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GLOBAL: Trade unions, in particular from developing countries, have been campaigning on the NAMA negotiations since the Hong Kong Ministerial. Concrete demands have been made by the unions for a balanced outcome of the negotiations, but so far proposals on the table have not taken into account the concerns of the trade unions and their governments. On the contrary, the proposals would lead to very high (60% on average) cuts in the bound tariffs of developing countries therefore restricting policy space and the ability of developing countries to develop their industries. Moreover, these proposals of 60% cuts would also reduce the applied tariffs in many sectors, including the metalsector, of developing countries which will directly have an impact on domestic production and employment.   Developing country trade unions have come together in the NAMA 11 trade union group, with trade unions from Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and India a.o., to defend their industries and future industrial development. They are not prepared to trade off industrial jobs against more agriculture exports, as both sectors are important for the development of their economies. The negotiations are now entering a crucial phase. A second modalities text was tabled recently, which still proposes high tariff cuts. New proposals on flexibilities that came out last week are unlikely to change the level of ambition that is currently on the table and would therefore do little to accommodate the trade union concerns. A strong push to finalize negotiations this year and to get modalities on NAMA and Agriculture this spring will put pressure on countries to negotiate on the basis of the current proposals. Ministers will be called upon to negotiate this final deal. However, what is on the table will require developing countries to sacrifice their industries. The proposals are unfair and put the burden of adjustment on developing countries. They do not take into account any of the trade union concerns or proposals regarding the coefficient and flexibilities. Nor do they take into account the need for fundamental workers and trade union rights to be incorporated for trade to produce productive employment and sustainable development. Now is the time to mobilize against the draft modalities and to campaign for the trade union proposals to be taken on board.

NAMA negotiations enter a crucial phase: trade unions need to react

WTO talks at critical stage

COLOMBIA: Members of the Sintracerromatoso union at the nickel mine operated by Cerro Matoso, a subsidiary of the multinational company, BHP Billiton, have begun a strike after negotiations failed to produce an agreement with the company. 

Two weeks ago, Utramicol, an IMF affiliate, reported on the situation of the Cerro Matoso workers, who had indicated then that there had been no significant progress in negotiations because of the company's intransigence.

The union is demanding improved contracts and is especially concerned about the temporary employment contracts used by the company. The union insists that the company signs open-ended employment contracts with workers currently employed on temporary contracts.

It also rejects the company's proposal to increase the length of the contract from two to four years. Historically, the contract has always been for two years.

Approximately 3,500 workers are on strike. Roger Herrera, union president said: "The company only has 1,000 directly employed workers. The other 2,500 are temporary workers and this means the company can avoid recognising their basic employment rights."

3,500 workers on strike in protest at temporary employment contracts

Strike begins at Cerro Matoso

URUGUAY: As all IMF affiliates are aware, the IMF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean has been moved from Santiago in Chile to Montevideo, Uruguay. The office opened on Monday 31 March 2008.Do not hesitate to contact the office for any information you require. The address is:  Avenida 18 de Julio Nº 1528 Piso 12 unidad 1202. Montevideo. The phone and fax number is: +59-82-4080813. To contact the office by email, write to <a href="mailto:fitimalc@adinet.com.uy">fitimalc@adinet.com.uy</a>  or to Jorge Almeida at <a href="mailto:jalmeida-fitim@adinet.com.uy">jalmeida-fitim@adinet.com.uy</a>, or Ana María Perez at <a href="mailto:amperez-fitim@adinet.com.uy">amperez-fitim@adinet.com.uy</a>The Regional Office would like to thank Latin American and Caribbean affiliates for their cooperation in this period of change.

The IMF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean has moved to Montevideo and opened on Monday 31 March.

Uruguay is the new location of the IMF Regional Office

ROMANIA: Some 10,000 workers at Romanian automaker Dacia, the country's largest carmaker owned by Renault, went on strike on March 24 for a 50 per cent increase in wages and improved benefits and conditions. The strike follows a March 14 walkout, when 4,000 workers downed tools in a two hour protest.Management has attempted to intimidate workers by threatening to move production to other countries. The company has challenged the legality of the strike and a court said it would deliver a ruling on April 2.The average gross monthly salary at Dacia-Renault is about 1,064 lei (US$446), however some 2,500 workers with no seniority rights are paid much less, at a monthly rate of 780 lei (US$327). Workers are demanding raises of 550 lei (US$231) per month for all employees.Other worker demands include participation in profit sharing, improved Easter and Christmas bonuses, equal rights for workers, a reduction and limit on use of fixed-term contracts, and a vehicle discount for purchases of Logan Dacia, Renault and Nissan cars.Dacia-Renault reported record sales in 2007 of 230,000 vehicles sold in Romania and abroad, up 17.4 per cent from the previous year.

Workers at Renault-owned Dacia are striking for improved wages and benefits.

Statement from the Renault Group Works Council

Romanian autoworkers on strike

India:  Shipbreaking workers employed by Kiran Shipbreaking Pvt. Ltd at the no. 82 plot of the Alang Shipbreaking yard staged a successful one-day strike on March 14 demanding their employer restore wage rates to their former level.Some 250 workers held demonstrations and chanted slogans at the site under the banner of the "Alang Sosiya Ship Recycling and General Workers Association", the trade union representing the Alang shipbreaking workers. The union is affiliated to the Steel, Metal &amp; Engineering Workers' Federation of India (SMEWFI), an affiliate of the International Metalworkers' Federation.Workers organized the strike after learning that their employer had arbitrarily cut wage rates. The 24-hour strike proved successful. The employer met with union officials and conceded to pay wages at the former rate. For the shipbreaking workers in Alang, the victory is a significant step towards building a strong union and defending the rights of shipbreaking workers. Alang is considered one of the most dangerous shipyards in the world, where workers toil under deadly conditions without safety equipment, protection or training. Many workers do not have even the most basic protection, such as gloves or shoes. The shipbreaking industry is largely unregulated, leaving workers vulnerable to employers who repeatedly put profits before workers' health and dignity."The workers have now gained courage and confidence and are having awareness of their rights," said V.V.Rane, general secretary of Alang Sosiya Ship Recycling and General Workers Association, "This event will be instrumental for strengthening the collective voice of the workers and to secure justice for them in the coming days." For the past five years, the IMF jointly with FNV Modiaal and SMEFI have carried out a number of organizing activities as part of a long-term project to organize metalworkers in the ship breaking industry. The strike's success is a testament to the ongoing work there.      A short film documenting the conditions of shipbreaking work in Bangladesh and India is available on the IMF website. Go to: <a href="../shipbreaking">www.imfmetal.org/shipbreaking</a>

250 workers reverse employers' attempt to reduce wages at Alang Shipbreaking yard.

IMF releases report on India's shipbreakers

Shipbreaking workers call on IMO to save lives

Indian shipbreaking workers&#039; strike successful

Since the IMF Congress in 2005, metalworkers and the whole trade union movement have been confronted with an increasingly hostile political, economic and social environment. Corporations have led globalisation to maximise the global reach and profits of their operations with the support of governments and international institutions by promoting neo-liberal policies, which feature deregulation of capital and labour markets, privatization of public services and assets, a reduction in employment growth in many regions, an erosion of social security systems and the frequent denial of worker and human rights.  Even today, a large proportion of the world's metalworkers do not enjoy the fundamental right to have a union.While the world economy has grown and created vast amounts of wealth, the divide between rich and poor has widened.  Ever more workers have been faced with deteriorating working and living conditions, job insecurity and an erosion of their rights. Capital has gained huge profits, while the purchasing power of most workers has fallen or at best stagnated.

Preface

3. GLOBAL SOLIDARITY IN ACTION

3.3 Defend and protect workers rights

1. OUR MISSION

2. THE WORLD TODAY

2.1 Profits over people

2.2 Unemployment and job insecurity

2.3 Unions under attack

2.4 Fundamental workers´ rights denied

2.5 Spreading influence of Transnational Corporations

2.6 World trade system in disarray

2.7 An unsustainable future

2.8 Alliances, resistance and opportunities

3.1 Build strong national trade unions

3.1.1 Organise the unorganised

3.1.2 Strive for trade union unity at the national level

3.1.3 Build unions through education, training and effective exchange of information

3.2 Strengthening collective bargaining

3.3.1 Fight for trade union rights

3.3.2 Fight for Equal Rights

3.3.3 Fight for safe workplaces

3.4 Build a counterweight to the power of transnational corporations

3.4.1 Strengthening union solidarity and cooperation across sectors and TNCs

3.4.2 Advance fundamental rights through International Framework Agreements

The global economy is in the throes of a unique crisis. The ideology that unbridled greed for profits is the driving force behind human progress has been discredited. What we need is a new approach where politics and economics serve the development of society and quality employment. The current crisis is not only the result of misjudgements and misguided developments in the market, or the result of overheating financial markets. It is entirely the result of the ideology of an unrestrained market and economic and political policies directed at maximising  short term profits.  On a positive note however, while undoubtedly the next four years of the International Metalworkers´Federation work will be tough and difficult, the current economic situation also provides us with a real opportunity to create a new international development model that rivals that of neoliberalism and is based on regulation, fairness, equality, sustainability and decent trade union and labour rights.Therefore, the fundamental mission of the trade union movement is more than ever to improve workers' wages, working and living conditions, and to ensure that workers and workers' rights are respected. The mission of the IMF is to work towards the achievement of these goals in metal­working and related industries by working with its  affiliates and on the global level.Today, corporate-led globalisation is still massively infringing on the rights of workers. The policies promoted by employers, most governments and the international institutions they dominate have resulted in increased economic inequality, precarious employment and a reduction in the bargaining power of working people around the world. Recognizing that union building/organising and collective bargaining are at the heart of our work, metalworker unions must organise and mobilise union members to challenge the neo-liberal agenda of corporations and most governments, and ensure working people have a fair share in the wealth generated through economic growth. The goal of the IMF is to support, coordinate and strengthen the activities of its affiliates to:<ul><li>Improve workers' wages, working and living conditions;</li><li>Organise new members into democratic workers' unions throughout the world;</li><li>Build and strengthen national metalworking unions;</li><li>Ensure that internationally recognized Core Labour Standards are applied in every country and that national laws are changed to reflect these standards; </li><li>Defend and protect workers' rights; </li><li>Fight for safe and healthy working conditions;</li><li>Make women's rights, interests, and representation one of the highest priorities;</li><li>Struggle for sustainable economic growth that protects the environment and improves social conditions; </li><li>Strengthen the power and unity of trade unions to build a counterweight to the power of transnational corporations (TNCs), including their power over the allocation of employment and investment; </li><li>Struggle for fair trade, social justice and the elimination of poverty; and</li><li>Support and build solidarity with countries and governments who promote progressive policies aimed at delivering fairness, equality and social sustainability.</li></ul>It is clear that trade unions cannot achieve these goals only at the national level.  National initiatives must be complemented with international action in order to be successful For this reason the role of the IMF is to:<ul><li>Unite national metalworking trade unions in a global union structure capable of mobilising its membership in solidarity at all levels wherever and whenever required;</li><li>Bring unions together to share information, overcome conflicts of interest and build common strategies;</li><li>Coordinate solidarity and support for affiliates during major disputes or when fundamental workers' rights are infringed;</li><li>Provide information on developments that affect the activities of metalworker unions; </li><li>Actively voice the concerns and interests of metalworkers in effective and innovative ways that involve and mobilise trade union members and bring the IMF into the daily activities of affiliate unions; </li><li>Direct resources and solidarity support towards building strong national unions in countries where unions are weak or non-existent;</li><li>Support trade union education that tackles core trade union activities such as organising, collective bargaining, defending workers' rights and international solidarity;</li><li>Coordinate an international strategy for building unionism in TNCs and their suppliers at the sectoral and enterprise levels.  Challenge the power of TNCs by developing the capacity to bargain collectively at the international level - based on a case by case mandate from the affiliates and by such means as sharing information and experiences among affiliates  and building on the work of negotiating, implementing and monitoring International Framework Agreements (IFAs);</li><li>Expose and challenge governments that violate fundamental trade union rights or interfere in the functioning of independent trade union bodies;</li><li>Represent the interests of metalworkers in international bodies which take decisions affecting jobs and employment conditions, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO);</li><li>Work with other Global Union Federations (GUFs), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD to pursue closer cooperation and action in the interests of affiliates; and</li><li>Build, whenever possible, dialogue, alliances and joint actions with appropriate political and social organisations. </li><li>Affiliates of the IMF will make significant contributions to the attainment of our goals by:</li><li>Strengthening their political influence, capacities, and resources through organising and collective bargaining at the national level;</li><li>Sharing information and actively communicating with the IMF and other affiliates at the national, regional, and international level;</li><li>Engaging in the regional and global structures of the IMF;</li><li>Supporting each other during disputes or when fundamental workers' rights are violated;</li><li>Participating in international actions and international networks organised through the IMF; and</li><li>Giving visibility to international trade union action by incorporating IMF co-ordinated activities in day-to-day trade union work. </li></ul>Ultimately, to achieve our goals, the IMF must go beyond simple coordination and become a truly global trade union organization that is able to counteract social and economic challenges and is based on the principles of independence and democracy following the mandates given by the decision-making bodies.

In the process of developing a new Action Programme we see the strengths of the International Metalworkers' Federation. We find that the things that unite us are much greater than the things that divide us.  In the borderless world of today, we share common experiences, challenges and an analysis of the situation facing workers globally. This common ground helps the IMF family to decide upon the direction we will take in order to tackle the problems metalworkers confront every day. The fact that this Action Programme was adopted in the midst of a global economic crisis is not insignificant. But we didn't need the global crisis to understand that the neoliberal model that used to dominate the world was destructive to workers' rights and social development. This IMF Action Programme adopted at the 32nd World Congress puts increased emphasis on concrete action and what IMF affiliates can accomplish together through global solidarity. In order to maximise our influence we need to mobilise the forces of the whole IMF family.We have to invest more resources in organising everywhere.  We will systematically target transnational companies that are reluctant to allow workers to exercise their fundamental rights.The campaign against precarious employment becomes solidified in this document.  The Programme recognises that we need to say and do more on the question of sustainable development and combating global warming. Building trade union networks in transnational companies offers a possibility for exchange of information and joint action to make sure that enterprises behave well wherever they operate.  Union building programmes help us strengthen trade unions where they are weak.This Action Programme contains exciting and challenging new commitments for IMF affiliates to respond with real and effective action to build stronger unions and when workers' rights are violated.  If we work together to implement this Action Programme, we can achieve our mission. In solidarity,Jyrki Raina, IMF General SecretaryJune 2009

PREFACE

GENEVA: Union Roadshow: Organisning EPZ workers in Indonesia hit the big screen this year at the third annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival. The film, produced by the International Metalworkers' Federation, was one of fourteen films selected to be shown.&quot;It has always been extremely difficult for unions to organise EPZ workers, with employers and even governments crushing unionisation attempts,&quot; said Jenny Holdcroft, IMF's Director of Equal Rights and EPZs and one of the film's producers. &quot;But in Indonesia, unions are helping workers to move from temporary contracts to permanent employment. Wages are increasing and so is union membership.&quot;The video showcases the successful organising strategies that Indonesian unions are using to organise EPZ workers. The IMF is hoping that the lessons learned in Indonesia may inspire unions in other parts of the world to intensify their efforts to organise EPZ workers.Other films screened at the festival include a Bollywood meets 1970s horror flick health and safety training video for Indian mine workers; a satire on U.S. immigration policy; the story of Palestinian migrant workers living in an abandoned mall outside of Tel Aviv; and the festival's winner for Best Labour Film Short, Abandoned, not forgotten: the plight of Burma's migrant fishers which exposes the brutal treatment of migrants working in Thailand's billion dollar export fishing industry. The event took place on June 16 and was hosted by all global union federations, the ITUC and TUAC. For more information visit the festival website at: <a href="http://www.labourfilmshorts.org/">http://www.labourfilmshorts.org/</a>.Union Roadshow can be viewed online here.<object></object>

The third annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival debuted fourteen films made by, for and about unions.

IMF&#039;s Union Roadshow screened at film festival

A key role of the IMF is to build effective solidarity and cooperation among affiliated unions present in metalworking TNCs to ensure an equal playing field for workers, which goes far beyond minimum standards. To achieve this, the IMF and its affiliates must actively engage workers in TNCs and their supply chains and give them an opportunity to actively participate in day-to-day trade union work and cross-border activities. Building relationships and strengthening solidarity on an ongoing basis with trade union representatives from different countries enhances the affiliates' ability to act jointly in crises, such as when the rights of workers are violated, during collective bargaining negotiations, when mass layoffs are carried out, or in the event of restructuring to prevent workers being played off against each other. The IMF uses global union networks and the IMF world company councils to build greater capacity for working together in defence of workers' interests across national boundaries. Whenever a TNC announces redundancies or a decrease in working conditions in a given country and the workers and their unions directly affected are actively resisting these changes, the IMF will coordinate solidarity actions involving all countries where that TNC operates. Solidarity actions will include among other initiatives: information campaigns targeting workers and the society at large; the commitment by all unions not to accept the transfer of production from the country in conflict to another one; protest demonstrations in the different countries of operation of the TNC, and wherever possible interruption of production and/or of supplies. In those solidarity campaigns a decisive role will be played by the home country trade unionThis is particularly important to build solidarity with workers in countries like China, where they strive for workers' rights and independent and democratic unions.  In this context, it is also important to engage with non-IMF organisations such as the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) and its metal industry-organisations.  Another step is to institutionalise networks and IMF-world company councils in order to create representative, functioning, financially viable and organised global structures of workers' representation. In this respect, the IMF will resort to the experience made with company-related international cooperation in all regions.The IMF continues to seek to establish IMF world company councils in TNCs.  Whenever possible,   financing of such councils will be negotiated with TNC management without compromising union inclusion and control. Management should play a role in these councils through regular meetings and providing information about the company's situation, policy and investment.These IMF-world company councils shall be underpinned by union networks made up of the responsible trade union coordinators from different countries and / or local areas in which plants of the TNC are located. These networks shall assure that all unions can be part of the information exchange process.At companies such as Volkswagen, Daimler, SKF and Rolls Royce world employee representations/world works councils have already been established, which consist of employee representatives. They were negotiated with and are funded by the respective company.  Trade unions may be involved through an agreement or supportive trade union networks. IMF affiliates seek to engage with those councils to pursue IMF policies.The most important benefit of this company-related, national, regional and international cooperation is the fact that trade union representatives from the company level can exchange information and reach agreed positions.  In so doing, activities of national or local workers' representations may be coordinated internationally. Thus, the networks, world works councils and IMF-world company councils are a way of building solidarity and overcoming competition between workers in different plants of the same company.  The IMF will support and organise training measures that equip union representatives at company level and union officers in charge of TNC with international and intercultural competences. Here, the goal is to efficiently foster cooperation at the company level. The communication between company union representatives and their national trade union must be organised according to the practices in the respective country (e.g. by union officers in charge of certain sectors or companies).Trade union networks, world employee councils/world works councils and IMF world company councils have the potential to develop into negotiating bodies.  The IMF can support this where there is sufficient trade union strength and provided that it is mandated by the trade unions and trade unions are involved and clear IMF guidelines are adhered to.  Building on previous experiences and debates, guidelines for the work of company networks need to be discussed and defined by the IMF. Consideration should be given to focusing resources and efforts in a number of key companies balanced across different sectors and countries.Trade union networks, world works councils and IMF world company councils work within the broader context of IMF sectoral activities and must take into account the varying structures of production chains, and competition in the metal industries. Sectoral work brings together workers from companies that compete with one another to discuss developments and seek shared positions and joint strategies. These strategies should address management attempts to create competition between workers in the sector. The IMF's regional sector-based meetings improve coordination by combining company and sector-level forums for workers, in support of global level activities. Developing sectoral and regional work around consistent responses to  the challenges  facing the industry's workers  will be facilitated when it is done in concert with strengthening trade union links at the enterprise-level, based on an evaluation of the work done already. In some countries, potential leverage to engage TNCs is available to unions through workers' capital in the form of pension and retirement funds. IMF affiliates, particularly those in TNC home countries also have a variety of national means to influence corporate governance. These tools can be used to promote and protect worker and trade union rights across global production chains, to fight corporate corruption, and to push for greater social accountability by corporations.Global campaigns against TNCs that consistently violate worker and trade unions rights are essential to furthering the interests of workers. This requires the support of IMF affiliates, world councils, actions groups and networks, and making use of possible workers' capital and communication strategies.To achieve strengthened union solidarity and cooperation across sectors and TNCs the IMF will:<ul><li>Pressure TNCs to take responsibility for working conditions in their operations and in their supply chains and to remove barriers to freedom of association;</li><li>Build mutual understanding among affiliated unions present in metalworking TNCs to ensure an equal and level playing field for workers that goes far beyond minimum standards;</li><li>Develop a TNC network strategy, working methods and tools, based on a critical analysis of the current networks, councils and available resources in each of the major TNCs. The strategy will include guidelines, to be developed by the Executive Committee, for the work of company networks. These will cover the roles of home country unions, IMF and other affiliates, avoiding co-optation by the companies, building the role of national unions, and tools/protocols for communication and action. The strategy will focus resources and efforts on a number of key companies that are distributed across different sectors and countries;</li><li>Assist affiliates to form and coordinate global union networks at TNCs and/or the sectoral level through which employee representatives from the plant level and national unions can engage in a cross-border exchange of information and consultation on a regular basis;</li><li>Coordinate activities and develop training and information material to build mutual trust and solidarity under the motto &quot;United we stand - divided we fall!&quot;;</li><li>Develop networks for information exchange and action that aim to be efficient, timely, accurate and accessible;</li><li>Gather, analyse and distribute information on the metalworking industries, with particular focus on companies and industrial sectors where workers and members are concentrated, covering collective bargaining, technological changes, innovations on how production is organised, working time, pay and classification systems, and industrial actions;</li><li>Work through TUAC and the ITUC to further strengthen mechanisms to influence corporate governance and socially responsible investment plans of pensions and retirement funds; and</li><li>Work jointly with other GUFs, the ITUC, and TUAC to have structures of union representation in companies at the global level, together with rights to consultation and information, explicitly recognised by the ILO and in international laws and regulations. </li></ul>IMF affiliates will:<ul><li>Provide technical and political support to build and strengthen networks and for successful international coordination of information coming from the national and regional levels; and</li><li>Engage members at the national level to build mutual trust and solidarity to ensure an international approach towards worker and trade union rights when confronting corporate strategies including during transnational restructuring processes.</li></ul>

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