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Still, in spite of successes in organizing metalworkers and bringing them into the IMF fold, only about one third of the world's estimated 70 million metalworkers are members of a union. Even in countries that pride themselves on political democracy, such as the USA and the United Kingdom, adverse labour laws and often vicious employer opposition deprive workers of the benefits of organization. Finally, in many developing countries, there are Export Processing Zones, where too often workers' rights are restricted and unions are non-existent. In 2005, the IMF Congress identified EPZ's as a priority for attention and organising projects in Latin America and Indonesia have been launched.Globalization and the IMF Action ProgramThe history described above took place against the background of accelerating economic globalisation. Rooted in the Reagan and Thatcher administrations, hostility towards labour and the welfare state grew, neo-liberalism promoted deregulation, smaller government, and privatization. The lowering of trade restrictions and investment controls promoted globalization, as well as larger and more powerful transnational corporations (TNCs). Outsourcing, often to the growing number of EPZs, became a powerful trend. The global financial market effectively became a casino for the biggest financial players, and a new wave of mergers and acquisitions was unleashed. As early as 1993, the IMF developed an Action Program, which has evolved from a relatively brief document prepared by the Secretariat for the centenary Congress into a more concrete and detailed guide. The 2005-2009 program, for example, was developed by a committee of affiliate representatives and Secretariat members that met four times in a two-year period. Like its predecessor, the document contains an analysis of the challenges confronting metalworking unions, a mission statement that lays down the basic principles and values of the IMF, and set of strategies and concrete proposals that need to be implemented at local, national, regional and international levels. It addresses in detail four key aspects of union work in a global economic environment: 1. Building global structures; 2. Engaging transnational corporations; 3. Solidarity and organising; 4. Giving a social dimension to globalisation.Implementing the Action ProgramOver the last two decades, the IMF has played an increasingly active role in its cooperation with other Global Union Federations (GUFs), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF). This involvement rests on the principle that activities must go beyond lobbying international institutions and actually mobilize workers. Furthermore, joint activities must be based on agreed strategies and clearly identified objectives. When these are not clearly present, such as in the recently established Council of Global Unions, the IMF does not participate. On the other hand, there are a number of examples of joint activities. IMF is cooperating with all the GUFs in its on-going campaign against Precarious Work. The Burma boycott is a joint endeavour of the ITUC and all GUFs, as is the campaign for a worldwide ban on asbestos products and occupational cancer/zero cancer. The IMF has also cooperated with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) to support organizing Indian shipbreaking workers, and signed an International Framework Agreement jointly with International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19217&amp;mwId=19189">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19215&amp;mwId=19189">beginning</a></td><td> </td><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19219&amp;mwId=19189">forward &gt;&gt;</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

Download the pdf file of the special report with illustrations >>

IMF - the last twenty years

Text / Peter Unterweger Photos / IMF archives -------------------------------------------------------------------------------A new era dawns1989 was an eventful year. The participant list of the IMF Congress in June of that year gave some clues to the events transforming the world. Trini Leung, who had been present at the Tiananmen Square demonstrations only 14 days earlier, addressed the Congress. Moses Mayekiso, General Secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), had recently been freed by the apartheid authorities after 3 years of detention and ultimate acquittal. Apartheid was tottering, and its rulers were turning to compromise. Popular pressures inside the Soviet block were building. Years of Gorbachev&#039;s reforms had loosened the grip of the Communist elites on satellite states and the Soviet republics. In Poland, Solidarnosc successfully concluded talks with the Communist authorities in April 1989, and won the subsequent elections by a landslide. On August 23, the Hungarian government opened its border with Austria, and more than 13,000 East German &quot;tourists&quot; escaped to the West. Demonstrations began in East Germany, and by November 9th the East German government was forced to permit unrestricted visits to the West. Euphoric crowds scaled the Berlin Wall from both sides and began to dismantle it.Aside from these momentous developments, there were still other trends changing the world. Dictatorships were on the decline, and by its long-time support for metalworkers in South Africa, Latin America, Poland, and Korea, the IMF had made important contributions. The elections of Thatcher and Reagan had signalled the start of a right-wing backlash against the welfare state and workers&#039; gains that reverberated far beyond the United Kingdom and the USA. Under GATT, world trade liberalization continued. Eventually, even social democratic parties adopted parts of the neo-liberal programme. For the IMF, an important new chapter began in 1989. Since its founding in 1893, there had been only seven IMF Secretaries or General Secretaries, and in 1989 a new GS, Marcello Malentacchi, was unanimously elected. The challenges confronting the IMF and its new leadership were large: <ul><li>Millions of metalworkers in the former Soviet block needed assistance even as the struggle for democracy in South Africa, Korea, Latin America and a number of other countries still required support.</li><li>Anti-social political and economic trends on the national and global levels had to be resisted.</li><li>New ways of dealing with the growing power of trans-national corporations (TNCs) had to be found. </li></ul><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19216&amp;mwId=19189">forward&gt;&gt;</a> </td></tr></tbody></table>

The IMF has witnessed important growth and change 
over the last twenty years, and has shaped the course of international trade unionism in the developed and developing world alike. This work is critical to meet the economic and political challenges of today.

During the crisis autumn of 2008, the loss in members slowed down. The economic crisis has had the effect that more people are joining the union. Inga-Lill Samuelsson thinks the project has so far yielded good results. &quot;But it's hard to say how many of the approximately 23,000 new members joined thanks to our efforts or because of the crisis.&quot; The union's 52 branches are responsible for their own recruiting. Each branch can request economic support from the union for its recruiting efforts. &quot;The branches have done a good job. Many have conducted training to attract more members, and to attract members who will stay in the organization,&quot; says Inga-Lill. &quot;Our elected officials need to be strengthened through training and to receive tips on debating and reporting.&quot;At first the project was aimed at the smallest enterprises. This is because the degree of organization in them is usually lower than in big enterprises where unions often have their own branches with outreach activities. At the smaller workplaces the union is therefore less often seen. &quot;The important thing is that the individual be asked: 'will you join?' Someone has to ask the question. Then many do join,&quot; Inga-Lill says. That applies both for finding new sustainable work methods and rediscovering tried and true forms of work, says Inga-Lill. &quot;We have to explain that we are stronger if more people join.&quot;<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19212&amp;mwId=19189">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19197&amp;mwId=19189">beginning</a></td><td> </td><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19214&amp;mwId=19189">forward &gt;&gt;</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

Feature: Download pdf file with illustrations >>

Swedish Unions revive recruitment efforts

Meeting recruitment challengesTraditionally the rate of organization has been higher among blue-collar workers than among white-collar workers and engineers. That remains the case in the manufacturing industries. But over the last 15 years the level of union membership, both for blue- and white-collar workers, has fallen from 85 to 71 per cent. The big drop in membership came right after the conservative government came to power in the autumn of 2006. The level of organization remains significantly higher in the manufacturing industries than for the rest of the economy. That goes for both blue- and white-collar workers. In Sweden, 82 per cent of blue-collar workers in manufacturing and 72 per cent of white-collar workers belong to a union. IF Metall has one of the highest rates of organization of all the union confederations, close to 92 per cent. But that rate is falling. &quot;We sat back and relaxed, and thought everything was going well, despite the fact that the decline began ten or fifteen years ago,&quot; says Inga-Lill Samuelsson, a representative at IF Metall's branch in Gothenburg. Inga-Lill is also the project leader for the union's drive to organize and recruit more members. The organising project will run for two years and began in 2008. 22,726 new members were recruited last year. But at the same time, many people have left the union. Hence overall membership in IF Metall has declined. According to the union, one in two members who left IF Metall left due to finding a new job and for that reason moved to another union. Every fourth person left the union after ceasing to pay membership dues. <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19210&amp;mwId=19189">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19197&amp;mwId=19189">beginning</a></td><td> </td><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19213&amp;mwId=19189">forward &gt;&gt;</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

&quot;We had already begun to commit ourselves to membership recruitment,&quot; says Kjell Johnson, who is in charge of long-term development work in Unionen. &quot;And then, I think that Unionen's image may also have attracted new members. With the merger, the new union is perceived as a stronger and more attractive force.&quot; At ABB there are many engineers. Most of them belong to Sveriges Ingenjörer (the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers). At the ABB Corporate Research centre, union recruitment work has been quite successful. Out of 180 engineers, about 150 belong to Sveriges Ingenjörer. &quot;We don't seek out individuals to try to recruit them [into the union]. We don't believe in that model,&quot; says Shiva Sander-Tavallaey, the union representative for Sveriges Ingenjörer at ABB Corporate Research. &quot;For us the important thing is to show that we are attractive and accessible. We have to show that members can benefit from union membership.&quot;Shiva explains that the union gets good cooperation from the company. Whenever the company has an introductory meeting for new employees, the union is given an opportunity to present its work for 15-30 minutes. &quot;That is an opportunity that my union colleagues succeeded in achieving some 30-40 years ago. Over time it has become part of the corporate culture. The company is positive toward the union,&quot; says Shiva.The union activity of ABB engineers is adapted to the company. According to Shiva, &quot;ABB has an 'activity clock' to which we adapt. We make our own union 'activity clock' so our members can get the most from their union membership.&quot;Before management meets with members to discuss salary, the union makes sure that material is available to equip members before individual meetings. To help them, the union has a local database where members can obtain current pay statistics.&quot;There they can see where their salaries stand in relation to the average for comparable groups, taking into account experience and educational background,&quot; Shiva explains. <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19207&amp;mwId=19189">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19197&amp;mwId=19189">beginning</a></td><td> </td><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19210&amp;mwId=19189">forward &gt;&gt;</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

White-collar organisingSnap-On in Bollnäs is a traditional industrial factory where workers directly involved in production constitute the majority of employees. A bit further south, about an hour's drive from Stockholm is ABB, one of the world's leading high-tech companies and one which is increasingly dominated by white-collar workers and engineers.Of the 3,500 white-collar workers, 1,300 are organized in Unionen (a merger of the industrial employees' union Sif and the commercial employees' union HTF). When the government made the unemployment funds more expensive, Unionen lost members.&quot;Many older members left,&quot; recalls Krista Loiske, Unionen's branch chairman for ABB in Västerås. &quot;They thought their jobs were secure and that they could afford to be outside the union.&quot; &quot;It has become increasingly difficult to recruit,&quot; Krista says. &quot;It used to go without saying that people would stick up for each other. But society has been getting more and more individualized, and we are often confronted with the question: 'Why should I join, what do I stand to gain from the union?'&quot; Last autumn the crisis came. And that was when many people's attitude toward the union changed, says Krista. &quot;The loss of members stopped, and more people began to join. It was as if the crisis served as a warning that people have to stick together. Which is really the whole point of the union.&quot; That is precisely the point that Unionen's activists constantly try to make when they meet newly hired people, when they report on their activity, when they offer coffee and show themselves among the employees. The effect of the crisis in reversing the downward trend of membership figures has also been seen at the national level in Unionen. From September to October 2008 the number of members began to rise. <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19199&amp;mwId=19189">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19197&amp;mwId=19189">beginning</a></td><td> </td><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19208&amp;mwId=19189">forward &gt;&gt;</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

A changing political landscapeThe high rate of organization in Sweden is usually explained partly by the fact that the unemployment insurance funds are managed by the unions. The unemployment insurance funds were originally created by the unions as protection against cuts in pay. The idea behind the funds was that no one should have to be tempted to take a job at a pay rate below the contract rate. Thus, unemployed people could refrain from taking a job that paid less than what the unemployment funds gave. In addition, the unemployment funds became a form of pay insurance for those who did have a job. The funds made it more difficult to engage in wage dumping or force workers to compete with each other for jobs with poorer conditions. But when the present conservative government in Sweden came to power in 2006, they decided shortly after taking office to undermine the unemployment funds. Compensation for the unemployed was reduced. At the same time, the government also made it substantially more expensive to be a member of an unemployment fund. The unions regarded this as a way for the new government to scare members into leaving their unions. &quot;In our case, no one has left the union because the contributions to the unemployment fund have increased,&quot; says Stefan Halvarsson. &quot;We made a point of telling people that it was the government that raised [unemployment fund] contributions, not the union.&quot;Another reason for the high degree of union membership in Sweden is the position of the collective contract. &quot;Without a strong collective contract, we would be much weaker,&quot; Stefan warns.According to Stefan, the contract provides strong protection to members, including protection against pay cuts. The contract also gives local union organizations a strong negotiating position against employers. The threat to unions now is that employers - as a result of the economic crisis - are trying to hollow out the collective contract and weaken it. &quot;Such attempts have been made before, but we managed to fight back,&quot; says Stefan.<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19198&amp;mwId=19189">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19197&amp;mwId=19189">beginning</a></td><td> </td><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../main/index.cfm?n=103&amp;l=2&amp;c=19207&amp;mwId=19189">forward &gt;&gt;</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

IRAN: What began as a hunger strike launched on June 28 has grown to a full-scale strike as thousands of workers at Iran Khodro, the country&#039;s largest auto manufacturer, walked off the job to win wage and conditions improvements.Workers&#039; demands include:<ul><li>Prohibited entry of security guards to workstations; </li><li>An end to mandatory over-time; </li><li>Increases in productivity benefits; </li><li>Wage increases in line with cost of living adjustments; </li><li>An end to temporary contracts allowing for the hiring of workers on a permanent basis; </li><li>An end to the expansion of subcontracting companies; and </li><li>Participation of workers&#039; representatives in key decision making committees.</li></ul>Workers are protesting the company&#039;s use of contracts and temporary work agencies to deny workers basic labour rights and decent working conditions. Many contract and temporary employees of Iran Khodro have worked there for as long as 10 years and are often forced to work overtime.

Thousands of workers at the Iran Khodro car manufacturing plant are protesting the exploitation of precarious workers and demanding better wages and conditions.

Autoworkers in Iran launch strike to end use of contract work

BRAZIL:  On September 1, workers at the Volkswagen-Audi factory in the city of Curitiba began a one-week strike. Workers at the Volvo and Renault/Nissan plants in the same town also went on strike on the same day.During that week 24-hour strikes occurred at Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Mercedes Benz and Scania in cities in the interior of Sao Paulo state.The first workers to reach an agreement were those at Volvo, on 4 September and Renault/Nissan, on 5 September. The unions accepted a 2.66 per cent real increase in pay plus 7.15 per cent in line with the increase in the National Consumer Price Index (INPC) over the last twelve months, making a total pay rise of 10 per cent. They also negotiated a one-off payment of R$ 1,500 (about US$863).Meanwhile, the dispute continued at VW-Audi in Curitiba where workers demanded a 12 per cent pay rise. On September 9, workers ended the strike after accepting an 11 per cent pay rise starting in November (3.6 per cent real increase plus 7.15 per cent in-line with inflation). Workers also negotiated a one-off payment of R$ 2,000 (about US$ 1,150).The strikes forced the companies to improve their offers, which were initially very low. The increase in real wages in addition to the inflation-linked pay rise, together with the one-off payments, represent a major victory for metalworkers. &quot;This is why we say it is worth putting up a fight. Now we are going to get ready for the next round of pay negotiations, for auto parts in October and metalworking and machinery in December,&quot; said Sergio Butka, President of the Curitiba Metalworkers' Union and of Força Sindical in Paraná state.&nbsp;The ABC - centre of the auto industryThe CUT-SP Federation of Metalworkers' Unions reached a good agreement for all auto workers in the state on September 6. The ABC Metalworkers' Union, representing workers in the country's main auto industry centre, had threatened to call a strike, but this was not required, with workers accepting the employers' proposal two days before the date set for the strike. The Taubaté union also accepted the proposal after bringing Volkswagen and Ford factories to a halt.The São Paulo federation agreement consisted of an 11.01 per cent pay rise (3.6 per cent real increase plus 7.15 per cent in line with inflation) for workers on wages of up to R$ 7,500.Workers with above R$ 7.500 received a 7.15 per cent pay rise in line with inflation plus a fixed amount of R$ 289.30. The minimum wage for the sector was increased from R$ 1,110 to R$ 1,250, an increase of 12.6 per cent.Similarly, ABC and Taubaté auto workers received a one-off bonus of R$ 1,450 (US$ 845) on September 22. Including this payment, the pay rise was five per cent, a historic victory for the union.The President of the ABC Metalworkers' Union, affiliated to CNN/CUT, Sergio Nobre, said that after 18 hours of meetings, an agreement was reached &quot;worth a significant amount&quot;. He added that the growth of the auto industry in recent years created the conditions for workers to seek these pay rises.

Workers at major auto industry plants in Brazil went on strike during September in support of their demands for improved pay. 

Wave of strikes and agreements in the Brazilian auto industry

GLOBAL:  Increasing numbers of workers around the world are faced with job insecurity, low wages and an uncertain future. In a week of mobilisation taking place around the world from September 30, metalworker trade unions affiliated to the International Metalworkers' Federation are holding a series of actions at the local and national level calling for an end to precarious employment.Actions include information campaigns, work place meetings, meetings with company management and major demonstrations in countries including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, Sri Lanka and Turkey.Nine out of 10 unions affiliated to the IMF have reported an increase in the prevalence of precarious work in recent years. &quot;Together we must take action to stop the spread of precarious work,&quot; said IMF general secretary Marcello Malentacchi. &quot;Good jobs are what trade unions bargain for. Around the world, unions are mobilising, organising and bargaining for better, more secure work.&quot;Details and reports on actions being taken by metalworker unions around the world are available on the IMF website. On October 7, IMF and its affiliates will also participate in a global day of action in conjunction with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and all other Global Union Federations (GUFs).Precarious work affects us all is a global union campaign to stop the rise in precarious employment and regain power and justice for working people.To find out more about trade union efforts against precarious work and the week of mobilisation go to: <a href="../precariouswork">www.imfmetal.org/precariouswork</a><img src="" alt="" width="318" height="61" /> &#160;

Metalworkers around the world stand up and call for an end to precarious work.

Precarious work affects us all!

Organising for better, more secure work

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