13th Asia Pacific Electric Power Union Network Meeting

The 13th Asia Pacific Electric Power Union Network Meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 16-17 April, attended by 41 participants from 10 countries: Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, India, Taiwan, Vietnam and Laos. The meeting was supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Resident Direct of Hanoi Office, Erwin Schweisshelm) as a part of the global cooperation program. Michael Mersmann, International Director of IGBCE, Germany and David Shier of Power Workers’ Union, Canada joined as resource persons. Participants exchanged information and discussed main themes of safe and sustainable energy, such as a balanced energy mix policy, campaigns against deregulation of the electricity market, technology advance and its impact, promotion of women leadership and union strategy on precarious employment.

President Taneoka of Denryoku Soren, Japan opened the meeting as the Network Chairperson and reconfirmed that “sustainable development of the power industry is essential because the appropriate selection of power sources and improvement of the transmission networks with consideration for the environment are the basis of industrial development and enhancement of national life.” Brother Nguyen Hoa Binh, Senior Vice President of Vietnam General Confederation of Trade Unions (VGCL) welcomed the meeting “We are honored to host the most active networking event of IndustriALL in Asia and I assure of our full commitment to democratic trade unionism and our efforts in reforming trade union structures. We are happy and grateful to IndustriALL for sharing valuable information on electricity industry and sustainable development for the future.”

Participants shared information on current issues of collective bargaining: improvement of safety measures in nuclear power plants and conditions for termination of employment, fair remuneration of women workers, reduction of precarious work and recognized the challenges facing Asian unions including new wave of de-regulation policy, lack of appropriate policy of energy security, urgent need of support for organizing drive in two countries of the Great Mekong Region Grid (Myanmar and Laos). It is noted that whereas safety concerns for precarious workers at nuclear power plants are now a hot issue, the problem is much broader than that.

In regard to the increasing problems of precarious work, it became clear at the meeting that the awareness levels of the unions’ leadership have definitely increased both on the need for more recruitment of contract and agency labour (CAL) workers and towards improvement of their working conditions. Affiliates from Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand all have recently demanded for changes in the contract status of CAL workers employed through two to three-year contracts. The issue of safety conditions of CAL workers at the power plants was discussed and it was agreed to make a progress report on this issue at the next network meeting. Participants were requested to submit feedback reports to IndustriALL and to put information on the meeting on their Facebook page. A Facebook Conference Page for the AP Electric Power Union Network was created and is now actively being used.

Participants were also updated on the recent industry developments in the electric power industry, as well as on a number of revised GFAs (including GDF and EDF). They were briefed on new and updated provisions in international standards, including on information disclosure, as well as on technological advances in distribution, in particular the smart grid.

Special session on the role of women in community development and fair women representation at the union leadership was organized with Sister Binda Pandey, ILO Governing Body Member with presentation on her experience with IndustriALL and ITUC activities. The FES Hanoi Office declared that this was the first ever organized gender training at the GUF cooperation program and asked to continue the gender training and develop the action program. Denryoku Soren has now woman EC member on board and high rank women officials at the HQ office.

The meeting adopted resolutions:

-approach the reform of systems and regulations in the power industry according to the situation of each country, based on a safe and sustainable power supply to maintain energy security and minimize the influence on the environment and national life.

-support the democratic labor movement in the power industry and maintain strong solidarity among labor unions through the IndustriALL Global Union for the sustainable development of the electricity power related industries. (support Bro Daniel Urai, Fiji Electricity Workers: Union)

-provide assistance for organizing drive in Mekong Delta Region Grid, specially for Myanmar and Laos and coordinate with French unions for social dialogue with EDF and Total management.

-confirm the necessity of continuing to hold the power industry network meeting on a regular basis to collect information on regions other than the Asia-Pacific and to continue to participate in ASEAN Energy Forum.

The next meeting scheduled for 2014 will be held in Japan with hospitality of Denryoku Soren.