One Company, One Standard –Workers’ rights for all at Deutsche Telekom
Press Release:
Call centre workers around the world are sending a strong message to Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann, “End the double standards. NOW!”
In Germany, where Deutsche Telekom is based, call centre workers enjoy a good relationship with the company through their union ver.di. These workers are able to freely join a trade union and bargain collectively. Deutsche Telekom workers in other countries are not so lucky. For example, in Montenegro the company has undermined the collective agreement with the union. In the United States, a recent report from Human Rights Watch described the company’s tactics to keep workers from forming a union.
"Today, workers around the world ask for Deutsche Telekom to end the double standards. Sign a global agreement with UNI Global Union. Let the workers organise and collectively bargain," said Marcus Courtney, head of UNI Telecom Global Union.
UNI Telecom Global Union, call centre workers and their trade unions are visiting German embassies around the world to voice their concerns over the double standards employed by the company. The German government is a major shareholder in the company and remains influential in the company’s operations.
Workers are also signing postcards addressed to Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) CEO Rene Obermann. By signing the postcard workers are sending a clear message to the company, “One Company, One Standard – Workers rights for all at Deutsche Telekom”.
Courtney said UNI’s goal is to get Deutsche Telekom to ensure all its workers around the world have the freedom to organise and freedom to bargain collectively in an environment where management respects this process so that workers can work with the company to improve their conditions.
“In Montenegro, the company has undermined the collective agreement and circumvented national law. It’s easy to fix though - Deutsche Telekom needs to sit down and begin dialogue with the union,” he said. “The situation in the United States is more dire. T-Mobile USA, one of Deutsche Telekom’s largest subsidiaries, is conducting a constant and relentless campaign against workers who express an interest in joining a union.”
UNI Call Centre Action Month runs until November 10.
You can follow the UNI Call Centre Action Month campaign online at:
www.callcentreaction.org
You can read the Human Rights Watch report online at:
http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/09/02/strange-case-0
UNI Telecom Global Union represents more than 3 million members in the telecommunications industry in more than 130 different countries. UNI Telecom holds Global Agreements with some of the world's largest telecommunications companies like Telefonica, France Telecom, and Portugal Telecom. These agreements guarantee basic labour rights for more than 300,000 workers across the globe.
Contact:
Marcus Courtney
Tel: +41 22 365 21 33
email: marcus.courtney@uniglobalunion.org