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UNI Global Union says a new Human Rights Watch report revealing the double standards set by many European companies when it comes to workers’ rights in the United States highlights the need for mechanisms to hold companies accountable at the global level for their union policies.



The report puts a spotlight on the loopholes in US labour law and lax enforcement that European companies exploit to set a different standard when it comes to worker and union rights. This is a major concern for UNI and its unions, who are seeking solutions to this problem through direct dialogue with European multinationals and through consultation with institutions like the European Union, International Labour Organisation, the United Nations and the G20.



“In the global fishbowl, corporate behaviour is under the closest scrutiny at all levels,” said General Secretary Philip Jennings said. “Local can quickly become global; a connected world demands consistent and responsible business practice. Business has to be concerned about global reputational risk when local abuses occur. Consumers, shareholders, regulators, investors and, of course, workers and their unions expect responsible management practices everywhere a company operates. Working with global unions is part of the solution.”



UNI believes that Global Agreements with multinational companies, in which they commit to end anti-union practices and drop the barriers to the creation of unions in the US and elsewhere in their operations, are a key tool in winning union rights for workers around the world.



The Human Rights Watch report details activities of European-based companies who have embraced Corporate America’s anti-union attitude when it comes to the common practice of intense opposition to workers who want to form unions and bargain collectively. UNI and its affiliates have experienced this for years with many companies, including Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA, Deutsche Post’s DHL and Tesco Plc, who were subjects of the study.



UNI has worked extensively with its US and European affiliates to seek solutions to these problems and find ways to get European companies to set a better standard for US workers. UNI believes that union cooperation globally is the key to ensuring union rights around the world. This is a key part of UNI’s “Breaking Through” plan that UNI affiliates will debate at the upcoming World Congress in Nagasaki, Japan.



At the international level, the process to update the OECD Guidelines and John Ruggie’s work with the United Nations are also are steps in the right direction, UNI said.



UNI will also ask Human Rights Watch to take a look at the conduct of U.S. corporations that export their anti-union behaviour around the world, taking advantage of any weak laws or lax enforcement of union rights in countries where they do business.



You can find the full report, “A Strange Case: Violations of Workers’ Freedom of Association in the United States by European Multinational Corporations”, at: http://www.hrw.org/node/92719