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Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

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The structural and technological transformation of metal industries has brought about profound changes in the occupational pattern of the workforce. Non-manual workers are growing in number but are poorly organised or not organised at all.  Like those on the shop-floor they are drawn into the race to the bottom in the global economy. The IMF and its affiliates need to engage and mobilise these workers around labour and professional issues to build greater solidarity and bargaining strength.

Non-Manual

Bad working conditions are experienced on a daily basis by workers. Even small improvements in occupational health and safety are well received by the most vulnerable groups of workers. Through education, IMF is assisting affiliates in setting up effective health and safety committees in all workplaces. IMF is working with affiliates in order to achieve an international ban on the production, import, export and use of asbestos, responsible for more than 100,000 deaths yearly.

Health and Safety

<img src="" alt="" title="Jyrki Raina" width="120" height="134" align="right" />Jyrki Raina è stato eletto Segretario Generale della Federazione Internazionale dei Sindacati Metalmeccanici al 32esimo Congresso Mondiale della FISM, celebratosi nel maggio 2009.Precedentemente, Jyrki Raina era il Segretario Generale della Nordic IN in Svezia, carica che rivestiva dal 2006.Nato a Helsinki nel 1960, Jyrki Raina ha iniziato a lavorare per il sindacato nel 1985 come avvocato e nelle attività di contrattazione collettiva del sindacato finlandese dei chimici. Sei anni dopo si è trasferito a Bruxelles per svolgere attività di ricerca per conto dell'ICEF (Federazione internazionale dei sindacati dei chimici e dell'energia), per poi divenire responsabile politiche e relazioni sindacali per il settore energia. Nel 2000 è stato nominato Responsabile Organizzazione dell'ICEM (Federazione internazionale dei sindacati dei chimici, dell'energia e delle miniere), affiancando il Segretario Generale nella pianificazione strategica. Tra il 2001 e il 2003 Jyrki ha lavorato per i sindacati finlandesi dell'industria in veste di consulente, con base a Helsinki. Nel 2003 è tornato a Stoccolma, dove è divenuto il Segretario Generale della Nordic Metal nonché membro sostituto del Comitato Esecutivo della FISM e del Comitato Direttivo della FEM.

Jyrki Raina, Segretario Generale della FISM.

In December 2008, Sinter Metal, a Turkish company that supplies components to major auto manufacturers, fired 350 workers for their union activity. Sinter Metal workers are fighting for their jobs and the fundamental right to join unions and bargain collectively. The International Metalworkers' Federation and European Metalworkers' Federation are calling on Sinter Metal Imalat Sanayi A.Ş to immediately reinstate unjustly dismissed workers, stop violations of rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, and start negotiations with the union, Birlesik Metal-IS, leading to a fair and just resolution.

Tell Sinter Metal to reinstate all unjustly dismissed workers and respect Turkish labour law and basic trade union rights now.

Demand Justice for Sinter Metal Workers in Turkey

Thank you for taking ACTION!Visit the IMF website for regular updates on the Sinter Metal campaign or sign up for IMF Action Alerts to be notified of urgent solidarity requests and campaign developments immediately when they arise.<h3>This page will reload to the protest letter again in 5 seconds</h3>

Visit the IMF website for regular updates on the Sinter Metal campaign.

Thank you for taking ACTION!

Dear Mr. Tanberk,I join with the International Metalworkers&#039; Federation, European Metalworkers&#039; Federation and Birlesik Metal-IS in demanding that Sinter Metal immediately stops and remedies violations of worker and trade union rights at its operations located in the Dudullu Organized Industrial Zone in Turkey. I am increasingly alarmed that such violations continue to undermine workers&#039; rights to form and join a union and to collectively bargain, enshrined in ILO conventions 98 and 87, to which Turkey is a signatory. I demand that Sinter Metal management immediately reinstates the dismissed workers, stops violations of fundamental worker and trade union rights, and in good faith considers the workers&#039; demands and starts negotiations to reach a fair and just settlement with the union.Sincerely,

protest letter to send

Building strong national trade unions is crucial. The strong unions which are in a permanent democratic relationship with workers, are capable of achieving real gains through collective bargaining, by organizing the unorganized, striving for trade union unity at the national level and building unions through training, education and effective exchange of information.To learn more about the IMF union building philosophy please click <a href="../index.cfm?c=21980&amp;l=2">here</a>.

GERMANY: Siemens AG's announcement to cut 16,750 jobs, or about 4 per cent of its workforce worldwide, has drawn heavy opposition from IG Metall, the union which represents the majority of Siemens workers in Germany, calling the mass restructuring plan extreme, and unjustified.The German electronics and engineering conglomerate employs 400,000 workers worldwide. Almost one third of the cuts are planned for its German operations, of which IG Metall has reported that 75 per cent of these jobs slated for downsizing are covered by the union's collective agreement.IG Metall has criticized the job cuts pointing out that the company is financially sound and that product order books &quot;are full.&quot; The union and its members question whether the company will be able to reach its goal of gaining market dominance with less staff. &quot;The strength of Siemens is the highly qualified and motivated staff,&quot; said Werner Neugebauer, district manager of IG Metall Bavaria.&quot;Cost reduction through job cuts does not replace any sustainable strategy, but is a sign of the lack of good ideas,&quot; he added. Neugebauer was also quoted in the press as saying &quot;Cutting only jobs and selling (off production sites) is irresponsible.&quot;Siemens management plans to begin negotiations with unions and worker representatives immediately. The company has said it would use transfers, and part-time pre-retirement schemes, with contracts terminated &quot;only as a last resort.&quot; The union is waiting until after discussions with Siemens management before announcing any collective response, however union representatives have not ruled out the possibility of coordinated protest in the future. The next meeting between the Siemens management board and employee representatives will take place at the general works council meeting July 23.

IG Metall calls restructuring plan "irresponsible", "excessive", and "unacceptable".

In Germany, 75 per cent of Siemens&#039; cuts are union jobs

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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