developments immediately when they arise.This page will reload to the protest letter again in 5 seconds

Thank you for taking ACTION!

Dear President Lee Myung-bak, I am writing to express my deep concern over the mass arrests of workers and members of the Korean Metal Workers' Union who took part in a sit-in strike at the Ssangyong Motor plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi province.I have been shocked to witness your government's brutal response to this legitimate industrial dispute, specifically, the dropping of corrosive chemicals from helicopters, brutal attacks from taser guns that have inflicted life threatening injuries and the denial of access to food, water and even basic medical treatment for the injured. Violating human rights by denying their citizens food, water, medicine is unacceptable behavior from the state in any situation.  I strongly urge you to: immediately release all imprisoned union leaders and Ssangyong workers; drop all charges (criminal and civil) against individuals and organisations involved in the strike; and take a role in ensuring good faith, genuine negotiations towards guaranteeing the KMWU Ssangyong Motor members employment security.Sincerely,

Release all jailed Ssangyong strikers immediately!

PROTEST LETTER TEXT (to send)

Alexei Etmanov, the leader of the Ford-Vsevelozhsk trade union and co-chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA) has been the target of two brutal attacks on November 8 and 13, 2008. An anonymous caller following the first assault contacted the union and warned Etmanov to stop his union activities or &quot;we will take away your life,&quot; the caller said. No one has been charged for the crimes. Other members of the ITUA have been assaulted, including the leaders of the local ITUA of Taganrog automobile plant, Alexei Gramm and Sergei Brizgalov. Those incidents were not investigated either. The International Metalworkers´ Federation is carrying out a campaign to protect the leaders of ITUA, demanding that the Russian authorities conduct a complete investigation of all cases of the assaults and to punish the guilty ones - both those that took part and those who ordered the crimes to be committed.

Demand authorities conduct a complete investigation into all cases of violence and threats of violence against trade unionists in Russia.

Help Stop the Violence Against Russian Unionists!

Dear Mr. Chaika, I am deeply alarmed by attacks and threats made to trade union leaders and activists in Russia. I am gravely concerned about the authorities&#039; indifference to violations of fundamental human and labour rights and the failure to act promptly and effectively to ensure these rights are fully upheld and protected against any such attack.I urge you to apply all your efforts in order to carry out an immediate, unbiased and transparent investigation into the attacks against  Alexei Etmanov, the leader of the Ford-Vsevelozhsk trade union and co-chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA) and the leaders of the local ITUA of Taganrog automobile plan Alexei Gramm and Sergei Bryzgalov, as well as the death threats made to Vladimir Lesik, vice chair person of the ITUA union at Ford-Vsevelozhsk plant.Sincerely,

Violation of trade union rights in Russia

Text of the protest letter

<img src="" alt="" width="135" height="110" align="right" /> NORWAY: Aker ASA, a renowned shipbuilding company, on October 28 signed an International Framework Agreement (IFA) with the International Metalworkers' Federation and its Norwegian affiliate Fellesforbundet for the development of good working relations in companies that are part of Aker. The agreement reflects the company's &quot;commitment to respect basic human and trade union rights in the community, acknowledging the fundamental principals of human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the OECD guidelines on Multinational Companies.&quot;The agreement covers provisions on freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, discrimination, forced labour, child labour, health and safety, living wages, employment conditions, working hours, HIV/AIDS, environmental issues and skills training, referencing the standards as established by the core labour conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO).The agreement relates to all parts of Aker and states that the company will use its influence to secure compliance with the standards set out in the agreement with its subsidiaries and third party business associates, with non-compliance ultimately resulting in potential termination of a contractual relationship.The signing took place during the Fellesforbundet's executive committee meeting in Oslo on October 28. During the ceremony speeches about the importance of the agreement were given by IMF general secretary Marcello Malentachhi, Fellesforbundet president Arve Bakke, Aker ASA director of communication Geir Arne Drangeid, and the senior shop steward in Aker Atle Tranøy. A report by Fellesforbundet on the signing can be seen in Norwegian <a href="http://www.fellesforbundet.no/internet/templates/article.aspx?id=31638" target="_blank">here</a>.Aker was established in 1841 and today has divided its activities into four market sectors: energy resources, energy technologies, maritime technologies, seafood and marine biotechnology. The Aker companies have a total of 27,100 employees on five continents and operating revenues totalling NOK 62 billion (7 billion Euros) in 2007.A copy of the agreement in English is available on the IMF website. Other languages will be published as they become available.

IMF and Norwegian affiliate Fellesforbundet sign International Framework Agreement with Aker ASA.

Indesit (previously Merloni)

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Aker IFA in English

IFA signed with Aker

PHILIPPINES: &quot;The search for a solution to the global financial crisis must ensure people&#039;s mobility, not restrict it,&quot; said Sharon Burrow, International Trade Union Confederation president and conference chairperson of the civil society days of the Forum, at the opening of the conference on October 27 in Manila.The ILO estimates that the present financial crisis is likely to lead the loss of some 20 million jobs world wide. The ILO added that &quot;the number of working poor living on less than a dollar a day could rise by some 40 million - and those at two dollars a day by more than 100 million&quot;. Others say this is an underestimation.Burrow cautioned world leaders grappling to find solutions to the global financial crisis against restricting labour migration, a move adopted by governments during the Asian 1997 crisis.Two days prior to the Forum, representatives from ITUC and the global union federations, including the International Metalworkers&#039; Federation, met in Manila to exchange information on experiences, policy options and best practice in the field of migration and to prepare the trade union participation in the civil society days of the Forum.Speaking on organising migrant workers during the Global Union meeting, Suharshan Rao, IMF South Asia regional representative, spoke about IMF&#039;s experience in organising inter-state migrant workers in the shipbreaking yards in Mumbai, India.&quot;These migrant workers were organized in the existing union Mumbai, Port Trust, Dock and General Employees&#039; Union (MPTDGEU) by amending the constitution and reducing the rates of subscription. Non-economic demands like civic amenities, Occupational, Health and Safety (OHS) and social problems were taken up. A Mohalla Committee (Neighbourhood Committee) was set up to integrate these migrant workers bridging the language and cultural gaps. NGO&#039;s were involved and collaboration with them really helped in organizing the workers,&quot; explained Rao.   &quot;This effort has since spread to Alang, which is the largest shipbreaking yard in the state of Gujarat, where the workers registered the first ever union of shipbreaking workers in India. Today the union membership stands at 5,705,&quot; he said.A copy of Rao&#039;s paper on migration in India is published in English on the IMF website.Sharon Burrow&#039;s full speech to the Forum is available at the following link: <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article2486">http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article2486</a>

As the Second Global Forum on Migration and Development (GMFD) meets in Manila this week, trade unions representatives speak out for migrant workers.

Migrant workers in India

Unions on global migration

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA &amp; HERZEGOVINA:  The IMF started implementation of a two-year occupational health and safety project for its affiliates in the countries of the former Yugoslavia. A planning meeting had been held earlier this year in Belgrade, Serbia to identify the problems and work out a programme that would meet affiliates&#039; needs and help them develop their own capacities.This project targets the steel and non-ferrous sectors and aims at training health and safety shop-stewards and promoting health and safety at the workplace. Generally in this region awareness about health and safety risks is low, accidents are frequent and labour inspection is weak or non-existent. Non-compliance with legal provisions is another major problem that workers and trade unions are confronting continuously.The first phase of the project was carried out in Sarajevo, Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina at the end of September. It focussed on the legislative framework and the relevant European and international instruments concerning occupational health and safety, including international framework agreements (IFAs) which contain provisions in that field. Experts from the International Labour Organisation, the European Trade Union Institute for Research, Education, and Health and Safety, as well as from Spain participated. The next step will deal with risk analysis and prevention techniques. Health and safety material in the local language will also be produced.This project is carried out in cooperation with the IMF Spanish affiliate MCA-UGT and the Trade Union Institute of Cooperation for Development, and with the support of the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation.

Kick off of the IMF health and safety project in the steel and non-ferrous sectors  in the Balkans.

Improving health and safety in the Balkans

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