13 November, 2012At the IndustriALL founding Congress in Copenhagen in June 2012, affiliates resolved to support a global campaign to STOP Precarious Work, including mobilizing their members around October 7, the World Day for Decent Work.
Affiliates from all regions and representing all the industries that make up IndustriALL have recognized precarious work as a common threat to workers’ rights throughout the world that must be resisted. The mobilization around October 7 was significant as the first occasion that IndustriALL affiliates have united globally in a common action.
Affiliate actions
Altogether, 150 affiliates from 46 countries reported taking part in what was a truly global action. Workers took to the streets in Burkina Faso, Colombia, Guinea, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan , Mali, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Thailand and many other countries. Affiliates reported on actions which varied from distribution of campaign materials in workplaces and thematic conferences to demands on government, flash mobs, public hearings and mass mobilisations in marches and rallies.
The full list of affiliate actions plus many inspiring photos can be seen on the IndustriALL website, as well as on Flickr. The photos show unionists around the world mobilizing under the IndustriALL banner. The poster and leaflet created for the campaign were translated into more than 14 languages and were widely used by affiliates to send a strong message to governments, employers and the public that unions are united in their opposition to precarious work. News of the actions was carried on Facebook and Twitter and A STOP Precarious Work Cause page on Facebook was supported by over 1700 people.
Reflecting the spirit of unity in which IndustriALL was founded, affiliates in a number of countries came together in joint actions under the banner of IndustriALL. Many affiliates were also able to influence their national centres to take up the fight against precarious work for their actions on the World Day for Decent Work, further strengthening the IndustriALL campaign. Affiliates also reported significant success in gaining national media coverage of their actions.
‘The Triangular Trap’
On October 2, IndustriALL released ‘The Triangular Trap: Unions take action against agency labour’ as part of the campaign. This report attacks the massive expansion of employment via agencies, labour brokers, dispatchers and contractors and the wholesale replacement of permanent, direct employment. It exposes the lobbying efforts of the global agency industry body Ciett to remove legal restrictions on agency work, and draws heavily on the experiences of IndustriALL affiliates.
Unions have started using “The Triangular Trap” to inform their members and the public of this global threat to workers’ rights, and to strengthen their demands on government and employers. It is available in English, French, Spanish and Turkish on the IndustriALL website, or in hard copy on request.