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2 March, 2021Unions and federations from Latin America s pulp and paper industry have agreed to fight together to safeguard their rights to collective bargaining and health and safety in the workplace, and to strengthen company-wide union networks.
Union leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay met with regional and global representatives from IndustriALL to discuss the situation of paper and pulp workers in the region and come up with a work plan and timetable for the sector in 2021.
Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL s assistant general secretary, and Tom Grinter, director of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, and rubber industries at IndustriAL, both addressed the meeting. Özkan spoke about how companies are constantly attacking workers rights, particularly in the context of the global pandemic.
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9 February, 2021Workers in the chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceutical and plastics sector in Latin America and the Caribbean highlighted the importance of strengthening union networks to ensure that companies respect the rights of workers in all countries where they operate.
As the pandemic rages on, its impacts are still felt around the world. Hundreds of companies have closed down their operations in Latin America, using the economic crisis caused by the pandemic to justify their actions. Thousands of workers have lost their jobs and their only source of income. Ford, for instance, has closed its plants in Brazil, forcing other companies along the supply chain to shut down their operations as well. The entire chemicals sector has been affected. We need to work together in order to limit the suffering of workers around the world. We need to strengthen union networks, like the one at Bayer,
3 February, 2021A significant landmark was achieved on 1 February, at an agreement signing ceremony in Tangier, Morocco, that ended a year-long strike and set the roadmap for a new relationship between 500 workers and management of Veolia subsidiary Amanor.
IndustriALL contacted Veolia in May 2020, after all mediation efforts had failed to bring the parties together. Amanor workers were protesting a long and serious list of violations. Veolia’s strong public commitments on trade union rights were put to the test, and the new roadmap agreed by all parties is a strong example of a multinational company reacting in the correct way.
IndustriALL sector director Tom Grinter said:
17 December, 202044 Goodyear Indonesia workers returned to the protest line in Bogor city, demanding that the company reinstate all 44 workers in accordance to the advice of the city Manpower office, provide back pay since 22 June and year-end bonus.
In April, PT Goodyear Indonesia Tbk dismissed 44 permanent workers, citing Force Majeure. The workers and and their union, Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mining, Oil and Gas Workers’ Union (FSP KEP), has been protesting against the arbitrary dismissal.
On 15 December, the workers gathered in front of the factory with banners and placards saying
don t shatter the dream of our family ,
appreciate our contribution to the company , “
17 December, 2020Sanofi workers’ unions from all regions, affiliated with IndustriALL Global Union, united this week to call on the leading pharmaceutical company to stop stripping back and cutting jobs.
With the eyes of the world turned to Covid-19 vaccine producers such as Sanofi, and with profits high for the company, the union network met this week and received concerning reports from Sanofi workers around the world. With sectoral analysis provided by IndustriALL Pharmaceuticals Director Tom Grinter, and an expert overview of the pandemic from IndustriALL’s Hector Mareque, the virtual meeting brought together 50 Sanofi union leaders.
The IndustriALL Global Sanofi Trade Union Network meets regularly, and has an established structure with elected network coordinators at the global and regional levels. Key unions in the network take leadership roles from France, Japan and Brazil. The global network is the social partner for the company and seeks official recognition and social