News

Cleaners and security guards observed International Justice Day 2008 with colour, movement and creativity, in a wide variety of activities from demonstrations, celebrations, picnics, press conferences and delegations to employers. See below for reports from some of our affiliates ...



Malawi

The Textile, Garment, Leather and Security Services Workers' Union (TGLSSWU) distributed 5,000 leaflet. Building on this year's theme for Justice Day- "Its About Time" - the union raised public awareness about the law which allows employers to cut the wage rate of security guards when they work mandatory overtime.

In Malawi, only for security guards, employers are permitted to drop pay to one- half of the regular rate if a workers stays on the job for longer than 8 hours. Worse still the regular rate of pay in Malawi is so low that workers earn only about 20 Euros a month despite the fact that they typically work 72 hours per week or longer. Overtime pay of "time and one-half" would increase each worker's pay by more than 50%, a pittance for security companies operating in Malawi, like G4S, but the difference between a solid meal and hunger for many guards and their families.

Australia

Workers ran activities all over the country for International Justice Day, as part of the Clean Start campaign.



In Canberra, the nation’s capital, workers presented the government with the 2008 Golden Toilet Brush Award. The government earned this dishonour due to its failure to adopt the Clean Start campaign principles for responsible contracting of cleaning services. The Award was presented in a ceremony outside the parliament.

In Adelaide on 13 June, cleaners met on the city’s busiest intersection and also at a university campus, displaying signs to educate passers-by about the working conditions. In Brisbane, cleaners met on 15 June for a picnic to celebrate with friends and family and to hear updates about the campaign negotiations.

India

60 G4S workers gathered at their Regional guarding office in Bangalore on 13 June, and presented a charter of demands to management. Although the gathering was peaceful, management had arranged for the police to attend and took photos of workers present.
	In Kochi, around 100 workers gathered on June 15 at a workers' convention. The workers discussed recent events in the Security for Security Workers campaign and held a demonstration to increase pressure on G4S.

On 13 June, the Paschim Banga Security & Co-workmen’s Union (affiliated to CITU) sent a delegation to the G4S Kolkata regional office to present a charter of demands to management.

In the Netherlands, FNV Bondgenoten organised an event at the trade union museum in Amsterdam on Sunday 15 June to bring workers together to socialise and learn about the fight for the 8 hour day and other historical aspects of worker struggle in the Netherlands.



On Monday 16 June, the union held a workplace action at the UWV, the social security administration offices, in Amsterdam. The cleaners are demanding an 8 hour work day and the right to work during daytime hours.







New Zealand union SFWU and its members distributed leaflets in the country's 2 largest cities, Auckland and Wellington as part of the Clean Start campaign on 16 June.



In the Congo cleaning and security workers met with the press to highlight the challenges workers face and the union campaigns to address these issues, whilst in Denmark union leaders met with management from leading security employers G4S and Securitas to discuss respect for human rights and especially labour rights in their global operations.



In Spain, FES-UGT made demands for an 8 hour day, reducing overtime hours, lowering health and safety risks and decent wages in the cleaning sector.



In Germany the cleaners’ union, IG BAU, held events from June 14 to June 16 all around the country including press conferences, celebrations and worker meetings.



SATAWU in South Africa planned a march against employer ADT Secruity on 17 June, but the company obtained a court order which directed the union not to march or picket.