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USA/UK: Some 70 protestors from the UK, Netherlands, and Belgium demonstrated with locked-out members of the U.S. International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in London at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Rio Tinto. The global mining company maliciously locked 560 members of ILWU Local 30 off their jobs on January 31, 2010 in Boron, California, before reaching an impasse in collective bargaining. The manifestation at the AGM was organized by the <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org/index.cfm" target="_blank">International Transport Workers' Federation</a> (ITF), with support from the <a href="http://www.icem.org/" target="_blank">International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Union (ICEM)</a> and the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF). Several NGOs, including the London Mining Network, joined the labour rally. Inside the meeting, Rio Tinto CEO Tom Albanese fielded questions regarding the company's conduct for nearly two hours. Local 30 bargaining committee member Dave Irish queried why Rio Tinto was willing to take deep revenue drops through lost production brought on by the lockout, while at the same time imposing economic hardships on 560 working families. Albanese's answer captured the general philosophy of corporations everywhere: prioritizing profits before people. He said Rio Tinto's rollbacks on working terms and conditions at Boron were necessary in order to bring ILWU Local 30's collective agreement more in line with other company enterprises in North America. Despite massive profits driven mainly by iron ore, copper, and coal - and even by the relatively small Rio Tinto Minerals, which controls a 45 per cent market share of the global borates business - the London/Melbourne-based mining house subscribes to &quot;the race to the bottom&quot; philosophy of suppressing human and social benefits. A day after the London AGM of April 15, the American union also did protest actions against Rio Tinto at British consulate offices in the U.S. cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and in Vancouver, Canada. Rio Tinto Minerals and ILWU Local 30 did return to bargaining on April 14-15, the first set of talks since the lockout began. It was a fact noted by Albanese from the dais of the AGM, but clearly missing was any willingness by Rio Tinto to budge from its concessionary proposals. In California, the two sides adjourned late on April 15 without making any meaningful progress. On April 19 the Rio Tinto European Works Council held a press conference in Paris in solidarity with the locked out U.S. miners. A copy of the press pack in French only is available on the IMF website <a href="../files/10042011153766/Dossier_press_19avr10.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.This week, on April 22, Rio Tinto is scheduled to replicate its AGM in Melbourne and the ILWU will be there. Shareholders will hear Secretary-Treasurer Willie Adams and locked-out Local 30 activist Terri Judd tell of the anguish faced by Mojave Desert, California, families. They will have the support of the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA). See a short video of the demo in London <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsK2iwccL7k" target="_blank">here</a>.The protest was also reported in Australian mainstream media <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/04/16/2875367.htm" target="_blank">here</a>.<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/04/16/2875367.htm"></a>

ILWU members supported by other unions and NGOs protest against the lockout of Californian workers at Rio Tinto AGM in London.

Rio Tinto press pack for Paris press conference (French only)

Support US miners locked out by Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto in a race to the bottom

SWEDEN: On March 26, the Swedish federation of industry and metal workers (IF Metall) announced that they signed agreements in three industrial sectors: steel and metal, engineering and chemistry, and manufacturing. In these agreements IF Metall reached a 3.2 per cent wage increase that would be granted over 22 months: 0.9 per cent on June 1, 2010 and 2.3 per cent by June 1, 2011. Although IF Metall believes it was difficult to achieve more they are still satisfied with this outcome given the overall wage increase is equivalent to that granted earlier to white collar workers and executives in the industry. Despite Sweden's law on Employment Security and a national Agency Worker Agreement, the financial crisis has lead employers to sidestep these laws and agreements by reducing permanent workers and using agency workers as a solution. In these new sector agreements IF Metall has managed to secure the protection of laid off workers by banning employers use of temporary workers for six months. If this rule is disobeyed three months severance pay will be granted to the laid off worker.Earlier, on March 20, IMF affiliates Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer announced that they reached an agreement with employers in the industry, chemistry and new technologies sectors for employees and executives. This agreement is valid for 18 months and applies between April 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011. It provides for a 2.6 per cent wage increase divided in three: a 0.7 per cent wage increase on June 1, 2010, a 0.5 per cent increase over the next 12 months, and another 1.4 per cent increase on June 1, 2011. It also provides for an additional 0.2 per cent increase taking account of skills evolution. The guaranteed wage increase amounts to SEK 294 (€30) and low wages have to increase at least 2.6 per cent

Swedish unions secure pay increases in new industrial agreements.

New industrial sector agreements in Sweden

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PROTEST LETTER (thanks)

text

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

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

NETHERLANDS: On May 7-8 in Amsterdam, makeITfair and the GoodElectronics network hosted a round table for the electronics industry and civil society organisations. The aim was to enable discussions to take place between representatives of the world&#039;s major electronics brand name companies and unions and NGOs on how to improve labour standards in the industry.  The makeITfair campaign is a European project to inform young people across Europe about labour rights abuses and environmental problems in the manufacture of electronic products.  The GoodElectronics network was co-founded by IMF and brings together unions, human rights organisations, labour organisations and others concerned with improving human rights and sustainability in the global electronics sector.Industry participants at the roundtable included representatives of industry groupings the Electronic Industry Corporate Citizenship (EICC) and the Global e-sustainability Initiative (GeSI), as well as major individual companies, including suppliers.  The industry was urged by the IMF, the EMF, trade unions and labour rights NGOs from production countries as well as organisations such as SOMO and CAFOD to recognise the central role of trade unions in improving labour standards and giving workers a voice at their workplace. Poor working conditions are endemic in the production of computers, mobile phones and other electronic products. Many factors contribute to this situation, including the complicated product chain, the high percentage of outsourcing, rapid product developments, lack of unions, as well as weak implementation of (inter)national labour law. Five years ago, electronics companies got together to develop a voluntary sector code, the EICC, but campaigning groups have pointed out weaknesses in the code itself and criticize its ineffective implementation. At the roundtable, a range of more effective alternatives to the CSR approach adopted by the industry were presented and analysed. Presentations were made on the mature systems of industrial relations approach now favoured by leading clothing manufacturers that recognise the limitations of an approach based solely on implementing unilateral company codes of conduct. Other strategies successfully employed in the textile and garment sector were also examined and consideration was given to how they could be adopted for the electronics sector. These include International Framework Agreements and the ILO&#039;s Better Work program.

At a roundtable meeting in Amsterdam with many of the world's major brand name electronics manufacturers, IMF joined with NGOs in calling on the companies to drop their hostility to trade unions and respect the rights of their workers to freedom of association.

Electronics companies urged to recognise workers&#039; right to unionise

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