English

Español

Français

Aerospace

Automotive

Base metals

Chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-science

Energy

Glass, cement, ceramic and associated industries

ICT, electrical and electronics

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and DGOJP

Pulp and paper

Rubber

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking

Textile, garment, shoes, leather and textile services

Sectors

Action Plan 2025-2029

Action on textile and garment industry

Clean up shipbreaking

Ratify ILO C176

United for a just future - time to pay up!

Disinvest from Myanmar

Campaigns

Global Framework Agreements

Union building

White-collar workers

Health & safety

Industry 4.0

Women

Youth

LGBTQI+

Gender, equality, diversity and inclusion (GEDI)

Just Transition

Organizing with industriALL

What we do

Affiliates

Statutes

Elected Officials

Executive Committee

Geneva head office

South East Asia

Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus

Latin America and the Caribbean

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Regional offices

About us

Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

Publications

Resources

Press

<img alt="" src="" width="180" height="55" />
Respect for freedom of association, decent work and the payment of a living wage were high on the list of demands for over 3,000 Cambodian workers who marched in Phnom Penh on the occasion of May Day. 
 
The issues raised by the nine participating union organisations were a reflection of the pressure garment workers come under in attempting to defend their rights. Demands included the reinstatement of workers sacked or suspended for joining a strike for fair pay, the release of an unfairly detained union leader, and an end to efforts to curtail trade union rights through a proposed new Trade Union Law, as well as an end to the use of short-term contracts. 
 
Last September, some 200,000 supporters of ITGLWF affiliate C.CAWDU went on strike in protest at the increase in the minimum wage to 61 dollars, a wage which fails to cover basic living expenses and does not meet living wage standards. The strike led to mass dismissals of union supporters and dozens of legal cases filed against union leaders. 
 
Earlier this year, C.CAWDU signed an agreement with the Goldfame company regarding outstanding issues following the strike. The deal, aimed at promoting workplace cooperation and industrial relations, includes the reinstatement of 161 dismissed union leaders and members. The agreement was witnessed by the ITGLWF, the ILO and two buyers at the factory, Inditex and H&amp;M. 
 
In May ITGLWF General Secretary Patrick Itschert will return to Cambodia for talks with 13 factories which in spite of national and international pressure have not yet reinstated dismissed strikers. 
 
Although the September strike did not succeed in increasing the minimum wage it did result in an agreement to discuss benefits. As a result, the unions were able to negotiate a US$10 a month increase in bonuses for attendance, seniority and overtime. 
 
The May Day union demands also included the immediate release of Sous Chantha, a union leader at the United garment factory who was arrested six months ago on trumped-up charges of drug trafficking in retaliation for changing his union&rsquo;s affiliation. Sous Chantha&rsquo;s case has had a chilling effect on workers, with employers telling them that the same thing could happen to them if they step out of line. 
 
Meanwhile, the unions are continuing to campaign to prevent a proposed new trade union law from weakening unions and making them highly vulnerable to interference from government and employers. In addition, they continue to oppose the widespread use of short-term contracts which deprive workers of benefits and discourage them from joining or supporting trade unions for fear of dismissal. 
 
The ITGLWF is supporting the union demands through pressure on the government, the employers and the brands sourcing from Cambodia.

Cambodian Garment Workers Demand Fair Pay, Right to Unionise

<img alt="" src="" width="180" height="55" />
Mega sports events, like the Olympics and the World Cup, can have a tremendous positive influence on workers. Too often, however, we hear stories of accidents on construction sites and horrendous sweatshop-like conditions in factories. Workers who build the stadia and manufacture the merchandise suffer behind the glamorous facade of the games. 
The Play Fair alliance, which joins unions and NGOs from around the world, began in 2003 and since then has been campaigning to put workers&rsquo; rights on the agenda of the International Olympic Committee and FIFA. Many of Play Fair&rsquo;s demands have not been met, but the campaign has had some positive achievements. For the London 2012 Olympics all official merchandise must be sourced from factories which pay workers a living wage and provide &ldquo;regular employment.&rdquo; Workers in these factories must have access to a complaints mechanism, and grievances must be investigated in a timely fashion. For the first time, the 2016 Olympic bid questionnaire asked prospective hosts to demonstrate how labour standards would be taken into account in making sourcing decisions for licensed goods. 
<img alt="" src="" width="132" height="197" />
In addition to sporting bodies, the Play Fair campaign has been targeting the brands and retailers who supply the team kits worn at sports events. Companies like adidas, which last year paid its board members almost &euro;11.5 million, and Puma, which have a sponsorship deal with Usain Bolt reportedly worth &pound;21 million, yet who refuse to commit to paying workers in their supply chain a living wage. Progress in improving brand practices has been slow, but a significant step forward will be made next month when Indonesian suppliers, their buyers, unions and NGOs come together to sign a protocol guaranteeing unions the right to freedom of association, including releasing an agreed number of union officials from work duties and providing adequate office and communication spaces, and time off for workers for union activities. 
In 2014 and 2016 Brazil will become the first country ever to host the World Cup and the Olympics within two years of each other. Taking advantage of this unique opportunity, Brazilian unions from the construction and textile sectors have joined forces to demand decent work for all those who contribute to the games. 250 people attended the public launch of the campaign on 1 April in front of the main gate of the Maracana Stadium, and the ITUC, BWI, ITGLWF and their affiliates exchanged messages of solidarity. 
The prevalent theme of the messages was a demand that the Brazilian World Cup and Olympics leave a positive legacy based on respect for workers&rsquo; rights.

A Sporting Chance for Workers: Launch of Play Fair Brazil

<img alt="" src="" width="180" height="55" />
In March, the ICEM had the assistance of the IMF in a public campaign in support of ICEM affiliate Petrol-İş in Turkey to get Standard Profil, a manufacturer of rubber products, to begin bargaining. Petrol-İş had gained well past the necessary 50% of Standard Profil&rsquo;s 2,300 employees workers seeking union representation, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security certified that the company&rsquo;s product line fell into the Petrol-İş negotiating jurisdiction of petroleum, chemicals, and rubber. 
The purpose of the public campaign, which included global letters of endorsement to Petrol-İş by unions and Works Councils representing Standard Profil customers in the automotive sector, was to dissuade the company from appealing the Ministry&rsquo;s industrial sector determination. The union called on the company, in the words of Petrol-İş President Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkin, to &ldquo;start with mutual good will and consideration of mutual interests.&rdquo;
<img alt="" src="" width="217" height="201" />
&nbsp;Petrol-İş President Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkin
The maker of rubberized automotive sealing systems had already engaged with the union over freedom of association and workers&rsquo; rights training through intervention by the Multinational Investment Guarantee Agency, a monitoring agency of the World Bank&rsquo;s International Finance Corp (IFC). The IFC has loaned Standard Profil development money at its two factories in D&uuml;zce and Bursa and criteria for the loan compels the company to foster proper social and environmental conduct. 
In April, the company ignored the workers&rsquo; olive branch made by Petrol-İş and filed an appeal with the government. The company claims its jurisdiction is in the metal industry. Such an appeal in Turkey is meant to thwart union recognition and negotiations by tying the matter up in court procedures for two years or more. And following jurisdiction outcome, an appeal on the 50% plus one is automatic, which further binds the hands of legitimate workers&rsquo; rights to join a union and bargaining collectively. 
This is a main reason why Turkey&rsquo;s archaic labour code is currently under scrutiny at the ILO. 
Despite Standard Profil&rsquo;s labour rights training in 2008-09 under its IFC responsibilities, the company signalled ill-will in sync with its appeal last month by sacking five union activists, including one who is a disabled worker. 
In fact, ICEM and Petrol-İş developed the public campaign with a back-up strategy in the event Standard Profil turned hostile. The Istanbul-based company manufactures rubber sealers for doors, boot, engine covers, and other seals for automobiles. It was owned by Bancroft Private Equity LLP but in early May was sold to the Pawan Ruia Group of India. 
The Ruia Group is heavily involved in the rubber industry and holds big equity stakes in Dunlop Tyre, Monotana Tyre, and Falcon Tyre of India. It also holds a big share of the automotive fastener market, making it a strategic company in the automotive supply chain. ICEM and Petrol-İş will now focus on that fact.

ICEM at Standard Profil: Halting Union Avoidance in Turkey’s Rubber Sector

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
ICEM &uuml;yesi T&uuml;rkiye &Ccedil;imento, Seramik, Toprak ve Cam Sanayi İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası &Ccedil;imse-İş, 2 Haziran tarihinde yapılan Başkanlar Kurulu toplantısında, 45 &ccedil;imento fabrikası i&ccedil;in grev kararı aldı. Grev kararı, &ccedil;imento sekt&ouml;r&uuml;nde devam etmekte olan toplu iş s&ouml;zleşmesi g&ouml;r&uuml;şmelerinde ortaya &ccedil;ıkan uyuşmazlığın ardından geldi. 
 
&Uuml;ye sendikamız &Ccedil;imse-İş ile T&uuml;rkiye &Ccedil;imento İşverenleri Sendikası (&Ccedil;EİŞ) arasında 7 Ocak tarihinden bu yana s&uuml;rmekte olan m&uuml;zakereler, yeni bir toplu iş s&ouml;zleşmesi imzalanmasına olanak vermeyecek şekilde tıkanıklık i&ccedil;erisinde girmiş durumda. Ocak ve Şubat ayında yapılan g&ouml;r&uuml;şmelerde 40 civarında idari h&uuml;k&uuml;m &uuml;zerinde mutabakat sağlanmıştı. 
<img alt="" src="" width="154" height="140" />
&Ccedil;imse-İş Genel Başkanı Zekeriye Nazlım
Fakat ge&ccedil;en aylar s&uuml;resince başkaca bir ilerleme sağlanamadı ve bunun &uuml;zerine &Ccedil;imse-İş Sendikası, genel merkez y&ouml;netim kurulu &uuml;yeleri ve şube başkanlarından oluşan Başkanlar Kurulu&rsquo;nu toplayarak t&uuml;m sekt&ouml;r&uuml; kapsayan bir grev kararı aldığını ilan etti. Başkanlar Kurulu ayrıca, grev uygulaması i&ccedil;in gerekli hazırlıkların vakit ge&ccedil;irilmeden yapılması hususunu da karara bağladı. 
 
Toplu iş s&ouml;zleşmesi g&ouml;r&uuml;şmeleri 45 fabrikada &ccedil;alışan 5800 civarında sendika &uuml;yesini kapsamaktadır. 
 
Toplu İş S&ouml;zleşmesi, Grev ve Lokavt Yasası&rsquo;na g&ouml;re, &Ccedil;imse-İş Sendikası grev kararı alınmasının ardından 60 g&uuml;nl&uuml;k s&uuml;re i&ccedil;erisinde grev uygulamasına başlayacak. Sendika grev uygulamasının ne zaman yapılacağını daha sonra a&ccedil;ıklayacak.

Çimse-İş Türkiye’deki 45 Çimento Fabrikası için Grev Kararı Aldı

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
23 Mayıs tarihinde toplanan ICEM Başkanlık Kurulu, Kemal &Ouml;zkan&rsquo;ın &ouml;rg&uuml;t&uuml;n yeni Sekt&ouml;rel Faaliyetler ve&nbsp;End&uuml;stri&nbsp;İlişkileri Direkt&ouml;rl&uuml;ğ&uuml;&rsquo;ne 1 Haziran tarihi itibarı ile atanmasına ilişkin kararı onayladı. &Ouml;zkan yeni g&ouml;revini, 2007 yılı başından bu yana s&uuml;rd&uuml;rmekte olduğu Kimya ve Lastik İşkolları Sorumluluğu g&ouml;revi ile birlikte y&uuml;r&uuml;tecek. 
 
Ekonomi ve işletme y&ouml;netimi alanındaki master derecesi ile beraber m&uuml;hendislik eğitimi almış olan &Ouml;zkan, ICEM&rsquo;de &ccedil;alışmaya başlamadan &ouml;nce, 15 yıldan uzun bir s&uuml;re T&uuml;rk &uuml;yemiz Petrol, Kimya ve Lastik Sanayii İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası&rsquo;nda g&ouml;rev yapmıştı. Sendikacı bir aileden gelmekte olan &Ouml;zkan&rsquo;ın babası, 1980 yılında T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;de yapılan askeri darbe sırasında d&ouml;rt yıl tutuklu olarak cezaevine konulmuştu. 
 
Konuyla ilgili konuşan &Ouml;zkan, &ldquo;ICEM&rsquo;in yeni Sekt&ouml;rel Faaliyetler ve&nbsp;End&uuml;stri İlişkileri Direkt&ouml;rl&uuml;ğ&uuml;&rsquo;ne getirilmekten onur duymaktayım&rdquo; diyerek, &ldquo;Bu durum, &ouml;rg&uuml;t&uuml;m&uuml;z&uuml;n başarısı i&ccedil;in bana daha fazla sorumluluk y&uuml;klemektedir. ICEM&rsquo;in sekt&ouml;rel faaliyetleri ve end&uuml;stri ilişkileri alanındaki &ccedil;alışmalarını g&uuml;&ccedil;lendirmek i&ccedil;in elimden geleni yapacağım&rdquo; şeklinde a&ccedil;ıklamasını bitirdi. 
ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda da yaptığı a&ccedil;ıklamasında, &ldquo;Kemal &Ouml;zkan, bilgisi, başarısı ve canlılığı ile bu g&ouml;revi haketmektedir. Kendisi ICEM i&ccedil;erisinde daha fazla sorumluluk almaya hazır olduğunu her vesile ile g&ouml;stermiştir. Yeni g&ouml;revi ile birlikte Kemal &Ouml;zkan&rsquo;ın bayrağımızı geleceğe taşımak i&ccedil;in hazır olduğunu g&ouml;stereceğinden eminim&rdquo; dedi. 
 
42 yaşında olan &Ouml;zkan, Selma Başak Hanım ile evlidir.

Özkan, ICEM Sektörel Faaliyetler ve Endüstri İlişkileri Direktörlüğü’ne Getirildi

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) called on the Gulf state of Qatar to do more to uphold workers&rsquo; rights as it begins a building boom for the 2022 World Cup. In a report issued on the last day of May entitled &ldquo;Hidden Faces of the Gulf Miracle,&rdquo; the ITUC, along with the Building and Wood Workers&rsquo; International (BWI), say hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, mostly from Asia, work in construction across the Gulf states. 
 
But, the report states, they are burdened by huge debts to employment agencies in their home countries and prohibitions on trade unions in Gulf states such as Qatar. The report questions the safety practices in constructing the stadiums and infrastructure for the games, as well as inhumane living conditions. 

<img alt="" src="" width="101" height="101" />
BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson
&ldquo;Just 6% of the working population of Qatar is Qatari,&rdquo; said BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson. &ldquo;Their economy and their ability to deliver the World Cup are totally dependent on severe exploitation of migrant labour, which we believe to be barely above forced labour conditions.&rdquo; 
 
Officials connected to the ruling family in Qatar have taken note of the report and have promised to investigate the labour concerns. The <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/hidden-faces-of-the-gulf-miracle,9144.html ">full report</a> can be found here.

ITUC, BWI Question Qatar on Workers’ Rights

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
The newly-elected President of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BNP), Nikolai Zimin, sent his proposals on cooperation and social dialogue to the directors of enterprises in which BNP unions have membership and to leaders of local administrations recently. Most enterprises responded. 
 
Zimin, elected to head BNP in April, told of his first steps to establish contact with both employers and government officials: 
 
&ldquo;We are willing to work within the frameworks of a social partnership. The first thing that has been done after our Congress was to send letters to the employers and to local authorities in the regions. We offered our cooperation as a partner.&rdquo; 
<img src="" width="181" height="141" alt="" />
Nikolai Zimin
As reported by Zimin, positive responses came from the companies Belshina and Naftan. He said the BNP has already met the president of the Soligorsk Regional executive committee, Alexander Rimashevsky, and the acting director general of Belaruskali, Valery Kiriyenko. On 25 May, the BNP met with the deputy chairman of Belneftekhim, Anton Komyakov, on the implementation of a collective agreement by employers and trade unions. 
 
&ldquo;We plan to discuss the positions in the agreement, which, in our opinion, contain several shortcomings,&rdquo; said Zimin. 
 
&ldquo;During the meetings, we exchanged views on a wide range of issues of mutual interest. We discussed the prospects of possible cooperation,&rdquo; Zimin added. &ldquo;During the meeting with the Soligorsk Regional executive committee led by Rimashevsky, we did not discuss the issue of registration of the primary company, created in a sewing factory, but we will deal this issue in due course. We discussed with him the issue of supplementary medical insurance for employees. Rimashevsky has assured us that the unions will not be deprived of attention, dialogue will continue, and all issues will be resolved at the negotiating table.&rdquo; 
 
BNP hopes to get answers on proposals on cooperation from the companies Grodno Azot and Mozyr refineries.

Belarus Unions Submit Social Agenda to Employers

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
ICEM&rsquo;s Swiss affiliate, UNIA, is playing a central role in organising a national day of action and strike on 14 June calling for equal rights for women workers. Hundreds of activities will be held marking the protest, expected to include 100,000 people from over 45 organisations. 
 
Events in each of Switzerland&rsquo;s main cities will educate and agitate around the issues of the gender gap in wages and in national legislation. Public administration buildings and main landmarks will be coloured with purple, including Geneva&rsquo;s water jet fountain, the jet d&rsquo;eau. 

<img src="" width="241" height="161" alt="" />
In Switzerland, women earn on average 19.8% less than men in performing the same job. Nurses are especially low paid, in relation to men performing similar roles, and the Swiss Nurses Union will be actively involved in the 14 June protest. 
 
Not only are women paid less than men in Switzerland, but they take on twice the amount of un-paid work, with a much higher challenge than men to coordinate family and professional life. Many women see their careers halted by family requirements. And an extremely low proportion of top-level managers in Switzerland are women, leading many in the movement to call for quotas enforced by law. 
 
Next week on 14 June marks 30 years since equality of the sexes was enshrined in Swiss law, and 20 years since the first women&rsquo;s strike in the country. The date also coincides with the expected adoption of an ILO Convention for Domestic Workers&rsquo; Rights, arguably the most precarious and lowest-paid work sector.

Swiss Women Set 14 June as ‘Equality Now’ Day

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
The ICEM congratulates Comrade Babatunde Ogun on his re-election as President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Ogun won re-election for a second three-year term. 
 
PENGASSAN branch and sector leaders elected Ogun on 2 June at the Third Triennial National Delegates&rsquo; Conference in Abuja. The conference also elected eight other members of the salaried staff&rsquo;s Central Working Committee. 
 
Ogun won a contested election with 287 votes, while his opponent, Ethelbert Uka, received 109 votes. 
<img alt="" src="" width="90" height="95" />
Ogun confirmed that the election of a new leadership team for PENGASSAN would &ldquo;energise a strong and modern industrial relations system in the oil and gas industry &hellip; and build a knowledge-based system in which all branch executives will be tutored on the emerging trends in industrial relations.&rdquo; 
 
Other election pledges of the re-elected President include pressure on the Labour Ministry&rsquo;s company inspectors to perform, improved safety auditing at refineries and other installations, equipping PENGASSAN&rsquo;s research department, and improving lobbying capabilities. 
 
The other elected officials on 2 June were Adamu Emmanuel Umoru, Deputy President; Hygenius Chika Onuegbu, National Industrial Relations Officer; Segun Jaiyeola, Auditor; Segun Timimene Amanah,&nbsp;Auditor 1; Sunday Ogadi, National Financial Secretary; Zaid Kolawole, National Publicity Secretary; Ijeoma Dom-Nwachukwu, Chairperson of Women-in-PENGASSAN; and David Amanah, Auditor 2; Musa Achimugu, National Treasurer; Rev. Sunday Folorunso Oginni, Lagos Zone Chairman; Friday Otono, Port Harcourt Zone Ag. chairman; Elvis Irefo, Warri Zone Chairman; Muhammed Bulama Saidu, Kaduna Zone Chairman; Fidelis O. Osuagu, Lagos Zone Secretary; Micahel Amadi, Port Harcourt Zone Secretary; Emmanuel Ojugbana, Warri Zone Secretary; and&nbsp;Temitope Oyegbade, Kaduna Zone Secretary.
Bayo Olosohile remains the appointed General Secretary of PENGASSAN, while Lumumba Okugbawa is the appointed Deputy General Secretary.&nbsp;

PENGASSAN Re-elects Babatunde Ogun as President

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
The ICEM&rsquo;s Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Organization (SSARO), together with the United Steelworkers (USW) and the US Solidarity Center, conducted a three-day mine investment conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month. Entitled &ldquo;Making Mining Investment Work for Workers and Communities,&rdquo; the workshop primarily centered on capitalization projects that the Brazilian mining company Vale is involved in on the African continent. 
 
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) of South Africa hosted the conference. NUM Deputy President Piet Matosa opened the conference by stating economic opportunities are welcome in Africa, but the concept of decent work must underpin the inflow of all foreign direct investment. 
 
He said the negative impact of mining on communities must be addressed and social networks created to secure local benefits from mine investment initiatives. He said consultation with communities is most important in the negotiation of concession agreements, and communities must be empowered to facilitate negotiations in these concession agreements. 
<img alt="" src="" width="74" height="111" />
NUM Deputy President Piet Matosa
Representatives from Central &Uacute;nica dos Trabalhadores (CUT) of Brazil were in attendance to present a global overview of Vale. Reports were heard from a representative of the ICEM affiliate, the United Workers&rsquo; Union of Liberia (UWUL) on the role it is playing between the Liberian government and Vale over iron ore concessions there, and from the Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Zambia (MUZ) on its intervention with Vale in the southern Africa country. 
 
Other reports on the Brazilian company came from the unions FSPMICA/CNTG, SYNAMIC/ONSLG, and FESMICA/USTG of Guinea, and SINTICIM of Mozambique. The ICEM affiliate Tanzania Mines and Construction Workers&rsquo; Union (TAMICO) gave a report on its difficulties with AngloGold Ashanti and Barrick Gold. 
 
The workshop held three panel forums, including ones on Organising Unions at Mining MNCs, Collective Bargaining at Mining MNCs, and Mining Concessions Agreements: Making Sure They are Transparent and Benefit Workers and Communities. The Southern African Resource Watch also presented the topic &ldquo;Labour Movements, Transparency and Accountability in the Extractive Industries.&rdquo; The report highlighted that mining, without robust engagement by unions, is often a zero sum game, and noted the poverty around mine sites when vibrant unions are not present. 
 
The issue of ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, was discussed within the context of inclusion in bargaining concession agreements in efforts to leverage the ratification of Convention 176 in countries. 
 
The conference adjourned with passage of a resolution intended to cement the unions into a multi-MNC ongoing network. That <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Resolution%20Joburg%20Vale%20May%2011.pdf ">resolution</a> can be found here.

ICEM, USW Hold Mine Investment Workshop in South Africa

Archive