News

At the AGM of Deutsche Telekom, UNI Global Union, representing more than 20 million workers from over 900 trade unions in the services sector, demanded an end to the company’s belligerent anti-union stance in the USA. Deutsche Telekom’s American mobile communications service T-Mobile USA has come under criticism for its punitive anti-worker practices and labour abuses.

“Deutsche Telekom’s internal guidelines are a good foundation for a profitable company which respects human and labour rights, but they are only of actual value if they are enforced all over the world,” said Alke Boessiger, Head of UNI ICTS.

Boessiger issued an appeal to the company management to sit down and engage with UNI and sign a global framework agreement to protect workers’ rights across their global operations.

“Through a global agreement between UNI and Deutsche Telekom, we could work together to make sure that workers’ rights are respected. The international reputation of Deutsche Telekom should be one of a company which values its workers, rather than one which mistreats them”, said Boessiger. “If Deutsche Telekom continue their path of labour abuses in the United States, the brand will suffer, as the conduct of T-Mobile USA does not fit with their image as a fair employer in Germany.”

Deutsche Telekom were urged to engage with unions and work together to stop breaches of OECD guidelines and the UN guiding principles on sustainable business. UNI Global Union and German affiliate Ver.di urged the company to sign a global framework agreement to jointly monitor and implement worker rights throughout the entire international structure and supply chain of Deutsche Telekom.

The pressure is mounting on the company to ensure that their workers are respected all over the world after repeated mistreatment of workers in the US. Earlier in May, at the L20 in Berlin, UNI, AFL-CIO & DGB urged Chancellor Merkel to demand change through T-Mobile US’s parent company Deutsche Telekom.  In an exchange with German Labour Minister Andrea Nahles, UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings drew attention to T-Mobile’s poor labour practices in the USA and urged the ministry to help find a resolution to these long-standing grievances.

A strongly-worded letter from the President of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka and the Chairman of the DGB Reiner Hoffmann, was also handed to Chancellor Merkel at the L20, urging her to use her influence to call for a change to their US practices.

For further information or to arrange an interview with Alke Boessiger please contact:

Richard Elliott, Director of Communications UNI Global Union, richard.elliott@uniglobalunion.org  +41 79 794 9709