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If I went to work in a factory the first thing I would do is join a union. - Franklin D. Roosevelt
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World of Labor
June 27, 2009
Trade Unions Join Resistance in Iran
Unions are supporting the protest demonstrations against the Iranian government, and their members have been participating in the street actions in Tehran and other cities, according to reports coming through the tightly-imposed censorship. The Auto Bus Union issued a statement that “places itself alongside all those who are offering themselves in the struggle to build a free and independent civic society.”
Auto workers on strike in Iran Khodro pledged that on each working day, they will “stop work for half an hour on each shift to protest the suppression of students, workers, women and the Constitution and declare our solidarity with the movement of the people of Iran.”
International labor organizations have declared the Fifth of Tir (June 26) the international day of support for imprisoned Iranian workers, as well as for promoting the existence of unions in Iran. It will also be a day to renew labor’s commitment in the never-ending struggle for human rights.
Hamburg Stevedore to Cut Work Hours for 2,000
HHLA, Hamburg’s biggest container stevedore, said it will cut working hours for more than 2,000 employees on Monday, June 29 in response to a collapse in cargo volumes at Europe’s second largest box hub. Other leading German port companies have shortened hours for thousands of workers in the past month, including Euro gate, Europe’s biggest container terminal handler, and BLG, the biggest automotive stevedore in Hamburg.
HHLA said the hours would be cut between 10 percent and 100 percent, and that 450 of the 2,000 affected workers will take part in training programs. The company has applied foe funding for two years from the government’s kurzarbeit (short work) scheme which subsidizes short-time work.
HHLA, which employs 3,500 people has assured the unions there will be no permanent layoffs and that the short-time measures will help preserve between 250 and 300 jobs that were threatened.
Greek Air Controllers Strike over Safety Issue
All but emergency air flights were suspended on June 26 in Greece, when air controllers went on strike over communications systems they say are so bad that songs from radio stations often interrupt conversations with pilots. The traffic controllers have staged repeated strikes over the issue since the start of the year and about radar systems that sometimes fail.
“We sometimes hear hymns or traditional songs in the background,” says Panagiotis Hatzakis, a member of the board of the air controllers union. “This is dangerous, especially in the summer months, when air traffic is heaviest.”
Between 2,300 and 2,900 planes, on average, fly through Greek airspace every day, the union said. It is not clear why the Greek authorities have resisted an investigation of the air traffic controllers’ complaints and made the necessary corrections. It’s puzzling that the public is not more involved.
Swedish Furniture Retailer Dumps 5,000, but Expects Sales Record
Swedish discount furniture retailer, Ikea, has slashed 5,000 jobs globally due to the economic crisis, but still expects a new sales record, the CEO said on June 23. The unlisted family-owned company anticipates sales of €21.5 billion ($30.1 billion), excluding currency effects for its fiscal year ending August 31. The do-it-yourself company, founded in 1943, appears confident of posting a strong profit, despite the worst global recession since World War II.
Anders Dahlvig, the company’s managing director, said: “The sharp downturn in the economy has really surprised us. The downturn is very closely linked to the housing sector and is therefore even worse for our industry. Home decorating has plunged much more than the retail sector in general,” he said, adding: “Thanks to our low-cost profile, we are doing better than most and are now gaining market share.”
The company plans to open up 14 new stores this year, and new staff will be needed for those stores, so Ikea expects the number of its employees worldwide to remain around 130,000, despite the cutbacks.
World Leaders to Visit Mexico to Discuss Violation of Union Rights
In July, an estimated 50 labor leaders and members of parliament from countries that are key trading partners with Mexico will participate in a high-level fact-finding mission. Over the course of five days, the delegation will meet with Mexican government officials, ambassadors stationed in Mexico, members of the miners’ union and widows and families of the victims of violence.
The mission is in response to a marked increase in violence against members of the union, many of whom have been on strike for 22 months at mines owned by Grupo Mexico, the country’s largest and most powerful mining company, whose influence in the Mexican government has resulted in a number of arrests of union miners.
Top Japanese Labor Leader Sees Widening Gap between Rich and Poor
The head of Japan’s biggest trade union urges the government to abandon policies introduced by the former Prime Minister, Juicier Koizumi, saying they widened the gap between rich and poor. “The Koizumi era cut support for households and increased their burden, widening the income gap,” said Tsuyoshi Takagi, who heads the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, in an interview in Tokyo last week.
Takagi is a member of a government advisory panel that may recommend expanding unemployment insurance for part-time workers and giving financial assistance to low-income households, according to a draft report released last month. Prime Minister Taro Sao, also sits on the panel, which is expected to release the document on Jan. 27.
Takagi says the government should encourage employers to hire full-time staff. Japanese employers have too many incentives to hire temporary, rather than permanent workers, who are “overprotected” by labor laws, according to the Organization for Economic Corporation and Development. The OECD says Japan has the fourth highest poverty rate among its 30 member nations, although income inequality has declined in the past five years.
South Korean Auto Union Rejects Company’s Final Offer
The trade union at Ssangyong Motor Co. rejected the company’s revised workforce restructuring plan, casting further doubt on the future of the struggling carmaker. The company had delivered a revised version of the layoff plans to the 970 striking workers occupying its plant in Pyeongtaek Gyeonggi Province The plan calls for the dismissal of about 450 workers.
“We will not stop the strike unless the company withdraws the layoffs plans,” union officials told reporters at a press interview. The plan proposed June 25 would allow the 450 dismissed workers to take the voluntary retirement program and receive up to eight months’ pay in compensation. The revised plan also showed that the company would have given jobs to 320 people, placed 100 workers on unpaid leave until 2012 and rehired 100 workers by the end of 2012.
The police have refused to take direct action to remove the sit-in strikers, despite repeated requests from the company. Since neither side appears ready to break the deadlock with some new proposals, the sit-in-strike, which has already dragged on for 36 days, will continue.
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