29 November, 2012On 15 November unions and management of Italian-based producer of domestic appliances, Indesit, jointly established the Global Committee.
An agreement was signed according to which on 1 January 2013 the European Works Committee of Indesit will expand its geographical scope and become an International Works Council, including representatives of workers and trade unions of the sites manufacturing in countries outside the European Union.
The new agreement is signed by IndustriALL Global Union, IndustriALL European Trade Union and a number of their affiliates representing workers at Indesit Company sites in France, Italy, Poland, UK, Russia and Turkey.
The decision is based on the union strategy to build global union networks (and international committees) in transnational companies with the aim to promote worker unity.
In December 2001 the former-IMF, one of three predecessor organizations of IndustriALL Global Union, represented by its affiliates in Italy FIM, FIOM and UILM, signed an International Framework Agreement with Indesit, then Merloni Elettrodomestici S.p.A.
In signing the agreement, the company committed to comply with and promote the fundamental principles and rights at work established in conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). To supervise compliance with the undertaken obligations special monitoring has been put in place to for violations not only of the company's own production units and activities, but its suppliers as well, with the risk of having their contracts cancelled in case of grave violations.
The company has also undertaken to report on the implementation and status of the agreement at the annual meeting of the European Works Committee (EWC) and at the national information meetings provided for by the national collective contracts.
The text of the agreement on institution of the International Works Committee as well as the text of the agreement on transformation of European Committee into International is available on the links.