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Global worker No1 2022

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PAKISTAN: Late July an agreement negotiated between the IUF, the USA-based The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) and Coca-Cola Icecek (CCI) successfully resolved a long and bitter conflict over employment and trade union rights at Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan (CCBPL), which is jointly owned by TCCC and CCI.Under the agreement, all unfairly dismissed workers are reinstated with full compensation. The company recognizes the People's Employees' Union (PEU) as the representative union of IUF members at the Multan bottling plant and guarantees no more harassment or victimization of union members and officers. To rectify precarious employment practices, which undermine the right to trade union membership in CCBPL's bottling operations, the agreement created 187 permanent positions. The agreement will be overseen internationally by the IUF and CCI/TCCC and implemented through a local process and implementation group established between the IUF and its affiliates and CCBPL in Pakistan IMF strongly condemned the outrageous behaviour of the management at the Coca-Cola plant in Pakistan and <a href="../index.cfm?c=23416&amp;l=2">sent a strong message of solidarity</a> to the workers supporting them in their fight for the creation of a genuine union through IUF's campaign page. &nbsp;

A comprehensive agreement ends the long and bitter conflict at Coca-Cola Pakistan. After the long struggle, 187 workers at the Coke bottling plant in Multan, Pakistan won recognition of their union and precarious jobs were converted into permanent ones.

Important victory for precarious workers in Pakistan

Financial capital has come to dominate productive capital. Short-term speculative investment has gained the upper hand at the expense of long-term investment in job creation, skills development, research and innovation, and sustainable development. The current food, fuel and financial crises, are neo-liberal policy failures, that have drastic consequences for working people and the poor, and that are now dragging the world economy into a severe recession. Over the past few years the globalisation of finance has taken on a new dimension with the proliferation of novel speculative products that escape monitoring and regulation. Speculative funds are fed by banks and institutional investors such as insurance companies, mutual funds and pension funds. Some part of private equity assets also come from sovereign wealth funds with huge resources at their disposal, and with a deliberate lack of transparency as to their political and economic objectives, as well as to their practices and investment strategies.Never before has the influence of private equity and hedge funds on markets and enterprises been so strong.  Many of them are located in tax havens, which deals another blow to already declining public income from corporate taxation. The financial economy based on short-termism and high rates of return is increasingly disconnected from the real economy with devastating consequences for workers.Today, hardly any company is immune from takeover by private equity funds. In most cases, these funds take control of enterprises without any industrial plans, and for the sole objective of boosting share prices and extracting maximum returns over a short period. The potentially high short-term gains attract institutional investors, including pension funds. Thus workers who have put their retirement savings in these pension funds find themselves unwittingly involved in speculative finance that is destroying jobs. Many workers have already watched their savings dissolved by corporate scandals.    The instability of the world's financial markets is not just a problem due to a few speculators - the whole system requires new rules.

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

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.

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: The struggle for precarious workers to win equality on the job takes centre stage at the third annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival, featuring films that tell the story of irregular workers in Korea and the drastic measures they take to be heard; the fight for equality among contract workers in India; the struggle of migrant workers living outside of Tel Aviv in an abandoned shopping mall; and union successes in organising EPZ workers.A film about undocumented Burmese migrant fishers was awarded Best Labour Film Short of 2009 by the film festival jury. The film, Abandoned, not forgotten: the plight of Burma's migrant fishers, produced by the International Transport Workers' Federation, exposes the brutal treatment of migrant workers from Burma who work in Thailand's billion dollar export fishing industry. Other films to be shown address the need to defend independent media, union strategies to end child labour, the need for maternity protection for women workers and a united steelworkers' response to the global financial crisis.This year's jury is made up of members of the Global Union Communicator's Task Force, representing global union federations and the International Confederation of Trade Unions.The event will take place in downtown Geneva at the historic Grütli Theatre (rue du General-Dufour 16) on 16 June from 19h00 to 22h00, a reception begins at 18h30 to welcome filmgoers. The festival is hosted by all global union federations, the ITUC and TUAC. The films are in English or have English subtitles and admission is free.For more information and film programme, visit the festival website at: <a href="http://www.labourfilmshorts.org/">http://www.labourfilmshorts.org/</a>

The third annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival features fourteen films from around the world produced by, for, and about unions and working people.

2009 Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival

Precarious work is focus of 2009 labour film festival

MEXICO: The IMF calls on Mexican authorities to urgently investigate the assassination of a well-known workers' rights advocate, Dr. Manual Arroyo Galván in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, on May 29.Dr. Arroyo cooperated with the IMF on a range of worker rights projects and research on working conditions in the maquiladoras. Dr. Arroyo was a professor of sociology at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez and had been involved for many years with different social justice organizations, including the &quot; Organización Popular Independiente&quot; which he formed.He was  currently writing a book to call on the social movements to join forces to improve human rights and working conditions in the maquiladoras and was a long time advocate and coordinator for the campaign to defend freedom of association and labour rights in Ciudad Juárez.Dr. Arroyo was 44 years old and was shot six times in the head on the open streets in Ciudad Juárez, but so far no perpetrator has been arrested. According to the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Mexico D.F (FESMEX), Dr. Arroyo is the seventh university professor killed in the last two years. All of those killed have been involved in non-government organization activity or human and labour rights projects. Ciudad Juárez is one of the most violent cities in Mexico. In the last year around 1600 people have been victims of violence and in most cases these crimes have not been investigated and have gone unpunished, despite the fact that some 8500 soldiers are stationed in the city.The IMF joins the international labour movement in mourning Dr. Manuel Arroyo Galvan's death and  demands  that the State of Chihuahua and the Federal Government  take urgent action to identify and punish those guilty of his murder, and to guarantee the right to life and physical integrity of human rights defenders and the population in Ciudad  Juárez.

The international labour community mourns the death of labour and human rights defender, Dr. Manual Arroyo Galván, and calls for an immediate and transparent investigation.

Renowned social activist assassinated in Mexico

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