News

Major newspapers including Handelsblatt, Financial Times Deutschland, Frankfurter Allgmeine and Süddeutsche all covered the complaint, which details anti-union practices that not only contradict the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Companies but also the company’s own social responsibility standards. Over 100 news outlets in the country covered the story.



Along with stories in major German media, there has been coverage across Europe and the United States as well.



“Deutsche Telekom has to realise that it cannot hide these abuses in the US and Montenegro,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings. “We are saying loud and clear that we will fight everywhere we need to in order to ensure that all Deutsche Telekom workers all over the world can join a union and bargain collectively.”



The complaint, filed by the German union ver.di, US union the Communications Workers of America and global union federation UNI Global Union, details the union-busting activity in the United States at wholly-owned subsidiary T-Mobile USA and reveals that in Montenegro management of Crnogorski Telekom, which is majority owned by Deutsche Telekom, has engaged in conduct designed to undermine employees’ ability to engage in collective action and to exercise their rights to collective bargaining.



The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is also a key member of the global union alliance supporting the campaign.



A selection of press coverage in English:

http://www.newtelecomblogs.com/2011/07/12/t-mobile-usa-violates-workers-rights-union-representatives-say/



http://www.telecompaper.com/news/labour-unions-file-oecd-complaint-against-t-mobile-usa



http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/07/12/global-unions-file-complaint-against-t-mobiles-parent/





A selection of press coverage in German:

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/65X38s/100928/Verdi-greift-Telekom-a.html



http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/it-medien/telekom-auslandstoechter-verletzen-angeblich-arbeitsrecht/4385252.html



http://www.abendblatt.de/wirtschaft/article1954749/Verdi-wirft-T-Mobile-gewerkschaftsfeindliche-Politik-vor.html



http://www.dowjones.de/site/2011/07/pressespiegel-unternehmen-13-juli-2011.html



http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2011-07/20766769-verdi-telekom-bei-us-tochter-t-mobile-gewerkschaftsfeindlich-016.htm